Waiting at the Marina
Our adventure was about to start with our arrival at the Marina. There wasn’t any cruise ships in sight which made the Marina look a little bit smaller than usual when it’s filled with two or three enormous cruise ships.
There is some pleasant entertainment after you check into the waiting area from where you are then led to the Vallarta Adventures boats. There is a mime/clown for some healthy laughs and guacamayas (parrots) to take pictures of.
Trip to Caletas
The boats can carry between 50 and 100 passengers and we were lucky to get the smaller boat with less than 50 passengers which makes it more comfortable to walk, see and enjoy the boat.
Our trip started at 6:30pm, right in time for the sunset and a beautiful photographic ocean-view.
On the way, there is a free bar and party music entertaining the passengers.
The ambient is happy and everywhere you look you see people talking, dancing and laughing together with the willing boat crew.
Arrival at Las Caletas
20 minutes before arrival at Las Caletas, there is a funny show starring the crew in a “almost” real strip dance. The sun is completely gone and left is only the black sky with little bright dots that become clearer with every wave we approach to the beach. As we get closer to the beach the torches seem brighter, illuminating every path at Las Caletas.
We go pair wise along the paths passing a few scenarios where we can see actors dressed as Indians performing mystical ceremonies and rituals.
The sound of drums and other instruments gets louder the deeper we walk into the jungle. It is amazing how wonderfully nice structured and decorated the place is.
The Scenery could be described as if it was a mixture of an untouched natural world with the architectural work of mankind.
Also impressive is that almost everything besides the food and people is made out of stones, ropes and wood. After a few meters walk, the line of visitors is split in two, one to go to the buffet and the other to go view the show.
We managed to sneak into the buffet line, since we wouldn’t want to see the show with an empty tummy.
Buffet
Everybody gets a unique table spot and there are special ones extra for couples located along the beach. Some are only a few inches distance from the water.
Drinks are served immediately from waiters keeping an eye on our needs and wishes. The buffet is nicely illuminated with candles that are sitting aside every food plate. It is a little hard to recognize everything on the buffet but don’t worry, there is no way to choose wrong because all the food is deliciously prepared by excellent gourmet cooks.
These are the moments you wish for more space in your tummy and lets you turn over in your bed, thinking about every single plate of food you didn’t try. One of Vallarta Adventures’ staff went through every table asking for feedback and making sure everything was fine.
You can see people that have fallen under the magical Caletas spell chitchatting with the crew and other staff members about how wonderful Caletas is. After a few glasses of wine and a full plate of exquisite food, we were advised to go to the show located deeper inside the area.
Show
The show starts by seating everybody on benches up a hill like if it was a theatre play just before all lights go of and the crowd is surrounded by total darkness. Now we become aware of the benefits of an open-air show.
The stars are as bright as stars can get and the hidden speakers start playing drum rhythms. Then color starts appearing on stage. First red, then green and violet playing synchronized with the actors and music.
Fire, smoke and drum beats stimulate all our senses, pushing our heart beat faster. The show takes about 20-30 minutes being perfect timing for our bum sitting on the wooden benches. After the show finalizes with an impressive act, everybody is getting ready to go back to the boat and head back to Puerto Vallarta.
Way Home
On our way to the boat you can hear people say things like “I want to stay here”, and staff people replying “Stay here, we’ll come and pick you up tomorrow”.
Everybody is back on the boat and believe it or not but with all the different kinds of alcoholic drinks we had, the boat didn’t seem to move more at all.
Here and there you can see people getting very tired, embracing each other or leaning on some body’s shoulder for a nap.
There isn’t as much party on the way back, which is good because it let’s you enjoy the rest of the night and some people can continue fantasizing about all that food and drinks they didn’t try.
By the way, if you are going to drink more than one cup of any alcoholic drink on the boat, you should stick to the beer. All our drinks were prepared and served in front of us at the bar, and you can see the rum is poured out of a Bacardi bottle, which we now know wasn’t Bacardi.
Just thinking about the different drinks we tried makes everything spin again and the truth is that we have never drank that little and gotten so drunk. 24 hours later our heads still hurt like hell, but it still was a five star experience that we would repeat any time (but only beers).
Last Words
Rhythms of the Night is a MUST SEE. There is no arguing, anybody coming to Vallarta with a good taste in food and scenery, will love this tour. We haven’t tried out many other tours offered by Vallarta Adventures, but we believe that this is probably the best one.
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