Nueva Vallarta trip
 

I am going to Nueva in March with my family of 5 (kids 14,10,8). We do not sit still well. We usually rent a car and go (rarely staying at our hotel).
I think we will get around by bus this trip.
I am unsure about booking our excursions.
We usually snorkel,hike etc alone.
Booking through Vallarta Adventures looks to be more convenient for us -- but will we feel like cattle in a herd.
I am looking at the dolphin swim, whale watching and canopy tour.
Would we get better quality options by heading into PV?
Other day trip ideas included touring PV (?on foot?), bus to Pinta Muto (then water taxi out to Yepana?), stop at other northern beaches in route.
Is it worth bringing snorkeling stuff this time of year or is the visibility inadequate in March?
Gracios,
Kim

Kim, I spend a lot of time in Puerto Vallarta and can help you with a few things.

I would perhaps consider a car rental as bus is not all that convenient. Depending on your exact resort location you may or may not be close enough to the highway for this to be practical. Nuevo is a long way from the city of PV (like an hour's drive), and using a bus to do the things you describe will take a bit of time & effort.

Also it's possible to hire private drivers or a taxi for a 1/2 or full day, that's not all that expensive and might work well for your group.

Yes there are more options for tours and activities in the downtown area, as well as your own resort.

I've not done tours to be able to say about the 'cattle in a herd' thing, but I know Vallarta Adventures is a well-respected company.

A few words I want to correct youro spelling (not meaning to be a pest, but so you'll be able to find these things when you do more research) it's:
Nuevo Vallarta
Punta Mita
Yelapa
and gracias :-)

There's a few posters here on Fodor's who hopefully can chime in and help further. There's also a very active forum over at www.tripadvisor.com (go to the message boards, not the hotel reviews part of the website).

all the best, Suze

Going to Punta de Mita and water taxi to Yelapa ? sorry you're going the wrong way, see map:
http://vallartainfo.com/outerlimits.html
for Yelapa you need to go to Los Muertos pier on the south side of PV or to Boca de Tomatlan.

Here's a tip for Puerto Vallarta. You can't walk five feet without someone trying to sell you a timeshare or get you to attend a sales pitch. We have had hostesses in restaurants seat us then come back to try and sell us a timeshare.

Some people attend the pitches because they get certificates for free scuba or tours. If this is you, haggle for your attendance. Whatever they offer you, they are able to up the ante. If they offer a snorkeling boat ride for two, insist it be for your whole family.

We prefer not to be bugged and our (Mexican native) friend suggests the best way is to ask the first couple of salesmen who approach you for a brochure. Stick the brochures in your shirt pocket so they are noticable after you have a small collection, people will stop bugging you.

You can ignore the timeshare sales people easy enough. Just don't stop and chat.

As far as restaurants who allow timeshare to bother their customers, I'm fortunate enough to be a regular visitor to PV so know to avoid any of the places which allow/encourage that.

Thanks for the tips and clarifications.

We are staying at a condo at Paradise.

I know Vallarta Adventures is next door and may be the easiest way to go.
Trip advisor shows several disappointments with the whale watching -- but I wonder if it is because they tried the combo whale, snorkel trip instead of focusing on the whales.

When I take the crew down town to can we just get a map and do a walking tour to see the architecture and statues?
Do you know a site with a great map/guide.
We would have no interest in shopping.

Any other don't miss day trips?

thanks
kim

Yes you can easily make a walking tour of your own on a day-trip into El Centro PV. Start with a visit to the church, head to the Isla Cuale, across the suspension pedestrian bridge over the river to the south-side ("zona romantica"), then get on the Malecon extension (seawall promonade) and head back into downtown that route.

I (and others) have described several "one day" list of activities over at the Trip Advisor Puerto Vallarta forum www.tripadvisor.com

This website has excellent maps of various downtown districts www.vallartainfo.com

Leave the snorkle gear at home. I'd suggest taking the local bus ("RIU") north, you catch it out front of the Paradise Mall, out to the highway - wait till you get closer to a a town (i.e. Mezcales) to get off, cross the street (to catch a north-bound bus), catch the Sayulita bus, stay on it till it reaches the end of the line (about 1/2 hour). Then get off, wander the streets to the beach, stop at a coffee shop or shop, hire a guy to teach your kids to surf, sit back and enjoy!

Thank you for the town tour info Suze.

Dar -- the surf idea is great
The oldest 2 tried it in Maui 3 years ago and loved it -- and you know how a youngest is just roaring to get in there.

In regards to the whales -- are they still plentiful in mid March? I know the viewing ends March 30th.

Thanks again
Kim

Whale watching officially stops on March 23rd now.
While there will probable be whales in the bay even beyond the 30th, it's illegal to approach them.