In November of 2016 and December of 2017, my husband’s family and I took a week-long trip to Mexico for the holidays. The majority of these two weeks were spent in Puerto Vallarta, with the exception of three nights in Sayulita. These highlights are based on those experiences. Want more visual inspiration? Checkout this video or this video of our trips. Want more information for what to do in Mexico? Check out my blog on Sayulita.
Transportation: We flew into the Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport; as you get through customs, there will be lots of taxi services and people trying to sell you things. My advice, just focus on getting outside and don’t be distracted! Many hotels in the area will have an option to order a taxi or car service pick-up, which is what we did. If not, there are plenty of taxis outside that you can utilize. Other than this, the ‘A.P.I. Puerto Vallarta S.A. de C.V.’ marina was about a 20 minute walk from our hotel (pick up location for our tours) and we took a taxi to get into the Old Town.
Accommodation: We stayed at Villa del Palmer; we wanted to have the all-inclusive experience, a suite that held six people and to have it be on the smaller side (some resorts have thousands of rooms). This resort checked all our boxes and was the best priced! There were multiple restaurants and bars, as well as pool and beach-side service.
1. Beaches
There are plenty of options, but we mainly stuck to the beach that our resort was off of; Playa Flamingos. I recommend staying as close to the beach as possible, especially if this is where you will be spending most of your time. Another benefit of staying on the beach, our hotel had designated chairs, so no worrying about finding a spot.
2. Take a Tour
There is no lack of options for adventurous activities including snorkeling, scuba diving, boat cruises, horseback riding, zip-lines, ATVs, parasailing and more. We ended up buying two tours at the marina that is mentioned above (there were a few tour shops, and we went with Vallarta Adventures).
We did a Zipline tour; which included a ride on a small boat, an off-roading vehicle and a mule in order to get to where the zip-lines were! There were multiple zip-line activities, including repelling down a waterfall. Everyone had a really good time on this tour.
Another tour we did was the Marieta Islands; this included a catamaran ride, snorkeling and options to paddle-board and kayak. If I am not mistaken, we stopped at Playa la Nopalera. This tour was also extremely fun.
During our second trip to Puerto Vallarta, I convinced the entire family to go parasailing! I am not sure how legitimate it was, as it was a two man operation right on the beach that we were staying at. Either way, it was an awesome experience!
3. Wander the Town
Do not spend your entire trip at your hotel, go explore the local culture! I highly recommend a trip to the Old Town of Puerto Vallarta. The best plan of action is to simply wander and find your own small gems, but the following are a few highlights. We were dropped off near Rosita Beach, and walking along the boardwalk, you will see various monuments including the In Search of Reason, Escultura Nereida y Neptuno and the Seahorse Monument. For shoppers, I recommend the Mercado Municipal Rio Cuale (indoor market) and the Cuale Island Flea Market (outdoor market). For more modern shopping, there is La Isla: Shopping Village (which was in walking distance of our hotel).
4. Eat
While we ate most of our meals at our hotel, as we had an all-inclusive package, this is still worth noting. My favorite way to experience a different culture is by eating the food. Whether that was in our hotel, on our tours or out in the town, I was eating constantly. A few places we went to in Old Town were La Chata De Puerto Vallarta for lunch and La Michoacana for local popsicles (paletas).
5. Drink
What is a beach vacation without some sort of blended beverage with a tiny umbrella? If you are not an alcohol drinker, most places will make any drink sans alcohol. My favorite beverage ended up being the fresh juices they had at breakfast.
Foods to Try: EVERYTHING! But keep any eye out for fresh tortillas, fresh fish tacos, manchego cheese, oaxacan cheese (in most of the quesadillas), elote (corn on the cob) and tamales.
Drinks: Agave spirits (the list goes beyond tequila and mezcal).
Notes:
Currency is the Mexican peso (MXN). We were able to utilize the local ATMs for cash, but if you are in a tight spot, most places will take the U.S dollar (usually the exchange rate works in their favor if you do this).
Bargaining at many markets is encouraged and often expected, so don’t be afraid to try your hand at the art of haggling.
Depending on where you go, be mindful of the water; nobody wants ‘Traveler's Diarrhea’. We bought large jugs of water to cut down on plastic consumption.
Most touristy areas you will be completely fine with English, but it is also a fun opportunity to brush up on your Spanish skills from high school.
Other: Hopefully this gave you an idea of things to do in Puerto Vallarta on your next trip to Mexico! I try to do as many quick links as possible, to send you directly to the website so you can get the most accurate and up-to-date information possible (fees and timetables).
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Safe and Happy Wandering.
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