Trip Review: 18 Days in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

View from the room at the Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta All-inclusive resort

Have you ever visited a foreign place, fell in love with it, and imagined moving there? For me, that place is Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I recently returned from an 18 day trip to the beautiful Mexican city and and completely changed the course of my plan to visit multiple Mexican cities. The original idea was to start off in PV, travel to other nearby cities, and then take a bus to Mexico City where my girlfriend and I would end our adventure. After spending just a few days, we had no desire to leave Puerto Vallarta but to continue exploring different parts within the city.

What We Did

While not every day was jam packed with activities, overall we went at a relaxing pace and covered most of the things we set out to do plus some. Here were the highlights of what we did:

• walked along the private beach at the Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta and the public beach of Playa de los Muertos
• went on a jungle tour
• watched various musical performances at the Hyatt
• drank from coconuts and ate delicious food
• released baby turtles on the beach
• went grocery shopping at a local store
• walked along Puerto Vallarta's El Malecon Boardwalk
• watched street performers
• went on an excursion: Puerto Vallarta Los Arcos, Las Animas and Quimixto
• horseback ride to an isolated waterfall area in Quimixto
• enjoyed watching the sunset from a rooftop spa in our Airbnb rental
• drinks on the beach
• people watching

Where We Stayed

5 Nights at Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta All-Inclusive Resort

I've never stayed at a hotel or resort as nice as this place. And the best part about it...it was completely free (well, except for some cash tips to the friendly staff). This was the perfect way to start off the trip at an all-inclusive at a private beach for the ultimate in relaxation and fun. 

2 Nights at Hotel Rio Malecon Puerto Vallarta

We booked this budget friendly hotel through HotelTonight because they had a list of several hotels in the area and we found one for an incredible $51/night. On top of that my girlfriend received an extra $25 off her first booking with my referral link bringing our total for the two nights to $95 including hotel taxes. Overall, the hotel was nothing too extravagant but was situated just a block away from ocean access and in the heart of the Malecon. 

10 Nights at an AirBnB rental in Puerto Vallarta

Prior to this trip I hadn't used Airbnb before. I was skeptical about how it all worked but have heard many great things about the website and figured I'd at least give it a shot. We came across one listing that had many amenities and seemed good for our needs but after booking, the host had to cancel because he didn't update his avaliability calendar. For the hassle, Airbnb was generous enough to credit our guest fee and even suggested a few other nearby rentals. We ended up falling in love with the pictures of one listing less than a mile from the Hotel Rio. We messaged the host and she scheduled to meet us at the property the next day for a tour. When we met with her, she was extremely friendly and after touring the property we knew that was our next home for 10 nights. The unit was renting at $75/night but we negotiated $70/night since we were staying a decent amount of time. The property itself was gated, 2 blocks away from the beach, had a shared swimming pool and a rooftop spa overlooking the bay. It was also caddy corner to a grocery store, bus stop, and our favorite taco joint, Pepe's Tacos. The unit itself was nicely furnished with enough kitchen supplies to cook meals, flat screen TVs, and modern decor. During our stay there we were able to make it feel like a home. On top of that, the property employed a full-time housekeeper who cleaned our unit twice a week and a maintenance guy who took care of the property. We really couldn't have asked for a better place to stay (outside of the resort of course) and will consider staying at the same place in the future. 

Where & What We Ate

The Hyatt resort had an incredible selection of food with 5 restaurants on the property including:

• Vivaz Buffet (Various)
• Blaze Grill (American)
• Casa Grande (Mexican)
• Melanzane (Italian)
• Pureza (Asian)

While we didn't try all of the restaurants on the property, the food was always fresh and even the buffet selection was mouthwatering good.

