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Travel
Guide - An Introduction to Puerto
Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta
Travel Tips: Introduction to
Puerto Vallarta
by Sharon Stajda
Puerto Vallarta Is a wonderful
Mexican city that is fronted by
the blue Pacific Ocean, and
backed by the lush, green
tropical Sierra Madre Mountains.
The people are friendly and
charming, always helpful and
accommodating. The minute you
set foot in Puerto Vallarta, you
will relies you have arrived at
a truly beautiful and unique
place.
The town itself is split into
two sections, Old Town, and
Centro, both having their own
special qualities. It is my
recommendations if visiting
Puerto Vallarta, make sure to
take full advantage of both
areas. They have distinctively
separate charms.
Centro being the newer part of
town, consists of a wonderful
board walk called the Malecon
(see the
Malecon Guide ) that
stretches good length of the
town, and continues down into
the beach area of Old Town. At
night you will find a large
variety of free entertainment,
to include music, magic,
fireworks, and more. Centro also
has wonderful shops, and
eateries. Not to mention the
clubs, that stays open until the
last fun is had. Centro also has
the towns Zocalo. (Town Square.)
The Zocalo, is the area that as
a rule is in the center of town,
where locals gather to visit,
and become aquatinted.
Old Town, being the older
section of Puerto Vallarta is
built up to the sand of the sea.
It is very relaxed, and gives
way to some of the most romantic
restaurants and accommodations
one can find in Mexico. The
local citizens refer to it as
Zone Romantica. It truly lives
up to its name.
Getting around Puerto Vallarta
is easy; taxis are cheap, and in
abundance. After you get your
bearings, you may just want to
walk. It is a very easy town to
maneuver on foot. Plus walking
will give you the chance to
enjoy the wonderful sites and
sounds the town has to offer.
Not to mention the ocean, and
its wonderful breezes.
One of the constants of Puerto
Vallarta is the weather. They
have a winter season, where it
literally does not rain, with a
very low humidity, this
combination lends to spectacular
weather. It provides warmth in
the sun, and cooling in the
shade. The summer gives way to a
rainy season. So the best time
to visit is between November and
March.
What to pack? Summer cloths will
do for day time and sleeves for
evening. Pack that sweater, the
nights are fresh, and cool.
Where to stay, this will depend
on what kind of accommodation
you desire? Puerto Vallarta
offers a wide variety of
accommodates, from large chain
hotels to luxury condo rentals,
to charming smaller hotels. I
always recommend one turn to the
Internet, where one can research
all options.
My husband and I have made
Puerto Vallarta a yearly
destination for some 16 years or
more. If we stay in town, we
prefer Old Town, and renting a
condo on the beach. If we stay a
bit out of town, we love south
of town. It provides some of the
most spectacular views and
sunsets one will ever see. As a
rule both areas are a step
above, when it comes to charm,
and relaxation. The hotel zone
has the larger chain hotels, and
they are geared toward activity.
They can be over stimulating. I
think this is due to the
multitude of people that are
under one roof. There are also
adult friendly hotels. Price
will vary; you can find
wonderful inexpensive
accommodations, along with very
high end spa hotels.
I have actually toured many of
the smaller hotels in Old Town
that were downright cheap. I've
found that the staff goes out of
their way to accommodate their
guests. The rooms are pleasantly
decorated, and very clean with
lots of Mexican flair. One such
hotel is Torre De Oro. Hotel
Torre De Ore is located 1/2
block from the beach in Old
Town. This hotel is very clean,
and has an authentic old Mexican
flair. Most rooms have ocean
views, and small kitchenettes.
The beaches are a plenty,
vendors are abound, but they are
not overly aggressive, and you
can actually pick up some
wonderful deals. Don't miss
spending a day on the beach in
Old Town. It has an energy all
its own.
