Why Puerto Vallarta is My Favorite Mexican Beach Town 

I was so happy to discover it on my recent trip, those grilled snapper were SO GOOD! Enjoy your travels and all of the delicious food while you're there!

Enjoy your trip! It's such a magical place :)

Aw, thank you so much! That's kind of you to say, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! PV is such a special place!

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

I hear Canada will be taking in the remaining population of Gaza and Alberta is the majority’s destination. You Canadians are so kind.

@@benallmark9671 lol. That is news to me. Lots of homeless & unfortunate people already here.

@@lorraineklemchuk387 we’ll see I guess won’t we. Wait until all the migrants in America figure out Trumps getting back in. The population of Canada will double in a couple weeks. It’s a good thing Canadians are so welcoming and generous.

It's such a special place!

I had no idea! The only other time I've seen them around here was after a tropical storm in Barra, there were loads of them sunning themselves right on the boardwalk!

It depends on what level of accommodation you are looking for, and how central you want to be. Accommodation is definitely the biggest expense but food can add up if you are eating out for every meal. You can expect to pay $60+ per night in the Romantic Zone, a bit less if you are looking in the Centro or 5 de Diciembre neighborhoods. You can self-cater for a very reasonable price, eat street food for a few dollars. Or you can eat at restaurants for every meal and spend anywhere from $5-25 per head. It all depends on how luxurious you're looking to be on your trip.

Great video! We’re going in March. I love that you did a video on PV because now I know I’m in good hands 😉. We reserved a room a at Casa Maria but I was curious as to your lodging recommendations. Thanks!

I’ve been to PV several times. Stayed in old town/romantic zone. No car needed. Swimmable beaches. Short taxi rides to other fun places. Last summer I spent 8 weeks in La Paz. You need a car. The better swimmable beaches are longer drive away from downtown. Not as lush green as PV. In my opinion, I like PV better because of the walkability to most anything, swimmable beaches, short distance to adventure new things, greener.

As others have mentioned, they are pretty different. You can use the bus in La Paz to get to the beaches, but they aren't as reliable as the bus network in Puerto Vallarta. The beaches in La Paz are on the Gulf of California, so they are very calm - great for kayaking, SUP, floating and swimming. You can take boat trips out to Espiritu Santo or snorkel with whale sharks. It's a very different experience to PV where the beaches are on the Pacific Ocean, much more rugged, much rougher waves, not always ideal for swimming or other calmer water sports. But lots of great surf beaches, waves are great for body boarding or skim boarding. Both are great bases for exploring other nearby locations. With PV, you can hop in a car and go north or south to more incredible beach towns or great hiking. in La Paz, you have Todos Santos, Los Barriles, LA Ventana and even San Jose del Cabo only about 2 hours away. I hope that helps a little bit! You can always find more information about each destination on my website eternal-expat.com and if you have further questions, feel free to email me :)

For me Puerto Vallarta every time. I much prefer the rugged west coast to the Caribbean side.

Recently wrote this article that might help for f you’re between the two. www.eternal-expat.com/2024/01/31/cancun-vs-puerto-vallarta/