One of the charms of Mexico is unpredictability. You never know what to expect.  Every day is an adventure.  The sense of fun, the lively spirit, puts you in the mood to explore opportunities...and they are many.  Banderas     Bay is one of the largest, most beautiful bays in the world,  protected by the Sierra Madre range of mountains.  That never changes.  But Puerto Vallarta is  no longer the little fishing village it was in the 50's.  Now,  it sprawls over hills on both sides of the Cuale River.  Many original   white-painted adobes have been modified by tourists who returned and became "locals."   Many  homes facing the bay are open,  like sheds, to take advantage of wide, ever-changing  views.  The moderate climate makes this windowless world possible. There is a traditional old "Vallarta Style,"  but now  there are other architectural  buildings, large and small,  little casitas and mansions, sometimes side by side. Walks down cobblestoned streets bring surprises.  There are tiny bakeries, restaurants and shops of all kinds in private homes, and huge, business-like establishments.  But all this variety and progress has been achieved without the loss of Vallarta's original atmosphere and charm..   Las Alondras is in the heart of it, an easy stroll to dozens of art galleries, boutiques  and restaurants.  Evenings, tourists and locals stroll the Malecon .....by fancy shops,  lively restaurants and street performers... to the town square for band concerts and events.  In season,  there are Art Walks every other Wednesday night, when you explore galleries and meet artists.  You have plenty to do,  plenty to see.  Plenty to hear, too... every kind of music from every angle and fireworks every night.  Puerto Vallarta may be ones of the noisiest places in the world, as music and other sounds echo from hill to hill.    In town, you don't need a car.  You can walk, take a cab, a bus or best of all, walk. To reach beaches far south of town, go to Boca de Tomatlan and rent a ponga, a motorized canoe which take you to several little coves or to Yelapa. 

To go north from Vallarta,  into the state of Nayarit, you need a car.  At Nuevo Vallarta, you'll see  high rises and a big mall  where you'll hear more English than Spanish.   As you drive along the north end of Banderas Bay, you'll pass  small villages, a good beach club and many new gated homes.  You'll see little palapas on the beach and big palapas atop gated mansions and at the beach restaurants at El Anclote, where you dine with your feet in the sand, if you like.  The posh Four Seasons Resort has a commanding location at the tip of Punta Mita, which used to be a surfing mecca.  You can visit the  Four Seasons if you have a reservation.  A short-cut to the new surfer's  paradise of Sayulita starts near the entrance of Four Seasons.  Driving north, you turn left at the village of Higuera Blanca and take a dirt road to Litibu, the exclusive little colony on the best swiming beach you'll ever find.  It's as quiet at Litibu as it is noisy in Puerto Vallarta.  Far from tourist hotels, Litibu is a magical place where there is  no sound but the sea pounding  the beach.   Casa Loma is our delightful cottage on a hill. For details, click  "map" and  "properties."
Questions?   Contact  VagoPV@aol.com.