If you have opted to stay south
of town, I can recommend is an
all-inclusive spa hotel, the
Intercontinental El Presidente,
this wonderful small boutique
hotel is locate in the Gold Zone
south of town. The rooms are
large and well appointed. The
beach is secluded and very nice,
with light soft sand, and very
private. This Hotel is
approximately 15 minutes from
town. One can take the bus very
cheaply, or simply take a cab
from the front door. Dinning is
wonderful in Puerto Vallarta.
There are a wide variety of
restaurants. You absolutely
can't go wrong when choosing a
restaurant. It would be hard for
me to recommend one restaurant
over another.
I do have my favorites though.
One is the El Dorado on the
beach, in Old Town. El Dorado’s
is a romantic, rustic beach
restaurant that offers a good
selection of fresh seafood
dishes, and more. The staff is
wonderful, and has a way of
making an evening unforgettable.
Another favorite eatery I can
highly recommend is La Palapas,
also located on the beach in Old
Town. La Palapas is an upscale
restaurant, again romantic and
elegant, with a wide selection
of food to choose from. The
owner offers up wonderful soft
live music, nightly, via the
group Pacific Nights.
If jazz is your thing head to
the Bistro, located in Centro
part of town. The Bistro has an
elegant dining room, with many
gourmet dishes to choose from,
along with nightly jazz. The
decor is elegant, and dreamy.
If you lean toward natural
healthy food, try Papaya. This
is one of Gringo Gulches best
kept secrets. They offer a great
selection of healthy, freshly
prepared foods, along with
healthy Mexican dishes. If one
morning you crave pancakes, head
to Memo's Pancake House in Old
Town. You will love these
pancakes, served in a garden
atmosphere.
There is no shortage of great
sea excursions in Puerto
Vallarta. You may choose to take
a cruise along the wonderful Bay
of Banderas for a sunset cruise
or an ocean fishing excursion,
not to mention the booze cruise.
There are many fun boating
excursion to enjoy.
Perhaps you're a movie star
buff? If so, visit Elizabeth
Taylor and Richard Button's
former Puerto Vallarta home in
Gringo Gulch. The home is open
daily for tours, and is also a
Bed And Breakfast. You may just
want to spend the night, and
capture the romance the Burton's
found in the beautiful home
overlooking the bay?
Perhaps you would like to stop
in at Richard and Liz's favorite
watering hole? Tequilas, located
in Centro you can't miss it.
Make sure to sit upstairs on the
balcony, the waiters will point
out Liz and Dick's favorite
table. The view is great, the
drinks strong. So be careful...
If you are a shopper, you will
enjoy a large variety of shops
Vallarta has to offer. One such
store, "The Tile Factory" makes
hand-painted unique Mexican
tiles. On any given day you can
stop in and watch tiles be
painted by the stores artists.
You may just want to buy a few.
They are very inexpensive and
make wonderful colorful sturdy
coasters.
My husband and I have a
tradition; we love to spend our
last night dinning at atop the
quaint Hotel La Siesta Hotel, at
the hotels Panorama restaurant.
The hotel is located in Gringo
Gulch, and no better "view" can
be found in Puerto Vallarta. It
offers a 360 degree view of the
bay, and town lights.
This outstanding restaurant was
architecturally designed with an
Arabic flavor and marble floors.
Its elegant dining atmosphere is
enhanced by strolling
entertainers, for the dinners to
enjoy. The food at the Panorama
restaurant is excellent; many
dishes are prepared right at
your table side. If you dine
around 9:30 PM you be able to
enjoy the fireworks that are
displayed off the Buccaneer Ship
in Banderas Bay. It is a
spectacular! Add the Sunset, the
fresh night air, the delicious
food, down to to the glorious
fireworks. It all adds up to an
evening you won't soon forget.
Puerto Vallarta Dining Guide
Puerto Vallarta---- it awakens
the senses, and its beauty and
charm is sure to captivate the
soul. Once you have visited the
Bay it will beckon you back,
time and time again.
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