PUERTO VALLARTA/NUEVO VALLARTA
Puerto Vallarta should be called simply Vallarta these days (and often
is), now that Marina Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta and Punta Mita (all to the
north) have been added on as resort areas in their own right—not to forget
Mismaloya and Yelapa to the south! They’re all on Banderas Bay (the
largest natural bay in Mexico, with 100 miles of coastline ringed by
mountains); they’re all romantic; and they all use the same airport—half a
dozen destinations rolled into one.
Puerto Vallarta remained largely unknown until 1954, when Mexicana
Airlines started flying there and promoting it (the only way to get there
was to fly—no roads yet) to compete with Acapulco to the south. It was
just a sleepy fishing village back then, but a very picturesque one. Then,
in 1964, John Huston chose it as the backdrop for his film “The Night of
the Iguana,” and that really made people take notice. The movie starred
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, who were both married at the time,
but not to each other! They fell in love with each other and with Puerto
Vallarta; they bought love nests across the street from each other, with a
connecting bridge; the tabloids poured in and suddenly reports datelined
Puerto Vallarta were everywhere. Puerto Vallarta’s time had come—soon
Mexicana’s flights were booked weeks in advance by pilgrims who wanted to
see where Dick and Liz had romanced. Today Casa Kimberley, a hilltop
villa-turned-shrine to the most famous love affair of the 20th century, is
open to the public, with daily tours, preserved much as it was when Liz
and Dick lived there.
In 1969, the first paved highway connected Puerto Vallarta to the rest
of Mexico; it’s now just an easy four-hour drive from Guadalajara. Cars
jam Vallarta’s narrow cobblestone streets on weekends and holidays;
there’s a bridge across the Rio Cuale, the small river which divides the
downtown area, and a six-lane boulevard (Avenida de las Palmas) connects
the airport with downtown. A large hotel zone developed above the town, a
lesser one below town and the beautiful marina to the north of Old Town
has 355 yacht slips—at Marina Vallarta, of course!
The most popular area, on the Playa los Muertos (Dead Man’s Beach), has
been dubbed the Zona Romantica (Romantic Zone). The streets leading down
to Los Muertos, particularly Basilio Badillo and Olas Altas, have become
the address of some of the best dining spots in Vallarta.
Nowadays culture, cuisine and ecology are the big attractions. Few come
to simply relax—basking on the beach is considered lazy when
whale-watching expeditions beckon, giant sea turtles need rescuing, hikes
in the jungle enjoyed, horses wait to be rode, and air tours, excursions
on mountain bikes and kayak outings spell adventure! Lounging around the
pool isn’t enough either, nor, when it comes to shopping, is buying
t-shirts and tacky souvenirs when art galleries and fine paintings and
sculptures are everywhere. Everyone goes gallery-hopping on the third
Wednesday of every month, when the new art shows open. From January
through March, tours to artists’ studios are a popular pastime. The late
Manuel Lepe, Mexico’s premier primitive painter, who became the national
painter of Mexico, gets credit for putting Vallarta on the art maps. His
trademark angels flying over Vallarta’s beaches delighted the Hollywood
types who began flocking to the area in the 1960s.
The heart of Puerto Vallarta, the downtown area, is easily explored on
foot, and includes two very distinct neighborhoods—Old Town Vallarta and
the Zona Romantica. Old Town Vallarta encompasses the elegantly simple
ocean boardwalk (malecon), with its numerous statues, monuments and works
of art by several well-known international and local artists, as well as
the steep cobblestone streets that climb up and up from the sea. It is
home to Vallarta’s singlemost photographed feature, the crown atop
Guadalupe Church, long a symbol of the town. On Sundays especially, around
sunset, the malecon bustles with activity as people stroll beside the
ocean, much like the inhabitants of a small town meet and mingle at the
main plaza.
Across the Rio Cuale, the Zona Romantica begins, a bohemian
neighborhood with sidewalk eateries, fashionable boutiques and the odd
Internet café lining the streets closest to the beach; beachfront
restaurants offer front-row seats to the on-shore activity.
Between the two banks of the Rio Cuale is a long narrow five-acre
island that’s home to several of the town’s finest restaurants, a small
botanical garden, some handicrafts shops, and the Regional Anthropology
Museum. The west end of the island, at the mouth of the river, looks out
over the blue Pacific. The east end provides a beautiful vista of the
canyons that border the river corridor, with the verdant jungle-covered
mountains looming in the background.
A myriad of activities beckons in Vallarta, including a five-hour
“see-all” tropical and city tour, artists’ studio tours, film location
sites (including “Night of the Iguana” and “Predator”), the Perfidio
Tequila Distillery, romantic day or sunset cruises, whale-watching
excursions or other eco-tours, such as a visit to a sea-turtle breeding
station (Aug-Nov), a boat trip to Yelapa (a rustic town down the coast),
the bullfights and air tours to nearby towns and colonial cities. Then
there’s superb shopping, strolling musicians, great food & drinks in
restaurants/bars/ nightclubs! You can hike in the Sierra Madres or go sea
kayaking on Banderas Bay, horseback ride in the jungle and countryside,
choose from seven gorgeous golf courses or play at several tennis centers
or clubs. Excellent snorkeling and scuba diving is available at certain
ocean sites that offer a chance to see giant mantas, dolphins and sea
turtles. In addition to all this, the waters off Puerto Vallarta rank with
the best in the world for both deep-sea and small game fishing. November
through May is the best season for sailfish, and throughout the year you
can fish for red snapper, rooster fish, bass, sea bass, dorado, swordfish,
tuna, bonito and others. An international deep-sea fishing tournament is
held each year in November.
Picturesque Vallarta is a many-faceted jewel set against the
backdrop of blue sea, green jungle and high mountains—an incomparable and
rare combination when combined with great hotels, gourmet restaurants and
friendly people. It’s the perfect combination for a romantic getaway—what
more could you ask for?
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