Las Glorias Beach, Puerto Vallarta Hotel Zone

The Puerto Vallarta Hotel Zone has four beaches, from north to south they are:

1. Playa de Oro Beach
2. Los Tules Beach
3. Las Glorias Beach
4. Tranquila Beach

Las Glorias Beach is a 3080 ft long (940 meters) stretch of golden sand running from the creek between Los Tules and Las Palmas by the Sea on the northern end to the creek between the abandoned building and Costa Club Punta Arena on the south end.

The resorts, condos, and hotels you’ll find along Playa Las Glorias from north to south are:

• Las Palmas by the Sea
• Sunset Plaza Beach Resort
• Plaza Pelicanos Grand Beach Resort
• Canto del Sol Plaza Vallarta
• Dreams Vallarta Bay Resort & Spa (Now Amber & Secrets Vallarta Bay)

It’s some 11 minutes, approximately 2.4 miles (4km) from the main square in downtown Puerto Vallarta to the northern access path that’s the nicest way to get to the beach.

Las Glorias Beach (Playa Las Glorias) features emerald-green waters and inviting clear sands. The beach is not as wide as Los Tules or Playa de Oro, it’s on average some 30 meters wide, and the sea edge slopes a bit more abruptly most of the way.

Las Palmas by the Sea, Las Glorias Beach, Hotel Zone, Puerto Vallarta

The activities in Las Glorias Beach are very varied thanks to the many hotels and resorts that surround it, options are abundant and include swimming, horseback riding, kayaking, windsurfing, water skiing, jet-skiing, whale watching, parasailing.

It’s also a great place to spend a day with family or friends, the beach at times can be quite crowded, especially if you are close to the northern access point, so take that into account, especially in high season (Dec.-May).

Las Palmas and Sunset Plaza Las Glorias Beach, Hotel Zone, Puerto Vallarta

You’ll also find sightseeing tours on the local pangas (water taxis), maybe a banana boat ride or an exciting parasailing ride in a parachute. Waves are soft and it’s a good place for swimming.

Beach access by Harbor 171 Condominiums, Las Glorias Beach

Las Glorias Beach is located some 40 minutes on foot, 2.2 miles (3.6km) from the main square in downtown Puerto Vallarta. It’s between Los Tules Beach that ends on a creek found between Los Tules and Las Palmas by the Sea and a creek between the abandoned building and Costa Club Punta Arena on the south side where Tranquila Beach starts.

This beach is not as crowded as you would expect because it’s a bit hidden away behind all the hotels and resorts along Francisco Medina Ascencio boulevard, so only the local inhabitants really know about it and the tourist staying in the hotels and resorts that are located by this beach.

There are four public beach access points, one on the north side, the one we recommend along the Los Tules Creek starting off beside La Madalena, one midway along the stretch of sand (Clemente Orozco Street), and two at the southern end, which we are not fully guaranteed because there’s a lot of construction in that part of the hotel zone. Check them out on the map.

Beach in front of Dreams Vallarta Bay Hotel, Las Glorias Beach

There are a number of well-known hotels and resorts in this area of the hotel zone that share the Las Glorias Beach, including, from north to south:

• Las Palmas by the Sea
• Sunset Plaza Beach Resort
• Plaza Pelicanos Grand Beach Resort
• Canto del Sol Plaza Vallarta
• Dreams Vallarta Bay Resort & Spa (Now Amber & Secrets Vallarta Bay)

Bar la Isla 1970/2021 between Los Tules & Las Palmas by the Sea

In the 1960s this area where the ex-Holiday Inn, now Sunscape Puerto Vallarta, Plaza Las Glorias (now Plaza Pelicanos Grand), Los Tules, Fiesta Americana, Las Palmas, and even Sheraton on Tranquila beach, was all a series of creeks all covered in lilies and tule and was also used for crocodile farms.

Tule (Schoenoplectus acutus) is also called bulrush, an aquatic plant native to the lakes and swamps of North America. Its name derives from the Nahuatl tolli which means reed.

Las Glorias Beach (Playa Las Glorias) in front of Canto del Sol Hotel/Resort

The location, just as Los Tules, offers great sunsets, and most of the year the sun drops spectacularly into the Pacific Ocean. Easy access in the north and midway makes it a great, active and colorful beach in Puerto Vallarta. After your day by the sea at Las Glorias, you can take the northern path out to the boulevard and walk over the street to Plaza Caracol (Caracol Mall) there you’ll find a number of food options and even games for your kids. In my opinion, Las Glorias Beach is one of the better beaches in town, so if you are in the area, check it out and see if it’s for you too.