We were in PV April 10-17, 2010. We stayed at Raintree Regina timeshare in the Marina. This was a gift from daughter.
We flew US air with a stop in Phoenix.( never again. nonstop only for me)

First of all i would like to say that the Regina Raintree was much more than we expected. It was so sparkling clean. At daybreak the staff took to the grounds to pick up every leaf and any garbage. They raked the beach. They polished every surface daily. Absolutely amazing. All the staff were so friendly.

Sara checked us in at the desk. I did bribe her with about $40.00 USD.
We were put into a room that was perfect. We had oceanview. Our balcony with hottub was blooming with hibiscus and buganvilla. We had kitchenette that worked perfectly for us.

One woman, Lorna,pproached us about the timeshare presentation, we declined and no one ever mentioned it again.

The deal with their split from the Westin next door didnt impact us in any way. I walked over there one day. I preferred our beach and amentities. Our beach had palapas and comfy chairs.

With all this said about how enjoyable our stay was, we will stay at Playa Los Arcos next Feb. when we return. It is all about
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.

We spent over $100 in taxis traveling back and forth between the Marina and downtown. We would have to gear up for many hours in town and then once we were back to marina we didnt want to travel back into town. With staying in town we would have been able to walk around an hour or two, then return to hotel for a rest, then abe to go back out later that day.

I want to comment on the 2 tours we took.

First was botanical ATV tours through http://www.uniqueatvtours.com
Santiago was our guide. we went on Tuesday April 13th. It turned out to be the perfect tour for us. Not alot of walking or being in the direct sun for a long period. The ATV's themselves were easy for my husband to manuvere, annd very comfortable for me to sit on the back. It had a padded surround where I could have our backback next to us. We rode on paved and dirt roads. All very safe. We stopped at small family run tequila factory. Everyone loved it. It was educational and they gave generous samples. We bought tshirts as gifts for friends. We only check our luggage so we couldnt bring back a bottle of their tequila.

We then went to botanical gardens. It is small and easy to walk around. The plants are plentiful and lush. Very pleasant.
Next onto Chic's paradise where we watched a guy dive blindfolded. OMG !!

Then back to where we started tour. This was a blast as we got to hold and feed tiny monkeys. I love all animals and this was a fun experience.

The whole tour lasted 4-5 hours. A perfect amount of time for us.
I would recommend this tour to anyone as it is easy to walk everywhere and not too active. I give Unique Tours an A.
We cant wait to go again next time.

The second tour we took was Rhythm of the Nights.
I highly recommend this also. The ride over to the Island was a bit choppy, but all in all it was a romantic night with great entertainment and food, in an idillyc setting. The cruise director, David was a hoot and really gave his all to make sure all of us enjoyed ourselves. The whole crew should be given kudos.

We didnt eat out at any restaurants during this trip. Only a few street stands were we had tacos and freshfruit. We did do alot of shopping at fleamarket and stores in downtown. I am lucky to have DH that loves to go look all around and will wait as I look at many things.

We did have coffee at the Heart Coffee and Deli 2 days in a row. The kid working in there was so friendly. the place ws spotless and he added kaluha to our to-go coffees. Delish !!

As I said earlier, we were in many taxis and talked to many drivers. They complimented me on my willingness to try out my infant spanish All were so friendly and made us feel very welcome. I managed to ask about their jib and family. They enjoyed this.

This was DH first time in PV. On the second day we was already making plans for our return in Frb 2011.
He commented on how he loved the friendliest of the locals, the beauty of the beach/mountains and how casual it all is.

PV delivered way beyond all we could have wished for.
Please feel free to ask any questions.
I will post pics soon.

So glad you had a great time. PV is the perfect first time Mexico spot.

Thanks for the nice trip report. I do LOVE Puerto Vallarta, it's a very special place. The friendly welcoming local people and the gorgeous setting on the Bay for starters. Next time staying on the south-side maybe you will have a chance to try any of the many fabulous restaurants.

You summed up Puerto Vallarta pretty damn well @@

I enjoyed your report and I share your love of PV. I have stayed in northern, southern and in town locations and know what you mean about your preference for an in town location. Walking the malecon in the early morning is wonderful. However, when we stayed out of town we loved taking the buses and hardly used the taxis at all.
I am envious of your return trip!

A few things I forgot to mention...

They searched our bags before letting us onto the Rhythm of the Nights, so dont bring anything you dont want them to see.

At Club Regina they let us print our boarding passes in their business center at no charge and were very nice about it.