Basic Info
"Throughout the region, from the Riviera Nayarit to the Costalegre, long, flat beaches invite walking, and reefs and offshore breaks draw divers, snorkelers, and surfers. In places, untouristy hideaways, with little to distract you beyond waves lapping the shore, may be accessible by land or by sea. Omnipresent seafood shanties are perfect vantage points for sunsets on the sand.
Although Pacific Mexico's beaches aren't the sugar-sand, crystal-water variety of the Caribbean, they're still lovely. The water here is unpolluted, and the oft-mountainous backdrop, particularly from Puerto Vallarta (PV) south to Cabo Corrientes, is majestic.
PV sits at the center of horseshoe-shape Bahía de Banderas (Banderas Bay), the second-largest bay in North America (after the Hudson). Exquisitely visible from cliff-side hotels and restaurants, the bay's scalloped coast holds myriad coves and small bays perfect for shelling, sunning, swimming, and more strenuous activities.
At Hotel Zone beaches and a few popular stretches of sand north and south of PV proper you can parasail, take boat rides, or Jet Ski; some beaches lend themselves to kayaking, boogie boarding, or snorkeling. Foothills that race down to the sea are crowded with palms and cedars, and the jungle's blue-green canopy forms a highly textured background to the deep blue ocean. Dozens of creeks and rivers follow the contours of these hills, creating estuaries, mangrove swamps, and other habitats.
South of Cabo Corrientes the mountains recede from the coast. Lovely yet lonely beaches and bays are fringed, as elsewhere in and around PV, by dry tropical thorn forest with a variety of plants. Several species of whales cruise down in winter, and turtles spawn on the beaches from late summer into fall."
- www.fodors.com/
"Banderas Bay is one of the 28 most beautiful bays of the world, framed by the majestic mountains of the Sierra Madre consisting of 40 miles of coastline with turquoise and emerald waters. Featured by international championship golf courses and an unimaginable number of activities for travelers seeking adventure to the most cultivated traveler who can expect the best from a world class destination.
But Puerto Vallarta is also a destination rich in culture and traditions and keeping all the spirit and charm of a small Mexican town and is home of many cultural festivals, sport tournaments, music, theater, cinema, gastronomic events, traditional indigenous culture, pilgrimages full of color and tradition, golf championships and sailing regattas.
Puerto Vallarta is home to some of the most prestigious Art Galleries in Mexico; also present an impressive collection of public art along its famous Malecon. Since the destination has a great range of internationally notable restaurants, it is the second gastronomic destination nationwide and makes visitors experience an excellent culinary journey."
- www.visitpuertovallarta.com
