My Nerdy Life

¡Hola!

After being away for more than a decade, I can happily report Puerto Vallarta (PV) is still very much a great beach destination. Filled with restaurants, clubs, bars, friendly locals, timeshare salesman, kilometers of beaches, and plenty of sunshine, it’s no surprise PV is a popular destination for those looking to get away from winter. In today’s post, I’ll give a quick recap of my trip, share some tips for travelling to PV, and tell you how a coffee machine almost grounded our plane!

The Highlight Reel

• Beaches are beautiful, safe, and generally clean
• You’ll get very good at saying no to the endless vendors trying to sell you stuff
• Go visit the Botanical Gardens. They’re beautiful, inexpensive, and fairly easy to get to
• Don’t wear glasses you don’t mind losing in the ocean!
• Don’t underestimate the sun, and cake on the sunscreen. I ended up moonlighting as a lobster for a few days!
• Use ATMs to pull out lump sums of cash
• Avoid markets when a cruise shows up. The prices go up!

The Flight

As mentioned before, we booked a vacation package through Noli Tours, which meant we would be flying on Air Transat. As far as long-haul budget airlines are concerned, they’re decent. I’ve flown with them a few times over the years to Europe, and never had an issue. For US/South destinations, they fly a fleet of Airbus A310s, while to Europe they generally use the larger Airbus A330s. Apart from size, the main difference between the two is the lack of personal entertainment systems (i.e., TVs) on the A310, unless you’re in “Club Class” (aka business class seating). Instead, they have shared LCD screens down the center of the plane, approximately every 3 rows, and show pre-selected movies just like the good-ole days. It turns out they also have an mobile App you can use to wirelessly connect to their entertainment system on your own device. Unfortunately, you need to download the app before you get off the ground in order to use it, which I never did, so I can’t really comment on how good/bad the system is. Assuming it works, it seems like a reasonable compromise for not having individual TV screens. Fortunately, I had already loaded up my iPad with movies/shows.

Shortly after getting settled into our seats, we were told there would be a 15 min departure delay to do some last minute maintenance. Well 15 min turned into 60 min, until finally they told us they didn’t have quite the right part they needed, and rather than wait any longer we would make due without. The “Vancouver-based” crew with a strong french accent, assured us it was a minor issue (a switch of some sort) that meant the entertainment system and coffee machine wouldn’t work on our flight. Personally, I wasn’t bothered since I had my iPad and I avoid drinking coffee on planes so I don’t have to run to the washroom 5 times an hour.

Once upon a time, nearly all long-haul flights overseas or to south destinations included complementary hot-meal service. Sadly, those days are over and Air Transat now only offers a hot-meal on overseas flights, and instead offers an à la carte bistro service on all other flights (non-alcoholic drinks, cookies/crackers, and 1 glass of sparkling wine are still free). Prices are okay-ish considering you’re on a plane (~$6-8 for a sandwich/wrap), but the portions are a little on the small side. My partner and I were famished, so we both grabbed a wrap for lunch, which was okay, but nothing to write home about. In retrospect, we probably would have been better off picking something up at Starbucks before getting on the plane, although not necessarily cheaper, it would’ve been better quality.

The rest of the flight was uneventful, and we touched down in PV mid-afternoon. Word of advice at the airport, JUST SAY NO! After you grab your bags, you head through what is known as “the gauntlet” to get outside to taxis, buses, etc. The gauntlet consists of a bunch of kiosks on either side, with an army of salespeople trying to sell you everything under the sun, namely timeshares, tours, excursions, condos, etc. The best thing you can do is just march straight through, avoid eye contact, and don’t stop walking until you see one of the lovely people from your tour operator (usually waiving a big sign), that will direct you to your bus. In the off chance you’re genuinely interested in some of things they try to sell you, wait until you get to your hotel and talk to your tour operator rep to make sure you find reputable vendors.

The Hotel

After a quick 15 min bus ride, we arrived at our hotel and were immediately greeted with cocktails while checking-in, which we happily enjoyed. Throughout our stay, all the hotel staff were very friendly and courteous, and worked extremely hard to make everyone’s stay enjoyable. The hotel wasn’t fancy, but it was clean and had everything we needed (except for perhaps a clock in the room… but who cares about time when you’re on vacation right?). We were in the tower on the 11th floor, and frankly the view never gets old!

I won’t go into too much detail about the hotel, since there’s tons of information on TripAdvisor, but here’s a quick run down:

• They have 2 pools (one for adults only), 2 hot-tubs, 4 restaurants, and 2 bars. We never used the pools, but they were always people around/in them. Frankly, unless you have a medical condition or very small children, I’ve never understood why people book a beach resort and then spend their whole trip by the pool.
• The food quality was great, and the selection was good once you knew where to look. For all meals, waiters were on hand to serve beverages and clear tables.
  • For breakfast, all but one restaurant (only open for dinner) served the same spread. The breakfast buffet didn’t change too much over the week, but from what I saw most people just stuck to the same stuff all week anyway. You could get eggs, omelettes, french toast, pancakes, or waffles made to order by one of the lovely cooks manning the grill.
  • For lunch, only 2 restaurants were open. The selection was decent but didn’t change much. If you were patient and waited until around 1-2:00 pm for lunch there was a very good chance there would be a seafood grill on the beach! Nom-nom-nom!!!
  • At dinner, all 4 restaurants were open and served different things, so you could shop around to find what you wanted.
• If you’re okay with local draft beer (I don’t think it was Corona, but tasted similar), cheap wine (it came in a 5 L bottle at the supermarket), or your standard mixed drinks (rum, vodka, gin, tequila) you’ll be just fine! If you want something fancy, you’ll have to head elsewhere. Also, there was a small coffee bar that served delicious Spanish coffee and you could get Kahlúa if you asked for it.
• The hotel has numerous activities all day long to keep you busy: yoga, to kayaking, cooking classes, bartending classes, dancing, zumba, water aerobics, beach/pool volleyball, and live shows several nights a week.