Outside of the resort, we didn't have the desire to eat Mexican food EVERYDAY but when we did it was great. Here's all the places we ate at:

• Cafe San Angel - We ate here twice. They have a decent happy hour where you can get a couple sliders and a beer for 60 pesos (~$4 USD). 
• Pepe's Tacos - We ate here a handful of time because their tacos al pastor were simple and delicious. 
• Pancho's Takos - Very similar to Pepe's Tacos in my opinion, this is located near Old Puerto Vallarta and has outdoor seating. This place can fill up fast because they are just a hole in a wall but their food is excellent. 
• McDonald's - regardless of what you might think about McDonald's, one our favorite things to do was walk along the Malecon on a hot day with an ice cream cone in hand. With a walk up window you are only 10 pesos (~$0.67 USD) away from a satisfying snack on a hot day. 
• La Langosta Loca - We enjoyed skewered shrimp, shrimp tacos, and plenty of Coronas with lime on the beach. But be patient here because lots of beach wandering vendors will come to your table while your eating to sell you their goods. 
• Joe Jack's Fish Shack - A bit costly but still great none the less, They have a great seafood ceviche dish. Raw shrimp anyone?
• Coexist Cafe - attached to the Hotel Rio Malecon, this place was a convenient place to eat during our stay at the Rio and had pretty good food. 
• Domino's Pizza - Because we can. Probably the best view you'll ever get by sitting in a Domino's Pizza. 
• Pollo Feliz - We got a chicken and a half along with tortillas and some sides for only 120 pesos (~$8 USD)
• Rosticería El Pechugón - We had walked past this place several times and the aroma of the rotisserie chicken was mouthwatering. We got a whole chicken, potatoes, tortillas, and rice all for only 90 pesos (~$5.33 USD).
• Groceries from Ley Mercado (Supermarket) - just a short walk away from our Airbnb rental, this was our most frequented place. On our first day at the rental we loaded up on groceries to cook some of our meals at home. 

What It Cost

The total trip cost $2,157 but after factoring the savings from not living at home for 18 days, the trip cost came around $1,800. Not too bad considering the per person per day cost was around $50. For such a beautiful city by the ocean, this was an incredible value. Many people might think that Hawaii is the ultimate beach destination but I would choose PV over Hawaii in the future because you money will go a lot farther in Mexico. The cost was also a lot less because I was able to use airline miles and hotel points to cover some of the cost. 

The exchange rate was really favorable to us at about 15 pesos per $USD (I will use this as my conversion rate in this post). I paid for as many expenses with my Capital One Venture Credit Card because I didn't have to pay foreign transaction fees plus I earn 2% in rewards. 

Here's the breakdown of what it cost for us to spend 18 days in Puerto Vallarta:

Points Burned & Earned Summary

Ideally, I would have loved to pay for the entire trip on points but that just wasn't possible for this trip. As part of my strategy to save money on travel, I sign up for many credit cards each year for the bonuses they pay out.

For this trip I spent the following points and miles:

• American Airlines: 31.5k points for 2 one-way tickets to PVR (saved over $500 by using airline miles)
• Hyatt: 100k points for 5 nights at the Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta (saved over $1,000 by using hotel points)
• Total savings using miles and points: $1,500

And I earned the following points and miles:

• Hyatt: 20k points (20% points refund on my redemption of 100k)
• Capital One No Hassle Rewards: about 3k points on spending (~$30 towards travel redemptions)
• Virgin EleVAte: 920 miles 

Tips for Traveling in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

I thought it might help if I provided some tips about traveling in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I'm no expert but having been 3 times, I've learned a lot about navigating the city and what to expect:

