My wife and i are leaving next week for pv. we don't have a lot planned, mostly we just want to lay by the pool or on the beach and do some drinking and lounging. we may do a zip line tour one day. anyone have any ideas on a budget for a five day trip. thanx...

I went on a zip line tour and it was ok. I'm not sure it was worth the time and money. But it might be a nice diversion. PV is the perfect place for lounging on the beach as the beaches are great!

It's hard to give a budget without knowing what kind of places you will eat and drink, what part of town, etc.

In the Old Town I spend $8 for breakfasts, $12-15 for lunch, and $20-30 for dinner (that's with drinks) in mid-priced places.

A cocktail at a beach bar $3-6 but in a resort or high-end restaurants could be $10-12.

I'm not familiar with the organized activities and tours myself, but am thinking that's where you could drop more cash.

I can't help with the bar scene, we did most of our drinking by the pool. We did the Rythems of the Night trip and a zip line trip with Los Veranos. Both were great, but not cheap. Here is a post to our trip report. I hope it helps:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34729818

MY

Cheeky Monkey along the malecon, upstairs-- $1.00 margaritas all day and I think all night. In Old Town along the beach the livlier places, i.e., Cuates y Cuetes, and Langostinos have happy hours. My family loved the zip lines.

thank ya'll for the help. we are staying at los arcos vallarta (the suites) and we plan to do low to mid range restaurants, i.e. seafood shacks on the beach, and maybe find a nicer place on night.

In that neighborhood I like:

for dinner La Piazzetta or Joe Jacks Fish Shack.

For lunch, Picnic or Cafe de Olla.

For breakfast Mama Delores, Fredy's El Tucan, and Memos Casa de Hotcakes.

For coffees, pastries, sandwiches: Dee's Coffee, Page in the Sun, and Cafe Angel.

And anyplace down on Los Muertos is fun, but there aren't really "seafood shacks" there, more regular bar/restaurants with both service on the beach and an inside restaurant behind.

You can get fish or shrimp 'on a stick' from the people who wander the beach... or buy it from the place they do the cooking up to the north end of the beach nearish Burro Bar area. That fits the seafood shack description sort of.