Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, is an amazing city, as it blends so many walks of life into one community, ranging from the poverty of Mexico to the movie stars of Hollywood. Sitting in a sidewalk cafe or on any of the local beaches, you can watch the world go by and see all the walks of life in an hour!! The Mexican people are so friendly and helpful. A little Spanish always helps, but most natives speak enough English to help you get by.

Restaurants abound both in quality and price, and price does not
guarantee quality!! We have many restaurants we visit regularly
where we can have a complete meal for two for less than $25,
including drinks and tip. Some of the 'hole in the wall' restaurants
are our favorites. On the other hand, there are many restaurants
where prices are competitive with those here at home, and the
quality is excellent.

some of the more entertaining purchasing. Most of their wares are available from the city vendors, but sitting at the beach, watching the people and the vendors makes for a fun afternoon. If you don't wish to be bothered by the vendors, simply say 'no gracias'. They will get the idea and soon not bother you.

There are many small, fine stores in downtown PV which offer an assortment of wonderful clothing and arts and craft items. Glassware and artwork are predominate. If you're shopping for food items, there are several large super markets. Be prepared to rub shoulders with the Mexicans. The range of fruits and vegetables is amazing. Beer is cheap, as is alcohol. Red wine is inexpensive while good whites are not!!!

There are several excellent enjoyable beaches in Puerto Vallarta. Playa Los Muertos, or the Beach of the Dead, is located in Old Town, and has lots of activity. Mismaloya has a terrific sandy beach, lots of beach restaurants and the water is clean and warm. Take a ponga (small boat) to Las Animas to a secluded sandy beach with a few restaurants, plenty of sun and some quiet time. Go North to Punta Mita, about a two hour bus ride or 1 hour cab ride and there are some fantastic white sandy beaches. Here you can rent a ponga and go whale watching (Cathy took this picture!!). Two hours of whale watching will be adequate and costs about $10 to $20 per person, depending on the number of people you go with. A ponga can comfortably hold 6 or 7 people.

Other activities include golf, for which there are several courses available. The Marina Golf Course is the closest, and more expensive than the 'municipal' course in the State Of Nayarit, about an hour taxi ride. Four other new golf courses have opened in the past two years in the Puerto Vallarta area. Deep sea fishing boats, horseback riding, scuba trips, para-sailing, snorkeling and back country trips are all available. Cruises in the bay abound and are generally pricey and provide you with lots of booze, sun and views of the bay. Be picky when looking for a day cruise as there are so many available. Generally we find that we can do with a ponga anything you can do with a cruise for a lot less money and have more control where we go. If you like to party, take a cruise!!