The Hotel Valencia was a perfect beach resort. Nestled on a private cove less than an hour south of Puerta Vallarta, it had all the amenities and fine dining of the most luxurious resorts in Europe. When you added the clear turquoise ocean water that was spread out below our ocean view suite, it was paradise.
The flight from the Dallas had only taken a few hours and being in the same time zone meant that there was no travel lag waking up that first morning. I headed down to the restaurant around 8:00 and let my wife Tracy sleep in.
I could see wisps of steam rising off the cup of dark-roasted coffee as I sat on the dining patio that overlooked the ocean. I savored the spiced eggs and tortillas I ordered for breakfast. This was something of a second honeymoon to celebrate our twelfth anniversary and I promised myself that I wasn't going to try and manage every minute of the vacation like I did when we traveled with the kids. With the kids now in school and Tracy's parents staying with them for the week, we took the time to get away for a week and even though it was only March, it was like taking a brief detour into Summer after the cold of Dallas in Winter.
I finished breakfast and drank coffee as I watched the colors of the Pacific change while the sun rose higher above the hills behind me. I had just begun to worry if I should check on my wife when she came through the restaurant wearing a thin wrap over her bikini, a large sun hat and an oversized pair of black sunglasses.
"Figured I find you out here," she said as she sat down beside me. "Wow", she paused to take in the view and feel the cool morning salt air wash over her. "This is gorgeous."
"The food is just as good as it was last night at dinner," I said. The waiter and the busboy stepped over as soon as she was settled.
"Buenas Dias Senora." The courtly middle aged waiter almost bowed as he greeted my wife."What can I offer you to drink this morning?" The busboy slid in beside her and filled her water glass from a bottle on the table.
"Is it too early to have a mimosa?" she asked him. He smiled and shrugged. "I'd also like coffee with cream and another order of what my husband had for breakfast."
"Of course, Senora." He smiled broadly and whisked away with the busboy in tow.
"The staff here is so nice, don't you think?" She asked as she adjusted her chair to take in the rest of the view to the South. "I got lost on the way over and the boys who rent the beach equipment were so sweet walking me over. Did you know they rent jet skis?"
"Jet skis?" I looked over at her. "We haven't done that since our honeymoon."
"Exactly!" Tracy exclaimed. "When are we ever going to do it again?!" Her drink arrived and the waiter served her coffee along with a selection of sugars and a small serving of cream. As she stirred her coffee, Tracy explained," The boy was telling me there are a whole series of coves and private beaches to the south and they are way more beautiful than the ones in town or even here at the hotel. There's no way to reach them except by boat or jet ski. Doesn't that sound like fun?"
"It actually does," I admitted. "I was figured I would just be snorkeling around here in front of the hotel today as you stayed under the umbrella or one of those palm frond huts they have down at the beach.
Even with my sandy blond hair, I was still a golden olive color but my wife was very fair. She had worked up a slight tan using the tanning booths at the club over the past few weeks but her natural complexion and blonde hair didn't lend itself to the clear tropical sun. She had a dusting of freckles over her shoulders and couldn't spend more than a few minutes at a time outdoors without heavy sunscreen.
She sipped her mimosa and explained, "The guy was saying that there are all these coves where the palms grow right over the beach and have pretty good shade until noon. We wouldn't even need an umbrella." Her food arrived and she began to eat.
I checked my watch. It was already a little before ten. "Well let me run upstairs and change while you eat. I'll meet you back here in ten minutes." I stood up and kissed her upraised lips as I left the table. I hummed in the elevator on the ride up to our room, thinking about exploring an isolated cove with my beautiful wife instead of the hustle and bustle of the hotel beach.
We found the rental booth on the way to the beach and the attendants almost cheered when they saw my wife arrive. They all greeted her like a celebrity and then turned to me in a friendly greeting.
"Si Senor, so did you want to explore the coast a little today?" One of the attendants asked. His name tag said "Ramon". "Do you prefer to hire a boat with a driver or do you feel comfortable to pilot yourself on a jet-ski?"
"Sure, what does it run to rent a jet ski?" I asked.
"It's $50.00 for the first hour, Senor"