Welcome to our Puerto Vallarta Travel Information Guide. Here you will find detailed travel information for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, including Puerto Vallarta hotels, the newest and most luxurious All Inclusive Puerto Vallarta resorts, as well as fabulous and exciting attractions. Our guide provides also with the opportunity to learn about the extensive variety of restaurants, nightclubs and shopping opportunities in Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta, so that your Puerto Vallarta vacation is an unforgettable experience.

Puerto Vallarta is nestled on Banderas Bay, the second largest bay of the Western Hemisphere, in the Mexican Pacific and it is ringed by the magnificent Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains. The beaches that are the most beloved are situated in the northern part of Banderas Bay (Bay of Flags) such as: Bucerias, Corral del Risco and Punta Mita, Cruz de Huanacaxtle, all within close proximity of Nuevo Vallarta. Other interesting sites to visit are the Rincon de Guayabitos, and Peñita de Jaltemba

Puerto Vallarta hotels feature a great diversity of styles to meet all demands. Extreme adventurers, luxury loving family vacationers, and even seekers of romance can certainly count on finding a perfect hotel in Puerto Vallarta for their vacation plans.

Some of the top all inclusive hotels in Puerto Vallarta are: Buenaventura Hotel and Beach Club, Villa del Palmar Beach Resort and Spa, Canto del Sol Plaza Vallarta, and Dreams Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa. If you are looking for very luxurious accommodations, the Marriott Casamagna or the Barcelo La Jolla de Mismaloya are the perfect choices.

Nuevo Vallarta is also well-known for its all inclusive deluxe hotels like Marival Resort and Suites, Paradise Village Beach Resort, Riu Jalisco and Occidental Allegro Nuevo Vallarta.

The region called now Puerto Vallarta was discovered in 1541 by Don Pedro de Alvarado. But sadly, soon after, it was almost forgotten for 300 more years. From 1851 to 1918 Puerto Vallarta was known as Puerto Las Peñas. But in 1918, after it was acknowledged as a municipality, it was renamed Puerto Vallarta, in honor of Don Ignacio L. Vallarta, the governor of Jalisco at the time. The site remained unknown for 50 more years. Then, the American film director John Houston, who had read about its beauty decided to make his next film The Night of the Iguana close to Mismaloya. And this gave Puerto Vallarta international recognition. Nowadays Puerto Vallarta has over 300,000 inhabitants, of which almost 15,000 have American, Canadian, or Australian origin. Puerto Vallarta has become the home of many people that when vacationing in this Mexican land fell in love with it and decided to settle there. From retirees to young people seeking for adventure, Puerto Vallarta constitutes a perfect destination since it blends the tranquility of an artistic little Mexican town with the infrastructure of a modern beach resort.

The historical downtown area of Puerto Vallarta with its quaint look invites to walk in the cobblestone streets, where you can admire white-walled houses, wrought-iron balconies and red-tiled roofs, as well as Mexican art like the original work by the muralist Manuel Lepe and colonial heritage as the Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe temple. Puerto Vallarta city features a beautiful combination of well-preserved colonial and modern constructions along with deluxe hotels, sports facilities, intriguing restaurants and large shopping areas

Puerto Vallarta has over 250 restaurants with a wide display of delightful dishes, where the local seafood specialties stand out. The cafes and coffee houses of Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta like Cafe des Artistes or De Santos are famous for their live music and multicultural atmosphere. After the sunset, the nightclubs and bars in Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta feature different types of music, from live jazz and salsa to popular DJ mixers to fit everybody’s taste.

Puerto Vallarta represents an important handicrafts center for the Huichol Indians, an ethnic group that has managed to preserve its customs in an ever-changing city. Terra Noble is where locals teach visitors their artistic techniques to make their own artifacts.

Puerto Vallarta’s magnificent beaches have an extension of 25 miles, which offer a great variety of enjoyable activities. They are renowned for their breathtaking sunset scenes and their modern water sports facilities. Banderas Bay is well-known for its favorable conditions for water sports such as sailing, fishing and jet skiing, whereas Quimixto, Punta Mita and los Arcos are ideal for diving.

Ecotourism is another attraction of Puerto Vallarta. The Marine Ecological Reserve Los Arcos is a group of three rock islands across Mismaloya Beach that house a variety of marine birds, marine mammals and many ocean organisms; Ridley turtles also lay their eggs on these shores. You can take fun boat tours around the bay to watch dolphins, turtles and humpback whales in their natural habitat.

Nuevo Vallarta, a federal government project from 1990, is considered a residential resort community, where luxurious villas and estates, famous for their exuberant tropical gardens that run along the winding canals and their private docking piers, have been built ever since

The three miles of sandy beach offer sumptuous resort conveniences and the marina, the 300-slip state-of-the-art dock and condominiums, welcomes residents and vacationers to pay it a visit every time.

Even though Puerto Vallarta is not known for its archeological contributions, about 80 Mesoamerican sites have been discovered in the municipality of Puerto Vallarta. It is believed then, that small congregations settled on the Banderas Valley around 200 to 400 BC. The early dwellers must have taken advantage of the golden topography of the area, provided by the mountain ranges, valleys, brooks and rivers. There is evidence that they lived on fishing and hunting and that they made pottery and stone figurines, as much as engravings on large rocks with images of geometric designs and animals.

New Passport Requirements

As part of U.S. Department of State's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, all travelers will be required to present a valid passport or other accepted document(s) to enter or re-enter the U.S. (visitors and U.S. residents) as early as January 8, 2007, from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

• January 8, 2007: All persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document (MMDs).

• January 1, 2008: All persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security.

Click here to get complete details on New Requirements for Travelers including a list of "other accepted documents" from U.S Department of State.