Puerto Vallarta's Hidden Gem - That's Not a Beach Sonia Day - The Star
go to original January 9, 2016

Beach vacations get boring. The next time you’re in Puerto Vallarta and the novelty of loafing with a margarita wears off, hop on a public bus and head south.

To the Vallarta Botanical Garden. Yes, there is such a place — and even for non-gardeners, this little piece of paradise is a refreshing change from the packaged predictability of the jam-packed hotel strip. Within the garden’s peaceful 16 hectares, you can feast your eyes on some of the true wonders of Mexico, like rare orchids, tropical rhododendrons and unusual succulent plants. Even better, there are hiking trails through genuine, non-Disneyish jungle where the only sounds are likely to be a trickling stream and squawking birds.

But here’s the biggest surprise. Although this garden keeps winning international horticultural awards, it could be called Mexico’s best-kept secret. The tourism folks (apparently still hung up on the sun, sand and sea formula for luring visitors) rarely mention it in their publicity bumph. It gets virtually no government funding. And most Canadians who visit Puerto Vallarta seem unaware of the garden’s existence.

So let me fill you in. This gem is the brainchild of an American horticulturist and passionate plant lover, Bob Price. And he’s certainly my kind of guy. During a trip to Puerto Vallarta with his mom, Price impulsively plunked down his own money to buy a chunk of land in mountains south of the tourist hangouts, with the dream of creating a showcase for Mexico’s remarkable plant diversity.

“Everywhere I travel, I always visit the botanical gardens and I realized there wasn’t one here. So I decided to just do it,” he told me with a chuckle last winter.

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