#messy suitcase

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Touring Madrid from the Top of a HOHO

We toured Madrid from the open top of a Hop On Hop Off bus, our favorite way to get an overview of a new city. Tickets start at $27.50.

Bus Info Madrid Tourism Map

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Taking a Tour to Sintra, Portugal

Bob took a bus tour to Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage site north of Lisbon, Portugal, that hosts the National Palace and many other magnificent 19th and 20th century royal residences in the Romantic style. Come along and find out what is special about this charming coastal town.

Sintra is a pioneer work of European romanticism, bringing together incredible botanical richness and a diversity of monuments and buildings from a long period of history. Bob’s favorite was a deep, winding stone well called the Quinta de Regaleira.

INFO

An Independent Guide to Sintra Sites and Attractions in Sintra UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sintra Map

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Bob was in Lisbon, traveling solo for a few days. He started in Boston, and in this video, he takes you on his journey through the airports from departure at Logan at night, to arrival in Lisbon at 5 the next morning. Luckily, Bob is an early-morning person. So he stored his luggage securely in a spot he found through an app called Bounce, got some cash and breakfast, and began wandering around Avenida Libertad in the compelling Portuguese capital.

Because he was tired from the redeye flight and it was too early to get into his hotel, he launched his visit with a ride on the Hop On Hop Off bus!

Bob’s discoveries from the bus seat included St. Dominic’s, one of the oldest churches in Lisbon; a lovely fountain in Rossio Square, the Column of Pedro IV, Elevador Santa Justa; the Arch of Rua Agusta, the Combat Museum, Tower of Belem, beautiful tilework on many of the avenues, Portuguese breakfast treats, and more. He also tasted ginjinha, stumbled upon some talented street performers, and enjoyed restaurants and shopping,

Info:

Bounce App for luggage storage Lisbon Tourism Lisbon Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off Buses

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Stupid Drunk and Happy in Puerto Vallarta: Tasting Tequila at Oscar’s Destileria 

We stumbled upon a tequila micro-distillery right next to the Pacific Ocean, on the grounds of Restaurant Oscar’s, while we were just bopping around Puerto Vallarta.  Blue agave plants and silver barrels beckoned us with the promise of a chance to try Jalisco’s specialty, tequila.

This is how they describe it on their website:

“Embark on a sensory adventure with our Mexican Distilled Spirits Tasting experience, where tradition, craftsmanship, and flavor converge in a symphony of delightful notes. Explore the rich cultural heritage of Puerto Vallarta through an expertly curated selection of premium distilled spirits that capture the essence of this vibrant country. Indulge in an unforgettable journey through the heart and soul of Puerto Vallarta in Mexico with our Mexican Distilled Spirits Tasting.”

We got a very thorough tour and tasting experience from a guide whose name Lisa unfortunately forgot. After giving us a quick history of how tequila used to be made and explaining how it’s distilled now, our guide even taught us how to drink it.

There were more types of tequila than we have seen anywhere else, including passion fruit, kiwi, coffee, vanilla, guanabana, and even one he described as “The Baby Maker” because it makes you “feel like a donkey from the waist down.”

He was so funny, we walked away with an expensive bottle in our hands and stupid smiles on our faces.

Info

Destilería de Oscars 

Map

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Vidanta Resort’s Heart of the House Tour

We donned dorky paper chef hats when Christan from the Joy Squad took us on a 90-minute tour behind the scenes of the massive Vidanta Resort in Nuevo Nayarit/Vallarta, Mexico. From housekeeping, to food service, to wine, to excruciatingly delicious gourmet chocolates, we had a chance to see how a large luxury resort is run.

Vidanta has six resorts in Mexico, and Nuevo Vallarta, just north of Puerto Vallarta, is the flagship, with 5,000 employees trained to serve guests with an amazing attention to detail to make their experiences at Vidanta extraordinary.

We traveled through 1.7 kilometers of tunnels in an open-air van escorted by a staff member on a segway. In the huge bowels of the complex, we found administrative offices, carpentry, laundry, vehicle repair, electrical repair, spare parts, supplies management, bakery, ice cream factory, homemade jams, grocery store, trash and recycling (11 tons of recycling per day!). We saw one of the employee cafeterias, the staff gym, shuttle buses for employees, a hospitality training classroom, and a simulator in which staffers learn to serve meals, clean and prepare bedrooms, and more. We were treated to bread, jams, charcuterie, chocolate, and – the best surprise of all – discovered a wine cave for tasting!

The Heart of the House Tour runs once a week, on Wednesdays, and is limited to ten people. It’s worth a few hours in the morning if you’re curious about how Vidanta is run. And it’s worth it to see chocolate high-heeled shoes!

Info:

Vidanta Vidanta Nuevo Nayarit/Vallarta Map

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Celebrating Sweet Oranges in Las Marias, Puerto Rico

The mountain village of Las Marias, Puerto Rico, throws a huge block party every March, the Festival de las Chinas Dulces, to celebrate the abundant variety of sweet oranges that grow on the island.

They call oranges “chinas” (pronounced CHEE-nahs) in Puerto Rico, though the Spanish word for “orange” is “naranja” (pronounced nah-RAHN-hah).

We spent a sweet afternoon drinking china coladas and orange juice, eating china bread and other Puerto Rican delicacies, sipping Puerto Rican coffee, learning about island agriculture, and perusing the products of a myriad of artisans. The music was traditional, colorful, and energetic, coming from two main bandstands, and the crowds extended for blocks in several directions. We even took home an orange tree to plant in our Cabo Rojo yard!

Info Map

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Mini-Tour: Bird’s-Eye View of Boquerón Beach

Balneario (Public Beach) Boquerón is one of our favorite beaches, and we showed it to you in an earlier video. But now Beto has a drone, and you’ll find the view is even better from the sky! 

The view of the crystal-clear water and the reefs and rocks below is astounding, with the stunning mountains in the distance. And Boquerón, which is a national park,  features many facilities you can’t see from the beach, including beach volleyball, a tennis court, a basketball court, a camping area (with cabins still being restored after damage from Hurricane Maria in 2018), and more.

INFO

Balneario Boquerón Messy Suitcase Original Boquerón Beach Video

Map