Put Some Spice in Your Life with a Trip to Mexico's Bustling Puerto Vallarta Rupert Parker - Sunday Post
go to original June 19, 2015

Mexico has some of the world's most beautiful beaches (Getty Images)

Cancun and the Riviera Maya have long been the destinations for most people (from the UK) visiting Mexico, but a new direct link from Thomson has made the Pacific coast more accessible.

It’s a long 12-hour flight, but the planes are new and the all-inclusive resorts are just minutes from the airport.

Puerto Vallarta is one long bustling strip, backed by the Sierra Madre mountains on the second largest bay in the Americas.

You can wander El Malecon, the pedestrianised promenade, at any time of the day or night, and sample its many restaurants, bars and clubs.

In fact, when most of Mexico is off-limits to tourists because of the drug cartels, this is one of the safest places to travel.

The resorts offer excellent value, taxis are cheap and you can get a beer for less than a dollar.

Food here is excellent with plenty of fish and prawns at very good prices, and tequila is everywhere. This state is home to the town where the drink originated, and many hotels offer trips to distilleries which of course include tastings.

From mid-September to the end of March, whales pass close to the shore, and I was lucky to spot a couple of humpbacks while I was having breakfast one morning.

Various companies offer whale-watching trips and often combine them with a visit to the Marietas Islands National Park, lying just off the shore. This is a haven for bird life, but the real attraction is Playa Escondida or ‘hidden beach’.

The ship anchors, you’re kitted out with flippers, life jacket and snorkel, jump in the sea and swim into a tunnel in the rock.

It’s dark inside but the light at the end leads to the hidden beach, formed by the collapse of the cave roof. I particularly enjoyed the snorkelling here and saw turtles, stingrays, a wide variety of fish, but unfortunately the dolphins eluded me.

Most hotels have some form of entertainment, but it’s well worth venturing into town and getting a taste of Mexican nightlife.

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