Dia Seis En Puerto Vallarta (Part 3)

Every minute that goes by this morning is bittersweet. Our time at Villa Balboa is coming to an end.

On the agenda; gourmet breakfast by chef Kori, a sample of the spa treatments available at the villa, a light lunch and our goodbyes to the wonderful staff and this amazing ocean front home rental in Puerto Vallarta.

Chef Kori starts us off right with a fresh mango and cantaloupe smoothie. She insisted that we drink a lot of water as the masseurs would go to work on us and if we’re not hydrated sufficiently we’ll cramp up badly.

After breakfast we’re told it is time and we head down to our terrace, where I spent those peaceful moments earlier in the morning, and we find the two women already set up for us. No CD of relaxing ocean waves needed, mother nature already provides that sound track. Add the firm touch of an expert masseur and aroma therapy oils to create the best massage experience I’ve ever had.

After the massage a dip in our room’s infinity Jacuzzi is the final touch to our luxurious and relaxing stay.

Our bags are packed we’re ready to go….

I sneak away from our group to take one final walk though the villa to soak up into memory as much of this experience as possible. The garden and koi ponds on the rooftop, the wonderful décor and pool and patio on the main floor, the movie theater, the waterfall, the master suites, the executive apartment, the other bedrooms, the unique bathrooms throughout the villa. The sounds. The smells. The feeling of the sun on my face with the cool rocks at the base of the waterfall beneath my feet. I want to remember everything!

We say our goodbyes and thank yous to Christhian and Eduardo, and as we’re about to call a cab to meet us, chef Kori offers to drive us to our next stop…Villa Venado.

Chef Kori, who will probably have her own cooking show someday she’s so adorable and spunky, is simply too nice. If you’d like to contact her for event catering or private chef service email her at chefkori@hotmail.com

On to Villa Venado…

With the help of Eduardo we piled our luggage into the back of Chef Kori’s Dodge Ram pick-up, that still had California plates even after 7 years of driving in PV. Chef Kori explained some of the intricacies of the Mexican driving system and it was shocking. Thank goodness cabs are so plentiful, buses run regularly, and nice locals like Chef Kori will help you get around.

As she put the truck in drive we looked back at the entrance to Villa Balboa and the large wooden doors that hide a sanctuary of such opulence it is hard to image the could exist more than a handful of villas like this one in the entire world.

We rolled up onto the coast highway and Villa Balboa was quickly gone from view.

The truck bounced down the coast highway. Wind blew in our faces carrying the smell of the ocean wafting through the foliage that lined the road. I took a deep breath and said, “You guys think we should just go to the airport? Cuz there’s no way the trip can get any better than what we just experienced.”

Chef Kori, jokingly step a little on the break and said, “o.k..” We all chuckled.

Chef Kori told us that Villa Venado shouldn’t be very far down the road from Balboa, though she had never seen it. That made sense as Venado was only just finished in 2009.

Soon we were slowing down and turning left to go up a bumpy hillside road. There were some condos or apartments to the left and some small houses on the right. The road was the cobblestone that we had seen in many parts of Vallarta and there were large Mango Trees over hanging the road as we climbed.

After a short distance the road opened up to an area of the hillside that was under slow development. We passed another 2 or three houses and then we came to a gated drive that was as finely paved and manicured as you’d see in any modern multi-million dollar luxury home development in the US. We passed through and climbed the steep palm lined pavement drive and as we rounded a bend we saw it.

Villa Venado.

A warm toned, uniquely designed, luxury villa set behind large walls on the lush hillside. This home rose like a castle, or a chateau, and with dramatic architecture faced the ocean and seemed to say, “I am Venado…hear me roar!”

We were stunned by this home, but in a different way than Villa Balboa.

Sochie, the house manager, met us at the gate in the wall. I would say door but this large wooden gate reminded me more of the entrance to a castle. It was made of bulky, heavy rough-hewn timbers, and featured a large cast iron handle. On closer inspection you could see that the door’s simple design was enhanced by an entrance security system. Classic meets modern is a theme you’ll notice in much of the architecture here.

As we stepped onto the grounds it became immediately apparent that, similar to the case of Balboa, the pictures you see online do not do the home justice.

