Hello everyone......I am planning a trip. Thinking of going to puerto Vallarta for the first time. For those of you who have been, any suggestions on where to stay? And your experiences? Doing some research, seems the romantic zone is the place to be.....but how far away is the hotel zone from the romantic zone? Thank you in advance!

We always go to The Friendly Vallarta... small resort, but the staff are amazing!! It is less than 10 mins from the airport, less than 10 mins to The Malecon, and a 5-min walk to a newer outdoor shopping mall And, there is also a very yummy food truck park across the street from the hotel. Highly recommend! There is soooo much to do.

Also, PV has amazing restaurants, Cafe Des Artistes is the best for a romantic night out, Layla's is really good, and The River Cafe is also a must! Don't be afraid to explore in Old Town... so many great places to discover in PV. Everu Thursday night they have a night farmers market at the Marina Vallarta which is also not to be missed!

We always get an apartment in the malecon area or the romantic zone. We don’t like hotels. It’s a short taxi between the 2. So much to see and do. Day trip to sayulita. Go to a beach club in PV for cheap. Great restaurants. Super safe town. We walk for ages. Head up the hill to the look out. Walk the malecon every night. The best.

Make sure to go to Bucerios to Migel Angels restaurant. You can’t miss it. He is a huge hockey fan and has the best margaritas going!

We like Fiesta Americana, which is right next door to Friendly if you want an all inclusive in the hotel zone. But if you really want the old town Mexican charm of the romantic zone I would recommend Playa Los Arcos. It's a great small Mexican hotel with All inclusive option, right on the Los Moertos beach the absolute centre of the romantic zone it's wonderful for a first time trip to PV and they make the best margarita and guacamole

Nuevo vallarta or bucerias...central so you can take local buses...super easy and go up and down coast including central malecon area

Playa los Arcos

Hello, there are so many different areas I think it boils down to what do you want to do. If you like to walk, the romantic zone would allow you to walk almost everywhere. If you like to walk on the beach then I would suggest Nuevo Vallarta as there are long stretches of beach to walk on. I really enjoyed our stay at the Barcelona- all inclusive resort on Mismayloya beach. Very tropical setting, small but nice beach but you need to take the bus to go to town. Myn husband and I prefer all inclusive because you get there and everything is taken care of. Of course we always go off resort to sight see and if doing this option would suggest at least a 4 star. The Riu properties (Vallarta and Palace) are very nice in Nuevo Vallarta

Riu vallarta was there a month ago! Beautiful. 30-40 min away from airport.

M Fatima I've been there a handful of times and will keep going back.

M Fatima good to hear. Going there in March!!

M Fatima just came back from Riu Vallerta. Will be back for sure!!!

i stayed at Riu Jalisco and liked it as well.

Secrets is a great resort

Tropicana is supposed to be nice. Right on the beach.

Cindy my brother and sister-in-law always stay there.

The Tropicana is great. Great beach and lots of great restaurants in the area. And reasonably priced.

I just stayed here about 10 years ago. No complaints except the noise from the hotel next door which played club music 20 hours out of the day, as the night wore on the music got louder.
This trip I'm staying at Hotel Posada de Roger.

We are headed to the Tropicana for spring break. Heard lots of good things.
It's right on the Malecon (public walkway) which has tons going on.

We are doing a family trip to Riu Jalisco over spring break. 10 adults & 9 kids

Sharron have u been to Jalisco? We just got back from Riu Vallerta and walked the beach to stay the day and swim the pools at Jalisco. Needless to say I was soooo happy I was not staying there. Definitely needs an upgrade

uber is super fast and convenient

Secrets

Preach!

Everything is walkable

HOTEL ELOISA!!! When we were there a few years ago we stayed at an all inclusive in Neuvo Vallarta that was nice but far from the real Mexico. Then we spent 10 days at the Eloisa. It was cheap. We had a nice room with kitchenette, and lots of space for us 4. The roof top patio is awesome with a small pool. The best part is, the location. One block from the beach and right next to a plaza. There are loads of great restaurants and the street vendors on the back streets was the best. We found the local market too. The Malecon is right there and he Rio Cuale is a great place to walk and explore. The ratings were so so but we had no complaints.

Marina area! Convenient and close to the airport. Easy to uber to town If you want to spend the day in the more touristy area.

Thank you for all your suggestions and input!

Sayulita ant yulapa are must go see!

NOT NUEVO. It’s resort central. Zero charm.

Some friends opened a bouquet hotel in Sa Pancho called Belenos Inn. Not all inclusive. Check it out.

Sharron an hour north of PV

PV is All about walking and discovering the unique varieties of restaurants and cafes in Zona Romantica and Centro!! I travel there twice a year.....only in boutique hotels or AirB&B. The public buses can take you to Bucerias & Sayulita(2 buses/1 hr 30mins). It is great to have a small kitchen to enjoy the markets or choose to explore the FAB Happy Hours(The Pinnacle Skybar has stunning views). Live music at Cuates y Cuetes most evenings.....Swell daytime Beach Club to meet people....And dancing at Andales or La Bodequita for live Cuban music:):) La Vida es muy Bonita en Puerto Vallarta

Rhythm of the Night. Entertaining boat ride with dinner on the beach and a fantastic live show.
Worth the $.

Chris I agree! Was Definetly worth the money

Marival resort is my fav, we have been a few times

Riu Jalisco or vallarta are nice places. You have access to both resorts. If you stay at riu palace access to all 3 for food drinks etc

Valerie Go with the Riu Palace

Just came back. Stayed at the Grand Miramar and it was wonderful. If I were to do it again I would stay in an air b and b in the Romantic Zone. No need for an all inclusive. You will want to eat in town. Just make sure your building has a pool. It's nice to come back to that.

Cori perfect. And correct.

Jason, I have been going to PV for years, know it like the back of my hand. My feelings are, the best place to stay is in old Town or romantic zone. If you stay in the hotel zone, you'll probably miss alot of the best areas in PV unless your spending time on the bus or in cabs getting to those areas. The best centre of PV is the streets Olas Atlas and Basilio Baddilo. There are fantastic restaurants, clubs, shopping and the beach a block away. A really quaint hotel is Hotel Yasmin. Stay away from All inclusive as there are just so many good places to eat and aren't expensive and Happy hours every where. Jack's Fish Shack is one of my favorite happy hour place. Awesome mojitos! The Pancake House is good value for breakfast and have the best huervo rancheros breakfast. They are on Basilio. My favorite beach bar is the sea monkey. Again, great value, good food and drinks. Also, take a walk up Gringos Gulch. It's the big hill behind the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe which is a must see. The hill offers beautiful views of PV and Banderas Bay. Then find the big walkway bridge to go down and you'll come out at the park that's on the Rio Cuale. It's a gem! If you want have any other questions, I'd be happy to help out.

Hotel Yasmin

Jack's Fish Shack

Our Lady of Guadalupe church

Dinner at Barcelona Tapas

Whatever you do, don’t stay in Nuevo Vallarta.

Suzanne totally agrees. To risky removed and resort walled city. Yuck

Just get an air bnb

So Jason, with all the recommendations, what have you come up with?

Jamie haven’t booked anything yet but thinking crown paradise golden.....anyone stay there? I was looking at places downtown and can stay at the crown for same price. Want to stay somewhere nice (4 star)......next time can venture out to the city