How many days to spend in Puerto Vallarta ?

Old Mar 16th, 2002, 12:14 AM
  #1  
Christa
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How many days to spend in Puerto Vallarta ?

We've been to Mayan Riviera and loved it there ! We have also read on this board that the beaches in Puerto Vallarta are nothing to write home about. However, we still would like to see PV. The question is: will 3 nights/4 days be enough ? Any out of town excursions we should not miss?
Any advice will be appreciated.
 
Old Mar 16th, 2002, 11:43 AM
  #2  
pvdeb
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HHHmmmm...3 nights, 4 days...you might see about 1/1000th of what there is to see and do in PV. Snorkelling at the Marietas Islands, day trip or night "Rythms of the Night" trip to Las Caletas, nature trek to the Sierra Madres, day trips to Yelapa, Bucerias, Destiladeras, El Anclote, etc. beaches, Huichol Indian village trip...gosh...there's not enough room to put it all here.
 
Old Mar 16th, 2002, 10:35 PM
  #3  
Christa
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Thanks !
Well 4 days/3 nights was our original idea, but it seems like we might reconsider. I just thought that because the beaches are not as nice as on the Caribbean side, there will be less to do....
 
Old Mar 16th, 2002, 11:24 PM
  #4  
pvdeb
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I hope I didn't come across as sarcastic. The intent of my answer was to say that there is so much to see and do in PV, that if you are interested in excursions, as you asked about out of town excursions, that a 3-night trip would leave you very little time to go out and see things, if you value lots of time just spent on the beach. PV beaches are not the cool, white limestone beaches of Cancun or the Mayan Riviera and the Pacific water is not the turquoise clear water of the Caribbean. If the aim of your trip is to spend most of your time on the beach, you will find most of PV area beaches to be clean, but the sand is tan colored and it can be hot. The water is a deep blue with some areas around the north side of the bay having areas of clearer water good for snorkelling.
PV, though has it's own heartbeat. It holds the secrets of many facets of Mexican culture and has retained the real feeling of Mexico while welcoming outsiders into its folds. You may find, if you visit, that you begin to feel that heartbeat, and while doing the beach thing is still important and fun, you will want to go out and explore the many things the area has to offer.
I can't know what is more important to you. I discovered PV for myself after 5 trips to Cancun and I still have so much I want to see and do there, that even my piddly week-long trips are not enough time to satisfy my desire to know PV more.
I wish you luck in your decision and I don't fault you for anything you decide is right for you. I only say that if you want to do the beach thing AND see some of PV, that a 3-night trip will not be long enough. This is only my opinion.
 
Old Mar 17th, 2002, 08:31 AM
  #5  
Christa
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I do appreciate your input a lot. Obviously I have not done much research about P.V. otherwise I would know more...We are planning our trip for September. Hopefully the temperatures will be bearable. And, yes, we have decided to stay for more than 3 nights/4 days ! If you have any other ideas/suggestions, please let us know.
Thanks again.
 
Old Mar 17th, 2002, 11:12 AM
  #6  
dan
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Get a copy of the Puerto Vallarta Handbook by B. Whipperman, that's all you'll need!
 
Old Mar 18th, 2002, 10:25 AM
  #7  
clarisa
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As far as I'm concerned a lifetime would not be long enough to spend in Puerto Vallarta (seriously!). I've done 14+ two weeks vacations all spent in the old/south part of town. Can't get enough!

My biggest piece of advice concerning PV is that there are 2 very separate parts of town & depending where you stay you will have totally different experiences.

Nuevo Vallarta, The Marina, and The Hotel Zone are all north of El Centro (downtown). There are fancy resorts, all inclusives, golf courses, the big chain hotels, etc.

In El Centro and "old town south of the river", the older neighborhoods, you will find more local people living, small, medium, large but more likely Mexican owned hotels. Lots of great restaurants. The streets are cobblestone, the roofs red tile, the walls white stucco. It's clean, it's bussling, often noisy at night. Mariachis play their music. You'll find a mix of all kinds of tourists (well probably not the high-end 5-star types) as well as normal local Mexican businesses.
 
Old Mar 18th, 2002, 12:16 PM
  #8  
Sheila
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We spent four weeks in PV this winter. It was just wonderful. This was our second time there. We rented a condo south of town and took the bus in whenever we had the need to go into town. It is a wonderful city to roam around and the old town is fantastic. We have been to the Mayan area over the years and that too is quite beautiful but so totally different. We loved the beach at our condo by the way....
 

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