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 Travel & Outdoors | September 2007 
Puerto Vallarta: One of Mexico's Crown Jewels
 George Fuller - CBSSports.com
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| From the northern shores of Nayarit to the southern shores of Jalisco, the Banderas Bay area has become a prime retirement and vacation destination, and BanderasNews' videographer, Ray Dion, has caught most of it on film. Take a look at his "Mita to Mismaloya" video tour for a taste of the charm and true Mexican spirit you'll find in Puerto Vallarta Mexico.
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Puerto Vallarta, on the Pacific Ocean directly west of Guadalajara, Mexico, does not have the glitzy swagger of Acapulco, the youthful exuberance of Cancun, nor the collection of elite resorts, residential communities and high-profile golf courses that one finds in Cabo San Lucas. What it does have is an authenticity and charm that is singular among Mexican resort towns. And that makes it one of Mexico’s most enjoyable destinations.
Situated on massive Banderas Bay - the second largest bay in the world - the greater Puerto Vallarta area stretches from Punta Mita on the northern end of the bay to Boca de Tomatlan on the south, where the highway turns inland along the Horcones River and heads for Barra de Navidad, Tamarindo and Manzanillo. In between the two ends of the bay is a zone of sun, sand and protected water to which Mexican nationals, American and international tourists and migrating whales flock each year.
Americans first "discovered" Puerto Vallarta as Mexico’s version of a tropical paradise in 1964 when "Night of the Iguana" was released starring Richard Burton and Ava Gardner. Much of the now-classic film was shot on pristine Mismaloya Beach, a jungle-fringed stretch of sand back-dropped by towering green mountains. Just 25 minutes south of downtown Puerto Vallarta, this once-secluded bay provides some of the region’s best swimming and snorkeling waters, up-close whale watching in winter months, and some bona fide thatched-roof restaurants on the beach.
Much development has taken place since those days, both at Mismaloya and throughout the region. Though old town Puerto Vallarta still provides the charming focal point for your visit, newer developments have sprung up just north of town, including Marina Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta and Punta Mita, where modern hotels, condominium developments and seven golf courses are found, with an eighth course slated to debut early in 2008.
The original 18 holes of Jack Nicklaus-designed golf at Punta Mita (26 miles north of PV) opened in 1999 along with the adjacent Four Seasons Resort. The course brought worldwide attention to the region as a golf destination primarily because of the exhilarating par-3 third hole - called Tail of the Whale - which famously plays from a tee box on the beach to a putting green 194 yards across the water on an island in the Pacific Ocean to which golfers drive in a specially-designed amphibious cart. Equally exciting and picturesque, though, are the oceanfront 17th and 18th holes. A second Nicklaus course is scheduled to open at Punta Mita in the first quarter of 2008, and a third course (Greg Norman’s name has been discussed as the designer) is reserved for a future date.
The Punta Mita courses are open to guests of the Four Seasons Resort, homeowners at the burgeoning 1,500-acre Punta Mita community, and will also be available to guests of the 120-room St. Regis Resort & Residences that is also slated to open in early 2008.
Meantime, Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita offers 145 casitas and suites, an infinity-edged pool overlooking the ocean, the Apuane Spa and an unbeatable waterfront location. Several excellent restaurants will satisfy the palate, but not to be missed is the chef’s catch of the day, where guests head to the beach to select from amongst just-caught fish that will be expertly prepared and on their plates that night at dinner.
If you’re one to splurge big time on your golf vacations, book into the Four Seasons’ Coral Suite, billed as "a private hotel within an exclusive resort." A spectacular beachfront setting and 9,150 square feet of interior living space is complemented by amenities that include an on-call, 24-hour personal host, a private spa and fully-equipped fitness center, your own infinity-edge pool, a high-tech media room and just about everything else one could possible want. A private drive-up entrance ensures complete seclusion. At $15,000/night, the Coral Suite is the ultimate getaway for the celebrity in us all.
No matter where you are staying, Vista Vallarta Club de Golf welcomes your play. Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf both contributed signature designs to Vista Vallarta, and it’s a toss-up which is better. The Weiskopf design twists through dense jungle and across deep ravines. The Nicklaus layout, by contrast, plays at higher elevation and is blessed with spectacular views out to the Pacific. Seventeen holes here seem like they’re playing uphill and/or into the wind, so when you reach the downhill, downwind No. 18, you breathe a big sigh of relief.
Definitely reserve a day for sightseeing and experiencing old town Puerto Vallarta. Highlights include the historic Cathedral of our Lady of Guadalupe, the ornate center of Catholic life in Puerto Vallarta, with its intricate stained glass windows that allow light to stream from the heavens, high-arched ceilings, decorative moldings and delicately hand-carved columns.
For lunch, try La Bodeguita del Medio. This authentic Cuban restaurant/bar mimics one of Ernest Hemmingway’s favorite haunts in Havana circa 1942. Located on the malecon (oceanfront walkway) in old Vallarta, patrons sit in the second-floor window seats overlooking Banderas Bay while enjoying mojitos and Cuban cigars available from the bodega downstairs. Cuban culinary treats cooked here include: fried sweet bananas; yellow rice cooked in beer; and fresh pescado (fish) with mojito (lime and mint) glazing.
For a relaxing end to the day, head to La Palapa. "Let's grab a margarita on the beach," means exactly that at this longtime favorite hang of visitors to PV. Situated next to the fishing pier in the old part of town, La Palapa puts tables right on the sand, providing a delightful perch from which to enjoy another colorful Puerto Vallarta sunset.
Ray Dion is the owner of Promovision de Vallarta, a local video production company, and brings over 20 years of experience in video technology and production to BanderasNews. Click HERE for more info. |
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