Jalisco · Mexico
Where to stay in Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is a city in Jalisco, Mexico, home to about 224,000 people. This guide covers 2 hotels in Puerto Vallarta.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 2
- Nearest airport
- PVR5 km · Puerto Vallarta International Airport
- Currency
- MXNpeso
- Time zone
- America/Bahia Banderas
- Language
- Nahuatl, Spanish, Yucatec Maya
About
About Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican resort city on Bahía de Banderas of the Pacific coast of the Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadalajara metropolitan area.
Puerto Vallarta was founded in December 1851 as a village known as Las Penas. It remained small until the early 1960s, when the Hollywood motion picture The Night of the Iguana was filmed at Mismaloya to the south. The massive publicity surrounding the film brought worldwide attention to Puerto Vallarta and launched the development of its modern tourism industry. Today, a statue of the film's director John Huston celebrates his role in creating Puerto Vallarta. The beautiful Bay of Banderas is one of the largest and deepest in the world. It is home to a wide variety of aquatic life.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Puerto Vallarta
See
For those who just want to relax, Puerto Vallarta's many golden sand beaches offer one of the best ways to experience the beauty and magic of the Bay of Banderas. The best season is between December and May.
- Los Muertos Beach
- Muelle de Playa Los Muertos
- Malecón
- Los Arcos
- Las Glorias Beach
- Playa De Oro
- Museo del Ópalo y Minerales Mexicanos
- Naval Museum Secretary of the Navy of Mexico
- Galeria Dante
- Galeria Colectika
- Galería Arte Latinoamericano
- Galería Corsica
Do
Puerto Vallarta has many activities and excursions to keep you entertained. The adventurous can hike or mountain bike in the hills, explore the jungle and hidden trails on horseback, take a jeep safari, snorkel, scuba dive, charter a yacht or sailboat, or take a cruise on one of the many party boats, make a personal photoshoot. Oftentimes they are easily booked online.
- Mardi Gras/Carnaval
- Vallarta Pride Parade
- Marathon
- November Festival
- Virgin of Guadalupe
- La Marina Vallarta Golf Club
- Vista Vallarta
- Trail along the Rio Pitillal
- Trail into the mountains along Rio Pitillal
- Terminal De Camiones Col. San Esteban
- Trail to Las Carmelitas
- Trail along Rio Cuale
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Places to stay in Puerto Vallarta
2 places to stay from the chains this guide covers, each linked to its own website.
| Place to stay |
|---|
| Barceló Puerto Vallarta - All Inclusive hotel |
| Occidental Nuevo Vallarta - All Inclusive hotel |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
Which part of Puerto Vallarta to stay in
Accommodations around the Bay of Banderas range from well-known international hotel chains and upscale villas and condominiums in the hotel zone, Marina Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta, and Punta Mita to moderately priced hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, apartments villas, and condominiums in Old Town Vallarta. The south end of Old Town has a number of gay-friendly hotels.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
More hotels in Puerto Vallarta
90 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata; the 40 best known are shown, by the number of Wikipedia editions that cover them. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Almar Resort Luxury Lgbt Beach Front Experience | 5.2 km | |
| Amapas Apartments Puerto Vallarta | 4.9 km | |
| Aventura Pacifico | 16.3 km | |
| Blaze Hotel & Suite Vallarta | 3.3 km | |
| Buenaventura Grand Hotel & Great Moments - All Inclusive | 2.5 km | |
| Bungalows Princess | 18.9 km | |
| Canto Del Sol Puerto Vallarta All Inclusive | 1.2 km | |
| Capital O Hotel 522 | 3.6 km | |
| CAPITAL OHotel 522 OYO Rooms | 3.6 km | |
| Casa Doña Susana | 4.7 km | |
| Casa Gato en los Tules | 1.3 km | |
| Casa María Resort | 19.7 km | |
| Casa Nicole Boutique Hotel | 4.4 km | |
| City Plus Puerto Vallarta | 2.2 km | |
| Club Regina Puerto Vallarta | 3.2 km | |
| Comfort Inn Puerto Vallarta | 4.3 km | |
| Container Inn | 5.1 km | |
| Costa Club Punta Arena | 1.6 km | |
| Costa Sur Resort & Spa | 8.0 km | |
| Crown Paradise Club All Inclusive | 2.4 km | |
