Puerto Vallarta is a resort town in the Jalisco, Mexico. With remnants of their colonial past, PV seems to thrive with the sun-seeking Gringos coming here in droves. It was hard to hear much Spanish unless you are walking deep into the Old Town. Condos and apartment rentals are huge in PV, I guess even big hotels are hugely outnumbered in comparison. The resort side is very family friendly, we saw a ton of kids and an equal number of seniors as part of family reunions.

6 things to do in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Be a tourist and hit the beach

You waited all year to use those stingy vacation days that you have to accumulate. You paid premium on your flights to get here. The heat is serious. What are you waiting for? The culture, food can wait, head to Los Muertos beach or whatever beach that is close to you. Sip on those pina coladas/margaritas and live it up on your well deserved break.

Los Muertos Beach

Eat your weight in guacamole/fish tacos/salsas

The avocados are probably grown within 30 minutes from your accommodation in PV. They are fresh and most local restaurants know how to make guacamole right. So,don’t pass on them. The salsas that are served also pack a nice punch.This ain’t your chipotle or our “chef is from Mexico” versions, the salsas are made fresh with tomatoes, lime,jalapeños and salt. It is a delicate balance between these flavors that makes it superlative compared to anything you have ever had before.

Salsa,Guacamole with Chips, Grilled fish tacos

Catch a sunset and walk the malecon

The sunsets are gorgeous from the malecon, the red orange hues that we seldom see are worth instragramming. Walk along the malecon and as the sun goes down and watch the city come to life.Street artists, comedy acts and food vendors come out in full force in the evenings. You have your pick with the food vendors- if you need sugar you have deep fried bananas, strawberries with cream, homemade flan/cakes, horchata. On the savory side, marinated shrimp and pretty much any type of meat on sticks. The art installations along the malecon are quite fun and serve as good photo ops.

Sunset on the beach

Along the Malecon

Street food along the Malecon

Hit up a bodega or a mom and pop store

After 3 straight days of good sunshine and much needed heat, rains lashed out in PV. Literally,when it rains it pours here. Our “lazy walk to brunch” strategy was put to test. But we decided to brave the rains and headed out under the cover of incomplete patio roofs onto the next block to look out for the closest place listed on Yelp. But it was closed and hunger prangs were starting to grow. On our way back, we found a pleasant little man selling some breakfast items right out of his house. Better half quickly chose the cake and I got introduced to cafe de olla. As the mexican man explained it to me as a local version of coffee with hints of chocolate and cinnamon. I was sold and it was a refreshing wake up call on a rainy morning. So, don’t wait hit up a bodega and try the real deal.

Rainy Day/Cafe Olla/ Bodega

Crossover from the resorts area and head deep into Emiliano Zapata

We stayed in a functional Airbnb in Puerto Vallarta in Old Town. Our daily itinerary was hitting the beach during the day and walking the malecon in the evenings. But it was not until the final day that we decided to break the pattern and explore the town. We came across a real tortilleria – they have a huge ass machine spewing out fresh tortillas. Our mythical mental image of old grandmas making them by hand was completely shattered. The mexicans take their tortillas seriously  and dammit they don’t want inefficiencies in their supply chain. We also encountered well-dressed locals heading in/out from their Sunday mass. This gave us a great view into the local culture.

Old Town

If you need a break from the PV, day trip

There are a couple of decent day trip options from PV. The most exciting of which is the Marietas islands- it is a giant crater caused by a bomb explosion by a beach. Swimming skills essential as the only way to get in there is via snorkelling. Head to Yelapa for some easy day hikes or try your hand at some zip lining.

Bonus:

We managed to catch lunch at the iconic La Palapa and thought it was overrated. The service is ridiculously slow.  Go with low expectations and you might be surprised.

If you are from India, you might know who this is. He is a popular Bollywood star John Abraham. His role in the movie “Dostana” has made him the poster boy for gay cruises in Puerto Vallarta.