Puerto Vallarta
 

We are planning a trip to Puerto Vallarta, early December. We have looked at many lodging options and are particularly interested in any suggestions or comments you might have on the Marival Resort or the Riu Jalisco? Would love any other suggestions as well. Thanks!

Hi,
If you haven't already checked please go to www.tripadvisor.com and you'll find plenty of comments about both hotels.

The thing to understand about PV is the lay of the land. RIU is out in Nuevo Vallarta. Not a bad thing necessarily but a good 1/2+ hr. outside the town of Puerto Vallarta. Get a map of the Bay of Banderas that will show you the locations of various areas and their resorts.

NV is quite nice and there is air conditioned bus service that costs almost nothing that stops everywhere in NV as well as PV.

Can I ask more about the bus mentioned above? Is this a service sponsored by the resorts? I'm curious because I ride the local busses in PV alot and I've never been on one with A/C?

For grammo2, you might also check www.puertovallarta.net which has a Bulletin Board. I know I've seen good things posted in the past about Riu Jalisco there.

Another great resource for PV is www.virtualvallarta.com
and when you are there pick up the magazine Vallarta Lifestyles - it is a great guide for what to see and do, great maps as well.
NV is nice and a lot more built up now, and the road is certainly a million times better than when I lived there but it is still a long way to town if you want to experience the PV nightlife - which to me is one of the best things about the area...

cheers,
Andrew