andrews98682

Hi everyone,
Just booked a trip to PV for the last week of January/early February and will be staying at the Playa Conchas Chinas Hotel. Any thoughts on the hotel and the area? How's the swimming and snorkeling there this time of year? How's the hotel itself (From what I can gather, it seems like a nice smaller hotel, one that doesn't have the wow factor of the bigger and newer resorts -- and that's fine with me)? Any restaurant recommendations for near the hotel? I'm looking for places to grab an inexpensive breakfast, lunch or dinner as well as something a little nicer for dinner. This will be my third trip to Puerto Vallarta and first in four years. The last time, I stayed at the Barcelo in Mismaloya and loved it. This time, I decided to go on a tighter budget, and this seemed like a nice location. My departure date can't come soon enough.

MichelleY

Sorry I can't help, but please do a trip report after you return. Would love to hear about it.

MY

bellajessie

PV is a restaurant town. Search PV restaurant week and you'll see many of the top restaurants and sample dishes. Plus it shows where they are. This takes place in May. For inexpensive, just pop into a small cafe with the menu written on the wall. No limit to good places. Go where the locals go.
Tried snorkeling once a few years ago in May. Not good. Water was not clear.
Try zip lining which we found to be lots of fun.

andrews98682

Will do, Michelle. Bellajessie, I was actually wondering if there were any specific restaurants or cafes near the hotel that I should seek out. I understand the restaurant at the hotel is actually good, but I was wondering if there are any others in the area. Obviously, I'll be spending plenty of time downtown, too.

cabron

There's a nice small beach right there, with some rocks, so probably some fish, next door is the Lindo Mar Resort which has a well known restaurant La Playita open all day. Also next door to El Set, not recommended for food (so so and expensive), but a great place to watch sunset with a cocktail.

sunbum1944

The restaurant at Lindo Mar is a great spot for an afternoon snack, drink. I thought the service was a little lacking but atmosphere not so it was a trade off . Have also had an enjoyable Sunday brunch there

Stewbear

Excellent beach (by West Coast standards) for off the shore snorkeling, As the above poster states The Lindo Mar cafe' is a asset. My favorite beach in PV.
Never stayed at CC but have spent time at a friends time share at The Lindo Mar a couple of times.
Nice suites.
PS A real plus is there normally is only a couple of beach peddlers there so you are not constantly bothered as you are on Playa Los Muertos.

andrews98682

Thanks for all the feedback!

sunbum1944

Went snorkeling yesterday at Los Arcos- water was warm, saw lots of nice fish. Apparently the water starts cooling down in the spring according to our boat captain.
My favorite restaurant is the Barracuda- but quite a distance from where you are . It's not high end, just a beach restaurant with tables out on the beach in the de decembrie area of town.
They have a great fish dish steamed in foil with a bunch of vegetables. Having dinner there tonight , my last night here after spending a month.

andrews98682

Thanks, sunbum. And again, thanks for all the feedback. Keep it coming! I've still got about 21/2 weeks before I arrive.

sunbum1944

Going home today after a month. These are some of the things I enjoyed
Bus trip /tour to SanSebastian- a mining town up in the mountains
Taking a city bus to Boca- little beach town at the end of the bus line.
Water taxi to Yelepa- make sure you watch for the pie lady who serves coconut and chocolate pie on the beach.
Day of snorkeling - we went with PV. Sea dive company- owned by an English lady who is very funny and will ensure you have a great trip.

Enjoy

andrews98682

Thanks again. I actually took a water taxi from Boca to Yelapa a few years ago when I was stayed at the Barcelo in Mismaloya.

tenthumbs

Some friends and I took the bus trip to San Sebastian a few years ago and loved it~very quaint. One word of warning~we all came back with multiple bug bites on our legs (we were all wearing shorts). We have no idea what kind of bugs they were, but they were very itchy!! Take bug spray with you if you go to San Sebastian or zip-lining.

andrews98682

Just got back after a great trip. I did whale watching with vallarta whales, the marietas and hidden beach with vallarta adventures and took a water taxi out to los arcos. All were outstanding. As for the Hotel Playa Conchas Chinas, that was a different story (I posted a review on tripadvisor). I checked out after one night and moved to the Fiesta Americana, which was a huge improvement.

MichelleY

Andrew- sorry your first place didn't work out. We did the same in PV also. We were staying in a friends condo a little ways further south from Conchas Chinas. After one night, DH said " we're outa here". It hadn't been updated in 30 years. We moved next door to the Intercontinental. Good move, beautiful, quiet beach.

Please post a trip report. Love to hear more.

MichelleY

Andrew- I read your review. I wonder if you got stuck with the crummy rooms because you were a single? Just a thought....

andrews98682

Michelle,
The rooms weren't singles. They each had two beds. I think it's just a poorly run hotel. When I got to the Fiesta Americana, it was as if I had entered a different world. I really wasn't looking for a big resort on this trip, but I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. I highly recommend it. A big chunk of my time was spent at the pool and the beach, and I ate lunch most days at the hotel (food there was very good).

For the whale watching tour, I booked with Vallarta Whales. Iza Cardenas is an excellent guide. If you're looking for a party boat, book elsewhere. They do research and only take small groups.

For Los Arcos, I wound up taking a water taxi. I went in the late morning, and the water was incredibly clear for the first half hour. Then, the tide picked up and it wasn't quite as good. But it's a cool site to see up close.

For the Marietas, I went with Vallarta Adventures. The first stop was the hidden beach, and it was amazing. Then, they took us to another spot where you could snorkel, kayak, paddle board or go to another beach. They also served lunch on board and had an open bar on the way back. We saw tons of whales along the way and even saw them breach. Pretty cool.

As for restaurant recommendations I didn't have a bad meal.
Archie's Wok and No Way Jose were excellent. Fajita Republic and Paradise Burger, two places I had been to a few years ago, still were very good. Derby Burger in Los Muertos is also excellent, and the Italian buffet at the Playa Los Arcos Hotel was pretty good.

andrews98682

Michelle, I think I misinterpreted your last post. I can't see why they would give me a bad room just because I was single. After all, I'm paying as much as a couple or family. Then again, I can't see why a hotel wouldn't properly repair a hole in a wall, particularly an exterior wall. I should have taken a picture of that.

cabron

Iza - Isabel Cárdenas is an old friend of mine and one of the first oceanographers to start studying the whales here in the bay.
Here's a map on Conchas Chinas http://vallartainfo.com/conchas.html