Puerta Vallarta
 

Good morning,
I am making travel arrangments for a couple - they are traveling to PV the first week in Feb and will be staying at the Mayan Sea Garden in Nuevo Vallarta.

I have not been to PV in over 10 years and was wondering about car rental and if it is necessary/suggested?

Recommendations for places to eat? There are some dietary restrictions (Gluten Free) so they may be doing a lot of their food prep in the kitchen area of their room.

Thanks so much!

Hope you realise that Nuevo Vallarta is not Puerto Vallarta. Separated by 45min driving time, Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican town, Nuevo is a resort area with not many restaurants to choose from. There's a Walmart where they may find some gluten free stuff, they would need to take a taxi there, see this map
http://vallartainfo.com/nuevo.html
further north towards Bucerias there's a new Mega Supermarket.

No Carbon I did not really realize that - thank you for the input. With it being 45 minutes outside of PV is a rental car currently safe in that area of Mexico?

Yes, renting a car is safe. True what Cabron said NV is way out of PV, so a car would make it easier, or use taxis/bus. This area is fine if you just want to relax and hangout, but not good for nightlife, shopping, since it is so far away from PV. What ever they do, tell them NOT to go on a timeshare presentation at the Mayan Palace or any other Mayan property . They are awful.

The beaches in NV are nicer than in PV, IMO.

hola there MomDD,

Puerto Vallarta is my go-to place!! I spend time there every year (20+ trips to daet). Unfortunately I don't know a thing about "Nuevo" which is the Cancun-like new development area way out north of the city (it's actually in a different state, PV is in Jalisco, Nuevo is in Nayarit). There's not a lot of choices out that way, besides just other mega resorts.

I personally would not rent a car but get around using taxis, bus, shuttles. I guess it's technically "safe" enough but people do report getting into bad situations (getting pulled over by the cops on trumped up charges and bribed, crooked rental car agencies, ripped off at the gas station, stuff like that).

If they do want to rent a car Gecko is the agency that seems most respected by most.

Agree with Suze. Nevo is so not for me despite the better beaches.
Unless they are into staying in one place I'd change to PV Proper.

I'm not recommending they change reservations. If what they want is a modern resort on a nice beach, maybe Nuevo is just fine for them.

Thanks for the feedback -,they were given the week as a 25 year wedding anniversary gift - so changing is not an option.

I am a little nervous about them renting a car and will explain all the options choices- I appreciate the name of the rental car agency. I have not rented a car in Mexico since 2003... So 10 years ago & that was in Cabo.

We stayed in NV several years ago and did not rent a car. We used the bus or took a taxi into PV. You just have to plan your time accordingly.

Lots of people stay in Nuevo without cars. They either just stay out that way, or choose to come into downtown a few times during their trip and just do so by taxi, bus, or shuttle.

To me dealing with a car rental and driving in an foreign country (assuming they do not speak Spanish) just opens up the possibility for many more hassles. Maybe everything would go smoothly. But how I look at it is if you aren't driving yourself, no way you will get in trouble with the cops, get lost, possibly need car repairs, have to buy gas, etc. etc.

The bus to Puerto Vallarta is relatively easy. The ATM Bus Line will come right by your resort, It's not allowed to compete with the PV City busses, so only has a couple of stops in town. Most people get off at the Marine Terminal, across the road from Walmart (as a landmark) or the next stop, it costs 14 pesos each, then the city bus, with the sign 'Centro' in the window, is 6.5 pesos each. More information on transport here
http://vallartainfo.com/puerto-vallarta-transport.html

Just spent a week in PV. Stayed at Velas Vallarta, which we enjoyed very much, especially the ocean view suites.

One of the highlights of the trip was Whale Watching with Vallarta Adventures---we saw whale after whale after whale. Great fun. Try to get booked with the guide, Nicki, as she is getting her Ph.D. in Humpback studies. Terrific guide.