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Puerto Vallarta is one of Mexico’s most popular and most charming beach towns. Because tourism is the city’s most lucrative business, almost everyone you come into contact with will speak at least a little English, but you may want to bring a Spanish phrasebook if only to brush up on a foreign language. Likewise, many vendors will accept American dollars, but the exchange rates they’ll give you are not favorable. Paying in Pesos will often significantly reduce costs.
THE BEACH
Although Mexico is rich with history and culture, you’ll want to spend at least one day lounging on the beach. Playa Los Muertos (Beach of the Dead) is much more pleasant than its name implies, and it is a convenient public beach close to shops, restaurants and hotels. Beach chairs are available from most hotels for free or for a minimal cost.
You don’t have to leave your beach chair to experience all that the city has to offer. Vendors roam the beaches selling t-shirts, silver jewelry, and just about anything else you may want. It’s easy to get irritated at the constant hawking, but the vendors are easily ignored, and hotel security guards keep the most aggressive ones away. Beachfront restaurants provide drink service to the beachgoers in front of their establishments, and have liberal dress codes, allowing you to take a quick lunch break inside, if buying fish from a roaming vendor does not suit your tastes.
WATERSPORTS
In case you get tired of sitting idly on the beach, there are a number of more active options. Rent snorkeling gear or kayaks from a beachfront hotel, or sign up for an organized tour. Numerous tour operators offer snorkeling, diving and kayaking trips. The best trips are 1/2 day or full day tours to the Marietas Islands, located nearby. These uninhabited islands are home to all kinds of wildlife, including birds, turtles and colorful fish. Several offshore reefs keep divers and snorkelers happy as well.
CRUISES
Diving isn’t for everyone, so anyone looking for something a little more leisurely can sign up for any of the numerous cruises that depart from Puerto Vallarta. Whale-watching cruises are popular during the winter whale-watching season. Although you can usually see the waterspouts and diving tails of these gentle giants from shore, a whale-watching tour will give you a closer look. Party cruises are also a popular diversion: sign up for one of these floating fiestas with a hotel concierge or with one of the vendors shouting “booze cruise” on the beach. Nighttime cruises often serve dinner followed by dancing. Most of the larger cruise ships depart from the Terminal Maritima just north of downtown. You’ll need to take a taxi to get there. Smaller cruises depart from small piers located along the beach.
AWAY FROM THE BEACH
It’s hard to believe anyone would want to get away from the beach in Puerto Vallarta, but there is plenty to do inland as well. For active visitors, bike riding and horseback riding tours are available. Jungle tours and air tours are another great way to see the Mexican landscape away from the beach. Tamer visitors can take a bird watching tour or hit the golf course at one of the area’s several golf clubs. Spectators can attend bullfights during winter and spring.
Shopping is another good activity away from the beaches. The area along the malecon has a number of silver shops and other souvenir stores. An outdoor market near the Rio Cuale is a good place to pick up local crafts and inexpensive trinkets.
NIGHTLIFE
Unlike many resort towns, where the sidewalks get rolled up after sunset, Puerto Vallarta has an extraordinary nightlife. Spring Break staples Senor Frog’s and Carlos O’Brian’s are not for the weak of heart, but other dance clubs near the malecon offer a similar, if somewhat trendier atmospheres. For tourists looking for a more quintessentially Mexican experience, many hotels in Puerto Vallarta host fiesta nights with dinner, drinks, and live music.
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