A couple weeks ago, we made a little escape to Punta de Mita, Mexico just two and a half hours away from Los Angeles by plane. After a long and (somewhat tiring) trip to France, we welcomed a shorter and more relaxing trip with Ruby.

As part of a partnership with St. Regis hotels, we stayed at their Punta Mita resort to experience Family Traditions at St. Regis, which is all about making a vacation with kids easier and more fun thanks to the hotel's family-friendly activities and accommodations. In contrast to Paris (which was not very kid-friendly), it was such a nice change to be in a place where kids get the royal treatment, too.

When you go to a resort in a warm climate (it was 95 degrees that week!), it's a given that you're going to spend time in the water. But the water options here were seriously amazing. In addition to the beach and a few different pools, we spent most of our time in the kid's pool and in the wading pool every day. Ruby was in serious water heaven and was constantly asking to go play in the "agua".

While we loved relaxing in the resort, we also took some trips the local town nearby…

One of our favorite dinners was in the surrounding town of Punta de Mita at a oceanside restaurant called Si Señor. We enjoyed the amazing view while having just-caught, grilled seafood. Ruby and I shared a virgin piña colada and tried to keep cool during the sultry evening.

One morning, we made a trip to Sayulita which is a 20 minute car ride from the resort. It was nice to be out in a local town and see the vibrant colors and culture around us. With tiny handmade animals, flowers sold off trucks, paletas (popsicles) galore, and some amazing seafood at Don Pedro's, we loved our visit to this beautiful town.

My favorite shop in Sayulita was a store called Ula that sold beautiful handmade items made accented with pom-poms. The wall hangings, decor, scarves, and bags made with bright and beautiful poms were so fun for both Ruby and I to be inspired by.

The best part of our stay in Punta Mita included all the kid-friendly activities that were available each day—including a piñata lesson and trick-or-treating (since we were there during Halloween), a Family beach BBQ, a class about wild animals, and a champagne toast on the beach for the whole family to be part of. 

Plus, there were always beach toys, sand sack games, soccer nets, and other activities available at all times. Ruby wasn't old enough for their children's club, but I found myself longing for the day that our kids are old enough to be able to learn and play with an instructor on-site while we get some relaxing adult-time to ourselves.

This was honestly the most relaxing vacation we've had since having Ruby two years ago. There are some vacations you go on where you're out and about constantly, and you come by needing a vacation from your vacation. Yes, we made sure to experience some of the local culture, but it was all stress-free and easy. This was the kind of vacation where we really could just lounge around, play in the water, eat when we wanted to, and have our days just be carefree. It's one of the few places we've gone where we decided before leaving that we would absolutely go back again in the future. 

P.S. If you want the chance to win a vacation like ours, you can also enter to win a family trip to a St. Regis hotel uploading a family traditions photo with the hashtag #stregisfamily and by following St. Regis on Instagram. See their Facebook page or the contest page for more info!

*Thank you to the St. Regis for providing our accommodations for this trip and for treating us so well!

{Photos by Oh Joy}