| | |  Travel & Outdoors | December 2009 
Puerto Vallarta: An Easy Escape
 Karla Erovick - Examiner.com
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December 26, 2009
| | Nicole Martin teams up with PromoVision to bring us the sights and sounds of Puerto Vallarta in this new promotional video. (PromoVision) | |
Puerto Vallarta is one of the friendliest and easiest places to travel in Mexico. In fact, entering the city from Nayarit the welcoming sign proclaims it to be La Ciudad Mas Amigable en el Mundo (The Friendliest City in the World). Since the 1950s American’s have been swarming to the exotic beaches and scenery. This is a city that was built to attract Americans with safe drinkable water, familiar food and brands and English widely spoken. To find unspoiled and unpopulated beaches, you have only to drive north up the coast.
Puerto Vallarta was popularized by the film, the Night of the Iguana, which starred Richard Burton. He and Elizabeth Taylor are rumored to have carried on a very torrid affair in Puerto Vallarta and both owned homes there. An art gallery on the river bears her name. One of their love-nests was purported to be a trailer on a remote beach a short drive from the movie set.
Whether you seek a beachside resort and spa or a hotel in the center of town, you can find it here. This is one of the few Mexican towns that you can get along without speaking Spanish, although knowing a few words is always appreciated.
Seaside dining abounds with fresh fish and shellfish easy to obtain. And one of the best kept secrets is the gourmet dining at all price ranges, but you have to know where to go. To get in on the secret, you must get a copy of Gary Beck’s Guide to Puerto Vallarta Dining. He reviews over 300 restaurants including the colorful “street food” vendors and he has a gourmet’s palate. His dining advice will ensure that you get the experience that you are seeking in restaurants. Gary has been a Puerto Vallarta regular for 30 years, and takes dining very seriously.
Old Town is charming and perfect for strolling and shopping. Handmade ceramics and glassware are some of the local treasures to be found. The Isla Rio Cuale Walk is a wonderful place to stroll and admire the beautiful scenery with lively restaurants and cantinas and vendors selling every type of craft you would possibly want.
At sunset stroll along the beautiful Malecon which hugs the beach-front. Lined with statues, it is a colorful part of town featuring newer resorts, bars, restaurants and shopping. Nearby the art scene offers a monthly Art Stroll the first Saturday with participating galleries open late and offering refreshments.
You can find accommodations for all price ranges too. The older beach resorts in the Romantic Zone of Old Puerto Vallarta are quite charming and more affordable than the newer resorts. Consider the Los Arcos with a beach front property and two smaller boutique hotels a block from the beach with privileges at their beach club and pools. The charming boutique hotel, Casa Dona Susana has 40 rooms in a colonial architectural building with local furniture and crafts. The best part is the roof-top pool with views of town and the ocean. And it is supposed to be “adults only”.
Sun-worshippers will enjoy alternating between lounge-chairs ocean-side at Los Arcos hotel and the roof-top pool of the Casa Dona Susana. While getting a suntan, avail yourself of wares from strolling beach vendors, who often have beautiful handicrafts, silver jewelry and food inexpensively. This will be a vacation not soon forgotten. |
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