Puerto Vallarta is the kind of place where you could easily spend a month, relaxing in its 75 degree water and enjoying the slow-paced life. It’s also a great weekend getaway where you can catch some R&R, away from the responsibilities of the real world. Having a FT job and limited PTO, I opted for the latter option and went to PV for 4 days and 3 nights. Our all-inclusive resort was situated right near the water. It truly was paradise and I got to experience summer in the middle of winter. Winter may be coming, but you can escape to Mexico. Keep on reading for more things to do in Puerto Vallarta.

Top 3 Things to Do in Puerto Vallarta

1. ATV tour

One of my favorite activities was the ATV tour. On this tour, you go on a waterfall swim, tequila tasting, and eat at a local restaurant. To get to these different locations, you ride your ATV through local neighborhoods in the mountains, enjoying beautiful views of the River Cuale Canyon along the way. The funnest part of actually riding the ATV was riding it across rivers or speeding up the muddy path on the mountain #ridindirty.

The waterfall swim was the first stop on the tour. Below, you can see the first part of the waterfall and you can’t tell from the photo, but the river continues and there is another mini-waterfall which leads to a small little pool. It was a refreshing break from the tour and my friend and I actually got yelled at by our tour guide because we started exploring too far. Oops.

This is the “pool” part after the second mini-waterfall.

After the waterfall stop, we went to the tequila tasting. I’m not a huge fan of tequila so I went into it indifferently, but it ended up being so damn good. The main reason being, that the tequila did not taste tequila. You know that burning sensation you get after drinking a shot of teq? None of that existed in this tequila. Apparently it is 100% organic and 100% blue agave, whereas in the States, tequila manufacturers can claim that their tequila is 100% if it is just 51%+ blue agave. There was a variety of flavored tequilas too, from chocolate flavor (tasted like Mexican Baileys) to almond. I walked away with three bottles.

Our beautiful set up for the tequila tasting

roadside restaurant

The total cost of the trip was 75USD, not including tip.

2. Snorkeling tour

The second excursion I’d recommend is the snorkeling tour to the Marietas islands. This tour was pretty much a mini-cruise with its on-deck entertainment, all-inclusive breakfast and lunch which included drinks, and water activities like snorkeling, kayaking, and stand up paddle boarding.

We made two stops while on the tour – once at a cove, which was formerly a cave until it got owned by erosion, where we snorkeled in warm water and chased after some fishies.

Our second stop was at a beach, where boat staff convinced us to have a photoshoot (this is where the title photo comes from so not even mad). There was also beach volleyball, tubing, the cutest doge, unlimited drinks, and banana boating.

The cost of the snorkel cruise was 79USD, tip not included.

3. Malecon aka Boardwalk

This is a must if you are in the Puerto Vallarta area. While walking this 11-block stretch, you will come across statues, restaurants, and bars, all of which is right near the sea. It is also where all the nightlife is happenin in PV.

There’s a few main clubs on the stretch and we chose to go to Mandala. They play Top 40 mixed with Spanish music and there’s a good amount of tourists there. If you’re looking for more of a local vibe, this isn’t it, but if you’re looking to go out and dance, then it fits the bill. The drinks are ridiculously cheap in comparison to SF prices too. We got 2 shots of top shelf whiskey and with tip, the total was $16…I wish I could bring these prices back home with me.

Transportation

In terms of transportation, I would recommend taking Uber. It was consistently cheaper than taking a taxi, sometimes by 50%. You also don’t worry about having to have the exact change.

Housing

We booked our all-inclusive resort and flight through Costco Travel. We stayed at the Grand Fiesta Americana, which is known for their delicious food (especially important given that this is all-inclusive), friendly service, and for having one of the best ocean views of any resort.

We noticed that most of the folks who stayed here were in their 50s+. There were some younger couples but they were in the minority.

The total cost for our flight from SF to PV, hotel for 3 nights, and transportation to and from the airport was 840USD.

If you’re looking for a trip that has beach, water activities, and allows for general fatassery, this would be a good option. If you’re looking for a place more like Cancun or Cabo where you can party nonstop, you may be disappointed.

Have you gone to PV before? What did you like/not like about it?

Feel free to post in the comments below!