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What to do in Puerto Vallarta for the day?


Kiwi_cruiser
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There is a public restroom at the plaza, downstairs. Otherwise need to find a restaurant or grocery store willing to let the public in.

1. What is the "plaza" and where is it located?

2. Do restaurants tend to have restrooms as we will be having lunch somewhere?

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Hank.....

 

For those of us that would like to spend some time enjoying the Malecon, how plentiful are restrooms?

 

Sometimes I think DW married me because I could find her restrooms in nearly any location :). Your question is a great question for cruisers. There are some public restrooms along the Malecon but I am not a big fan :). After all, they are public and they are generally down steps in a too quiet area. There is a public restroom facility on the opposite side of the Malecon as you pass McDonalds (at the Northern end). There are also underground facilities in the Old Town.

 

My advice is to simply forget the public facilities :). If you need a rest room you can simply walk into any bar, cafe or restaurant...buy a cup of coffee/tea and take advantage of their facilities. So if you are at the Northern end of the Malecon, instead of heading down the steps to the oft desserted public facility you can simply walk into McDonalds and use their nicer rest rooms (at least buy a coke or coffee). As you walk around PV you will see numerous bars and cafes and their facilities are yours to use for the price of a drink.

 

Having lived in PV for the past 12 winters I can assure you that DW and I have never used the pubic rest rooms :). No need. You might find yourself tipping an attendant more than the cost of some coffee.....and for what?

 

Hank

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It has been many years since we frequented Peurto Vallarta. There was a nice marina area across the port. It had shops and some very nice restaurants .Does it still exist ?

 

 

Honestly not sure :). The most commonly used cruise pier was on the southern side of the Port (Pier 1). But this area has had some major construction (to improve the port) going on for over a year which has caused disruptions of some of the facilities. We are not sure of the current status. Last winter, most of the ships were docking at either Pier 2 or 3 where the facilities were often a few tents with vendors. Keep in mind that there is a major shopping center (Gallerie) across the main road from the port where there are decent public facilities as well as some decent stores. I was actually surprised to find a Villebrequin shop in that mall. Given that their male swim suits usually cost over $250 (US) this even shocked me :). DW noted that every time we have waked by that boutique there was never any customers..so perhaps it is now gone..

 

Hank

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Sometimes I think DW married me because I could find her restrooms in nearly any location :). Your question is a great question for cruisers. There are some public restrooms along the Malecon but I am not a big fan :). After all, they are public and they are generally down steps in a too quiet area. There is a public restroom facility on the opposite side of the Malecon as you pass McDonalds (at the Northern end). There are also underground facilities in the Old Town.

 

My advice is to simply forget the public facilities :). If you need a rest room you can simply walk into any bar, cafe or restaurant...buy a cup of coffee/tea and take advantage of their facilities. So if you are at the Northern end of the Malecon, instead of heading down the steps to the oft desserted public facility you can simply walk into McDonalds and use their nicer rest rooms (at least buy a coke or coffee). As you walk around PV you will see numerous bars and cafes and their facilities are yours to use for the price of a drink.

 

Having lived in PV for the past 12 winters I can assure you that DW and I have never used the pubic rest rooms :). No need. You might find yourself tipping an attendant more than the cost of some coffee.....and for what?

 

Hank

 

Thanks Hank...I have copied into our travel documents and thank you for the compliment on my post.......

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I had posted the bus price which is 7.5 Pesos. By the way, in Mexico they use the dollar sign for their Pesos which can confuse folks. So if you see $7.5 it means about 35 cents :). A taxi to the Malecon for $6 would be a good price. But expect taxi drivers to ask for $10 or more....and be prepared to bargain. Many locals call the high prices "gringo prices."

 

Hank

 

My daughter and I returned from our cruise just today. While in PV we took the white van ( there were several white vans and taxis right outside the ship ) They charged everyone $4 per person to drop off at the Malecon. The stop was where Starbucks was which worked for us to grab some ice coffee, Wi-Fi and air conditioning before we started our walk down the boardwalk.

 

The return taxi did charge us $5 each to get back to the ship.

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Thanks for all the good info in this thread.

We will be in PV on Wed, 11-7 18 from 8 AM to 8 PM. We have the Rhythms of the Night excursion booked but it does'nt start til 3 PM til 7:30 PM. This gives us 7 hrs before the excursion to do something. I google mapped where the cruise port is and the Malecon, (which sounds interesting to us) but I can't seem to find where the Rhythms of the Night show will be. If it is near the Malecon maybe we could go straight to it without going back to the ship to meet for the excursion.

Can someone give me some landmark or coordinates where this excusion (through Carnival) will be in relation to the cruise port or the Malecon boardwalk?

Thanks

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Thanks for all the good info in this thread.

We will be in PV on Wed, 11-7 18 from 8 AM to 8 PM. We have the Rhythms of the Night excursion booked but it does'nt start til 3 PM til 7:30 PM. This gives us 7 hrs before the excursion to do something. I google mapped where the cruise port is and the Malecon, (which sounds interesting to us) but I can't seem to find where the Rhythms of the Night show will be. If it is near the Malecon maybe we could go straight to it without going back to the ship to meet for the excursion.