| Crown Paradise Golden Puerto Vallarta All Inclusive | 2.3 km | |
| Emperador Vallarta Beachfront Hotel and Suites | 4.9 km | |
| Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta All Inclusive & Spa | 1.3 km | |
| Fiesta Inn Puerto Vallarta Isla | 1.6 km | |
| Flamingo Vallarta Hotel & Marina | 3.7 km | |
| Friendly Fun Vallarta All Inclusive Resort | 1.5 km | |
| Grand Decameron Complex, A Trademark All Inclusive | 16.0 km | |
| Grand Matlali Hills Resort & Spa Natural Experiences - All Inclusive | 21.2 km | |
| Grand Miramar All Luxury Suites & Residences | 6.2 km | |
| Grand Park Royal Puerto Vallarta - All Inclusive | 11.6 km | |
| Hacienda Buenaventura Hotel & Mexican Charm - All Inclusive | 1.9 km | |
| Hacienda Escondida Puerto Vallarta | 4.1 km | |
| Hacienda San Angel | 3.9 km | |
| Hilton Puerto Vallarta Resort All Inclusive | 2.0 km | |
| Hotel Boutique Luxury Patio Azul | 6.1 km | |
| Hotel Casa del Parque Vallarta | 3.0 km | |
| Hotel Casa Iguana Mismaloya | 13.8 km | |
| Hotel Condominium La Posada de Bucerias | 17.0 km | |
| Hotel Encino | 4.1 km | |
| Hotel Hacienda de Vallarta Centro | 4.4 km |
All 92 hotels in Puerto Vallarta, with their history and operators
When to go
The best time to visit Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. May is the warmest month, with average highs of 34 °C; September is the wettest, with about 360 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Puerto Vallarta: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR), about 5.4 km from the city centre in a straight line; Amado Nervo National Airport (TPQ, 95 km) is also within reach.
Getting around
Uber covers the city. Hotels may provide a price list for cabs. Hotels will also offer (expensive) transport from airport to hotel, but it is much cheaper to take a taxi. Be prepared for fast speeds, as the cab drivers have schedules to adhere to. Not all cabs have working seatbelts or even speedometers. Tip only if the taxi driver did something above and beyond normal transportation (e.g., helped with bags, waited while running an errand). Taxi drivers tend to gather at the intersection close to the liquor outlet in the Centro District.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
PVR · Puerto Vallarta International Airport
TPQ · Amado Nervo National Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Puerto Vallarta
Eat
The rich cultural diversity of Puerto Vallarta is reflected in the cuisine that its many restaurants have to offer. From the most casual taco stands, to tropical beachfront palapas, to upscale rooftop restaurants with panoramic views, there are literally hundreds of restaurants serving exactly what you are hungry for. Be careful with what you eat and drink, particularly from street food vendors and small beach snack bars to avoid travellers' diarrhea. There are many beachside restaurants to tempt you with tropical drinks, but bottled beer may be a safer option. You are never far away from a taco stand. Just ask a local where you can find one.
Stay safe
The beaches and hotels have security people who are familiar with the area and tend to ward off most undesirable characters. As in many "tourist destinations", there are local "tourist police", who concentrate on keeping the area safe for visitors. They, and the locals, understand the value of visitors and make life very difficult for those who may consider preying on visitors. Avoid confrontations with the police. In the event you do have a disagreement with them, expect to be treated poorly and expect to pay many a peso to regain your freedom. Respect and co-operation goes a long way with them, disrespect usually will not be tolerated. For digestive issues, use Immodium.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Puerto Vallarta: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Puerto Vallarta?
Puerto Vallarta has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. May is the warmest month, with average highs of 34 °C; September is the wettest, with about 360 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Puerto Vallarta?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR), about 5.4 km from the city centre in a straight line; Amado Nervo National Airport (TPQ, 95 km) is also within reach.
What currency is used in Puerto Vallarta?
peso (MXN).
Nearby
Destinations near Puerto Vallarta
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.