We were last there in October and we are headed back in a month ... I feel WAY more safe in Puerto Vallarta than I do in my hometown of Phoenix, AZ (I live downtown).

One thing that I think you may want to keep in mind though, Grandma may have issues navigating in Old Town/Romantica. The sidewalks are EXTREMELY uneven and require a steady footing. But no need worry about the safety, PV has (so far) been spared of the Drug Cartel violence that has been ravaging the boarder towns.

For more info safety in Puerto Vallarta ... http://puertovallartavideo.com/ummmm...-drug-cartels/

Excellent point above about 'safety' from the point of view of crooked stairs, uneven sidewalks, etc. Taxis around downtown are not expensive, so might want to use them sometimes for getting Grandma around town, to restaurants that are a distance, etc.

They are working on widening and smoothing the sidewalks on Basilio Badillo.

I always carry a flashlight in all of Mexico at night. The Walkways are often not 100%. Also just in case you need a defensive weapon which I never have.

Sure, I agree cabron. All over town, over the years, there have been HUGE improvements to the conditions of the sidewalks & streets, adding handicap accesses, etc. Still you need to watch where you're going though.

I spent Christmas in PV in 2009 and found the temperatures heavenly........but it was snowing at home. It was warm enough during the day to swim, cool enough at night that we wore light jackets.

I'll reiterate what everyone else here has said about safety in PV~use the same common sense you would use in any other city in the world. The biggest danger are the cobblestone streets, uneven sidewalks, and the timeshare sharks as you exit the airport!!

We have decided to "go for it" in light of some exciting news today (posted elsewhere). Have not yet heard we positively got the condo, but have advised for owner to send rental contract. Thanks for everyone's help! We pretty much know what we are doing as we have stayed in this same building a while ago.

Will be interested in hearing about day trips, snorkeling, tours etc. for stuff to keep us occupied for 2 weeks. We have done jungle trip and snorkeling, Bucerias and Destiladares but would always consider returning as we enjoyed those. Hopefully, Mother will still be willing (and able) to jump in using the swing rope at El Eden's tropical swimming hole like she did when she was 67. The kids have a bet on that one. She is 82 now and I say she just might. She is in pretty good shape.

Here's a list of tours
http://vallartainfo.com/tours.html

We've gone to the Botanical Gardens the past two years; it just gets better and better. Lovely grounds, stunning plants, and the hacienda and its restaurant and gift shop are truly gems. You can get there by bus ... well at least two buses, but there are tour buses, as well as taxis that can take you.

(There's also a pretty nice swimming hole on the river - !)

If you're already on the south side of town, you only need one bus to the Botanical Gardens, catch it at the corner of Aguacate and V. Carranza, see map
http://vallartainfo.com/south.html

You're probably right about only one bus, cabron. We've been staying at Punta Negra ... changing buses at Mismaloya on the way to the Gardens. Only one bus back, though.

I bet you could flag down the El Tuito bus (for the Botanical Gardens) at Punta Negra.

We were planning to put down the deposit on the condo this weekend. Here is a dilemma - we are renting from a VRBO listing. The owner claims there is no contract. An email will record our deposit (50%) and the remaining 50% will be due Dec. 1. I would like to get trip cancellation insurance (TraveGuard?), does this sound kosher? Should I insist on a contract? I am a little nervous about ensuring we have not thrown our money away - suggestions?

Are there many reviews for the condo? Does the listing show how long its been on VRBO? We've rented through VRBO and HomeAway and have paid deposits in advance without problems.

I know what you mean about feeling a little uneasy about it, though. The time we were renting a place in Paris was the time I felt the most trepidation ... and as it turned out most unexpectedly the owner of the apartment actually lived within a half hour of my home in California, and we drove over to meet him to make the deposit. Serendipity!