Puerto Vallarta General Information

If you want to treat yourself to an outstanding vacation in one-of-a-kind beach destination, read through our PuertoVallarta and Nuevo Vallarta Travel Guide. Find here the top hotels in Puerto Vallarta, the most outstanding resorts in Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta, as well as travel information for Puerto Vallarta that you might need, from reviews of Puerto Vallarta hotels and Nuevo Vallarta Resorts to the best travel deals in Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta. Here you will find enough motivation to leave everything to go for your Puerto Vallarta vacations, when taking a look at the striking photos of Puerto Vallarta that our site includes.

Puerto Vallarta lies in the Mexican Riviera, on Banderas Bay, on the Western Hemisphere of the Pacific, and it is circled by Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains. Nuevo Vallarta, also on Banderas Bay is situated only about 15 minutes from Puerto Vallarta International Airport.

Banderas Bay is home to beautiful beaches such as Bucerias, Corral del Risco and Punta Mita, Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Rincon de Guayabitos, and Peñita de Jaltemba.

Top Puerto Vallarta Hotels

The hotels and resorts in Puerto Vallarta will be happy to welcome you in your Puerto Vallarta vacation. Do not wait any longer and book your hotel in Puerto Vallarta. The most recommended All Inclusive hotels in Puerto Vallarta are: Buenaventura Hotel and Beach Club, Villa del Palmar Beach Resort and Spa PV, Canto del Sol Plaza Vallarta, Hola Puerto Vallarta Club and Spa, Playa Los Arcos and Plaza Pelicanos Grand Beach Resort. Other hotels popular with visitors in Puerto Vallarta are the Golden Crown Paradise Club PV, Club Embarcadero Pacifico and the magnificent Sheraton Buganvilias Resort and Convention Center. For budget travelers we suggest El Pescador Hotel, Rosita Hotel and the all-inclusive San Marino Hotel.

If you look for hotels in Nuevo Vallarta, two superb options are the Riu Jalisco and the Marival Resort and Suites. If you need to have even more choices, our site will provide with a long list of hotels in Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta.

Brief Puerto Vallarta History

Cobblestone streets, white-walled houses, wrought-iron balconies and red-tiled roofs give Puerto Vallarta downtown a quaint look. Only one of the many faces that Puerto Vallarta city offers, thanks to the interesting combination of well-preserved colonial heritage like Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe temple, and constructions with the most

up-to-date infrastructure, such as: deluxe hotels, sports facilities, shopping centers and nightclubs. Mexican art represents another important aspect of Puerto Vallarta, with art displays of muralist Manuel Lepe, art galleries and all kinds of performances everywhere; you will be able to appreciate the creativity of the Mexicans to the fullest.

Over 250 restaurants of Puerto Vallarta with their varied an delicious cuisines as much as the cafes of Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta will allow you to realize of the multicultural and rich character of the place. Cafe des Artistes or De Santos is a must-visit in this respect.

Puerto Vallarta is also home to the handcrafts of the Huichol Indians, an ethnic community that has preserved its customs. If you are interested in learning their artistic techniques, you can pay a visit to Terra Noble, where locals will teach you to make your own artifacts.

When the sun sets Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta take on the role of fun centers and offer a gamut of nightclubs and discos with different types of music, from live jazz and salsa to popular DJ mixers, so that everybody will definitely find the one of their liking.

Puerto Vallarta Attractions and Activities

Puerto Vallarta Water Sports and Ecotourism

In a stretch of 25 miles, Puerto Vallarta features stunning beaches where a great assortment of pleasurable activities can be undertaken. Water sports like sailing, fishing and jet skiing are best done in the waters of Banderas Bay. There are other beaches such as Quimixto, Punta Mita and Los Arcos, perfectly suitable for diving.

One of the most important attractions of Puerto Vallarta is ecotourism, since it bears The Marine Ecological Reserve Los Arcos, which is a group of three rock islands across Mismaloya Beach which contains an extensive diversity of marine mammals, marine birds, and many other ocean creatures, such as Ridley turtles that lay their eggs on these beaches. There are tours around the bay to watch dolphins, turtles and humpback whales in their natural habitat.

Nuevo Vallarta

Nuevo Vallarta was developed in 1990s as a federal government project and it consisted of the construction of a residential resort community, with luxurious villas and estates.

Nowadays exuberant tropical gardens running along the canals and their private docking piers, welcome you in Nuevo Vallarta, as well as a 300-slip state-of-the-art dock marina. The greatest beauty of Nuevo Vallarta is undoubtedly its almost 3 miles of beachfront resorts.

Puerto Vallarta Archeology

The municipality of Puerto Vallarta boasts around 80 Mesoamerican sites, which were discovered on Banderas Valley not long ago. It is presumed that from the years 200 to 400 BC this area was inhabited by some communities that profited from the mountain ranges, brooks and rivers of the surroundings, and fishing and hunting were their main activities.

Their pottery and stone figurines they left as a heritage, as well as their engravings of geometric designs and animals on large rocks are kept in the Museum of Puerto Vallarta.

New Passport Requirements

As part of U.S. Department of State's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, all travelers will be required to present a valid passport or other accepted document(s) to enter or re-enter the U.S. (visitors and U.S. residents) as early as January 8, 2007, from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

• January 8, 2007: All persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document (MMDs).

• January 1, 2008: All persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security.

Click here to get complete details on New Requirements for Travelers including a list of "other accepted documents" from U.S Department of State.