Los Tules 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

Los Tules beach is a 3400 ft long (1000 meter) stretch of golden sand running from the El Pitillal River on the northern end to a creek between Los Tules and Las Palmas by the Sea. The name “tule” comes from a reed that was very abundant in this area.

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

• Grand Venetian
• Sunscape Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa
• Villa Del Palmar Beach Resort & Spa
• Friendly Vallarta
• Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta All Inclusive & Spa
• Los Tules

It’s some 12 minutes, approximately 2.4 miles (4km) from the main square in downtown Puerto Vallarta.

Los Tules Beach (Playa Los Tules) features emerald-green waters and inviting clear sands. The beach is quite wide on the northern end, around 60-70 meters wide, though as an average it’s around 30-35 meters wide.

Friendly Vallarta Beach, Los Tules Beach, Hotel Zone, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

The activities in Los Tules Beach are very varied, and this is thanks to its ideal location since it is surrounded by hotels, clubs, and resorts of all kinds, so the activities in the region cover many sports and options. Swimming, kayaking, windsurfing, water skiing, jet-skiing, fishing, whale watching, parasailing, are just some of the many activities that take place in Los Tules Beach, in addition to being an ideal area for beach sports.

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 El Pitillal access point, so take that into account too.

Beach in front of Villas del Palmar, Friendly Vallarta and Fiesta Americana, Los Tules Beach, Hotel Zone, Puerto Vallarta

There you’ll find sightseeing tours on the local pangas (water taxis), maybe a banana boat ride or an exciting parasailing ride in a parachute. This Puerto Vallarta beach is quite wide, you can enjoy the sun and there’s also space for beach sports. It’s not unusual to see people horseback riding in the area. Waves are soft and it’s a good place for swimming. It’s also a common spot to see the Pirate Ship sail by, so have your cameras at hand.

Los Tules Beach is located some 12 minutes, 2.4 miles (4km) from the main square in downtown Puerto Vallarta. It’s between El Pitillal River to the north and Las Palmas by the Sea to the south. It’s between Playa de Oro Beach and Playa Las Glorias

This beach tends to be a bit hidden away from the normal Puerto Vallarta visitor and few venture to it, mainly because it is not obviously available behind a seeming wall of hotels and resorts. It’s mostly those that book their hotels in this area that end up enjoying this swath of beach.

There are two public beach access points, one on the north side and another on the southern end. The northern access path goes along the northern edge of Grand Venetian, beside the El Pitillal River. The southern access path runs along the creek that is between Los Tules and Strana.

There are a number of well-known hotels & condos in this area of the hotel zone that share the Los Tules Beach, including, from north to south:

• Grand Venetian
• Sunscape Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa
• Villa Del Palmar Beach Resort & Spa
• Friendly Vallarta
• Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta All Inclusive & Spa
• Los Tules

Los Tules Puerto Vallarta in the 1950s

In the 1960s this area where the ex-Holiday Inn, now Sunscape Puerto Vallarta, Plaza Las Glorias (now Pelicanos), 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 or bulrush, it’s an aquatic plant native to the lakes and swamps of North America. Its name derives from the Nahuatl tolli which means reed.

Holiday Inn 1977

The location, just as Playa de Oro, offers great sunsets, and most of the year the sun drops into the ocean. Easy access in the north and south makes it a great beach in Puerto Vallarta. After your day by the sea at Los Tules, you can take the southern path out to the boulevard and walk over to Plaza Caracol (Caracol Mall) where there are a number of food options and games for your kids too. In my opinion, Los Tules Beach is a fine beach, so if you are in the area, check it out.