If you have been keeping up with my blogs from my recent trip to Puerto Vallarta, you know the first two days were very relaxing; however, Day Three brought a day of adventure.

After a quick breakfast in my room, I met the rest of my group in the lobby to set off on our tour of downtown Puerto Vallarta. Since Día de los Muertos was the next day, our tour started at one of the local cemeteries, which was filled with tourists and locals alike. The tourists were there to see the altars and decorations on the graves in honor of the holiday, and the locals were there to spend time with their loved ones as they prepared to cross over for the day. After paying our respects and wandering around the cemetery, we boarded our van to head to the Malecón Boardwalk.

The boardwalk stretches along Banderas Bay, offering stunning seaside views of Puerto Vallarta’s coast. Along the boardwalk guests can do some shopping, dining, partying and more. We were there to see the decorated calavera carnitas designed by local companies, tourist operators, stores, colleges and more. The display ends at the tallest calavera cartinas in the world, according to The Guinness Book of World Records, which stands at nearly 75 feet tall. I was in awe of the beautifully decorated pieces of art. While exploring, our tour guide shared fun facts about the city and its history and culture. We even made sure to take individual and group photos in front of the iconic Puerto Vallarta sign.

Once done on the boardwalk, we made our way over to the town square for a quick history lesson and then eventually walked over to The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We stood outside for a little bit to admire the beauty of its architecture, including the giant crown held up by eight stunning angels, the brick layout, beautiful stained-glass windows and more. We took some time to wander around the inside to also take in its beauty.

Next, we took a short walk further downtown to check out the local shops, restaurants and candy factory. Some people took time to have lunch, but a couple of the other girls and I decided to wander around the shops and explore the town. We eventually had to head back to the bus so we could make our way back to the hotel to get ready for our night.

When we got back to the hotel, I took a quick shower and relaxed for a little bit before I had to get ready for dinner and activities at Velas Vallarta. At the hotel we had a surprise waiting for us, where we got to decorate and paint our own skull heads — our artistic abilities were really put to the test. Luckily, some of the skulls had a design already started so we could just add our own touches then go right to the painting. Afterward, our own mixologist greeted us with a special Noviembre second cocktail to sip on as we went on a journey with our personal calavera cartina guide. Our guide told us famous stories and folktales about different Day of the Dead legends.

After the tour, it was time for dinner on the beach under a pretty teepee and dreamcatchers. We had a couple different courses for dinner and ended the night with a delicious dessert.

Since it was our last night and Day of the Dead was the next day, we decided to head back downtown to check out the celebrations happening. We had a great end to a great trip!

— Mary Melnick, social media & editorial coordinator