Puerto Vallarta

[hsvaughan]

Hi all!!

My husband and I are taking a vacation to Puerto Vallarta next week! Seems how you all always have such great ideas I thought I'd pick your brains for restaurant suggestions or even excursion ideas!

Thanks so much http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[cchhbb]

When I lived in Mexico, I used to run off to Puerto Vallarta once a month to get away from the smog of Mexico City. I usually would go by myself and end up off the beaten track. I haven't been there for awhile, but I love Puerto Vallarta. I remember there is a tour of movie stars houses that is held on a Saturday morning during the month. Which one, I can't remember, but I really enjoyed it. It was hosted by the American's club and we saw 3-4 houses.

I also found my favorite beer there. Pacifico. It was excellent when hanging out by the pool bar.

[Julia1Pin]

We were in PV with a cruise, and we went on the most amazing rain forest tour (Predator was shot there). it was called a Unimog swamp tour, and they fed you an amazing BBQ on the beach after the hike. The guides were great, and the tour came with all the alcohol you could drink. This tour was on of the things that really made our trip.

[mandarin2j]

El Repollo Rojo (The Red Cabbage) in the Romance district by the Rio Cuale is delightful. The owner is really into Diego Rivera and Frida Khalo, so there's pretty cool artwork everywhere. The food is all homemade, amazing, authentic Mexican cuisine.
Horseback riding is really fun there as well. MIL usually goes with Enrique, so when we were there we looked him up. We had a fantastic time riding up into the jungle to a waterfall by an abandoned rancho where we went swimming and picked avocados right off the trees. On the way back, we stopped for lunch at a little old lady's rancho. Yum! I'd rather not consider the sanitation...but I didn't get sick, so whatever! The horse guys used to be allowed to hang out by the mercado, kind of down from El Tucan (great breakfast there, by the way) off of Basillio Badillo (I think). Enrique used to have an American named Lisa working for him because his English is almost non-existent. If she's still there, she'll probably be the contact person for booking a trip.

I've heard that Playa Yelapa is pretty amazing. I think you can get a boat trip over there - it's in the south of the Bahia, past Mismaloya. If you're an old movie buff, there's a lot to see from the Night of the Iguana. There's the church where Richard Burton & Elizabeth Taylor were married (the first time, I believe).

Bucerias to the north is a great town as well, if you're able to get a car. Driving in Mexico is...interesting. The roads are in very poor condition, and people kind of make up rules as they go, so it's not for the faint of heart.

If you're in a condo, we prefer shopping for groceries at Ley. Guterriez Rizo is another decent grocery store.

I have some stuff written down at home if you need more info. Just let me know. BTW, what part of PV are you staying in? Oh, and here's a thread I just posted on bringing food into Mexico:
http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/007472.html

-Amanda

[hsvaughan]

We are staying at the Marriott Casa Magna. The descriptions say it is in the Marina Vallarta area, one mile south of the airport. I wish that I would have had more time to research the area, but both my husband and I have been so busy with work that neither of us had much of a chance to. We figure no matter what we do we will be happy just being together.

We are both really adventerous so I am sure we will go on some excursions. The rain forest trip sounds facinating!

Thank you all so much for your suggestions!