Puerto Vallarta, the sleepy little Mexican fishing village that's no longer sleepy or little, is located at the same latitude as Maui, Hawaii. Being at that latitude, Vallarta experiences the same perfect daily temperatures as Maui from November through May averaging about 73°F. However Vallarta is much more hospitable for vacationing or retirement during those months because it experiences an average monthly rainfall of less than 0.4 inches, whereas Maui receives anywhere from 1.7 to 2.6 inches of rain per month depending upon your location on the island.

Additionally, Vallarta is located a short two to four hours from most US cities while Maui is six to ten hours from most mainland US cities.

Now that we know that Vallarta is conveniently located south of the border, we ask; what does this Paradise in the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains on the Pacific Ocean have to do with the Fountain of Youth?

Well, it just so happens that thousands of North Americans that visit Vallarta every year arrive looking pale, wrinkled, obese, and or with dental problems and return home a week or two later looking tan, younger, thinner, and /or with clean white and straight teeth!

One might attribute these miraculous conversions during such short vacations to either visiting the Fountain of Youth or, if that explanation doesn't pass muster, to undergoing various modern medical procedures!

Puerto Vallarta is home to three large new fully equipped modern hospitals with a fourth currently under construction as well as numerous high tech dental clinics and the modern Ameri-Med Clinic. Puerto Vallarta is also proud to be the home of some very competent, highly qualified and experienced gastroenterologists, bariatric surgeons, internists, cosmetic and reconstructive surgeons, dental surgeons, etc., many of which have received partial training in the US and virtually all are fluent in English.

It's common knowledge that for many years, North Americans have headed south of the border for various cosmetic procedures. Not only are they able to have the procedures done and fully recuperate in anonymity but they do so at a fraction of the cost of having them done in the States. Today, there are many excellent plastic surgeons in Vallarta performing liposculptures, face lifts, eyelid surgeries, nose surgeries, breast augmentations, tummy tucks, and approximately 40 other cosmetic and reconstructive procedures on a daily basis.

There are also many fine dentists in Vallarta where fillings, root canals, bonding and bleaching are commonplace. There are also a number of highly trained excellent dental surgeons that specialize in caps, crowns, bridges, dentures, and implants, all at a fraction of the cost of the same in the States. Of course, the simple procedures are practiced in the many local dentists' offices whereas the more complex procedures are done in the more sophisticated clinics and hospitals where they have all of the latest in modern equipment and facilities.

The bottom line is: today's medical and dental care in Puerto Vallarta is virtually world class and prices are a fraction of those in the US. If elective, non-insured medical procedures are in your plans, you should seriously consider the modern facilities and excellent doctors and dentists in PV.

There is not a better place on the planet for recuperating after surgery than in Vallarta during the beautiful winter months of November through May. Upon returning home, your friends will be duly impressed when they see you proudly "strut your stuff," as you inform them that you rediscovered the Fountain of Youth while vacationing in Paradise!