Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, MX
Vallarta Dancers
Bailarines de Vallarta
Starting strong with this one, would I go here again? Yeah, but maybe next time I will catch a ride from the airport straight out of the city to a town nearby. They have decent beaches but something about the tourism there felt extremely uncomfortable. It was also expensive and it immediately turned me off when I got there.
Pro tip: Get out of the airport as soon as possible. You will have to pass by tables of people upon people trying to sell before you exit the airport. They will try to get you into timeshares and offer discounts on popular activities. Unless you want to waste your precious time, do not stop and pay full price for what you want to do, that’s how they make a living over there anyway. Don’t get dragged into something for trying to save a little money. Now back to regular programming.
—
Puerto Vallarta is pretty, easy to navigate, the people are overall really nice and it is very tourist friendly, food is great, especially if you are eating street food like the locals for a very decent buck. They do have a bunch of major fast-food chains, this is how I knew I would be paying more than anticipated. Yet, it was still cheaper than what you would come to spend compared to the United States.
The city center and town are very walkable with sidewalks making it easier. The hotel we stood in was perfect in terms of location in the Zona Romantica, it was super nice and most importantly affordable.
Taxis are reasonably priced but getting to beaches further away and excursions can get expensive if you do not ask the driver in advance.
Pro Tip: Ask the hotel receptionist where you are staying about the average cost of a ride to certain places they can give you a rough price to go off of.
My friend and I rode ATVs as the main activity we chose to do while in Puerto Vallarta, amazing views and getting out into nature. The excursion was fun but you will be upsold on many of these. The ride can get physically exhausting and if you are not experienced a little dangerous on the roads. On the excursion, you will be met with cars and trucks on a narrow road through the mountain.
There was a long break on the journey for lunch, which is not included in the ATV price (where they also tried to sell us artisanal alcoholic beverages).
Back to safety, one of the riders with us, his ATV turned off when we were going uphill and luckily, he knew what to do but we were so close to a cliff, which was scary.
Our guide was good though, and took the precautions to ensure everyone was safe despite that little scare. We got back safe and sound, needless to say, I was glad when we were back on the main road and to be done with it.
Believe me, when I say, that I am by no means a stickler when it comes to vacationing in places known for their tourism, but I also do not like being taken advantage of and cornered feeling pressured to purchase something.
A little on the Nightlife, looks intense on the outside, especially on Friday and Saturday!
It was not great on a Sunday haha— I was too tired to check it out on Saturday. But that is okay, I still enjoyed my little time out, service in Mexico is amazing no matter where you go. I pre-gamed at a bar and went out by myself to the club, it was a decent time.
Another activity we did was standing-up paddle boarding, it was not the easiest task especially because it was our first time but the fact that the water was extremely calm and the view was clear made it all a memorable experience. I recommend this activity, we paid around $25, each for the experience if I remember correctly and the guide takes pictures for you during it. Also, you do not need to stand at all, you can simply sit the whole time and enjoy the scenery, which is about 2 hours.
Beaches are very nice but some are very rocky, I recommend bringing water shoes to avoid hurting yourself.
We did not know which beach to go to, I had a couple of options but we ended up asking the taxi driver who was very nice to take us to the one he would frequent and that ended up being Playa Palmares. That beach was great! They had a little shack, we rented chairs from them and they served us drinks and snacks. It was a great experience.
The same driver ended up picking us up again from the beach and taking us back to our hotel.
You can come across little markets and shops by walking through the Zona Romantica, this is part of the reason I chose to stay here.
I ended up getting some huaraches (leather sandals/shoes) and they were so comfortable, I used them so much, that I now need new ones. Don’t miss out on some well-made shoes.
Till next time Mexico!
—
Length of trip was 4 days and 3 nights.
Arrived on Saturday early afternoon - Departed on Tuesday midday.
Now for the rating of the destination. For each destination I share, I use the rating system below:
The Mood-Based Rating
Rate destinations based on the type of traveler they suit:
🌴 Chill & Relax: Perfect for unwinding.
🏔 Adventure & Thrill: Great for adrenaline seekers.
🏛 Culture & Learning: Ideal for history and art lovers.
🍸 Party & Social: Best for nightlife and socializing.
Assign a score (1-10) based on how well the destination fits each mood.
—
Personal Mood Rating (30.5/40)
🌴 Chill & Relax: 7
🏔 Adventure & Thrill: 8
🏛 Culture & Learning: 7.5
🍸 Food, Party & Social: 8
