Three couples in our late-twenties are looking to rent a house in Mexico for a week in March. None of us have ever been to Mexico and are looking for a week of relaxation (i.e. not necessary to be in or very close to a major city). Someone referred us to San Pancho rentals and they look very nice (about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta) but we would like to look elsewhere as well. We would like to pay less than $500/nt.

Any suggestions? We would like to be on/near a beach and in a safe area. Driving distance to a town with decent restaurants/markets would be great too.

Thanks in advance!

Didn't realize I could post links on here. This is one of the places we're considering - http://www.sanpanchorentals.com/03_B...n_Paradiso.htm

Have you narrowed down your destination of choice? Since you mentioned PV can we assume you want to be on the pacific side?

Mexico has tons of great rental villas and condo's but it's also a huge country with a wide variety of options depending on what you are looking for. Help us out with a little more detail and you'll find this a very helpful crowd.

Thank you for your reply. I apologize for being so vague, but we just began to plan. The two areas we have discussed are the Puerto Vallarta and Alcapulco regions. We aren't tied to anything right now though.

The three bedroom places on the link I included are the style/amenities we would like.

As soon as we have more details, I will update my post. Thank you!

PV will be much more to your liking (based on your brief descriptions) than Acapulco. First thing I would check is where you can fly directly and easily from your city.

I'd fly into Puerto Vallarta, then head up the coast/north... along the stretch (less than 2 hours drive) Bucerias, Punta Mita, Ricon de Guambitos, San Pancho, and Sayulita ... all those towns fits what you describe more or less.

We can easily fly into PV and I think that's where we would like to be. Any suggestions for specific properties would be appreciated. Thanks!

You can start your search on VRBO.com
(Vacation Rentals By Owner). I am sure you will find something of interest. If not Google Vacation Rentals in Mexico and you will find another load of sites to visit. So far, I have never been disappointed with what I have fouond on VRBO.com. Best of Luck

www.allvallarta.com
www.vallarta-info.com

And the Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta forums at Trip Advisors.

We rent villas every year with a mult-age group in the PV area (and I used to live in Mexico). Our criteria is always to be beachfront (not "oceanfront&quot on a swimmable beach. Have rented right in PV (Conchas Chinas area, 15 minute walk to town), and several places to the north. San Pancho is a great town, but the beach is not swimmable. If you are surfers, however, you might love it. I agree with the posters who recommended Sayulita - swimmable beach, cute, funky, authentic surf town. Start on VRBO - You can bargain with owners if you are not going during a holiday week. Feel free to email with Qs.