RESTAURANTS AND ACTIVITIES

Favorite Restaurants

Here’s a rundown of the restaurants we’ve enjoyed the most in the years we’ve been coming to central Puerto Vallarta.

Cheap and basic:

El Buen Gusto* (Calle Rodriguez)

Cafeé San Angel* (Olas Altas)

Cuates y Cuetes* (Calle Rodriquez at beach)

El Campanario (across from cathedral)

Semi-Fine Dining:

La Palapa* (on the beach at Calle Pulpito)

Di Vino Dante* (Calle Badillo)

Archie’s Wok* (Calle Rodriguez)

Ortensia Funiculi* (Calle Gomez)

Daiquiri Dick’s* (Calle Carranza at beach)

The Blue Shrimp* (Calle Carranza at beach)

River Cafeé (on Isla del Rio Cuale)

Vitea (on the Malecon at Calle Libertad)

Siam (Calle Madero) S

apori di Sicily* (Olas Altas)

Bravos Cafeé (Madero)

Coco Tropicale* (on the malecon at Badillo)

Middle Ground:

Joe Jack’s Fish Shack* (Calle Badillo)

El Mole de Jovita* (Calle Badillo)

Casa Tradicional (near cathedral)

Specialty:

Salud Super Food (smoothies, rice bowls)* (Olas Altas)

Derby City Burgers* (Calle Rodriguez)

Dee’s Coffee Company* (Calle Rodriguez)

The Coffee Cup* (Calle Gomez)

El Torito (ribs) (at Calle Carranza at Calle Vallarta)

116 Pulpito (pizza)* (Calle Pulpito)

Pingui* (gelato) (Olas Altas)

* closest to Pier 57

Activities

Here are some of the things we’ve done and liked well enough to suggest:

Having morning coffee on the Los Muertos Pier, watching the boat traffic and pelicans.

Watching cruise ships steam in and out of port from our balcony.

Getting a massage, manicure or pedicure at Metamorfosis Day Spa, 159 Francisca Rodriguez (across the street from Pier 57), 322-222-6162

Jungle ziplining and other mountain and water tours with Vallarta Adventures, www.vallarta-adventures.com

Visiting Vallarta Botanical Gardens, 15 miles south of Pier 57 on Highway 200.

Snorkeling at Las Marietas Islands and Los Arcos.

Taking a variety of walking food tours with Vallarta Eats, www.vallartaeats.com.

Browsing the shops along Basilio Badillo, along Isla Cuale, and the “flea market” and shops just north of Rio Cuale

Strolling along the two-kilometre malecon (beach-front boardwalk) at sunset.

Watching for iguanas in the trees at River Cafeé .

Making a day trip to Yelapa on the south shore of Banderas Bay. Take a water taxi from Los Muertos Pier at the foot of Francisca Rodriguez.

Traveling north to the charming little beach towns of Bucerias and Sayulita, with a stop at the dramatic Punta Mita peninsula with its high-end resorts. Best to rent a car for this, but bus service is also available.

LOCAL TRANSPORT

BUSES

Puerto Vallarta has an extensive and inexpensive bus system that can take you all around town as well as to destinations north and south. For details, log into https://visitvallarta.com/essentials.

TAXIS / UBER

Both taxis and uber vehicles are plentiful in Puerto Vallarta. Tourists are usually advised to agree on price before beginning a ride.

WHERE'S THE NEAREST?

BANK / ATM

The nearest bank to Pier 57 is a branch of Banorte, located on Olas Altas between Basilio Badillo and Venustiano Carranza. It has ATMs and a foreign exchange window. To change foreign currency into pesos, bring your passport and a copy of its main page. There is also a foreign exchange office and ATM at Banregio on Basilio Badillo.

CHURCHES

Puerto Vallarta’s landmark Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe is located in Zona Centro on Hidalgo between Calles Zaragoza and Iturbide. A bilingual mass is conducted on Sundays. The church’s beautiful bell tower, visible from your apartment, is topped by a wrought-iron crown designed to resemble one worn by Empress Carlota of Mexico. Another catholic church, Iglesia de la Santa Cruz is located at Cardenas and Aguacate. Paradise Church PV, in the Act II theatre at Badillo and Insurgentes, is a nondenominational church.

CONVENIENCE STORES

There are numerous Oxxo convenience stores within a few blocks of Pier 57.

PHARMACIES

You will find many small “farmacias” along the streets of Zona Romantica. For a much larger selection, visit Farmacia Guadalajara at Insurgentes and Cardenas, or Farmacia Benavides at Insurgentes and Badillo.

GROCERY STORES

There is a small grocery store, Xochitl Supermini, on Olas Altas between Rodriguez and Dieguez. The nearest large grocery store is Ley Supermarket at Avenida Mexico and Uruguay, a few blocks beyond the northern end of the malecon. There are also numerous open-air produce and other food stands at the Emiliano Zapata Market between Cardenas and Carranza north of Camichin.