Puerto Vallarta Forum (PV Bulletin Board)

Hi,
I'm trying to decipher the hoards of information to decide where to stay in PV. I have a few questions and would appreciate any help. Here they are:
- It appears that the beach hotels near downtown have rocky beaches from some of the reviews I've read. Is this true? Are these beaches enjoyable to swim & walk on? The resorts in Nuevo Vallarta get better reviews on the beaches.

- Nuevo Vallarta seems to be quite a ways away from things to do. Is there any nightlife/restaurants/shopping to do in Nuevo Vallarta outside the hotels? Is it a pain to take a cab to town?

Any suggestions on a hotel? We're a group of thirty something couples looking at both All-inclusive and Euro-plan but having a hard time deciding.

Thanks for any help!

Chad

PV's best features are the restaurants, atmosphere, prices and variety of things to do. It's in a bay (Banderas) rather than the shore of the open ocean so the beach and water dynamics are a little different. We walk the beach in the Hotel Zone (from the Harbor to Los Tules) quite often, and seldom see people bathing in the bay. On the other hand, we also spend a lot of time at the Jersey shore, and darn few people, kids mostly, go in the water.

We have so much fun getting out and around we don't get the whole AI scene. But you'll get other opinions, for sure.

How big is your group? When do you plan to go?

Hi oneistwo,
Thanks for the suggestions. We'll be on a short trip Feb. 27 - Mar. 2. There will likely be 4 - 10 in our group. There's still a few undecided people.

For non AI, where do you normally stay? Are there places that will allow us to have our own drinks at the pool area or do we need to order from the bar? Are the bar drinks expensive at the pool bars?

Others' experiences are still sought as well!

Chad

I'll go out on a limb and say drinks, and food, are less than parallel settings at home.

Any place you go will make sure you're well supplied with drinks. Some places have swim-up bars, the rest have waiters patrolling. We do bring our own drinks to the pool when we're ambitious enough to make our own.
There are usually rules against glasses and bottles, soft cups only, which makes sense around a pool. You could always stock up at a liquor store and not have to pay retail for every drink.

It sounds like you're planning five days. You might find (others please chime in) it doesn't cost much more to go a full week. Although we have run into people who stay for short stints and enjoy it.

We stay at Los Tules, and have stayed at the Krystal. Both are great. Neither is AI. Elsewhere on this BB, there are discussions of Fiesta Americana, which is next to Los Tules and has an AI option.

Chicken Dinner...the beaches in the hotel zone are somewhat lacking...downtown a little better for lounging but neither are really swimable...Nuevo is a little better but up towards Bucerias is nicer...PV's attraction is primarily cultural...if your looking for that or a little fun on the town at night you'll be O.K. close to town...for lazing around beach time go north and cab it in a few nights, it's cheap... $20 (dollars) or so...for easy access to old town / downtown and lazing around a pool daytime, with little beach interest, go hotel zone or marina district...hope that helps...sonofdob.

Sounds like both of your experiences are matching up with I've found in my research. I like the fact that we have the option to bring our own drinks to the pool.

We'd like to do a longer vaction but just can't find the time for it now. Once the kids are older it will be easier to get away for longer periods.

Thanks for the help!!!

For Los Tules to the Marine Terminal, the beach is great. We walk it regularly and the swimming is fine. Nuevo has a harder beach that stretches for 5 miles. It gets deeper more slowly so there is more surf action. Be careful of construction in Nuevo because you might end up beside some noise. In the Hotel Zone, the only construction is north of the HI. Once you get north of the Krystal, it gets quiet again.

If you plan to lounge by the pool and knock back margs, AI might be cheaper. We only did AI once and that was in St Martin.

For a group of 30 some year olds you might consider looking into el pescador, rosita ,los arcos ,eloisa . All are close to great food and bars. Yes there are some rocks in places but I always find a nice place to cool ofF in the ocean when I feel the need. All the above have nice pools also and very close places to purchase your own alcohol to make drinks in your room. I have stayed at the el pescador and eloisa( prefer pescador) and really enjoy being close to the malecon and local entertainment.-jeff