Puerto Vallarta Rentals Blog

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Why should you visit Puerto Vallarta? Well, it’s called “The Friendliest City in the World” for a reason. With multiple sandy beaches, sapphire waters, and year-round warm temperatures, It’s the perfect destination for a family beach holiday. In recent years, PV has also become popular with students on Spring Break, and it’s the most LGBT-friendly destination in Mexico.

With so many choosing Puerto Vallarta as their holiday destination, prices have risen. That may lead you to believe a holiday in PV will be too expensive. Not so. With careful planning, you can enjoy a fantastic holiday in this friendly city on a budget.

#1. Plan before you go.

Come during summer

Summer is the off-season in Puerto Vallarta. Some tours and activities won’t be available. However, those that continue, such as snorkeling and ziplining tours, will often offer discount rates. You’ll find special offers everywhere and may be able to get cheaper rates on accommodation.

Air ticket offers

You can find last-minute flight ticket bargains as airlines struggle to fill the final seats. Keep your eyes on online sales and promotions. 

Take what you need

Plan your holiday packing carefully. Think through what you’ll need on the beach and in your hotel and ensure you take it with you. This will prevent you from needing to buy emergency gear on holiday. 

If you do find you’ve forgotten something, buy it from a regular store frequented by locals rather than an obvious tourist-oriented shop.

#2. Keep initial arrival costs low

When you arrive at the airport, the fixed price taxis are expensive, costing over 300 pesos. The local bus costs 10 pesos! The bus stop is outside the terminal beneath the pedestrian overpass. You’ll need a bus marked “Centro” or “Zona Romantica” depending upon where you’ve booked accommodation.

If you don’t want to use the public bus, you can use Uber to book a cheaper taxi, which will cost around 90 pesos. Alternatively, if you use that pedestrian overpass to cross the highway, taxis on the other side will cost around 150 pesos.

Try not to use an ATM for cash, because they are expensive. Either exchange some money at home before coming or use a bank in PV. To exchange money in a local bank, you must show them a copy of your passport signature and photo pages.

#3. Rent a condo in the Old Town

Accommodation

Renting a condo will provide more freedom and cost less than a similar standard hotel suite. You’ll find the Old Town to be the cheapest area to stay. With the kitchen in your condo, you can cook for yourself and save money. The Old Town is where you’ll find many of the attractions.

Beach

The Old Town is convenient for the Malecón. The Malecón is a mile-long promenade famous for its beach and many sculptures. On the ends of the Malecón are water fountains pumping out drinking water, so you can fill your water bottles for free!

Food

Another advantage of this area is that many of the most affordable and authentic street food vendors are found in Old Vallarta. While PV has some great gourmet restaurants, and you may decide to eat in one at least once, your money will stretch further if you eat like the locals. Keeping to street food, each meal should cost much less than $5.

Drinks

At the southern end of the Malecón, you’ll find many bars that compete with one another to offer the cheapest drinks. You can sip a Margarita for 16 pesos! But never buy the food there. They lure in tourists with cheap drinks and then make high profits on food.

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#4. Go on free tours

Believe it or not, you can go on free tours in Puerto Vallarta. You’ll even get free snacks and drinks!

The Art Walk

Every Wednesday from October through May and 6 pm to 10 pm, PV’s many popular art galleries open late for the self-guided art tour. Some of the larger galleries serve snacks and refreshments, including cocktails.

Galleria Colectika is a great gallery for viewing traditional Mexican folk art. You’ll be amazed by the vivid colors of the many paintings and sculptures. And LOD is an intriguing art jeweler that utilizes Mexican opals and Colombian emeralds to fashion artistic rings, bracelets, and necklaces.

The Malecón Sculpture Walking Tour

From mid-November through mid-April, the Galeria Pacifico organizes a free sculpture walking tour on Tuesday mornings. You meet the guide at 9:30 am next to the Millennium sculpture near the Hotel Rosita at the north end of the Malecón.

The tour visits 15 statues and takes 2 hours. At each sculpture, you’ll hear about the history of the artwork and its sculptor. Along the tour, you may actually meet the sculptors in person as they often turn up to discuss their art in person. At the end of the walk, the Galeria Pacifico may offer refreshments inside the gallery. 

Live Music

If you enjoy live music, go to the gazebo in the main plaza near the central church. The Municipal Band performs there for free on Thursday and Saturday evenings around 6 pm

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#5. Watch where you sunbathe

When it comes time to hit the beach, watch where you lay your blanket. Some of the beaches literally belong to the beachside restaurants, so you’ll be obliged to be a patron if you want to stay there. However, as long as you buy a drink, they’ll be happy to let you stay.

To keep costs minimal, you’d be better ensuring that you’re on a stretch of public beach. And make sure that you take what you need for the beach. 

If you find you need to buy drinks from the local bars, you may end up spending a lot. And beachside restaurants can be expensive. If you plan carefully, you can make sure that you take all the snacks and drinks you need for your beach stay.