Puerto Vallarta Rentals Blog

Not very far from your condo in Puerto Vallarta lies a very different world, a small and charming Mexican town that will take you back to the days before cell phones and satellite television ruled the day. In fact, a trip to San Sebastian will take you back to a time when the community?s the central square, or plaza, was the focal point for social life. That isn?t to say that life in San Sebastian has always been calm. Quite the opposite, in fact: in its heyday, miners pulled gold and silver from surrounding mines, and San Sebastian served as the provincial capital and home to tens of thousands of people.

One look at the architecture and the town?s layout will tell you that this lovely place is not very different today than it was 100 or 200 years ago. A visit to San Sebastian will appeal to everyone who wants to spend a pleasant day exploring the streets of this now-quiet village high in the Sierra Madre. No extreme sports or wild clubs here, just fresh air and nice people.

Make no mistake ? you will find things to do in town. Shop for silver and other local items. If you?re visiting in spring, don?t miss the San Sebastian Silver Festival, which takes place over three days in May. Visit the La Quinta coffee farm, a fifth-generation family enterprise which produces organic coffee, takes guests on short tours and serves coffee and fruit rolls from a stand on the road. Enjoy a good meal. The restaurant Real y Minas comes highly recommended. And if you love to sit on the patio with a cup of coffee and watch the world go slowly by, stop at Los Arcos for breakfast.

You can reach San Sebastian by car; simply follow the airport road toward the university; when you reach the Y in the road, take the route to Mascota until you reach Estancia where you?ll see the sign to San Sebastian. If this sounds too complicated, pay a few pesos and catch a bus to the fork in the road and catch a ride to the small mountain town. Or take a tour with one of Puerto Vallarta?s vendors. Either way, you?ll return to your condo rental in Puerto Vallarta satisfied with a day well spent.