The Right Time for a Vacation Done Right

When you plan a vacation, have you ever considered those make-or-break details that turn ordinary vacations into the ones you never forget? 

If you can answer that, your upcoming fall vacation just might become the best ever. Here’s the way we see it at Villa Milagro.

Think back on the best vacations you’ve ever taken. What made them special? Chances are it wasn’t the itinerary. It was the people you were with. The unexpected place you discovered. The meal that somehow lasted half the evening. Something that went completely wrong and became funny later. Or maybe just one beautiful morning when nobody was in a hurry to go anywhere.

Those are the often-unplanned, memory-making details that make vacations special.

And that tells us something about how to plan the next one.

Start By Not Planning Too Much.

Some things absolutely require planning. You need to know where you’re going, where you’re staying and perhaps a few things you want to do when you get there.

The problem comes when we plan every minute.

If you go overboard with reservations at all those restaurants you’ve been hearing about, or excursions you must go on, or things you must see, you’ve just swapped your home calendar for a more expensive one.

At Villa Milagro, we suggest leaving some blank spaces in every day.

For example, imagine starting your morning with a steaming mug of coffee, taking in the sandy beaches and rolling waves of the Pacific while deciding what you feel like doing that day. Maybe you’ll choose to check out one of the nearby villages and soak up the local culture. Or visit a local market to find unexpected treasures.

Walk the beach. Go sailing or kayaking. Spend the afternoon beside the pool.

Or change your mind and do none of the above. Sometimes the best plan for the day is the one you never get around to.

Bring Along the Right People

With six private suites available, Villa Milagro has plenty of room for your favorite friends or family. You have loads of gathering spaces, yet not everyone has to be together every minute of every day.

That distinction matters.

Everyone might gather for breakfast on the terrace. But then somebody heads for the beach while somebody else finds a hammock. A couple of people decide to explore. Someone stays behind with a book. Eventually, everybody seems to find everybody else again.

And now you have something to talk about.

That evening, your private chef can prepare dinner using fresh local ingredients while your only responsibility is deciding when you’re hungry. There’s no restaurant reservation to make, no drive and no table waiting for the next party.

So dinner can last as long as the stories do.

Go Somewhere Worth Remembering

A vacation should take you somewhere out of the ordinary. Not simply geographically, but somewhere that feels different from the place you left behind.

Fall is an especially interesting time in this part of Mexico.

The summer crowds begin to thin and the pace changes. September brings Mexican Independence Day, when flags, music and celebrations fill the streets with a national pride that has nothing to do with entertaining tourists. Later comes Día de los Muertos, with marigolds, candlelit altars and traditions that have been handed down through generations.

Nearby villages have their own markets, food, artisans and everyday life. You can visit them without feeling that every experience has been packaged and scheduled for you.

Sometimes you can simply wander.

There’s a lot to be said for wandering on vacation.

Give Yourself What You Don’t Always Have at Home

Give yourself some time.

Not seven days of time filled with appointments, but time to sit around the pool longer than you intended. Time to walk along the beach. Time to have another cup of coffee. Time for the conversation that begins after dinner and somehow keeps going.

And yes, time to do absolutely nothing.

We spend most of our lives measuring whether we have used our time productively. A vacation is one of those rare occasions when we can stop keeping score and simply enjoy where we are and who we're with.

That’s why so many people return to Villa Milagro year after year.

Why do we take vacations?

To get away and have fun, certainly. But mostly, we take vacations to collect a few days of our lives that we’ll enjoy remembering.

So when you plan your fall vacation, that's the make-or-break detail to keep in mind. Don't just ask where you want to go. Ask what you'd like to remember about it years from now.

We believe you’ll find the answer at Villa Milagro.