Puerto Vallarta Bulletin Board - The Vallarta Scene

Music and Entertainment in Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta is a wonderful place, believe me, I live here. On this site I'll give you my Insider knowledge and tips on Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding area.

Some of the reasons for choosing Puerto Vallarta to visit are the mild climate, the extraordinarily friendly people who live here, the wonderfully varied excursions and tours available, the great selection of first class restaurants, and all in a location known for its security and safety. Puerto Vallarta is one of the safest tourist destinations in the world.

With several different environments close together, Ocean, Beach, Jungle and Mountains, there are many tours and excursions available in Vallarta and you can book several on-line through this site with up to a 15% Discount. Whale Watching Tour, Dolphins Tours, Canopy Zip Line Tours, Scuba and Snorkeling Tours, Fishing Tours, Bay Cruises, Hiking Tours, Private Cultural Tours, Sailing Tours and Horseback Ridin Toursg are available year-round. Where ever you are, there are tours for you on the Water, the Beach or Land. See which tours I don't book Here.

On this site you will find information about Puerto Vallarta including a list of hotels and Vacation Rentals even renting a timeshare, many different tours & excursions, a listing of our many fine restaurants, detailed maps of Puerto Vallarta (complete with hotel locations), information on our Golf Courses, fun bars for drinks (including Raicilla), a guide to the night life, a calendar of upcoming events, exchange rates, bus and taxi transportation information, the weather and shopping recommendations. Information for everything you need to enhance your stay here. Tips on arriving by Air and Cruise Ship.

The site was inspired 9 years ago by some tourists here in Puerto Vallarta for the first time, asking me where to find the cheapest, coldest beer. Other sites on Vallarta still don't provide this essential information. I think you'll find the most up-to-date information here. Unlike many other sites, we don't show restaurants that have gone out of business or keep you guessing about the timeliness of our information. Things change quickly here. Check the Puerto Vallarta Insider Tips page to find cold beer for only 10 pesos. (That's today's price, not last year's)

Some people do not even know that summer is our rainy season (their Travel Agents, if they know, often don't tell them). Click here for a Weather overview from years of living here.

The center of Puerto Vallarta is unique in having maintained its small village atmosphere without succumbing, too much, to the pressures of tourism. On the other hand, don't be surprised to find a Starbucks in the main square. The roads here are cobblestone, not dirt.

The south side of the Rio Cuale is referred to, by various people, as The Romantic Zone, juk! or Old Town, which is no better, since downtown Puerto Vallarta is much older. This part of Vallarta has far less of the crass commercialism which has affected downtown. It is also more residential.

Be sure to visit our Restaurant Row on Calle Basilio Badillo. Los Muertos Beach is in this area and has a lot of activity with beach side restaurants and bars. This beach area is very popular with the locals and expats on the weekends and a great place to watch the sunset.

The farther inland from the beaches you explore, the more you'll find of the beautiful, traditional Mexico neighborhoods. There will be fewer tourists and you'll experience the atmosphere of what Puerto Vallarta was like before it became the tourist destination it is today.

If you're staying in Nuevo Vallarta, you will be 16 miles north of Puerto Vallarta. As a place to simply relax in the sun and be pampered in a resort setting for your whole vacation, Nuevo Vallarta fits the bill. There's none of the old Mexico charm, culture and history in Nuevo Vallarta but it's a comfortable and familiar atmosphere for some tourists and it does have some very nice beaches. Don't miss my guide to the more Remote Beaches.

If you are planning on bringing a large group, such as a Wedding, Convention, Incentive Trip or a Golf Tournament, we can arrange Transportation, Accommodation, Tours, Dining or ?. For more information click HERE

Many visitors eventually end up moving down here on a permanent or semi-perminant basis, for more info. see Moving Down.
I'm not a big fan of timeshare, but one way to beat the system is to buy a second hand timeshare, click here.

If there is anything about Puerto Vallarta in the following pages that you can not find or need more information on, please feel free to e-mail me. Hope you all come and visit Puerto Vallarta soon.