Can someone give me some landmark or coordinates where this excusion (through Carnival) will be in relation to the cruise port or the Malecon boardwalk?

Thanks

Is on private island reached by boat only. Same area as Las Caletas

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My daughter and I returned from our cruise just today. While in PV we took the white van ( there were several white vans and taxis right outside the ship ) They charged everyone $4 per person to drop off at the Malecon. The stop was where Starbucks was which worked for us to grab some ice coffee, Wi-Fi and air conditioning before we started our walk down the boardwalk.

 

The return taxi did charge us $5 each to get back to the ship.

 

The "white taxis" in the port are what many of us call "Federal taxis" because they have a special franchise from the Federal Government that gives them the right to pick-up in the port. They also use their own pricing structure which is a cost per person. The regular taxis (found outside the port) are supposed to charge a price per taxi (not per person) and the price is based on zones and regulated by the government. But these regular taxis will too often try to rip-off cruisers or others who are not aware of the official pricing, zones, etc. If you paid $5 each and there were more then 2 in that taxi you were truly ripped off! Even with 2 persons the fare should not have been $10 US(about $200 Pesos) but at least that fare is not outrageous. And by the way, Uber would have charged you about $8 for the entire taxi! PV does have Uber although it has not been without some controversy.

 

And there is another issue. While the government does theoretically control pricing, the price controls are in Mexican Pesos (which also use the $ dollar sign). If you want to pay in US Dollars there really are no regulations which govern what exchange rate you might be given by a taxi driver. So if they want to give to give you give you 10 Pesos to the dollar (the official rate is now about 19:1) they have not really broken the law. This is another reason why it often pays to use Pesos while in Mexico.

 

Cruisers who use US Dollars should be aware of the current exchange rates and act accordingly. In PV there are some places that actually give you very fair exchange rates...but many others are not so generous.

 

Hank

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Thanks for all the good info in this thread.

We will be in PV on Wed, 11-7 18 from 8 AM to 8 PM. We have the Rhythms of the Night excursion booked but it does'nt start til 3 PM til 7:30 PM. This gives us 7 hrs before the excursion to do something. I google mapped where the cruise port is and the Malecon, (which sounds interesting to us) but I can't seem to find where the Rhythms of the Night show will be. If it is near the Malecon maybe we could go straight to it without going back to the ship to meet for the excursion.

Can someone give me some landmark or coordinates where this excusion (through Carnival) will be in relation to the cruise port or the Malecon boardwalk?

Thanks

 

It will take place at a private area on the south shore of the Bay of Banderas. (Not on an island). However it can only be reached by special boat of Vallarta Adventures. Unfortunately you will need to return to the terminal to get on that boat.

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  • 3 weeks later...

We loved Tour with Roberto -- $25/hr (not per person) & he'll do whatever you want but he can't pick up at the cruise pier - you need to cross the street to Walmart/Sams. His website is tourwithroberto.com. --- he's from Canada so he's an English speaker - very professional & personable. We hired him for 3 days when we rented a condo in PV. If you book with him, please tell him Mike & Pat from Bremerton say 'hi'.

PS - he gets great reviews on Trip Advisor!

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Has anyone done a day pass that the Hyatt Ziva? We are a family of 7 and thought that might be nice to check out an inclusive resort for a day. Not sure if you have to book through the cruise or if it is better to contact the restort directly and arrange our own transportation.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Been there many times...

 

Eat, drink, beach, jungle (zip line), Los Muertos beach, Los Muertos Brewery, swim with dolphins, jet ski, parasail.... etc...

 

PV is our favorite stop when doing the MR cruise because there's so much to do.

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My daughter and I returned from our cruise just today. While in PV we took the white van ( there were several white vans and taxis right outside the ship ) They charged everyone $4 per person to drop off at the Malecon. The stop was where Starbucks was which worked for us to grab some ice coffee, Wi-Fi and air conditioning before we started our walk down the boardwalk.

 

The return taxi did charge us $5 each to get back to the ship.

Thanks for the info! That price is reasonable.

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I have a question are there vans available we have 11 of us going to the aqua adventure park in Nuevo san Lucas about 30 min away only about 10-12 miles what should the approx. fare be and I noticed your statement that the transportation in the port only delivers so how can I arrange transportation back

thanks

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If we start at Rosita's and walk the Malecon, where is the best place to get a taxi back to the ship?
There are, literally, hundreds of taxis along the length of the Malecon. The city taxis are regulated and fares are established by zones. There is a zone boundary at the Cuale river (separates downtown from the Los Muertos beach area). If saving a few pesos is important, then get your taxi on the downtown side of the river.

