jetsetj

I have been in rental car with friends driving in 2000. I have never driven myself and would like more recent info on safety and recommendations.

We would be driving in Bucerias/Sayulita/Guayabitos area.
Also to Chicos Paradise, but not in downtown PV..

jetsetj

anyone???
there only post I can find on this is from 2007.

thanks all

suze

Go to the Puerto Vallarta forum at www.tripadvisor.com

And www.allvallarta.com and www.vallarta-info.com

Those are the 3 best websights for PV info.

There's just not that many PV fans who post here on Fodor's, just a handful of people.

cabron

If you're going to Chico's Paradise, you can't avoid driving through PV.
If you've never driven yourself, you've got problems
Apart from PV the area you mention is mostly a winding, 2 lane, mountain road.

Stewbear

If you use common sense, stay alert you should be fine. My now wife then GF drove us around on her very first trip to PV after I injured my shoulder diving. Just make sure you have full insurance coverage.

jetsetj

thanks everyone... i am a brave gal... I think I can do it...

jetsetj

help suze and others HELP !!!
I dont look a gift horse in the mouth, especially when I gave birth to it, but as a gift my daughter has booked us in the
Mayan Palace Nuevo Vallarta #1294 for one week in April.

on tripadvisor it says that it is a construction zone and that it is far from town. I want to make the best of this...

how much for taxi to centro and zona romantica?

am I freaking out for nothing?

suze

I don't know the exact location or about a construction zone but *YES* "Nuevo Vallarta" is ~30 to 40 mins drive to the north of downtown Puerto Vallarta, out the main highway. It's actually in a different state and time zone!! (state of Nayarit, PV is in state of Jalisco).

I don't know about "freaking out", but IFf you were planning to spend much time actually in downtown PV, well you're a LONG way out for that to be practical.

Look on the bright side, you'll be closer to Sayulita and points north which you've been mentioning wanting to see. You're quite a LONG trip from place to the south of PV like Chicos Paradise, and might want to focus your attention on places north instead for this trip. kindly, suze

suze

Bucerias is a small town out that way, that will be closer for you to get to than all the way back into Vallarta proper.

jetsetj

thank you suze for your wisdom. you are an asset to this forum. we plan to take a atv tour that includes Chicos..

we will make do and enjoy the heck out of what we can do...

suze

No problem & happy to help. Wish I could do more.

I feel like I do know quite a bit from my times in Puerto Vallarta, unfortunately it just doesn't hardly overlap the things you're going to do, places you're going to stay, etc.

Anyone who wants budget hotels downtown or cheap eats... now THAT I can assist with!

jetsetj

It turns out that PV has 4 Mayan resorts.
Ours is
Paseo de la Marina Sur
Número 220, Fraccionamiento Marina Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco 48354

it is in the marina which looks to be a bit closer to town that the ones in Nuevo Vallarta.

suze, where would you recommend for us to eat in downtown PV?
somewhere authentic and nothing too fancy..
thanks

also this one is not under constrution as far as I know.
it is # 1294 RCI...

cabron

They are constructing an overpass at the second entrance (from PV) and traffic is backed up seriously, don't expect to make it to Downtown PV or the South Side in under 1 hour, probably more. See map: http://vallartainfo.com/nuevo.html
So avoid that intersection and drive through Nuevo Vallarta to the first exit.

jetsetj

wow, thanks for that info cabron...
i do look forward to taking the local bus and will make sure i use the bathroom before we head out to downtown PV

cabron

So many great restaurants, it's difficult, literally hundreds, it would help if you told us what style of food you like. When you say 'authentic' I presume you mean Mexican.
Be aware that many restaurants here serve TexMex, - Pipi's, Nacho Daddy, Fajita Republic even Cafe de Olla is mostly TexMex.
Real Mexican food can be found at the Taco Stands and the really economical places - Cenaduras.
Try El Arrayan, La Ronda and the Red Cabbage, for more upscale Mexican (well La Ronda is more down to earth)

suze

Oh, the one in the Marina... that's an entirely different place than the one way out in Nuevo. That's much better for getting into downtown (by taxi or bus).

suze

On B. Badillo (street name south-side) I like: Fredy's El Tucan for breakfast on the patio (that's my usual hotel Posada de Roger), and Joe Jacks Fish Shack, Fajita Republic, or Cafe de Olla for dinner.

I loved the Red Cabbage (it's a bit out of the way but worth finding). Completely unique.

Any of the open air restaurants along Los Muertos (beach south-side) are a wonderful setting and view. There's fancy to casual, just walk and see what appeals to you.

Cafe Roma, overlooking Rio Cuale, for cold beer & pizza, a great spot for a sit-down if you're shopping downtown.

The River Cafe for upscale, also overlooking the river.

El Nido, the rooftop bar at Los Cuatro Vientos hotel/Chez Elena at sunset for drinks and the view, up 'behind' the church.

Mariscos Polo for excellent seafood, casual fun setting, inland on Madero.

All my suggestions are downtown-ish, since you're staying at the Marina, you should also look up recommendations for restaurants IN the Marina, as I doubt you'll want to go all the way into town every meal.

For "authentic" Cabron already covered that above. It's not really any that I have mentioned. That's more the sidewalk taco stands & the tiny 'ma & pa' places that dot the sidestreets and residential areas.

Again I'll suggest if you'd go to the PV forum at Trip Advisor, or the other two websites I gave you, there's loads & loads of posts giving exact details about these places and much more.

jetsetj

this is exactly the kind of info i was looking for.
alot of different choices and different settings.
we will try some street food and a few sitdown meals.

where for romantic sunset drinks?

suze

Any of the beach bars at Los Muertos or the rooftop at Los Cuatro Vientos.

jetsetj

what about tours? we are thinking of Rhythms of the Night
and http://www.puertovallartatours.net/b...s-atv-tour.htm

have you taken either of these Suze?