Puerto Vallarta in one day… wow, that’s hard! I’ve set up an itinerary that covers a lot of ground but has a taste of the variety PV has to offer. From the Marina to the jungle, get ready for a full day of great food and adventure.
Starting in the Marina, go for breakfast at Mr. Cream. The menu has something for everyone; I like the chilaquiles in red sauce, and my kids love the pancakes with a miniature chocolate kiss in the middle.
After breakfast, take a nice stroll to the left along the Marina, enjoying the view of the yachts and boats docked in the bay. Make your way over to Plaza Neptuno and you can catch a cab or take a blue and white bus to centro (downtown).
Start your walk on the Malecon at the north end at a statue called “The Millenium” by Mathis Lídice. From here, you can follow the PV Pulse sculpture tour. Take your time and enjoy all the sights and sounds of the bustling downtown area. There are lots of shops across the street, and some impressive sand sculptures along the beach.
You can check out the town square and tour the heart of PV, the Church of Guadalupe, and then continue the tour on the new Malecon across the bridge into the Zona Romantica. Follow the boardwalk until you reach the Los Muertos Beach pier, where local fishermen catch fish in the mornings. This is a great place to take photos of Los Muertos Beach.
Next, take a break at the beach restaurant Cuates y Cuetes, where you can sit on the beach under a palapa or inside the restaurant. Kick back and enjoy the people watching, and if you’re interested in bartering with the local beach vendors, this is a good place.
After a nice break, head one more block down the beach to a walkway just past Hotel San Marino. Take a left up the walkway to get onto Rodolfo Gomez Street. Stop in at Xocodiva (Rodolfo Gomez 118) for some locally-made treats. The art of chocolate is well-defined here. Try some 70% pure cocoa chocolates… yummmmm! They make a variety of truffles, molded chocolates, and hand-dipped sweets.
For a bit of shopping, walk up the street and take a left on Olas Altas. This street is full of bars, restaurants, and cafes. Walk three blocks and take a right on Basilio Badillo. This part of town is my favorite for shopping. There are lots of small galleries and stores that carry more unique and unusual Mexican work, such as Lucy's Cucu Cabana. Galleria Dante is the largest art gallery in PV. For jewelry, there are some of the best shops in town all on this same street – Cassandra Shaw Jewelry, Cielito Lindo, and A Touch of Gold.
Next, take a left at Constitucion Street, where you’ll find the Puerco Azul Gallery as well as the Banderas Bay Trading Company Annex. Walk all the way to the end of Constitucion (about 4 blocks). Just past the local grocery store Rizo’s, there is a swinging bridge. Carefully cross to get to the market on the Rio Cuale Island, where you can really test out your bartering skills! Keep going to the right, and there will be vendors on both sides selling everything you can imagine. After you reach the end of the market, cross the street and keep walking to the Rio Cuale Cultural Center.
Next stop: lunch in the jungle! Take a cab south about 15 or 20 minutes to a little pueblito called El Nogalito. Here, there is an eco-restaurant tucked back in the jungle, also called El Nogalito. This is a great beautiful natural area with wonderful gardens made for walking around and exploring. You can get a feel for the beauty of the jungle and have a very nice Mexican meal at the same time. It’s a bit pricy, but it’s worth the cost to be in the jungle. You can sit at a table under the lush canopy, sip a margarita, and enjoy the local flavors of lobster or steak fajitas. Also, there are a number of tropical birds that live all around, so if you’re a birder, pack some binoculars. After you’ve eaten, you can take a short hike in the river to search for large iguanas or local orchids in the trees. If you have lots of time, you can also hike up the river to a beautiful waterfall.
After El Nogalito, I recommend you head back to your hotel or condo for some time by the pool or a good nap.
As evening arrives, Puerto Vallarta comes alive in a whole new way. The Malecon fills with vendors selling tasty grilled corn and lots of other goodies.
Although Vallarta is full of some really amazing restaurants, if you’re only here for one dinner I’d recommend sticking with Mexican food and having dinner at Si Señor. I love this restaurant for its small, cozy atmosphere. You can have a table in the garden, on the balcony overlooking the streets behind the Malecon, or inside surrounded by the bright cheerful colors of the walls and paintings. I love the cochinita pibil, a dish with pork that’s been marinated in a mix of bitter oranges, limes, and sweet oranges. The high acidity of the marinade tenderizes the meat to a falling-apart tenderness, and the use of achiote gives the dish a beautiful color and flavor. Traditionally, the Mayans cooked this very slowly, wrapped in a banana leaf and placed in a hole with a fire on top of it. The word pibil means “buried” in the Mayan language.
After dinner, you can walk down the hill to the Malecon to see the nightly fireworks, and then head over to de Santos for a nightcap in the skybar.
I hope you enjoyed your day. I love Puerto Vallarta and all it has to offer. There’s something for everyone here.
