Puerto Vallarta really is such a great city. While there, I kept saying “I could see myself getting property here” because it was just that peaceful. This was an early birthday trip for myself and I brought along my high school bestie with me to experience it. With that said, I’ve curated a complete guide to traveling in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. From where we stayed, to where we ate, and what we did. I hope that you enjoy and this inspires you to plan a trip to PV soon!
Flying to Puerto Vallarta was fairly cheap, costing around $250 total. We bought one way tickets there and back (American Airlines there and Interjet back), as we found that was a much cheaper option that buying a round trip ticket. Luckily for us, both flights were non stop so it only took about 3 hours there and back.
I used Google Flights to track my tickets about 2.5 months in advance of my trip. I also did some searching directly different airlines website to see if I could find a good deal, but the best deals I found were through Google.
Lucky for us, the room that we stayed in was actually through AirBnB, but still nicely cushioned on the hotel grounds. We got to access some of the amenities that you get at a resort (pool access, lunch and breakfast, shopping, pharmacy), but at the price of a traditional AirBnB. My one qualm was that the WiFi was not that great during the daytime, when I assummed most people were using their phones. Late at night, it worked pretty well.
The hotel also offered different levels of all inclusive packages, depending on your needs for the day. We decided to just try one daytime all inclusive package but didn’t feel the need to do any more than that. While all inclusive is cool, it’s not cheap so, just be weary. The per day options we were given were: Daytime (9-5pm) – $35, Nighttime (6pm-2am) – $50, All Day (9am-2am) – $80
The AirBnB was quite literally next to a shopping mall which also had a theatre in it, and it was right across from a food park so if we weren’t in the mood to go to a restaurant, we could easily go across the street and grab some food. Overall, I appreciated the convenience the AirBnB provided for us, especially for our first time in PV.
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FOOD PARK: The food park was conveniently located right across from our AirBnB and included variety of options such as artisan pizza, seafood stand, ice cream and frozen yogurt, and a bar. I was able to secure a nice sized mint mojito for under $6 and the shrimp ceviche I ordered was DELICIOUS and FRESH.
PONTE ALMEJA: This was our first stop right after we settled into our AirBnB, and surprisingly, really good! The owner was extremely accommodating, allowing us to customize the menu to our liking. The shrimp tacos they made for us were BOMB. 
CASA TRADICIONAL COCINA MEXICANA: After our full first day, we came into downtown Puerto Vallarta and had a full meal for under $16. We both ordered the sizzling (like, it was literally on fire when it came to our table) fajitas that came with chicken, steak, AND shrimp. The tortillas were extremely fresh and they prepped the salsa right at our table. The Pina Colada was quite possibly the biggest drink I’ve ever had in my entire 28 years of existence…but I also wasn’t complaining.
OASIS BAY RESTAURANTE-BAR: This restaurant was situated right on El Malecon. After having such bomb food the first 2 days, we were a little let down by this place. It wasn’t bad, but we weren’t blown away by the flavors. Or maybe we were just tired of eating shrimp tacos.
BLONDIES: If you’ve been to Vegas and had a Fat Tuesday, that’s the best way I can describe Blondies in Old Town PV. The drink was amazing as far as taste and texture and the price point was fairly cheap, costing me no more than $4.
Just beware, most, if not all, of the restaurants in Old Town are cash only, so prepare accordingly before coming.
Downtown Puerto Vallarta is a great spot to get your total fix of culture, beaches/water activities, and as you go deeper in, Old Town PV.
On our 2nd day, we took an Uber to Cuale Island Flea Market (photo above) which was the perfect spot to start our exploring of Downtown PV. It not only allowed us to walk through the flea market and see all the beautiful items for sale (pictured above), but the more we walked, we were right smack dab in the middle of El Malecon.
El Malecon which is a 12 block stretch of shops that are adjacent to the sea. We walked the stripped, stopping to taste some tequila, grab some fresh fruit, and interact a bit with the locals.
As we kept walking, we turned into one of the side streets and made our way to another corner which had a number of different shops and a beautiful church that legit made me stop in my footsteps once I was inside. I would recommend saving this part of the trip for last, as it’s a great way to wind down and take in the city (and buy any souvenirs) before you depart.
On our third day, with a cancelled hiking trip, we ended up on a boat ride to the beach town of Yelapa, through Vallarta Adventures with the opportunity to go snorkeling on the way there. Snorkeling was definitely an experience and it was my 2nd time doing so (first time was in Jamaica).
I LOVED THIS BEACH. It was everything I hoped it would be with clear blue water and white sands. I had the chance to take an ATV (I didn’t get to ride it, which was disappointing) deeper into Yelapa. I took it all in, the colors, the pueblos, the shops, the artisans selling their goods on the side of the road. The weather was perfect and I felt so free.
Once we were deep into the town, I had the chance to take a dip in a natural pool and see the Cola de Caballa waterfall. Although the waterfall wasn’t that impressive (at this time of year), it was still a sight to see the rock formation surrounding the pool.
Once we got back beachside, I took some time to tan…yes, I tanned. I slathered myself with sunscreen on a mission to get one shade darker. And that mission was accomplished! I gave myself a natural exfoliant by just rubbing the sand on my skin while I sat in the water, and then walked over to get a fresh coconut which ran me a whopping..$4 :)
For our final day, we wanted to do some more immersive exploring so we took ourselves to Old Town Puerto Vallarta which was quite literally the cutest town.
This area is also LGBTQ+ friendly and was a bit reminiscent of West Hollywood, to me at least. There was a mix of different homes, from the more modern apartment complexes, to the colorful pueblos. They all lined the cobblestoned streets, overlooking the beach. This goes without saying, Old Town is HIGHLY Instagram photo friendly.
I would def recommend coming here first. Even though it was only about 20 mins away from where we were staying, the vibe of Old Town definitely felt different than the rest of Puerto Vallarta. Old Town felt very much so like a beach town, super relaxed and easy going, which is why I loved it so much.
On our 2nd stop of our final day, we enjoyed probably the most dope experience of this entire trip, Tequila Tasting through AirBnB experiences.
This was a $40, 3 hour experience from 5pm-8pm in the hills of Puerto Vallarta. We took a 30 min Uber ride to get to our hosts location, which overlooked the Pacific Ocean. As soon as we entered, we were greeted by one of the host’s assistants who took us up the stairs to where the tasting would be happening. The entire set up of the experience was so cute and I couldn’t help but snap a few pics of the decor.
Alejandro took us through the 5 different types of tequila on the market, allowing us to taste a nice amount of each one, providing feedback with the flavors and the process involved in making each type. Safe to say, I may just be a tequila connoisseur now. The drinks continued flowing after the tasting, with fresh made chips and guacamole, music and dancing!
And there you have it folks. A complete guide to traveling to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Thank you so much for reading through and I hope you find it helpful!
Until next time…
Yvette Corinne | 10th Jun 19
Ahhhhh this guide is perfect!! You looked beautiful as always, next stop PV for me haha