A DAY OF ZEN
After a late night of indulging in the legendary Puerto Vallarta nightlife, sometimes a body needs to recover. Fear not, this city the perfect remedy for a big night on the town.
Your first stop is The Fit Club at Rivera Molino. They sell day or week passes and are open from 6:00am during the weekdays and 8:00am on Saturdays. This fully equipped gym has some great classes ranging from TRX to yoga, with handsome personal trainers, lockers and showers. Take some time to get back the party-pump you need for the beach, and help relieve some of the guilt associated from all those margaritas. After your workout, a morning run on the beautiful and unusually quiet Los Muertos Beach will get your heart-rate up and your mind centered while you enjoy the beauty of the bay and surrounding forested mountains.
After some much needed exercise, head over to the Old Town Farmers Market at Plaza Lázaro Cárdenas, open on Saturdays from 9:30am – 2:00pm. There you will find friendly local farmers and vendors selling everything from the freshest fruits and vegetables to handmade tortillas. It’s a great way to start the day with smiling faces, local flavor and jute bags full of the healthiest ingredients for a dinner at home later that night.
From the Farmers Market make you way to Salud Super Food at Olas Altas #534. It’s right in the center of the Romantic Zone with a great patio for people watching. Make sure to order the Pachamama Burger and a Moca Loca smoothie. We can guarantee this may be one of the best veggie burgers you will ever lay your lips on. It’s guilt-free pleasure at its best, and the smoothie with an icy combination of chocolate and coffee will taste like desert as you wash it down.
There’s a strong likelihood that, whatever you sleep you had the previous night was not quite enough for a full recovery, so this is where a lazy afternoon nap becomes your reward for the morning workout, a little bit of shopping and lunch. However, before you head towards your slumber, stop by the Wellness Room on Rodolfo Gómez, which is just around the corner from Salud and pamper yourself with a late afternoon deep-tissue massage with Cesar or one of his talented therapists. The Wellness Room provides sublime treatments, and with a 60-minute massage for around US$40, it is one of the best deals in town. Make sure you book in advance.
After a transcendent massage and afternoon nap, the best way to the end the day is a leisurely stroll down to Playa Amapas just south of Los Muertos beach for some sunset yoga and meditation. It is a much quieter beach than Los Muertos, without all of the distracting eye-candy. While there, gaze over the bay as the sun gently retreats behind the horizon and let the sky wash you in a golden bath of light in a perfect moment of Zen.