Flagstone tiles lead up to the entry stairs and the 12 or 15 foot high front door that is surrounded by glass that must go up another 10 feet. To the right you see the guest house and garage, to the left the estate wall wraps around the side of the home revealing a path onto the lower garden area of the grounds. Walking up the steps you cannot help but feel like you’re living in an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous or MTV Cribs.

Walking past a polished marble sphere, 3 feet in diameter, that has a hole drilled through it turning it into a fountain, we push the front door and enter Villa Venado.

Astounding.

The foyer opens onto the main floor of the home and the only word that can be used to describe this living space is; expansive. The ceilings must be 30 feet high in this part of the house.

Art work and sculptures decorate every wall. Massive panes of glass allow for a panorama of the jungle hillside and ocean.

We could tell sunsets from here were going to be magnificent.

The main floor features a gourmet kitchen with Viking appliances. The main floor terrace stretches about half the width of the house and provides a sitting area off the kitchen for coffee or light meals. The dining room will accommodate 8 comfortably and 10 if you don’t mind a little less elbow room. All around you are pieces of fine décor.

The back drop for the dining room is the home’s waterfall that sends rivulets running down a wall of what appears to be stacked black slate. At the base of the waterfall is a copper statue, turned green like the statue of liberty, of a sword fish leaping from the water.

It was clear the owners of Villa Venado spared no expense in its creation.

Continuing the tour, there is one bedroom on the main floor with its own private bath and terrace and also an iMac computer with DSL internet and a Vonage with free calls to the US.

Now the spiral staircase that takes you to the upper and lower levels requires special attention. The marble stairs are set into the wall and have no other railings or banisters holding them in place. They appear to float without support.

On the upper level of the home there is an office and luxurious master suite. The master bath has a huge sculpted marble tub. It is really quite spectacular. If this tub was quarried and cut from a single piece of marble it alone must have cost tens of thousands of dollars...

As we turn to leave I snap a picture of the staircase looking down from the top floor…

On to the first lower level. Stepping off the stairs the panorama is amazing, and I’m not just talking about the ocean view.

Immediately upon stepping onto the lower level you see a finely crafted billiard table. To the left are large glass panes that reach from the level of my toes all the way up to the ceiling of the main level, and provide a full view of the waterfall feature. To the right of the Billiard table is the living area and entertainment system. A 72 in flat screen is centered on the wall surrounded by speakers, audio and video components below, artwork to break up the wall and then built-in shelves on each end are filled with books and a few photos of the owners family.

A plush leather couch faces the TV and a full bar backs up against the wall facing the ocean. Two bedrooms then flank this living area to each side.

Stepping out onto the pool patio area you see the outdoor grill, palapa dining area, infinity pool and jaccuzzi.

I can’t wait to see this place all lit up tonight.

The tour moves on to the second lower lever where the workout room is located along with a neat vintage arcade that features antique pinball machines, Foosball table, a shuffle board table and a very cool looking bathroom sink. I won’t tell you what it looks like. You’ll just have to explore it for yourself. Sochie’s apartment is also located on this level.

Not part of the tour, but because I was curious, I asked her to show me the lowest level, and there we saw the state of the art water purification system. It was much more complex looking than I thought it would be for a house this size. Good to know the owners spared no expense anywhere in constructing this beauty of a home.

Back to the main floor and a pow-wow with Sochie to determine what we would need her to pick up for us at the store. Having Chef Kori spoiled us because we told her to just rock our culinary world and she did. Because we wanted to cook ourselves at this our last home we needed Sochie to pick up some things from the market.

Steak, veggies, eggs, chorizo, fruit, tortillas and of course cerveza, were on the list to pick up.

Having arranged everything we needed with Sochie, and knowing tomorrow would be a busy day… We hit the pool and turned on whole-house XM radio and enjoyed the rest of our afternoon.

Sochie returned that evening with our provisions and we grilled steak and veggies, enjoyed a bottle of wine and headed to bed. We closed the walls of sliding doors, turned on our in room air conditioner and fell right to sleep…

What a day.

Tomorrow…ZIP LINES!!!