• First off, when you arrive at the PVR airport, at the very end near the exit, there will be many timeshare salespeople trying to get at you to talk to you. Don't be fooled by their kindness and get sucked in. It happened to me before because an employee of the resort I was staying at led me to believe I was going to get a free ride from the airport...a half hour later he hits me with his sales pitch to sit in on breakfast seminar which equals timeshare presentation. No thanks. Just have tunnel vision while you are walking through this shark tank and don't worry about ignoring them. 
• Also, while at the airport, you will probably want to exchange some of your currency for Mexican pesos. Just be aware that the exchange rate inside the airport is not that great. If you can get enough pesos from a bank before hand, just get enough to get you by for a couple days and exchange some more money later at a bank in the city. 
• Speaking of exchange rates, if you are getting a cab from the airport you have a couple options. Save time and just go with the cab right after you exit the airport or walk outside of the airport area and get it for about half price. I've walked outside the airport area before and we got a cab for $10 USD compared to the $20+ they quoted us at the airport. But it was hot and we weren't sure where we were going so it was an experience but not worth doing again. If you do get a cab at the airport they are going to quote you in $USD. Just be aware that it will be a lot less to pay in pesos. The cabs leaving from the airport are federally regulated so the price is typically set. The exchange rate is pretty awful at the airport all around. 
• Most all of the people we encountered including hotel staff, taxi drivers, and restaurant employees were extremely friendly. We chatted up our taxi driver on the way from the airport to the resort and he was very informative about the city. 
• Almost anywhere you walk in the city, there will be shop vendors, taxi drivers and other sales people trying to get you to spend your money with them. Just remember you are a tourist in their city and you have money. Don't take it personal but be friendly and respectful. If I stopped and spend money with every vendor who tried and lured me into their shop, well then I'd be dead broke. 
• Taxis are really cheap so it's possible to navigate Puerto Vallarta without a rental car. I prefer to walk as much as I can and if you are staying in the center of the city then many amenities are within walking distance. I really haven't used any negotiating skills with taxi drivers as it was just cheap enough to pay the price they quoted. But ask the price up front so there are no surprises.
• Tipping can go a long way. One of the excursions we went on included an unlimited booze cruise. It turned out that the mixed drinks they served weren't strong at all so I asked our server for beer because it was probably a stronger alcohol content. After he served us the second round we gave him $4 USD and he came back with 2 beers each and kept it coming. No one else was tipping him because you end up tipping at the end of the excursion but he gave us a lot of attention from that point forward. And we were able to get a decent buzz. If that booze crusie was any indication of the quality of alcoholic beverages served on other cruises, you may want to bring your own or just avoid it. 
• I highly recommend going to Qumixto to horesback ride to the waterfall. This was the most memorable activity that we did and at an incredible price. About 200 pesos per person for horseback riding (~$13 USD) gets you up the hills and to an amazing waterfall with a natural rock slide and even a rope swing. If you are going to go in the water, you will have to at least buy some drinks at the neighboring restaurant. Small price to pay for  incredible memories. 
• If a local or performer comes up to you to take a picture or pose with you, it ain't gonna be free. They might not tell you up front but if you aren't firm with them then they will just go ahead and do it anyway. I had a guy just start putting a huge iguana on my shoulders and say $5! While my girlfriend was laughing and taking pictures of me in pain from the thing digging it's sharp nails in my back I was thinking "he should be paying me to go through this!". And after rearranging the iguana on my body for several picture opportunities, we would have owed the guy over $20 USD! We told him all we had was $3 USD and he took it and stopped bothering us. 

Summary

This was an incredible adventure to take right after leaving Corporate America. It may sound cliche but this trip really put into perspective my priorities in life. While I someday could imagine calling Puerto Vallarta my primary home or even my secondary home, now is not the time. While staying at the Hyatt Ziva was an experience on it's own, a true Mexican adventure would not be complete without staying in the heart of a city, interacting with the locals, and eating authentic Mexican food. This trip was the perfect balance of what I was looking for having a memorable adventure. Until now, I hadn't really figured out why some people return to the same place year after year. I can see why people keep returning to Puerto Vallarta. It's got it all: beautiful beaches, great food, budget friendly, walkability, and sunny weather. Time to start saving more points for next time!

Readers: Have you been to Puerto Vallarta before? What are your thoughts on traveling here?