Spring Break, Mexican Style: Sharing Our World with Kelly and Her Crew
Kelly and I met at seventeen when Winthrop University randomly assigned us as roommates and we quickly discovered we were going to be in each other’s lives for a long time. Through every chapter — the good ones, the hard ones, and all the ordinary ones in between — she has been one of my constants. So when she told me in January that her family was getting their passports and coming to Mexico for spring break, I was completely thrilled.
I honestly thought it would take years. But there she was, telling me they were coming. I started planning immediately.
Oscar, Charlotte, and Jonah have felt like family since the day they were born, so getting to share this place with them meant everything. Watching them experience Mexico for the first time turned out to be one of the most joyful weeks we’ve had since we moved.
First Stop: Tlaquepaque
We designed the trip in three parts — starting in Tlaquepaque, then beach time at Lo De Marcos on the Nayarit coast, and finally back to our home in San Antonio Tlayacapan at Lake Chapala. I had my welcome sign ready at arrivals. We checked into our Airbnb and hit the plaza immediately.
Tlaquepaque is one of those places that makes an immediate impression — colorful, artisan-filled, alive with craft and creativity. Our first order was Tosti Locos in the plaza — a Mexican street snack of Tostitos chips, corn, crema and sauces piled into a bag. I had a feeling the teenagers would love it and I was right.
Then, as if Mexico wanted to welcome them properly, a Folklórico performance was going on right there in the plaza — traditional regional dance in full costume, exactly the kind of thing you can’t plan but hope for. It felt like the perfect introduction to everything this country is about.
We wandered the colorful streets of Tlaquepaque and squeezed in a visit to the Sergio Bustamante Gallery before heading out. If you haven’t encountered Bustamante’s work, he is one of Mexico’s most celebrated sculptors — a surrealist who has spent more than five decades creating bronze, ceramic, and papier-mâché works filled with whimsical, dreamlike figures. His gallery in Tlaquepaque, set in an old mansion with a courtyard, pond, and papier-mâché flamingos, is a place you have to stop into while in town. Everyone was enchanted.
Then we boarded the bus to Lo De Marcos.
Lo De Marcos: Whales, Horses, and a Jungle House
The bus ride was long, but gorgeous, winding through mountains and past fields of blue agave. We arrived to a house that was actually two houses with a shared pool in the center, which turned out to be the perfect configuration — the kids had their own space, the adults had theirs, and everyone was happy.
The property was surrounded by jungle, which immediately delivered. The biggest iguana I had ever seen made an appearance. Colorful birds moved through the trees. And at night, a trail of leaf-cutter ants made their way through the yard in a line so organized and purposeful that we all ended up standing there watching them far longer than we expected.
The next morning we were up early and at the beach for a boat tour with Nissi Tours. We were hoping for whales but deliberately keeping expectations in check — it was towards the end of the season and we knew there were no guarantees.
Then the whales emerged.
Everyone gasped at the same moment. Humpback whales off the Nayarit coast are among the most spectacular wildlife encounters this part of Mexico offers, and when they surface close to the boat the scale of them is simply overwhelming. We also found dolphins — a whole group of them cutting through the water alongside us — and spotted stingrays gliding below the surface. We got our snorkeling gear on and peered into the ocean at clouds of colorful fish. Then we were dropped at a beautiful beach where we climbed to the top of a mountain for views that rewarded every step. By the time we were back at the dock, everyone was buzzing. What a day.
The next afternoon we went on a horseback tour with Lenny— through town, along a creek, up into the jungle, and finally out onto the beach at sunset. The mountain views we stopped for mid-ride were gorgeous, though I’ll admit I was quietly hoping everyone’s horse stayed calm near the cliff edges. They did. The pictures were worth it. And emerging onto the beach just as the sun was going down was the kind of moment that stays with you.
Back to Lake Chapala: Our World
Heading back towards home, we stopped in Chapala for a meal at Pasta Trenta. Then, on the malecón, we encountered a woman casually carrying an opossum. Nobody was alarmed. Everyone smiled. Another ordinary Tuesday at Lake Chapala.
That evening we went to see Juvenil Axixic — the youth mariachi band that performs locally — and watching that group of young musicians command a room with such skill and passion left the whole table quietly amazed.
Breakfast the next morning was at Vita Bella up in San Juan Cosala, where the view over the lake from the mountain is simply the best breakfast view in the region. It has become something of a visitor tradition for us, and rightly so — you can not beat it.
Then the adults got their afternoon. We headed to the Balneario spa, where Joe held things down with the kids while Kelly, Mike, and I made our way to the thermal baths for a mud bath, an oatmeal facial, and floral hydrotherapy. Completely, blissfully relaxing. Exactly what the end of a big week needed.
The final evening brought an unexpected and perfect cap — our friend Adan’s Spring Equinox party on the mountaintop, where we watched another gorgeous sunset surrounded by good people.
What It Meant
Kelly’s kids were fantastic all week. Not just well-behaved — genuinely curious, enthusiastic, up for everything, taking it all in with exactly the kind of open spirit that makes travel meaningful. Mike, experiencing another country for the first time, dove in completely. And Kelly — watching her see our life here, understand why we chose it, fall a little bit in love with this place — that was the real gift of the week.
Maybe this becomes a spring break tradition. Even if it doesn’t, I know it will go down as one of the very best — and I am so glad I got to share it with one of my oldest friends and her beautiful family.
