Recapping my travel diary to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!
I absolutely adore Puerto Vallarta! It’s such a colorful, beautiful, and friendly destination to visit. The last time I was in PV was 7 years ago – my senior year of college! So much has changed since then in Vallarta, however the city still remains dear to my heart.
Where To Stay
Full disclosure we have family that lives in Puerto Vallarta and they graciously host us at their condo when we are in town. We stayed in the Zona Hotelera area which I love. It’s not too touristy and noisy. The area is close to markets, a few shopping centers, and great restaurants. During our trip we did day passes at two resorts to enjoy the amenities. I arranged day passes at Marriott Puerto Vallarta through the concierge (not sponsored). The day pass costs 550 pesos (about $30 USD) per adult with a credit of 450 pesos for food and drinks and 150 pesos per child with 100 pesos credit for food and drinks. The day pass is valid from 9am to 5pm with access to the pool, beach, and towels. We had an incredible time at the Marriott, my nephew really enjoyed the pool! I will do a full blog post with my review of the day pass at the Marriott. We additionally did a day pass Playa Los Arcos in the Zona Romantico area of Puerto Vallarta. This is a boutique hotel and absolutely wonderful. The service is top notch and the food is delicious! The bar tender caught on to my drink order of virgin mojitos and had a drink made as soon as I finished mine!
Eat
Puerto Vallarta has many delicious food spots! We had a delicious healthy brunch at The Yogi Bar located in the Marina area. Another great brunch spot is La Palapa Restaurant located in the heart of Zona Romantico district. The restaurant is beach side and has amazing views! They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner!! A sunset dinner at La Palapa is definitely a must. A delicious lunch spot downtown is Casa Traditional Restaurant – the food is incredible!! They make table side guacamole that is perfection and have lemonade glasses the size of my head! Additionally they have live mariachi music which my nephew was mesmerized by. Be sure to order the Green Ceviche and Stuffed Mushrooms which are divine. Another great spot for a variety of food is Food Park PV. This place was walking distance from our condo and offered a variety of food options. Last but not least the fresh coconut stand are a must. There are several of these stands in Vallarta, especially along the Malecon, however my favorite is Cesar’s Coconut Stand. I went to his stand 7 years ago and was happy to find that he is still there serving up delicious fresh coconut!
Getting Around
The city is accessible via taxi, uber, and very walkable. We pretty much used uber everywhere and it was very convenient, especially with a baby. All the drivers were gracious and had trunk space for the stroller. There were a few times when uber was not available and we just grabbed a taxi. The only thing with taxis are that they are cash only, no credit cards. However they do accept Mexican Pesos and US Dollars.
What To Wear
Vallarta is pretty casual and laid back. At times I felt a little overdresses in all my maxi dresses, but I didn’t mind because that’s how I like to dress! Everyone basically wears t-shirts, jeans, athlesire, and sundresses. People get a little dresses up in the evening, but still very casual.
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