Puerto Vallarta!

I'm in Seattle and PV is my go-to place. I love that city. You can stay right in town at any of many wonderful spots. Or outside the city to the north or the south. There's even a 4-Seasons if you specifically want that out at Punta Mita about 1 hr north of thr PVR airport.

I have never been to PV but my fiancee has, he said the food is wonderful but there really aren't any beaches. I do have Punta Mita on my radar, I understand it is a fab Four Seasons but I was worried we would be stuck there with little night life or other dining options other than the hotel, do you know?

Nope, you would be pretty much "stuck" out at Punta Mita as far as nightlife, dining, etc. compared to downtown PV.

I'm not sure what he meant by there not being "any beaches" though.

While (being the Bay of Banderas/Pacific side) it doesn't have the white sand/turquoise water of the Caribbean sea, there are most certainly plenty of beaches

As night life for me I staying up to watch the 11:00 news I would say either Suze suggestion of PV or another Cancun if being on a beach is important .
My first love is Zihuatanejo for the beach but it most certainly Not party city or even close to resembling it.
Hotels from the very high end to low margin places.
Excellent food, enough to do to keep most happy.
In late May I personally would head for one of Mexico's wonderful Mountain cities. We had our Luna de Miel at the Quinta Real in Guadalajara in July '98 a decision we never regretted returning every 5 years. Others include Oaxaca, Morelia & where I am now the Fabulous Guanajuato! All have quality hotels with lots to do.

If you want to stick to the Caribbean side but somewhere different than PdC? Like Isla Mujeres or Akumal?

But I still say there ARE beaches in Vallarta (lol)!!

Thanks all! I know that May is not the primetime to head south, however work schedules determined the wedding date. We did discuss PV and Punta Mita which has moved to the top of the list thanks to you Suze.

Akumal - that also sparks an interest - have you been there?

Akumal is a lovely area. Off-beach snorkeling for sea turtles.

But, what about TULUM? Perfect soft white sand beaches, calm surf, laid back vibe. Plenty of activities if you get bored (Chichen Itza, Coba, Sian Kaan, snorkeling, of course Tulum ruins) etc.

May IS a primetine to head to PV! It's one of my favorite times to go. The weather is great, but it's technically "off season" so it's not as crowded and rates are lower.

re: Akumal. Nope, I've never been on that side, I just know from friends and research that Akumal is supposed to be pretty great.

I've been to Akumal many, many times, going back in May for 11 days with a few days also on Isla Mujeres. Lots of nice condos and villas to rent as well as a few non-fancy hotels. About 6 or so restaurants as well as 3 more on Half Moon Bay where most of the condos and villas are located. I travel there in May and the weather is great, rates are down. Not too busy.

If you liked Playa....don't forget to have a look at Cozumel. Some great resorts with lovely beaches, amazing restaurants, reefs galore, lots of fun, good music.

Look at Occidental Grand, El Presidente, Playa Azul...also lots of fanstatic private condos where you could have your own cook, ocean front, pool, private balcony and still hop into town for the fun and food at night. See Nah Ha condos for example.

There is no nightlife in Akumal and little of it in Tulum though. Some restaurants in the town of Tulum will have live music playing at dinner time but I think that is about it.

How much can you spend? What about a great AI like Grand Velas (EXCELLENT food in multiple gourmet restaurants, great service and spa and beach and pools, perfection IMO) that is close to Playa Del Carmen so you can enjoy nightlife in Playa? Grand Velas will shuttle you into Playa at night, it is 5 min, noth of town, and then you can it back. You are not going to get the nightlife like there is in Playa anywhere else IMO. Even Cancun.

opps, CAB it back

oh and Grand Vleas has 3 places in and around Puerto Vallarta also. At least one of them is adult only.

The one outside of Playa del Carmen is about as close to perfection as I have ever gotten.

http://www.grandvelas.com/our-hotels/grand-velas-riviera-maya.aspx

Does it have to be Mexico?

If you like Playa del Carmen, I would go for Cabo San Lucas before PV. We've been to PV once and it was OK. I do agree the beaches there are not that great. Very sub-par compared to the Caribbean side of Mexico.

We just returned from Cabo in December and loved it. We will have a very hard time going back to Playa now. The food was so much better tasting. The Marina and Medrano Beach area is within walking distance to most everything. Good night life and bars. I was surprised that Medrano Beach was actually nice. It was very crowded though. Lots of boats and personal watercrafts. The air smelled of gasoline. We preferred the Marina area and our hotel's pool.

I also agree with Cozumel. It's one of our favorite destinations. Been there x 4 including our honeymoon. Great snorkeling and we found the food there less expensive and better tasting than Playa del Carmen.

If you're interested I have all of our travel photos posted. We've been to Mexico many times over the past 12 years plus several Caribbean Isalands. You might find something that interests you.

http://kvrlvnphotogallery.shutterfly.com/pictures/5

KVr, were you able to get in the ocean in the area of Cabo you were in? When I have gone, we could not get in the water in any of the areas where we have stayed, due to undertoe and dangerous currents.

(not to speak for KVR) but yes you can safely get into the ocean at Medano Beach, which is the main beach in downtown Cabo (i know KVR was nearby at the Marina). That's the only 'swimmable' beach in the area.

Thanks Suze. Yes, Medano Beach is swimable. When we went, there were people in the water as well as personal water crafts. Also, when we did the city tour, the guide told us there are actually 5 swimable beaches, but only Medano in Cabo San Lucas. I can't remember the names of the other ones or the locations.

Here's a pic of Medano Beach:

http://kvrlvnphotogallery.shutterfly.com/pictures/211

My only issue is that there were tons of boats and personal watercrafts there. The air smelled like gasoline. I was not interested in getting into the water there, and we didn't.

Our guide took us to the beach next to the Desire Resort in Los Cabos for pictures. It is a very gorgeous beach, but not swimable there. Too bad.

I know the Hilton on 'the corridor' is one.

Actually, Fodors has an article on this very subject and it's on this site. Here's the link:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g152515-c157030/Cabo-San-Lucas:Mexico:Swimmable.Beaches.In.Los.Cabos.html

Ooops. Not Fodors. Trip Advisor. Sorry. They really need an edit button here.

"There is no nightlife in Akumal and little of it in Tulum though. Some restaurants in the town of Tulum will have live music playing at dinner time but I think that is about it."

not true there is some night life on the beach too but only some. Tulum properties are most all eco chic palapa type places with a lot of europeans and one of the best beaches in the world. Coz is ok but you are isolated from mainland stuff. Use youtube and gmaps to help plan, a pic is worth a thousand words.

I'd be interested in knowing what places in Akumal have nightlife on the beach. I visited some friends staying there and we did not see any, and they had not heard of any. But they were renting a place further down the beach, not at the couple of resorts.

Ditto for Tulum, what places on the beach have live nusic or other nightlife? I have bene to restaurants that play CD music but where is there live music or other nightlife there, on the beach?