You won't find many "Bells & Whistles" on this site, it's all about information on Puerto Vallarta, which is, I expect, what you were looking for?

If you have any questions about booking tours, etc. you can call me at (213) 341-0463.
Note: I'm not always around the telephone, so please leave a message and I'll get back to you, or you can e-mail me at jr@vallartainfo.com   

Arriving in Puerto Vallarta by Air

When you get of the plane in Puerto Vallarta you'll notice how warm it is. Have your tourist card ready, you would have filled this out, together with your customs form, on the plane. Our airport now has a Web Site.
At Immigration (Migración) you will show your passport and receive a stamped portion of your Tourist Card (FMT), don't loose this, it will cost you if you don't have it to hand over when you leave.
After Immigration you will go and claim your luggage, proceeding to the Red and Green light system of Customs. This is where you try your luck, every family gets to push a button and see whether they get a Green Light = Proceed without Inspection, or the Red Light = Get Inspected, (note: stay together, only one person per family has to do this, if they are in a group). They say it's random and the number of Green Lights are far more than the Red ones. Even then Customs Inspection is usually cursory.
CAUTION. The next test is, by far, the worst. After exiting the automatic sliding doors after Customs you enter another, obviously secure part of the airport, with counters around the sides, uniformed attendants and other 'official' looking people sporting badges with their picture. They will immediately try to usher you towards the counters on some pretext.
This is all TIMESHARE. Now, if you want to waste 20 minutes there, arranging a timeshare viewing (never less than 4 hours of High Pressure Sales), for a free breakfast and a discount on some tours, go ahead and let them lead you away. If, on the other hand, this doesn't sit well with you, put your head down and get out of there, through the automatic sliding doors to your left. Those who are more creative, could perhaps show some other form of behavior, for this attempt to deceive.
Having made your escape, you will find there are 2 ATMs in the Puerto Vallarta airport, but one is in Departures. In general using your ATM card and withdrawing the maximum that you can, will spread what your bank charges for an International Withdrawal over the amount you took out. Note: Tell your bank that you will be using the card in Mexico or they may flag it and your card will stop working. The local ATMs are now charging on withdrawals (progress?) from local accounts, not foreign ones, so you can ignore the message on the screen that says this, they will give you a good rate of exchange. They also happen to be very convenient.

Out of Customs, through the timeshare trap, got your pesos, you'll see two taxi ticket booths. Ignore the crowds of people yelling 'Taxi' and go straight to the booth, buy your tickets, the price is pretty well set and about double the city (yellow) taxi, but it's a Federal Zone, requires expensive Federal Plates and they have to come back empty, they can not pick up in town. There's a rough guide to prices on the Transport page.
Get to your accommodation and start enjoying your stay.

Arriving by Cruise Ship.

You may notice that I don't book all of the many tours available here in Puerto Vallarta.
For one, I offer discount prices and on-line booking for the tours that provide, what I think is the best experience for visitors and that I've had first hand experience with.
Secondly, I don't book the following tours:

Dune Buggy/ATV tours:

The locals hate these people, the customers are supplied with bandanas to cover their nose and mouth from all the dust they kick up. Then they drive through some of our Colonias and all that dust is spread through the houses and onto the usual roadside food stands. Residents from one Colonia blocked the road in protest not long ago. They also drive up river beds doing untold damage to the ecosystem.

Booze Cruises:

If your idea of fun is to be confined on a boat with a lot of drunk (and usually sick) people, I'm sure you can find it, just not here.

Air Conditioned Bus Tours:

You might as well stay home and go to Disneyland. The customers are let out at specific stores and/or restaurants, where they will be paying the premium prices that those places will charge. Yes, prices for these groups - especially the ones from the cruise ships - are inflated in order to cover the considerable payment the businesses have to pay the tour operators to bring them there.
If you want a bus tour, take a local bus, for 5.5 pesos it's an exciting experience, sorry no air conditioning.

New Vacation Rentals in and around Puerto Vallarta.