Puerto Vallarta Continued: During our month in Puerto Vallarta, we practically wore holes in our walking shoes. Not only did we trek up and down the imposing hill leading to our perch on Calle Mina, we also foraged for provisions in the old town, spend time on the beach at the furthest end of Playa de Muertos, strolled the Malacon and often walked the mile and a half to the Mega (supermarket). Our step count was averaging 9,000 a day and we gave ourselves extra credit for the steep hills and hundreds of stairs.
All stairways in Puerto Vallarta are not created equal. We went up all three of these to get to our Airbnb. The prettiest ones were at the bottom of the first hill for tourists to use, then the brick ones took us up the next big hill, and finally, the staggered stones led us to the bottom of the last hill to our front door.
One afternoon we canceled the benefits of our daily steps by taking a Free Taco Walk. That meant every thousand steps or so we encountered a delicious homemade taco (or two). If you ever find yourself in Puerto Vallarta feeling very hungry, take this free tour from Vallarta 101 (they also do a seafood tour). We visited five family-run taco stands and tasted five completely different fillings and preparations. Doing this with a local guide was the perfect way to explore street food. If Eduardo said it was safe, it was safe and we tried everything! We finished with a delicious Paletas - an icy Mexican style popsicle made from fresh fruit. The walk home was slower than unusual - but now we knew where the best places for extremely cheap “good eats” could be found.
Our favorite tacos of the tour were Tacos de Birria a crisp taco brushed with the famous Birria broth and served with a cup on the side for dunking.
But not every day was spent pounding the pavement in Centro. There are lots of options for day trips from Puerto Vallarta, so we got out the calendar and made some plans. It’s easy to visit other beaches - some reachable only by charter or water taxi, but several can be reached by taxi or bus. And, there is a marina full of mega yachts to ogle. Beyond that lies the posh playground of Punta Mia. Visiting the renowned Botanical Gardens definitely made the list. And lastly, based on so many friends rave reviews we decided to take the local bus to Sayulita.
This bus happened to be in Guanajuato, but the system is the same.
We don’t mind taking local buses. In fact, some of our more “granular” living-like-a-local experiences have been had swaying down sketchy roads alongside our compadres. The trip from PVR to the surf town of Sayulita was a perfect example. The buses in Mexico have the main stops scribbled on the windshield in white shoe polish. Scan the list and catch one heading in the general direction you’d like to go. To come back, just look for Centro on the list. The ride to Sayulita takes almost an hour and a half and requires two buses. First, you find one of dozens of buses with Walmart on the list. That’s where you get off and change for the Sayulita bus. The cost for both of us, all the way there and back was around $10 USD. The bus heading to the famous surfing village was fairly nice. The bus back was an overly full rattle-trap that left my bones jangling well after we’d gotten off.
Sayulita was a very colorful beach town. Every street was strung with colorful banners like these.
Sayulita was as colorful and charming as our friends described it. While it is a popular tourist destination somehow it has managed to retain its authentic, small-town roots. There were many hole-in-the-wall shops tucked in amongst the bars and larger souvenir vendors that seemed to cater to locals, and the pace of life was definitely slower than in Puerto Vallarta. The beach ran right up to the edge of town so some streets-ends blended right into the sand. Most of the popular restaurants had tables that spilled out under the palm trees and served cheap buckets of cold beer and fresh seafood. We’d read some Trip Advisor reviews before we arrived and knew we wanted to find a place called Don Pedros for lunch. It was the perfect spot to people watch and catch the surfing action while imbibing on margaritas and crunchy tacos. We had a wander on the beach and I had the best strawberry paletas of the trip so far. I am not sure we could stay a month in Sayulita, but I will add it to the list of places in Mexico we’d return to for a week or so.
On a quiet Thursday morning we took a bus to the Botanical Gardens - an oasis in the jungle forest about 1,300 feet above sea level. The drive was beautiful. Lots of twists and turns and views of the sea as we climbed further and further up the verdant hillside. We arrived before the cruise ship day-trippers so we had much of the lush grounds and special exhibits to ourselves until lunchtime. The Orchid House was impressive, and the twisting trails that took you down to the river and back were definitely calf stretchers.
When we arrived back in the city we went directly to our favorite seafood tostada stand we discovered on the Taco Walk. We ordered two large shrimp cocktails to take away for dinner. That meant the vendor would fill two-pint containers to the brim with fresh shrimp and a rich broth topped with chopped tomato, cucumber, onion, and cilantro plus a bag of spicy pico de gallo, some cut limes and a dozen crisp tortillas. All for just $4.00. Add a bottle of $5.00 sauvignon blanc from Chile and we were set for our dinner at home.
The best shrimp tostastas in town! This is also where we bought our shrimp cocktail take-home dinner.
Our one and only excursion to a beach outside of Puerto Vallarta was to Playa Mismaloya - a sheltered beach about a twenty-minute drive away. It’s a beautiful stretch of sand tucked in a bay with colorful fishing boats bobbing just offshore and a handful of beachfront restaurants. It was easy to get to by bus, but this time we took an Uber and took a local bus back. Other, more tranquil beaches can be reached by hiking for a couple of hours or taking a water taxi, but we wanted to be on our own timeline and not too far away.
