Post
by pvgemini » Fri Mar 11, 2011 9:20 pm
I am now in my 40's but have been vacationing in PV since I was 18.
You will probably meet people at your hotel and can just tag along to nightclubs/bars. I second the advice to check out Andale's and Roxy's. The party gets started pretty late -- like after 11 pm. Before that time, you can walk along the malecon and check out all the big fancy discos. It is easy to see inside from across the street by the bay. Many of these places are too loud for any quality conversations, but they can be really fun just the same! You will figure out pretty quickly which sort of place you like.
You can also meet people during "happy hour" at many of the restaurants/bars along Playa de Los Muertos. Happy hours are in the vicinity of 4-7 pm (many are 4-6 pm) and you get "2x1" meaning 2 drinks for the price of one.
There are places to taste tequila all over town (for free), so you might want to take advantage of that before you decide which kind to buy.
I second the advice to go to the PV Cigar Factory. They make their own cigars right there, and you can watch. It's pretty interesting. We have bought some of the smaller cigars there, and they are a good value. Cuban cigars are priced similar to the prices in Canada (I have bought Cohibas in both places). Beware there are some fake knock-offs out there, and don't buy cigars that have not been properly stored. La Bodeguita del Medio on the Malecon is a Cuban restaurant that sells good cigars. I also love the live salsa music there. This place attracts all ages.
For parasailing, 500 pesos seems like alot to me. I don't think I have ever paid more than $30 US. You can negociate with the guys who run the operation at Playa de los Muertos. The banana boat is fun also, and runs about $8 US per person.
I agree with shopping at the market by the river, and don't be shy about negociating a price (they always start high), but I find that I can get the best prices from the beach vendors. Spend a day sitting under a palapa at Playa de los Muertos, and the vendors will come to you (whether you like it or not).
I have never been to PV solo, but if I did, I would just wander around everywhere, at all times of the day and night (well, not past 2 am), and talk to the locals. They are very warm and helpful. It is pretty common to get invited by a local to go and do something, i.e. we were telling a waiter that we wanted to learn salsa dancing, and he said, "we are going tomorrow night. do you want to come with us?" and another time we got a huge discount on a zipline tour from a Mexican connection. We have been invited to a Mexican wedding and bday parties. We have been boated to Las Animas Beach and fed a homemade Mexican meal. We have been driven to Sayulita and had lunch with a local. We have been invited to learn how to make ceviche in a local home, and it was good!! I never turn down an offer as long as it seems safe.
Be sure to bring some comfortable walking sandals/shoes.
Have a blast!! I'm jealous. You can have a great time without spending alot of money. On that note, you can buy a huge drink to enjoy while you are walking along the Malecon, but you can't bring it into the discos. There is a place called "Tarzan" about 1-2 blocks north of the Malecon, that sells huge drinks (like one liter Mai Tais, etc), for cheap -- like $7 US. Tarzan is like a "to go" bar. I know this sounds weird, but alot of the young people do it to avoid the high prices in the fancy discos. You can just order bottles of water when you are in there dancing.
Sally
