Should we rent a car in PV??
 

We are going to PV on Saturday, yippee!! We will be going to restaurants off the beaten path taking taxis and maybe busses.<BR>Is it wise to rent a car there? Freedom to come and go as we please. Go to nice beaches out of the main area? <BR>thanks for all your help so far.

What part of town are you staying in?<BR><BR>If you are in El Centro (downtown) or the southside of the river you can definitely get around only with local bus and taxis. Even for beaches out of the main area.<BR><BR>But if you are staying a ways outside town, or want to take a day trip stopping in various smaller towns along the coast (for example), sure, you could rent a car for a few days.

thanks Suze, staying at the Velas Vallarta in the marina area. I hear the good snorkling beaches are away from town. Thanks again.

I took the bus everywhere. Easy to town from the marina, but sometimes you have to transfer in the old section of town. It's cheap though and the buses run constantly. Personal choice, but I wouldn't bother.

We toured the Velas at the Marina 2 weeks ago and have decided to stay there next year. We ate breakfast at their beach front restaurant, it was great! I think you will enjoy the hotel. The beach in front of the hotel was very nice, we thought. Pool area was wonderful. I would not rent a car in PV. Cabs are plentiful and cheap. If you want to take a day trip, you could take a &quot;tour&quot; boat or bus or just rent a car for one or two days instead. You can take the bus to Bucerius (sp?) for the day if you want to experience a beautiful beach (we haven't done this yet, but plan eventually based on many recommendatations to do so!) We finally tried the Red Cabbage for dinner this year, it is my new favorite! Off the beaten path in a residential neighborhood, VERY unusual food (Mexican food), excellent! Open for dinner only, and you should get a reservation it is very small.

Thanks loangalsal. The cabs are cheap? I know the busses are cheap. We figured with all the cabs we might take, it would add up to the cost of a rental car. Will try the red Cabbage! Your post has been very helpful, thanks again.

You can get a cab from the Marina to downtown for $4 US or so, maybe as much as $6 if you go south of the &quot;river&quot;. The bus is like 50 cents or something. So even if you go into town every night, it is usually less than $10 per day by cab. We usually spent the day at the pool and beach with evenings spent in town. Next year we are going to try another little place called Milagros since we heard it is also very good, a small place with Mexican cuisine. We always try at least one or two different restaurants every year, and always go back to old favorites. Overall best (in my opinion!) is Daquiri Dicks (awesome at sunset!), but TONS of great places to eat in PV, so I have many favorites. Also,Sunday night on the Malecon is a MUST with lots of musicians, artists, mimes, etc. We go to PV every year, if you have other specific questions just say so... p.s. The reason I wouldn't rent a car in PV because to try to drive downtown is too crazy. The cab and bus drivers have their own special brand of terror they pass out freely with every ride! Plus there is virtually no parking available downtown.

YES! Thanks for the post about the Red Cabbage... I LOVE that place and always recommend it but it is enough off the beaten path that lots of folks never try it. If you don't like the unusual on the menu they do a fine garlic fresh fish &amp; try the spinach 'salad'.<BR><BR>It is in the Remance district, inland southside - if cab driver doesn't know of it, ask for Los Arbolitos (restaurant which they will know) and then turn right at that corner and go 2 more blocks. Red Cabbage is on the right.