Puerta Vallarta Trip Report

Puerta Vallarta Trip Report (1994)
Puerta Vallarta is situated on the Pacific coast of Mexico, otherwise known as "the Mexican Riviera". Although it's become very popular with tourists, Puerta Vallarta is still a great place to spend a week or so.
Our preferred base of operations is the Krystal Vallarta (KV) hotel, about a 5 minute taxi ride from the downtown area. The Krystal 30+ acre property is beautifully landscaped with bouganvilla and hibiscus, and is boasts a hacienda-style of design, with various buildings connected by cobblestone "streets" and bordered by antique street lamps. While the property is large, it conveys a certain intimacy and ambiance, especially in the evening.
The KV has a total of 44 swimming pools! One is a gorgeous free-form pool next to the ocean, one is a rectangular lap pool, and one is a "fun" pool, complete with waterslide. The other pools are relatively small, and are located next to villas which you can reserve if you'd like to share your pool with only one other villa. (The villas are very small and dark however.) The main free-form pool has a swim-up bar, snack shack and various bridges crossing over it. An open-air restaurant sits next to the pool and offers a decent breakfast buffet, as well as lunch and dinner.
Parasailing is available on the beach next to the hotel. Tip: If you parasail, take a disposable waterproof camera with you to get some great shots from above.
Restaurants:
I recommend the following -

Bogart's (at the Krystal Vallarta) - "Casablanca" themed continental restaurant with pictures of Bogart all over, and a pianist who does a great rendition of (what else?) "As Time Goes By". Excellent service by waiters in full costume (including fedoras). Great seafood and steaks. Expensive.
El Set (about 10 minute south of downtown) - The best place to watch a sunset in PV. The food is okay, but stop by before sunset for at least a drink.
La Mision (in the Los Arcos hotel) - Excellent Mexican cuisine, great drinks, and good service. Moderate.
Le Bistro (downtown near Rio Cuale) - Very nice continental dishes, sandwiches and drinks. Ambience is wonderful, with jazz playing in the background, and shaded tables near the river. Moderate.

Shopping
Downtown PV is filled with great shops to explore. I especially enjoyed the shops near Rio Cuale, which included "Katy's", a shop offering lovely all-cotton women's wear and unique soapstone jewlery.
There's also the open-air market downtown which features handmade knicknacks, rugs, leather goods, and jewelry.
Silver is usually a good buy in Mexico, and is typically sold by weight. Be sure to look for the ".925" stamp on jewelry which denotes that it's real silver. Taxco, another downtown shop, is a very reputable silver dealer I'd recommend.
My favorite souvenieres are the painted ceramic masks which are found in many of the shops. Each mask is painted in bright colors, and each tells a different story. They sell for about $5-$7 each (American).
Beaches
Any of the beaches that front the hotels are very nice. If you want to get away from it all, take a taxi or rent a car to get to Hidden Sands, whichi is a pristine stretch of fine white sand, about 15 minutes north of Puerta Vallarta. There is an open-air restaurant there, too, that serves superb seafood.
Other Sights
Yelapa - Yelapa is an island just off the coast which can be a nice day trip. You'll take a 2-hour ferry ride there and you're served a continental breakfast on the way. Once the ferry approaches the beach, you'll see the Yelapans begin setting up snack bars and arts and crafts booths. Good snorkeling can be found near the rocks, too. Typically, you'll have a couple hours to roam around Yelapa, and then it's time for a 2-hour ferry trip back. If you're adventuresome, ask a Yelapan where you can get some risaia (RIZ-A-UH), which is basically Mexican moonshine.
All in all, Puerta Vallarta is a wonderful place to spend a nice relaxing vacation!