If life throw you lemons, make lemonade. Right? COVID-19 has been horrible, but looking on the bright side of things, it’s brought a few good things: more bike lanes, relaxed liquor laws and the opportunity to work remotely from destinations other than your sofa at home. Scroll to the bottom to see the picture slideshow.
This past year, I took the opportunity to work remotely from Puerto Vallarta (PV), Mexico.
About PV
Puerto Vallarta is a beach resort city located on the Pacific Ocean in the Mexican state of Jalisco. It is safe with easy beach access, restaurants, a vibrant art scene, and dynamic gay scene. The tourist high season is November through March/April.
PV is a tropical wet / dry climate with dry winters and rainy summers. The average daily high temperature is 86 °F (30 °C) and average daily low temperature is 70 °F (21 °C). The rainy season runs mid June through mid October, with the peak of rain between July and September.
PV is often called the “San Francisco of Mexico” with the lively and varied gay scene centered in the Zona Romantica (Romantic Zone) with hotels and resorts, bars, night clubs, beach, theatre, etc. catering to gay clientele and retirees. PV is a popular retirement destination for U.S. and Canadian retirees.
If You Go
- Anywhere you travel, download a Google offline map before you go so you can use it to find places without running data on your cell phone.
- Have some cash with you as taxis from the airport only accept cash and it’s more challenging to get an Uber at the airport (though not impossible).
- Do not drink the tap water ever! Buy bottled water always.
- Do not eat fruits or vegetables unless you disinfect them or eat them at restaurants only. You can eat anything with a skin without disinfecting like oranges and bananas but not apples. (Go to any local convenience store to buy disinfectant on the cheap).
- Most places in PV are still cash only but there are bank machines (For those staying in the Romantic Zone, I recommend the one near the main Starbucks across the street from Margarita Grill). Always have some cash on you (about 500 pesos).
- Carry a mask with you everywhere you go as you’ll need it for most places (on public transit, in pharmacies or stores, to enter some restaurants and bars, including some beaches).
- Happy Hour is everyday at every bar/restaurant with varying hours that stretch from 3-4pm to 6-8pm! Cheers!
Things to Do in or Near the Romantic Zone of PV
- Wednesday Art Walk – Go to the Cafe des Artistes and there are 5-6 art galleries around there. Some galleries serve free drinks. Galleries will have a brochure/map of other art galleries nearby. There are a lot of them!
- Hike the Mirador el Cerro de la Cruz – Put this in your Google map and you’ll find it. Along the way look out for the castle/former homes of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. The arch bridge way over the street so the rumour goes allowed them to have an evening extramarital affair by avoiding the nuns. Bring water. The road and steps leading up to the look-out is steep.
- Beach day at Green Chairs – Search Ritmos Beach Café on Google Map and go here to access beach chairs and umbrellas at no cost (it’s expected that you buy a reasonably priced drink). Other “chairs” and hotels will charge you to sit on their beach. Get there before noon if you want a palapa (a heavy thatch umbrella to protect you from the sun better than the other ones).
- Walk the Malecon (Boardwalk) – Beautiful boardwalk that starts by the Pier and goes across the river and into nearby neighbourhoods. There are usually installations along the Malecon depending on season, such as ones for Halloween (“Day of the Dead”) or Christmas, etc.
- Walk the River / Island – Take Lazaro Cardenas up to the big bridge over the river and then turn left onto Rivera del Rio and stroll leisurely along the river. Take one of the “Indiana Jones” style bridges over the river onto the Island and check it out (It was destroyed by the recent flood so not as pretty as it once was).
- Beers, Boys and Burgers at Hotel Mercurio on Sundays – Arrive at 330pm to get a seat and you don’t have to buy the unlimited beer bracelet cover charge – you can order a la carte from the menu and bar and there are drag queens and dancers.
- Jungle Hike – Go to www.curielxperience.com to book a jungle hike. Curiel bartends at Reinas Bar. You pay a little more but he picks you up by personal car at your preferred location and drops you back and that means no public transit.
- See a Show – Go to Act II, or The Palm and see a “broadway” style show.
Restaurants
- Il pesce – Fish/Seafood/Fresh pasta.
- Tony’s Place – Homestyle Italian run by a local family
- Los Muertos Brewing – Craft Beer and very reasonably priced and delicious pub food
- Street Taco stands across the street from Reinas Bar
- Pancho’s Tacos – Get there very early if you want to eat here
- Archie’s Wok – Chinese/Thai restaurant (The now deceased father was the personal chef to Richard Burton and it’s now run by his children).
- Pancake House – Cheap breakfast on the weekend (cash only)
- Coco’s Kitchen – Cheap breakfast any day (accepts credit card)
- ONO Smoothie Bowls and Cafe – Great place for a healthy breakfast
Bars
- Margarita Grill – Great place for margaritas – order the medium sized and you can pay with credit card (I like the Pineapple or Banana one the best)
- Anonimo Video Bar – Bar plays music requests on multiple screens
- Reinas Bar – Has all the Queen’s on the wall. Older crowd.
- Los Amigos – Gay hole in the wall cowboy bar. Say hello to Charlie the bartender!
- Flamingo’s – Go early at about 930-10pm and it will be crowded with dancers by 11pm. It’s a pre-dance place and plays 70s-80s-90s music and newer stuff and is a lot of fun.
- Blondies – Two locations (I prefer the one on Basilo Badillo). They make a good cocktail in the Romantic Zone.
Coffee
- I found most places in the Romantic Zone failed to make a descent latte or hot milk-based coffee beverage. I stuck to an Americano when getting my caffeine fix.
- Coffee and Sweets – Near Pancho’s Tacos – nice place to sit and watch the people go by or get an ice cream from the place next door.
- Littenbrod – Danish cafe that is large with power outlets and WIFI (with a nice back patio) that is ideal to work from during the day for nomads or remote workers. Most cafes in romantic zone are small without power outlets.
