Girlfriends Getaway in Puerto Vallarta; Tips for an Unforgettable 40th Fiesta

A girlfriends getaway to Puerto Vallarta to celebrate a milestone birthday makes for an unforgettable trip! My girlfriends and I have taken a handful of trips together over the years. We swear we return home as better wives, mommas, employees, volunteers, etc. A few days giggling over absolute nonsense is good for the soul, I tell ya!

Our most recent girlfriends getaway was in honor of my BFF, Kacy’s, 40th birthday. Since I now live in Puerto Vallarta and the birthday girl loves PV, choosing the destination was a no-brainer.

Fun fact: Kacy and I vacationed in Puerto Vallarta almost 20 years ago. To this day, we still laugh about that trip! (Side note: our cameras have improved a bit in 20 years!).

Memories > Stuff

We are well past the days of buying each other gifts. Believe me, we all have everything we need. In fact, we all have WAY TOO MUCH STUFF. What we never have enough of is time together and rest. That is why I insisted we do a girlfriends getaway to Puerto Vallarta. Memories are greater than stuff!

Simple Tips for Hosting a Girlfriends Getaway Fiesta

Party planning is one of my favorite pastimes. Now that I am retired, I finally have enough time to do it right. I loved this 40th Fiesta theme so much, and so will you. It’s great for adults and kids alike (I could go crazy with a Coco party!).

Tip #1- Choose a Fun Destination

There are SO many great destinations for a girlfriends getaway. Even if I didn’t live in Puerto Vallarta, I still think it is the perfect destination for any occasion. Here are a few reasons:

• Proximity to the US – PVR is a 2.5 hour direct flight from DFW. My girlfriends got on a plane bright and early Friday morning and were at the pool shortly after Noon. 
• Safety – Mexico has a reputation for crime, but staying safe in PV is easy if you use common sense. The only crime I hear of is petty theft. Basically, wearing a cross-body purse or fanny pack and staying aware of your surroundings is solid protection. 
• Great food – An entire category of this blog is dedicated to the incredible food in Puerto Vallarta! My girlfriends love a dive taqueria like Pepe’s just the same as fancy places like The Iguana. 
• Unlimited activity options – PV has everything from Skydiving to Broadway-style shows. There really is something for everyone!

Tip #2 – Keep the Guest List Small

Because I know PV well, we decided a long weekend would be plenty of time to celebrate. I asked Kacy to keep the list small so everyone could stay in our 3 bedroom condo. That was tough because she has tons of friends, but it definitely made it easier to plan.

Tip #3 – Choose a Party Theme & Order Decor

As I mentioned, the “40th Fiesta” party theme was an obvious choice for our girlfriends getaway. I used Canva to create a coordinated theme. Of course, party favors abound on Amazon. I’ll link what I used throughout this post.

Tip #4 – Create a Private Facebook Event

I had never done this before, but it worked perfectly. Heaven knows no one wants to be on a group text message with 5 women (holy chaos!). I used the Facebook event for all communication about the weekend. It also served as our repository for photo sharing. So, so much better than text messages!

Tip #5 – Group Interest Survey

Using Google Forms, I asked the group various questions. The answers helped me stock my fridge and create the perfect Puerto Vallarta itinerary.

Tip #6 – Create an Itinerary

I asked the ladies to fly out as early as possible. Once flights were booked, I created the following itinerary:

Tip #7 – Make Reservations

Only a couple of things on our itinerary required reservations, but I made them early. Since the girls were only here a few days, we didn’t have time to stand around asking questions like, “what sounds good for dinner?”. Plus, we didn’t want to miss out on a very important activity – the often sold out Vallarta Eats Taco Tour!

Tip #8 – Send Guests Important Information

I knew the girls would be much more relaxed if they knew what to expect, so I added practical information to our Facebook Event. That information evolved into a couple of helpful guides found on this blog! 

Puerto Vallarta Airport; Everything You Need to Know 

Money Exchange in Mexico; Get the Best Rate!

Tip #9 – Grocery Shop

As you can see in the itinerary above, we ate at restaurants for most meals. Still, I wanted to have plenty of snacks and drinks for the weekend. Oh, and don’t forget the birthday cake! I bought this one at a popular grocery store in PV. I added a homemade banner and extra icing to mimic a Nothing Bundt Cake. It looks cute but didn’t taste very good. Next time, I will use a local bakery named Pasteleria Pavlova (their cakes are amazing AND they deliver!).

If you don’t live near your getaway destination, I suggest you find an online grocery delivery service before you leave. In Puerto Vallarta, there are services like Pig Out Groceries or you can just use Walmart Grocery Delivery. Either way, no one should spend a few hours of a weekend getaway grocery shopping!

Tip #10 – Make a Balloon Arch

Is it even a party if there isn’t a balloon arch?! My husband thinks this is a colossal waste of time, but I LOVE it. After all, the goal is to make the guest of honor feel special. Nothing says ‘I love you’ like a cheap balloon arch, haha! I put this baby together the night before the girls arrived, then hung it at the pool the following day. My only regret is that I didn’t order extra glue dots.

124-piece Tropical Balloon Arch

Glue Dots

“Fiesta” Balloon Letters

Number Balloons

Electric Balloon Pump

Pro-tip: buy the electric pump. I was able to make this arch by myself in about an hour. I am 99% sure this project would have been scrapped if I had used a manual pump. 

Tip #11 – Prep Food and Drinks

How great is charcuterie? The best thing about it is you can make it in advance. It’s been trending forever, so I’m sure it’s going out of style soon. Actually, meat and cheese trays have been around forever. I should say I look forward to the next creative spin on this easy snack!

These drink pouches are pretty much my favorite thing EVER! I whipped up a few pitchers of classic cocktails like the Cape Cod, Tequila Sunrise, and Margaritas. Then, I poured them into the pouches and gave them cute names like Banderas Breeze, Vallarta Sunset, and Spicy Señorita. I popped them in the freezer and pulled them out the next morning. They were thawed and perfectly refreshing by pool time!

Tip #12 – Take Lots and Lots of Photos

For whatever silly reason, my friends are usually the photographers of their households and seldom make it into photos. There is no better way to remember the good times than photos. And, face it, we forget more than we remember these days!

Tip #13 – Print and Frame a Souvenir Photo

My girlfriends are laughing right now, because I ran out of time and didn’t get this done. It doesn’t keep it from being a great idea though (and I now have a stack of unused PV frames, LOL)! There is an Office Max close to our condo where I can print photos for about 10 cents each. Pop them into inexpensive frames, and they are a perfectly packable souvenir!

Girlfriends Getaway Recap

It was an honor to host this fun 40th Fiesta for my dear friend. Getting to host it in my favorite city (and new home) was the cherry on top! Puerto Vallarta is just as special to us today as it was 20 years ago. I hope you make time to celebrate life’s milestones with your friends, because in the end all we have are memories.