Relaxing the Puerto Vallarta Way
After spending 11 days in the beautiful village of Sayulita, it was time to relax differently. This time I was doing it the Puerto Vallarta way by exploring the city, enjoying the resort amenities, absorbing amazing beach views, and visiting food carts at El Malecon.
I spent the last four days of the trip in Puerto Vallarta to be close to the airport and be somewhere to get covid tested before returning home. The United Stated travel policy required all travelers to the U.S. to have a negative test result before boarding the plane.
I took a taxi from Sayulita to Puerto Vallarta and was about one hour trip and stayed at an apartment located in Zona Romantica called Lofts 268. The apartment building was very nice, modern, with a beautiful rooftop swimming pool overlooking the beach, and a nice gym. The room was very modern and cozy; it had a kitchen but did not have good ventilation for cooking. My stay here was great, especially for what I paid for.
The first thing I did was to look for a place to eat. After searching over the phone, I found a place called Seasons P.V. that looked it was going to be just “okay”. At this point, I was so hungry that I was not looking for the best restaurant in town anymore; however, it did not take long to realize that this restaurant prepared an incredible chicken milanesa with rice. I liked my meal so much that I kept coming back a few more times.
El Malecon
El Malecon is probably the most popular area of Puerto Vallarta. It is a long and wide pedestrian-only avenue with beautiful green decorations, views of the beach, cool statues, shops, and restaurants.
At night, El Malecon transforms into the city’s vibrant nightlife hub. Both locals and tourists stroll through the avenue, vendors sell delicious food and snacks, and bars and nightclubs are entice people to come to dance. I had a delicious cup of corn with butter, sour cream, cheese, chili powder, and a pinch of lime juice. I had not had that in years but it is a traditional snack that I used to eat when I lived in Mexico.
Tacos
Pancho’s Takos in Zona Romantica were delicious. They are highly rated on google and had enormous waiting lines every evening due to their popularity. I tried the pork and carne asada tacos and quickly learned why this taco shop was so popular.
Final Thoughts
Puerto Vallarta was mainly planned to be a place to get covid tested and stay close to the airport. However, my stay here was more pleasant and relaxing than I expected. Instead of running from one place to another to try to explore the most, I enjoyed the amenities at the hotel, walked around el Malecon, rested in the apartment, watched a movie, and tried incredible food in town. Traveling can become exhausting, but if planned correctly, Puerto Vallarta’s beauty shines more when exploring it at a leisurely pace.
