MMCC4137

Hi - My husband and I have the opportunity to take a week off without and want to go somewhere where its easy to get to from San Fran. We went on a cruise down to Puerto Vallarta a few years ago and only ported for the day but it was very nice. I also really enjoyed time I spent in San Miguel Allende but because we only have a short time, we wanted to go some where with a direct flight, great food (we are foodies) great local culture/activities, beach time (and that's the order of priorities . We want to stay close to the coast because we have a small son and in case we need to get back - we can quickly. Any advice greatly appreciated!

AustinTraveler

You should check out Sayulita just north of Puerto Vallarta.

suze

Puerto Vallarta. Love it! And completely easy to get to fron San Francisco. I prefer to stay right in town (especially since you mention great food and local culture and activities, beach time - that's EXactly what PV's all about).

Sayulita is too isolated and rustic imo for what you describe.

Cabo San Lucas/San Jose del Cabo would be another option, with even shorter flight time. Smaller town, less 'culture', but some great resorts, restaurants and activities.

MMCC4137

Thank you for the suggestions! I think we are leaning towards culture and PV. Are there any things you would recommend we do in PV?

suze

Sure I can talk your ear off about great things to do in Puerto Vallarta, just depends the kinds of things your interested in.

On your own you can easily... tour the downtown area on foot (get a good street map), stop into the church (the famous one with the crown on the top), shopping, art galleries, stroll the Malecon (seawall promonade) in the evenings, ride the local busses around to smaller outlying residential areas, towns, beaches.

Formal/organized activities availabile include... zipline, canopy tour, sunset cruises, day trip to Yelapa, snorkeling, fishing, mountain biking, horse riding, ATV (i hate to mention that one), tour of homes, day tours north, south and inland.

You can hire your own taxi driver for a half or full day and make your own tour.

Then all the usual beach town stuff like relaxing at the beach (i recommend Playa Los Muertos for a busy one right in town with lots of bars, restaurants, and activities), your own hotel or condo pool, and meals. There are literally hundreds of great places to eat in PV from sidewalk taco stands, to high-end gourmet, and everything in between.

lady_di

I've read that some of the ATV tours are unpopular with the locals, and I'm wondering if there are any that are "less invasive" than others? We are planning a trip in July and that is the excursion that my family has (tentatively) picked. We were in PV on a cruise stop last year, did the Los Veranos zip lines, and had a blast, so they're looking at something a little different from that.

suze

I'm sorry I don't have a recommendation but you are correct some of the ATV tours are *really bad*. I've witnessed them as they go roaring down the tiny back street of a quiet residential local neighborhood. Completely obnoxious.

MMCC4137

Okay - I think we are committed. Do you have recommendations for places to stay? We were thinking all inclusive but we want to eat out on our own so any recommendations would be great.

Thanks!

suze

Having no idea your price range, it's kind of hard to recommend, but I'll give it a shot...

There aren't all that many all-inclusives that are close to the heart of downtown Vallarta. I'm assuming you want to be walking distance or a close bus/taxi ride?

For AI's in or close to town you can look at: Dreams, Hotel Playa Los Arcos, Buenaventura, or Villa Premiere.

If you decide you don't need AI, I'll suggest The Tropicana, Casa Andrea, Hotel Eloisa, Hotel Rosita, El Pescador, Villa Premiere. Or Sheraton, Casa Magna Marriott, Westin (these last 3 are in the resorts hotel zone or Marina so further from downtown).

There's also always the option of renting a condo on Los Muertos beach.

There are also many places in the Hotel Zone or out in Nuevo Vallarta (the newly developed mega resort area to the north of PV), but I'm not very familiar with them.

The PV forum at Trip Advisor is excellent source for information. As is: www.allvallarta.com or www.vallartainfo.com

MMCC4137

Thanks Suze - I just realized we are going in the rainy and hot season. What do you think about travel to PV in end of June?

And we don't need AI - probably prefer not to have it but walking or short taxi to DT sounds good;. Is the Hotel Zone or Nuevo Vallarta also short taxi rides?

suze

Hotel Zone is a short ride to town (5-10 mins). The Marina a bit further but still doable (15-20 mins). But Nuevo Vallarta is approx. 30-40 mins. out to the north of the city, north from the airport. It's actually in a different state and time zone (Nayarit, not Jalisco)! There are beautiful mega-resorts out that way, but I'd only recommend them if staying on the resort property was going to be the focus of your vacation.

I was in Vallarta in first or second weeks of June in 2006, 2007, & 2008. Yes it's hot and humid but I still enjoyed myself. Just depends your tolerance level. You'd defintely want air-con in your hotel room. It's seems more "Mexican" in feel than in wintertime, which is the high tourist season. You might encounter some rain, but the wettest months statistically aren't until August & September.

Personally I think any time is a good time to travel to PV, but that's because I love it there.

cabron

Unique ATV Tours is an American run company and the only one respecting the speed and number of machines restrictions, that were agreed to with the residents of those small ejidos, where the tours go. They also pay the 5 peso per machine to the ejidos. Unfortunately the Mexican run companies are doing nothing of the sort and I would encourage you to avoid them. You can reach Unique at http://www.uniqueatvtours.com/

Darijojo

Have you ever gone to Cabo San Lucas, it is my favorite place, that is close to Los Angeles. I actually run a website that offers daily deals to Mexico. We currently have an offer for a very affordable hotel in Cabo. Check it our site www.mexideals.com not that you have to purchase from there, but Cabo is growing tremendously and in my opinion is a quick affordable getaway. Good Luck.
Graeme

suze

I like Cabo too but it is more rustic & does not offer the "local culture" they seek imo, in the way that Puerto Vallarta does.

JPJH

PV is the place. Go to the VRBO web site and find a private condo to rent in town close to all the action and best places to eat all in walking distance. That's the thing to do!!

kfusto

Casa Velas Vallarta is where I would stay. All adult, not too large, gets excellent reviews and the food at the sister resort was outstanding and you would have access to that property as well.

suze

Renting a condo or Velas Vallarta are both good ideas for PV. Or maybe a boutique place like Casa Isabel?

suze

You can guarantee no rain in June on the Caribbean side of Mexico? Really???

MMCC4137

HI All
Thanks for the great suggestions! I think I'm committed now to PV. While I'm usually up for VBRO - we just had a kid and thisis our post baby moon and we'd like room service and beach access, etc. I'm not sure if any of the condos out there have beachfront + someone to take drink orders, etc. Maybe they do. Re: accomodations - we were looking at Ville Premier, Dreams. We'd like to spend 600-800 with airfare from San Fran. Finally - any recommednations on booking things seperately (hotel and flight) vs. booking together?

suze

I book separately but that's partly because I'm traveling solo and not staying at a resort. The hotels I like aren't part of packaged deals. So sorry I don't have advice for your situation. I do think Dreams or Villa Premiere are both excellent choices.