 

Know that Federal port/airport taxis charge per person in USD's to take you out/off port property. City taxis operate outside the port/airport properties, can take you anywhere you need to go, charge per taxi ride and point-to-point fares are regulated. These regulated fares are established in Pesos and are publicly displayed in the lobby of every hotel. If you choose to pay in USD's, then it is open season on tourists and you will be bartering with the driver on the fare just like it was a t-shirt. I have no information on Uber.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sent from my SM-T700 using Forums mobile app

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I have a question are there vans available we have 11 of us going to the aqua adventure park in Nuevo san Lucas about 30 min away only about 10-12 miles what should the approx. fare be and I noticed your statement that the transportation in the port only delivers so how can I arrange transportation back

thanks

I don't have an answer for your specific question. I can tell you that the Federal port will have larger vehicles but I'm not sure if they can accommodate a party of 11 in one vehicle. The Puerto Vallarta city taxis can accommodate up to 4 passengers (although minivan are starting to appear). The water park is located in the neighboring Nayarit State. The taxi companies (unions) have great political power in this area. Rules are strictly enforced. Port taxis can take you anywhere but can't pick up any passengers outside the port. Vallarta city taxis can take you anywhere but can't pick up passengers inside the port or in the neighboring Nayarit State. Taxis in Nayarit State can take you anywhere as long as the pick you up in Nayarit.

 

So . . . Your return transportation from the water park will have to be a Nayarit taxis and they are typically able to carry a maximum of 4 passengers per vehicle. The price per taxi may be higher than Vallarta taxis because the will have to drive back to Nuevo Vallarta (Nayarit) empty.

 

I suggest you ask your question in a separate thread with a title that will draw answers from people that have made the trip to the Aqua Adventure water park in Nuevo Vallarta.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sent from my SM-T700 using Forums mobile app

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How reliable are the tours at the port when your ship arrives? My friend and I know we want to do snorkeling and swimming without vendors bothering us. She isn't sure about the HAL Las Caletas excursion although that's my top choice. Would we find anything similar being offered upon arrival? We'd like to get back mid-afternoon then go into town to stroll and have a drink - she has been before long ago and wants to see how it's changed. My friend also remembers going to a restaurant decades ago in a cave with a waterfall - we tried googling pictures but nothing looked familiar to her. Not to much to go on but any guesses?

 

She also wants to pick up a couple of products in a drug store hoping less expensive than the US - I said WalMart!

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How reliable are the tours at the port when your ship arrives? My friend and I know we want to do snorkeling and swimming without vendors bothering us. She isn't sure about the HAL Las Caletas excursion although that's my top choice. Would we find anything similar being offered upon arrival? We'd like to get back mid-afternoon then go into town to stroll and have a drink - she has been before long ago and wants to see how it's changed. My friend also remembers going to a restaurant decades ago in a cave with a waterfall - we tried googling pictures but nothing looked familiar to her. Not to much to go on but any guesses?

 

She also wants to pick up a couple of products in a drug store hoping less expensive than the US - I said WalMart!

 

The Las Caletas excursion is only offered through Vallarta Adventures (who contracts with the ships) since they have exclusive rights to the piece of land where you go on that tour. There is nothing else comparable...if that is how you want to spend your day.

 

As to drugs, it is really hit/miss. We have found some drugs in Mexico that are priced better then in the USA...but many others actually cost more. And for those that have some kind of drug insurance at home, buying in Mexico is generally not a bargain. Walmart is fine as are quite a few pharmacies such as Guadalajara Pharmacy. I think that Costco has the best drug prices on many items, but that store is not convenient to the cruise port.

 

Your restaurant got me thinking, but despite dining in more than 50 restaurants a year (in PV) I have no clue. And if it was "decades ago" if it exists it would likely be under different ownership to changed. Probably the most picturesque restaurant for lunch is the Ocean Grill, but they have gone through some difficult times (closed for quite a while) so we will no longer recommend that place until we have a chance to check it out on our own.

 

Hank

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Probably the most picturesque restaurant for lunch is the Ocean Grill, but they have gone through some difficult times (closed for quite a while) so we will no longer recommend that place until we have a chance to check it out on our own.

 

Hank

Hank: What is your opinion of the River Cafe for lunch?

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My friend added that the mystery waterfall/cave restaurant was somewhat of a drive out of town up into hills. I hadn’t really thought it was on the waterfront LOL.

 

She wants to buy Voltaren Gel, which is over the counter as well as prescription.

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  • 3 months later...
On ‎6‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 8:29 AM, Hlitner said:

Eventually you will near the Rio Cujale where there is a pedestrian bridge which takes you to the Romantic Zone (also called Old Town or the Southside). At this point you might want to explore the island that is in the river or just cross the bridge to the Romantic Zone (our home) where there are plenty of shops and decent eating venues.

 

 

Hank, appreciate your thorough replies as always...I have been to PV before but am trying to recall where I asked the cab driver to drop us so we would start at the southern end of the malecon and work our way north...we want to start in the Romantic Zone as there are some breweries we want to visit again (Los Muertos) and try for the first time (Monzon)...if I ask the cabbie to "take us to the Romantic Zone", will that get us in the general area (half mile or so) of those locations, or should I be more specific (like ask him/her to drop us at Our Lady of Guadalupe church and just cross over the river on foot)?

Edited by funonabun
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