3 Best Hotels in El Centro, Puerto Vallarta

Located in downtown Puerto Vallarta just a block from the beach, Hotel Rio offers quaint traditional accommodations as well as some modern rooms. This was the second hotel ever built in Puerto Vallarta, shortly after Hotel Rosita.

What started as a sleepy 12-room hostelry—Puerto Vallarta's very first—is now a busy 115-room downtown hotel. It's still a viable budget option, mainly recommended for its location on the north end of the malecón close to restaurants and shops. Rooms are very basic; expect white-tile floors and fabrics with floral prints. Request a room facing the water, as much for the view as for the natural light; rooms facing the street are dark, making them feel cramped.

The Paramar is a small boutique hotel that makes the most of its outstanding location just steps from Playa Camarones, the only beach in downtown Vallarta. The whole place has a laidback atmosphere, quite different from that of the big resorts. Rooms are large and modern—some include kitchenettes—and the penthouses come with a large terrace and private Jacuzzi.