So after many years I have gone on a proper package to this lovely place full of adventure, big hotels, long stretches of beach and a variety of excellent excursions.
Now Puerto Vallarta is on the Pacific Ocean side of Mexico so compared to Cancun the sea is dark and extra wavy!
It was a 12 hour journey from London but only 9.5 hours on the return and I travelled on my first dream liner. The flight was excellent 2 good meals, drinks, plenty to watch and the space on board was magnificent (I could just manage to reach my air con-standing) not to mention the quietness, lighting and extra-large windows.
We stayed in the Riu Vallarta – a big resort style hotel , 2 pools , 3 a la carte restaurants and an amazing buffet dining room which I used 95% of the time.
Couldn’t fault this 4 star hotel , it ticks all the boxes for our family stay, entertainment day and night – good shows , excellent staff and food, plus the added bonus of using their sister hotel next door.
Now I don’t tend to stay in one place so I took the taxi to down town Puerto Vallarta, this lovely pedestrian stretch along the coast offers shops, boutiques, restaurants and bars, plus some great local entertainment ( small scale Covent Garden but with the breeze of the pacific ocean). There is an amazing lit church at the end of the promenade and weekends are a great time to see this delight of local markets and street entertainers from the local community.
We stayed for a drink – Large beer, 1 cocktail and 2 cans of Coca Cola all for the bargain price of £7.80 in a delightful Mexican Bar.
After a few days resting by the pool we headed into Bucerias - this is the nearest local town to Puerto Vallarta and boy were we happy. Beautiful old style markets selling all your souvenirs, silver, food stalls and a little square where the locals grabbed a mike and sang (must be there version of karaoke) but it gave a great vibe. We decided to stay and eat at a local restaurant and we were delighted that a fellow tourist recommended the seafood combo – it was divine and the chicken dishes the kids had were also – with drinks again this came to no more than £50.00 and you were aware of the fresh tastes and local produce.
I would highly recommend this alternative side of the usual Mexico to families and couples looking for a fun packed hotel, local towns and the amazing excursions/experiences with Vallarta Adventures.
I know I have forgotten so much more so – if you’re interested give me a call to discuss further.
Jane
