Vallarta
The Puerto Vallarta area is that rare Mexican vacation destination: One where you can be pampered in the manner to which you’ve become accustomed, and still feel that you’re seeing the “real” Mexico. This Pacific-coast vacation spot, renowned since Richard Burton and Ava Gardner filmed Night of the Iguana here in 1963, has just what many luxury travelers are looking for in a getaway.
Activities and Attractions:
Many travelers to Vallarta (as locals call the whole region) stay in the Zona Hotelera, north of downtown Puerto Vallarta. This is an excellent choice because the strip features many luxury hotels with private beaches practically extending into the lobby. Slightly further north along the Bay of Banderas, the area of Nuevo Vallarta has many all-inclusive resorts with some even finer beaches. If you’re willing to venture further still, the former fishing village of Punta de Mita rewards you with the most exclusive resorts, the softest white sands, and the most colorful coral reefs.
Of course, you can always hire a water taxi to take you to a really nice beach. Las Animas, Quimixto, and Yelapa Beaches are all about a 45-minute boat ride from Puerto Vallarta. Surrounded by jungles and waterfalls, these beaches are not quite deserted—you will find some restaurants--but you’re guaranteed elbowroom and freedom from jet-skis. For real seclusion, boat to the Marietas Islands--they’re uninhabited.
Beaches are why most visitors come to Vallarta, but you won’t regret forgoing an afternoon or two of sunbathing to explore the city of Puerto Vallarta. With a population of 250,000, the city is big enough to have pounding nightlife and fine restaurants, probably the best you’ll ever sample in a Mexican resort town. There’s a food festival every November, but if you can’t make it for that, the area of town south of the Cuale River is dense with eateries of all nationalities. One style growing in popularity is Mexican tapas, or small plates. Taste as many of these authentic bites as you can!
Some of the best Puerto Vallarta experiences come from just exploring the gallery and shop-strewn streets. The city’s municipal market has some good craft buys, though you will have to wade through t-shirt vendors as well. Be sure to bargain. The area just east of the Malecon has a concentration of boutiques, where prices tend to be set.
Downtown Puerto Vallarta has a number of galleries specializing in Huichol Indian art, which usually consists of “paintings” made by pressing colorful yarn into waxed wood, and figurines made of wood covered in tiny beads. Look for art containing traditional Huichol images, such as wolves, deer, snakes, and scorpions. Yarn paintings of landscapes, frogs, puppies, and the like are cute, but are made with an eye toward sales, not tradition.
Insider Tip:
Vallarta is a genuinely welcoming place, but there is one small group you should be wary of, and that’s the crowd of well-wishers who will meet you at the airport, offering to give you a free lift into town. These people are almost always time-share hustlers. If you’ve managed to arrive in Vallarta without a pre-arranged airport transfer, ignore this group. Right outside the airport you’ll find a fleet of agenda-less minivans and taxis waiting to take you to your hotel.
-Exclusively for Perfect Escapes by Nicole Clausing |
 |
|