Restaurants, markets, art galleries, and taco stands line the cobblestone streets, and open-air beachfront palapas house dozens of restaurants where you can dine with your toes in the sand. The laid-back beach towns to the north draw surfers and RVers, while the older part of Puerto Vallarta proper is home to American and Canadian snowbirds and retirees, many of whom eventually make their vacations permanent. Newer communities wrap around the bay’s north end, toward Nuevo Vallarta and Punta Mita, where gated enclaves attract celebrities with sprawling golf courses and increasingly luxurious amenities.
Located on the Pacific coast of Jalisco, the city and nearby towns are oriented around the Bay of Banderas, where migrating whales and dolphins play. From sleepy fishing village to one of Mexico’s top resort destinations, Puerto Vallarta is a place of many moods.
