Puerto Vallarta is a MAGICAL tropical paradise located on the Pacific/West coast of Mexico in the NorthWest corner of the state of Jalisco – kinda/sorta half-way between Acapulco & Mazatlan. The Vallarta that I present to you is a quaint, colonial seaside village with cobblestone streets & red tiled roofs, smiling/helpful locals & some of the BEST restaurants I’ve experienced (& honey – having lived in San Francisco for 17 years & being a travel writer that’s been around – I’ve experienced A LOT of restaurants!!). Vallarta’s surrounded by the rugged tropical jungles of the Sierra Madre Mountains (facing East) & Banderas Bay (Mexico's largest natural bay)! Vallarta’s the SAME latitude as Hawaii giving it similar LUSH tropical jungles & similar weather - EXCEPT it’s been forever since a hurricane’s ventured into Banderas Bay!! And which Caribbean, Florida, Hawaii – heck – even Cancun & Acapulco & even Cabo destination can boast of that!?!??! Yet Vallarta’s 1-1/2 hours closer to us than Hawaii, is a LOT less $$ & is MUCH more MAGICAL!!!

The heart of REAL Vallarta is divided by the Rio Cuale. MY (& this is only MY perception) favorite area is a place of many names - everything from the Playa los Muertos (beach of the dead – yikes!) to Old Town (later in our info referred to as OT), Playa del Sol, South of the Rio Cuale " & the latest - "Zona Romantica" (it’s far from what I'd call "romantic" but hey, I’m just toooo literal for my own good)! My favorite - "SouthSide" as it sounds sooooo cool (aren’t most areas with "south" in them THE areas – SOMA, South Beach?!?!)!!

SouthSide is an area where you’ll find a good balance of locals, Nationals, tourists, gay, mainstream, families, honeymooners, singles, young & old (& young at heart!) coming together – something for EVERYONE!!! You have MANY condominiums, some VERY rustic/budgety National hotels, gay hotels & B&B’s (bed & BREAKFAST for those that don’t know!) & just a smidgering of more rusticy villas.

If you’re looking for quiet & peaceful vacation, just a couple of minutes south (& an easy $2.50 taxi ride!) experience Conchas Chinas – the "Beverly Hills" of Vallarta, Garza Blanca, Punta Negra & other areas along the Gold Coast! Like centrally located areas throughout the world – SouthSide offers you the general sounds - roosters, trucks shifting gears, shore breaking waves, mariachi’s, etc within it’s 11 block by 5 block radius. You come to the SouthSide area for a mixture of action & charm!!! Whether it’s world class restaurants, water sports, parasailing & jetskiing, chocolate dipped frozen bananas from Choco Banana, dance clubs open till dawn, unique shops – you’ve got just about everything you could desire here!!!

Take a bus (yes – it’s VERY SAFE & only 3.5 pesos!!) 30 minutes south, through the tropical jungles, along rugged windy roads that sometimes hug the water’s edge to the VERY charming fishing village of Boca de Tomatlan where you can sit under a palapa (a palm leaf umbrella) & eat a whole fish roasted in garlic & rice & beans for under $5!! Then hire your own panga (a small boat that can comfortably seat 8) or take a water taxi to Yelapa, an artist colony & special place (I have VERY special memories of my times in Yelapa [even the time when I was bucked off a horse & broke my tailbone!]) where all the power is run by generators or solar, where you can horseback ride or hike through the jungles up to one of three waterfalls or sit on the beach & do nothing!!!

15-45+ minutes north of Old Town/SouthSide & Downtown is the mainstream, mega touristy resorts just like the ones you have in most major vacation destinations – the Hotel Zone, Marina & Nuevo Vallarta (some people like this & that’s ok as we’re ALL so unique & special but TRUST ME [& yourself!!], Vallarta is VERY SAFE, the people are WONDERFUL & the food is FANTASTIC!!

Our site promotes UNIQUE Vallarta & to those people wanting something special cause they KNOW THEY DESERVE SPECIAL!!!). These areas are a far cry from the charm & WONDERFUL people of REAL Vallarta that you’ll ESPECIALLY find South of the Rio Cuale!!

Puerto Vallarta's permanent population is approximately 350,000 with 2 million + visitors annually. I don’t go into the history of Vallarta as I feel the past is the past & though we get to learn from it – it’s important to let it go & live in the Here & NOW!! Besides, there are some great sites out there that do a good job with the historical info, including this one: