My first visit to Mexico was more than ten years ago as a kid on a family vacation. Now, I’ve just come back from 5 days in Puerto Vallarta with a group of friends. It was awesome, and I thought I’d share some highlights about what we did!
Where we stayed:
We lucked out with an incredible penthouse that offered panoramic views of the ocean above Zona Romantica. It was the cheapest option we found and I’m confident it was the best combo of location + views + comfort (A/C + private pool + rooms were amazing). It was a 15 minute walk up and down a fairly steep hill to the main downtown area for restaurants and bars, but actually the walk felt good after binging the food of the town.
We really liked the proximity to Zona Romantica but moreso appreciated the comfort and location of our Airbnb. If you’re looking, I’d recommend the hills. We stayed on Calle Hortensia.
What we did:
On a Saturday, we Ubered to Sayulita (a beachside town north of Puerto Vallarta) to take a surf lesson. We walked into Lunazul Surf School and they were able to book a session for all 8 of us. The instructors Memo and Carlos were patient with us and the waves were perfect for beginners. After the lesson, they also let us keep the boards for another hour or two to practice catching waves on our own. I’d definitely recommend making the trek!
Ubering to and from Sayulita was actually really easy. The drivers were all open to making the 45-60 minute drive.
One thing we wanted to do but couldn’t was attend a sea turtle release. On some days, there’s a turtle preserve that releases baby sea turtles into the ocean. It wasn’t happening on the night that we were there. If that sounds interesting, I’d recommend finding a place that does it via Google/Instagram/Facebook and contacting them.
The adventure highlight of the trip was an ATV tour. We tore up and down the hills of the Sierra Madre mountains, splashed across ponds, and even visited a hidden waterfall. Getting to drive the ATV was fun and the views, waterfall, and bridge were super scenic.
Wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty—dust and mud should be expected! Don't forget sunscreen and a swimsuit so you can do the rock jump at the waterfall. We booked with Canopy River Park.
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Finally, the last highlight was our last dinner. We booked a private chef through the Airbnb host to come to the penthouse and make us an amazing meal of homemade chips and guac, fresh catch of the day + mahi mahi, birria, and a flan dessert. After a day of ATVing, it was the ultimate luxury to cap off the trip.
What we ate, highlights:
Coffee at Cafe/Bar INA was a highlight. Our friend is a coffee fanatic and brought our whole group to Cafe Ina (also a bar at night!). Biorel is the barista and really loves the craft. He’s experimented a bunch with different espresso drinks with varying flow speeds that can really impact the flavor. If you like coffee, I’d mark this as a must-go to get to know him, try some drinks, and even buy some beans.
Churros at Julio’s Churros. An uber driver tipped us off to this street corner, and it did not disappoint. We walked along the Malecon boardwalk through the hustle and bustle at night to end up here. The churro’s are freshly fried and absolutely delicious. We compared to another (The Churro Guy closer to our Airbnb) but these were superior.
Tacos get their own special section of the post. The over/under for the number of tacos we’d eat on the trip ranged from 60 to >100. We tried a bunch of places from street stalls to restaurants and ended up eating 155 tacos between the 8 of us (we definitely underestimated ourselves). Here were my favorites and my strong recommendations:
- Al Pastor Tacos: Panchos Tacos - even though they’re like the #1 most recommended spot and very tourist, they did have the best Al Pastor tacos we had (and we tried al pastor at >6 spots). Tons of meat, super fresh, and friendly. I would recommend coming here early before a line forms, otherwise be prepared for a ~30 minute wait.
- Fish & Shrimp Tacos: Marisma Fish Taco is a street stall that is a bit unassuming, but freshly fries all fish and shrimp for their customers. The women running the stand are super nice and they love when their customers love their food! I tried the grilled shrimp taco, fried shrimp taco, and grilled shrimp quesadilla. I’d recommend all of them, but my favorite was the quesadilla.
- Cabeza tacos: Tacos de Cabeza el Chulo - another street stall that opens 6pm til late at night. Their tacos are a bit on the smaller end but I cannot recommend this enough; we went back three times. They also have lip, neck, and beef tongue tacos, but just their cabeza is worth a trip.
- Birria tacos: Birria el tio tono - This was further north of zona romantica, but this place had the best birria that I personally had, though we only tried about 2-3 places. Their birria soup was really good. If you find yourself in this neighborhood I’d give it a shot.
Overall, Puerto Vallarta really exceeded my expectations. If you want some adventure, delicious food, or just some tanning by the beach, PVR can do it for you! Let me know if you have any questions 🙂