PUERTO VALLARTA

 Puerto Vallarta is a world-class vacation spot on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Despite the overwhelming popularity of "PV" among tourists, and as a retirement destination for Americans and Canadians, the city has managed to retain much of its charm as a sleepy Mexican fishing village. In 1963, the American director John Huston filmed The Night of the Iguana in Mismaloya, a small town just south of Puerto Vallarta. The real life love affair between the film's leading man, Richard Burton, and Elizabeth Taylor, during filming of the movie, was well documented by the American press and helped put Puerto Vallarta on the map for US tourists. 

 Around the Bay, beautiful beaches, lush jungles and sparkling waterfalls offer many opportunities for the adventurous, world-class shopping and gourmet restaurants satisfy even the most sophisticated traveler. Stretching from the south end of Old Town to central downtown, a newly extended and refurbished boardwalk along the ocean, called the Malecon, passes by any number of shops and restaurants and often play host to mimes, breakdancers, clowns and artists. 

The residents of Puerto Vallarta are very friendly and are generally willing to help with directions and other requests. Old Town Vallarta (or the Zona Romantica district) south of the River Cuale is more like a Mexican town and less like a tourist trap. 

During the first few months of the year, the temperature drop to 25C/77F in the daytime and 20C/68F in the evening and is the busiest time of the year for tourism. High season runs from late November to April.

Spring, which begins March through the end of May, is warm and pleasant. The climate is perfect, the city is quiet and romantic and the sky a perfect shade of blue. A perfect escape from the cold of Winter.

Summer, from June to October, has temperatures in the range of 27C to 32C, or 81F to 90F, and tends to be the hottest and most humid season. However, the rains refresh and regulate the climate and you can breeze into virtually any restaurant on your "must try" list without a reservation.

There are phenomenal thunder and lightning displays during the Summer. Duing the day, the warm Summer sun shines allowing for daytime activities. Then, in the later afternoon and evening, the clouds roll in from the mountains and over the sea for a warm rainfall that sometimes last till morning.

From November to January, the climate is warm with moderate temperatures ranging from an average of 22C to 25C, or 72F to 77F. There is often a gentle breeze that blows in from the Pacific Ocean across Banderas Bay, one of Mexico's largest and one of the world's deepest.