Once you’ve walked the gauntlet of restaurant hawkers trying to convince us their fresh red snapper was superior to the exact same fish next door, we selected our favorite place and settled into chairs under an umbrella that was ours for the day. All for the price of a simple lunch and a few drinks. It was a great way to spend a lazy day. Just like on any beach there were plenty of vendors stopping by to entice you with jewelry and beach wraps, but also more unusual things like a carved wooden moose or a grizzly bear with salmon caught in its teeth (in Mexico?) and of course every kind of snack and drink imaginable.
Our new friend Lalo setting up our chairs. He took great care of us throughout the day and made it fun.
Before and after lunch photos. Mine was the one in the middle delivered cooked to perfection on a stick.
There was plenty of activity to observe from under my hat brim as well. Water taxis sped in and dropped unsuspected passengers in calf deep water, Pelicans dive-bombed for fish right next to unsuspecting swimmers, packs of dogs romped back and forth, and fisherman hauled their catch onto the shore where you could buy a glistening bonito right out of the bucket!
We were glad to have that experience to compare to the days we spent in similar situations on the more crowded beach in the central Puerto Vallarta’s Romantic Zone. Twice we bought day passes for $20 dollars at The Tropicana, a slightly worn, but still pleasant beachfront hotel. We had two reclining chairs under a clean, thatched palapa and the price included two drinks, access to the pool and towels. The beach was a few steps away and there was a stand offering fresh shrimp and mahi-mahi grilled on a stick even closer.
The pristine hotel photo of the beach at Hotel Tropicana. It was a really nice place to spend the day.
One afternoon The Tropicana was full so they couldn’t sell day passes. We wandered down the beach until we found a little beach shack that rented plastic tables and chairs under umbrellas at no charge if you bought a drink and we enjoyed an even more local vibe. On our last day, we splurged on day passes at a very nice restaurant called El Dorado. The chairs were cushioned, the towels were fluffy and the service was attentive. The price was still just $10. per person for the day, but drinks were not included and this crowd was sipping on Prosecco and getting foot massages so we knew we’d be spending more on food and drinks, but still within our budget.
This is the El Dorado Beach Club and Restaurant where we also spend a very nice day.
Here’s our takeaway. There is no need to stay in expensive hotels to gain beach and pool access since many of the beach hotels and restaurants sell day passes. And many take reservations so you know you have a spot for the day. Knowing that, and knowing we could do the same thing on all of the beaches surrounding Peurto Vallarta, made us glad we had our fabulous, affordable Airbnb to come home to after an enjoyable day in the sun.
The view from our Airbnb. One of our favorites of all time. Cool, comfortable, affordable and homey.
During our stay, we met up with two couples who follow this blog. It is always a treat to meet followers and in this case co-nomads. Greg and Kelly Turner have been on the road for about 18 months now and have a great blog called Globeturners - I love that name. We enjoyed swapping stories and found a lot of common ground. We will see them again in San Miguel de Allende.
The Turners. Blog followers, co-nomads, and now friends.
Ali and Alison have been following us for several years and in fact, they asked if we could Skype back when they were deciding if a nomad lifestyle was for them. We enjoyed sharing our thoughts and were happy to learn they launched in 2018. We’ve stayed in touch through social media, but finally, in Puerto Vallarta, we met in person.
They are delightful, intrepid women who also have a blog. It’s called AllOptionsConsidered and focuses on the FIRE movement (Financial Independence Retire Early) and traveling the world as a married couple. We will connect with them again in San Miguel as well.
Our new friends Alison and Ali. Two wonderful women who are slow traveling the world.
We also enjoyed chatting and trading tips with our Canadian Neighbors Paul and Ute who were in the Airbnb right below us in the same building. They had been here before and gave us some inside tips on where to find the best fish, the best beaches and their favorite restaurants. But most importantly where to get the best massage in town. Ute is German and has strong opinions - which was refreshing, but she didn’t mince her words. She commented on our upcoming teaching week at The Modern Elder Academy and was completely baffled by the need for a school for mid-life”. Just get on with it you silly Americans!
Good bye, Puerto Vallarta. We’ll be back next year!
Someone asked me the other day if I enjoyed Puerto Vallarta. And I said yes, it was a lovely city and I enjoyed being by the sea. I also mentioned all the things to do and how we enjoyed the various neighborhoods. And especially how much we loved our Airbnb. Afterward, Michael said he was surprised that I wasn’t more enthusiastic. He LOVED Peurto Vallarta. So now you know.
Thanks for following along,
Debbie and Michael Campbell
The Senior Nomads
p.s. We are now in San Miguel de Allende until April 4th. If you happen to be in town reach out to seniornomadsineurope@gmail.com and maybe we can meet you, too!
NOTE: Michael and I have been invited as Guest Faculty June 7 - 14 at The Modern Elder Academy. If you are in mid-life or nearing retirement and wonder if traveling is how you’d like to spend the “Best of your LIfe” then please join us in beautiful Baja, Mexico. Details here. The application deadline is March 22, so if you are interested, don’t delay.
