Puerto Vallarta an Overview

- Situated along the Mexican Rivera, Puerto Vallarta, has not lost any of the charm and magic that attracted the first foreign visitors to a quiet, tropical, fishing village. It began to bloom into a world class tourist destination in 1963 when one of the worlds greatest love stories unfolded at the small seaside village of Mismaloya. There, while filming "Night of the Iguana", Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor's love affair went public and so did Puerto Vallarta. A secret no more, Puerto Vallarta became the Mecca of hip Hollywood. Along with the movie stars came reporters and the news was out; Vallarta was the place to be.

In the nearly forty years since, Puerto Vallarta's true essence remains. Cobblestone streets still welcome people from far away lands to this Colonial City. It continues to captivate visitors with its white stucco houses and red tile roofs that dot the hillsides and alleyways, homes that are decorated with the vivid hues of the Bougainvilia plant spilling from balcony rooftop planters.

Within the shadow of the 81 year-old Catholic Cathedral, Our Lady of Guadeloupe, can be heard the echoes of its bells; of donkey hoofs clicking on the pavers, roosters greeting the dawn of a new day and vendors selling their wares, just as it was over a century ago.

So too, high in the Sierra Mountains that rim the bay are remote villages of the Huchiol and Cora Indians. There they live by traditions and religious convictions that were handed down from generation to generation. The images of their lives are depicted in the beautiful handicrafts they bring down the mountains to sell to sustain their lifestyles.

Today Vallarta is a cosmopolitan city of 350,000, including nearly 6,500 international residents. It offers over 15,000 hotel rooms, from bed and breakfast, boutique hotels, private villas, to five star grand tourismo accommodations. This tropical gem also has international dining in over 250 restaurants, shopping that is world class and hosts of activities from disco dancing to diving with the dolphins, everything that keep visitors coming back for more.

Puerto Vallarta is located along the pacific coast of Mexico on the Bahia de Banderas (Bay of Banderas) where the rugged Sierra Mountains meet the sea. The bay itself is the largest in all of Mexico, and provides natural shelter from hurricanes and summer storms. With its 40-mile circumference and up to 2-mile depths, the Bahia de Banderas in home to hundreds of species of wildlife, which kept famous oceanographer, Jacques Cousteau, busy for years. It also provides for superior sport fishing.

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