In May 2007, we returned from a fabulous family two-week getaway to Villa Corona del Mar in Rincon de Guayabitos on Mexico's Pacific Coast. Having only traveled to the tourist and vendor crowded beaches of Puerto Vallarta as a high school student, I was pleasantly surprised as we drove into the small tranquil town of Rincon de Guayabitos. Guayabitos is an easy hour's drive from the Puerto Vallarta airport direct on one highway - so it's impossible to get lost. On the way, we caught glimpses of wildlife along the side of the road: a live armadillo and several iguanas.

As new parents of a 20-month-old son, we were thrilled to find Villa Corona del Mar. It is located in the residential area of Guayabitos, so it is very tranquil both day and night while only a 10-minute beach walk from the center of town. The B&B is luxurious for adults; affordable for couples, friends and families; and fun, safe and laid-back for small children. There are three pools; one is only two feet deep and shaded by poolside coconut palms. Awesome set up for kids fewer than 5. Ours played for hours at a time.

The Villa's website describes its breakfasts as "continental." Nothing could be further from the truth. The breakfasts were so amazing -- four or five kinds of fresh tropical fruit, four kinds of juices, cereals, yogurts, granola, raisins, coffee and pastries. And just when we thought we were full, one of the staff comes to your table to ask if you are ready for Chilaquiles, Huevos Rancheros or Huevos Vera Cruz. We ate so well at breakfast, we were easily tided over until dinner in the late afternoon. Of course, staff made sure our son was well stocked with kid-size bananas from Villa's banana tree. Great snack for our son who must have eaten three or four bananas a day while we were there!

After breakfast, we usually went for a swim in the pool or headed to the beach to build sand castles and tunnels, walk and comb the beaches, or talk to local fisherman casting from the shore. Every morning, our son was eager to find the iguanas sunning themselves or crawling in the trees in and around the Villa. Paco, the friendly house parrot was also a great distraction and conversationalist. A couple days we played tennis on the Villa's poolside court -- then enjoyed a frosty Corona from the Villa's honor-bar.

Guayabitos' clean and soft sandy beach is literally only 25 steps from the B&B's front door. It was a great place to stroll with our son along gentle waves, open-air palapas, fruit vendors and Mexican nationals on holiday. We felt like we discovered a hidden secret that the locals keep under their hats!

Guayabitos is a great launching point for other attractions in the Nayarit province. For example, there is an ecological beach preserve for sea turtles not far from Guayabitos. While our stay didn't overlap with the turtle nesting or hatching seasons, the owner/host of Villa Corona del Mar noted that on our next stay he could arrange something with the Preserve managers if we were interested. There is also a Crocodile preserve about an hour north of Guayabitos, where you can take a boat tour through mangroves to see the creatures in their own habitat. We visited Sayulita, about 20 minutes north of Guayabitos, twice. The first time for boogie boarding and kayaking, the second for a catamaran and snorkeling day trip with our son. Very fun!

We did make it to the Thursday Market Day in La Penita, and glad we did. Since we didn't have to deal with the crush of vendors on the beaches of Guayabitos, the market was the perfect setting for us to peruse the goodies and buy mementos on our own. We also strolled the public plaza and main street of Guayabitos.... Warning: Mexicans love small toddlers and will shower them with smiles, hugs and lollipops as they walk by their stores and homes. Our son, who had never really eaten candy up to this point, was pleasantly surprised on two separate occasions when a local store owner was quick to gift him a lollipop... even unwrapped it and showed him how to eat it! Fortunately, we were headed to the beach on both occasions, which helped immensely in cleaning off the red sweet sticky stuff!

And the distance to Puerto Vallarta is perfect... not too close, not too far. We booked a tree-canopy tour in the Sierra Madre mountains with Vallarta Adventures. What a memory maker -- swinging from zip line to zip line from treetop to treetop. We highly recommend the adventure if your looking for an adrenaline high. Fortunately, we found a sitter who hung out with our son for the three and half hour trip. We then toured the Vallarta Marina and enjoyed a fabulous seafood dinner along the boat docks.

The best end to our busy days was returning to our "Las Delfinas" room at the Villa, with our balcony doors open we could hear the sound of waves in our ears as we dozed off to sleep.