 Things To Do

• Go to a market! There’s a few around town (see map here) depending on what you’re interested in. There’s a flea-market on the outskirts of downtown with mostly souvenir type items (e.g., t-shirts, small leather goods, blankets, hats, etc.). My favourite was going to the produce and meat market, in the old town/romantic zone. On the map, it’s listed as the “Municipal Market” and that’s where the locals and ex-pats tend to shop. There’s also a tortilla factory! Everyone is friendly, but you may need to brush up on your Spanish or recruit an ex-pat to help you out. Or as in my case, very broken Spanish combined with lots of pointing and facial expressions can be highly effective, ha!
• Go to the botanical gardens! From the old town/romantic zone, take the bus going to El Tuito. Tell the bus driver where you’re going so he’ll stop at the gate for you (it’s in the middle of nowhere so you might miss it otherwise). The restaurant is excellent, albeit a bit expensive, but it’s more of a donation to the garden in my mind.

  

  Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens

• Go see a show! There’s a surprisingly vibrant cabaret scene in PV. Many of them are put on by Canadians and Americans that come down for a few months of the year to perform. I should warn you, many of the shows are 18+ and some are a little “risqué” but it’s all good fun.
• Do an Art Walk! There are lots of talented local artists that organize free art walks on a regular basis around the old town.
• Grab a bite to eat! Sources tell me there are over 600 restaurants in PV!

Getting Around

The most economical way to get around (besides walking for free) is to take public transit. If you’re in the Hotel Zone like we were, there’s buses going to/from downtown every few minutes (they generally run until midnight daily) and cost $7.50 Pesos/person, which is less than a $1 CAD. The best part is, they give you change if you don’t have exactly 7.50! Fair warning, transit in PV is not the cushy ride you might be used to in your typical Canadian/US city. Many of the roads are brick/cobblestone, the roads are narrow, and don’t be surprised if your bus driver is regularly within inches (not an exaggeration!) of other buses. They also like to drive fast and overtake other vehicles constantly, so it does take some getting used to. On the upside, there’s a good chance you’ll get some live entertainment on your bus ride from local buskers. 

There’s also lots of taxis around as well, which costs ~$60-80 Pesos between our hotel and the old town. They’re a good option if you miss the last bus and rather not walk the ~5 km home late at night. Tip: Make sure you confirm the price before you get in, as taxis don’t have meters in PV!

Vendors    

It’s no secret PV lives and dies on tourism. Around every corner, someone is trying to sell you something, namely timeshares and tours. If you are interested in these services, ask to see their operating licence and only use reputable companies (your tour operator rep at your hotel can help you with that, or check trip advisor). If it looks even remotely shady, it probably is. What’s worse, some tour companies are not properly insured, which could lead to all kinds of trouble if you’re planning on taking a boat/bus somewhere and something goes wrong. 

Beach vendors: some are genuinely just trying to make a living, while others are are just trying to make a quick buck, and others aren’t legal. Beach vendors are required to have a licence (costs $40 USD/year apparently), which many have around their neck or clipped to their bags. The genuine vendors get their products from local distributors just like a store would, so if you’re up for some haggling, there’s deals to be had! I personally wouldn’t trust the quality of jewelry, and food that’s been baking in the sun all day just seems like a hygienic disaster waiting to happen, but there’s some artistic pieces that might be worth your while.

Money

Typically you can get the best exchange rate by using ATMs found at banks, convenience stores (OXXO), and some hotels. Unless you’re with Scotia Bank or one of the other US banks with local branches, you’ll most likely be dinged with a foreign transaction fee ($3.00 in my case), so try to take out larger lump sums. Most smaller businesses don’t accept credit cards, and places that claim to take CAD or USD generally have poor exchange rates, so Pesos are your best bet.

Saving Money

• Get off the beaten path! The further away you go from the touristy places (i.e., the ocean), the better prices you will get for pretty much everything.
• If you want to bring back a suitcase full of hot sauce or spices like I did, go to a local grocery store (e.g., Walmart, Soriana, Mega) for the best prices and quality (and always check expiry dates!).
• Look for happy hours. At least one bar/restaurant has a happy hour somewhere every day of the week.
• Eat/Drink local. Anything imported will cost a lot more, so go for the local stuff whenever possible.
• Avoid the markets when there’s a cruise ship in the marina, as prices are higher.
• Walk or take the bus.
• Don’t pay for some outrageously expensive tour to see the Botanical Gardens, and take the bus…. even if your tour operator rep thinks your crazy (true story! she was super nice though)

If you’re looking for an economical beach destination getaway, PV just might do the trick. It’s no surprise it’s incredibly popular by Canadians, Americans, Europeans, and Mexicans alike!

Ps: When I got back, I had a nice little (seriously it was only $10, but still!) cheque waiting for me from the Petro Points I used when I booked the trip.

And now time for some pretty pictures, just because: