Los Tules and Bucerias

See following web pages for pictures and details:
www.go2casablanca.com http://www.pvmirror.com/specialreports/casablanca-ing.html

This is a cute little place with beachfront and mind-calming waves pounding the surf. We stayed in a two-bedroom condo, offered at no extra cost since our studio unit was not ready for us! Recommended for a relaxing getaway from the busy PV scene. Daily and weekly rentals available.

Best Things Nearby:
This resort has an excellent location, not far from where one wants to go. Gigante Shopping Center is just across the street--loved the fresh bakery. We also had to try the Pizza Hut--and were not disappointed! The marina and airport are a short taxi or bus trip away.

Best Things About the Resort:
The units are quite large and fully equipped. It was very nice for a one bedroom to have 2 bathrooms, each with their own tub/shower. We spent a lot of time in the evenings just watching English language movies on the satellite TV and eating Gigante food.

Resort Experience:
This is a quiet, well-landscaped, traditional looking property with several buildings, all near one of the several swimming pools. Don't look for excitement--it's more of a family type setting. The pools aren't heated and were usually empty. One of the several resort cats adopted us, especially when we had leftover fish to feed it. The resort's travel office has discount pricing on most of the local tours so no need to buy ahead of time.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Fair
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

The Chapultepec is the poolside restaurant at the Los Tules resort (the only restaurant at the resort, actually). Every day, delicious odors would begin wafting from the Chapultepec to our timeshare unit. The restaurant doesn't specialize in one type of food, but has specials each day of a different type. Most meals are somewhat Americanized and not exotic, but the meals we had were tasty and moderately priced.

The Chapultepec was as good as any of the other restaurants we went to in PV, given its medium pricing and excellent location only steps away from our timeshare. The cook even agreed to grill the fish we bought at the Gigante supermarket (although we didn't end up doing that)! Have to admit the restaurant is spartan, with only a canopy over the seating area. But, hey, we ate in several other places that were no more than fancy palupas.

By contrast, the Blue Shrimp, in downtown PV, was a rip-off--$40 each to eat off a park bench and eat so-so food. We went there because the resort handed us a coupon for a free salad bar. I later found out some people call it the "Green Shrimp."

Canopy claims to be the second largest of its kind, exceeded in length only by one in Costa Rica. This is nominally an "eco" tour, with the guides pointing out various jungle plants and animals along the way. Primarily, though, this tour involves being hooked up in a harness and pulley and traversing 13 different cable crossings, most of which take you high above the rocky river canyon below. I had my doubts about the wisdom of taking this tour, as we are no longer kids, but are in our early 60s. Our fears were soon dispelled, however, as we floated through the trees with the greatest of ease. We bought the video of our group's tour--$40, and have proudly showed it off to unbelievers. This was our best tour of the week.