Getting a hug while swimming with a sea lion in Puerto Vallarta

Swimming with a Sea Lion is a must do in Puerto Vallarta

 

I first came to this town on the west coast of Mexico, with stunning views of Banderas Bay and nightly fireworks, in 2015 and quickly fell in love. When you visit, you’ll fall in love too. It’s better than falling in love with a crane operator; you’ll get let down. Or worse, falling in love with a comedian and becoming a joke.

 

Unlike falling in love with a carpenter and getting screwed, I’ve visited Puerto Vallarta about 30 times since my first visit, and she hasn’t let me down. After that many visits, I’ve been able to see just about everything more than once and have my recommendations for you…and they’re better than anyone else’s, obviously.

 

The food in Puerto Vallarta is amazing. There’s great street food all over, particularly the middle taco stand of the three next to Guadalajara Pharmacy in Zona Romantica (the gay area that’s one of my favorites in the world and has amazing resident DJs if you like circuit music). If you happen to show up there in your underwear because you lost your pants after a wild night out, people may look at you a bit funny…but there’s no “no pants, no service” rule…anecdotally, of course.

 

There are also fine dining restaurants that serve over-the-top cocktails and food that will make you overeat, causing you not to think about your beach body the next day. There’s also plenty of casual restaurants, and it’s just hard to find a bad meal. (I’ll share my three favorite restaurants as a bonus, you lucky SOB!)

 

Before we get to the mouthwatering, cocktail-drenched suggestions, here are the top three things to do in Puerto Vallarta:

 

1) Ziplining and ATVs in Yelapa

 

An ATV ride across ome of the worlds longest suspension bridges
An ATV ride across one of the worlds longest suspension bridges

 

Adrenaline junkie? Love outdoor adventures? This day trip to Yelapa with a private guide should be at the top of your list!

 

We started our day by meeting our guide, who treated us to a welcome drink and turned out to be an amazing  escort for the day. When you begin with a welcome drink, you’re definitely starting off on the right foot! We got to know our guide really well during our journey to Yelapa.

 

After a quick safety lesson, we hopped on some ATVs, and I really put the pedal to the metal—or make that throttle hottle? I got nothin’ here.

 

Anyway, I went fast, and this course was a lot of fun. It was off-roading at its finest, with plenty of curves and swerves to test your nerves.

 

We had a race.

 

Yes, I lost. Yes, I’m still mad about it.

 

Along the route, we drove along what used to be the world’s longest suspension bridge (not at top speed), which also offered incredible views.

 

After such a thrilling morning, we went down to a beautiful, secluded waterfall and took some shots for the gram before taking a dip to cool off. It was refreshing and relaxing.

 

However, the relaxing part wore off for the next stage of our adventure: ziplining! I’ve ziplined through the rainforest in Ecuador, over the swamps in New Orleans (it’s cool to zip above a gator), and over drunk tourists in Vegas, but I think this may be my favorite experience. The views were great, and the ziplines were fast. There were also 11 ziplines in total, making it a longer course compared to others.

 

Get your private guide to take you zipling and ATVing in Yelapa now!

 

2) Swimming with dolphins and sea lions in Puerto Vallarta

 

Dancing with a dolphin in Puerto Vallarta
Dancing with a dolphin Vallarta Adventures. He danced like he had two left fins!

 

What could possibly have been some of the most liked photos of my life came from this outing.

 

It was an exciting trip to splash around with dolphins as they talked to you, swam you around, and showed you some of their incredible tricks. 

 

The dolphins were incredible, but you can do that at a lot of places. There are only three places in the world where you can swim with sea lions. 

 

Our sea lions gave us kisses, did silly dances with us, and made silly faces. Then he astonished us with some amazing tricks. 

 

The swimming with the dolpins and sea lions was a great day and one that is super instagrammable! You can do them both in the same day.

 

Check out swimming with Dolphins

 

Check out swimming with Sea Lions

 

3) A unique island

 

The hidden beach in the Marietas Islands before the sea urchin attack
The hidden beach in the Marietas Islands before the viscous, viscous, sea urchin attack

 

Let me be upfront about this: I was actually miserable and wanted to cry during part this day trip. However, it’s not because it wasn’t an incredible experience; it’s because I’m a dumbass. During the snorkeling part of our excursion, I got too close to the rocks and hit my knee on a sea urchin. I had about ten of the spines sticking out of me.

 

Before that, though, wow, what a trip! On the boat ride out to Islas Marietas National Park, we saw as many whales and dolphins as we had on a whale-watching tour (I think it was because it was peak season). We even slowed down a bit to watch a mother whale and her calf resting on the surface of the bay; it was truly magnificent. It made me want to rest as well.

 

We then swam to a hidden beach—once again, super Instagram-worthy. It was so cool to explore this island that you could only access by swimming.

 

Then my friends decided against snorkeling because it was a choppier day than usual, and I should have done the same…

 

But even though I could feel the pain pulsating through my leg on the way back, the beauty of the whales we got to see was quite a great distraction. My friends making fun of me was a good distraction too.

 

I still highly recommend the trip, but maybe skip the snorkeling like my friends did or go on a clearer day.

 

Book your Marietas Islands day trip!

 

 

 

Now my three favorite restaurants in Puerto Vallarta:

 

1) Le Kliff

 

A swing on one of the many terraces at Le Kliff outside of Puerto Vallarta
Does swinging burn off calories from dinner? This swing is on one of the many terraces at Le Kliff

 

Le Kliff, with several terraces perched on a cliff (By George! I think we’ve figured out why they named it that), offers some of the most stunning views I’ve seen anywhere in the world. They serve contemporary Mexican cuisine, and the food is delicious, with top-notch service. My friend ordered the “special” coffee after dinner, which was quite a show as it was set on fire and juggled around. Le Kliff is about half an hour south of PV, which makes it a little further out than other options, but it’s worth it for the views.

 

https://lekliff.com/en/

 

2) La Capella

 

 

 

La Capella is also known for its views, but of Banderas Bay. It’s a beautiful restaurant located in an old church. (I haven’t burst into flames during the many times I’ve been there, so you should be okay too.) I’ve visited several times, and the trick is to make reservations for sunset. You can see the sunset over the bay and also enjoy the fireworks from the restaurant. La Capella serves Italian food, not Mexican, but it is very well done. The best part is the violinist who goes from table to table serenading you as you dine.

 

You can stay at the boutique hotel, which is a renovated church, as well as dine at La Capella

 

3) Cafe des Artistes 

 

Café des Artistes also features a violinist who serenades you as you enjoy your locally sourced dinner. They strive to make every plate a work of art, and it’s just as tasty as it looks. There’s also a giant tree in the restaurant, creating a perfect ambiance. I needed a reminder during my second visit, as I don’t recall much from the first time—I attended a friend’s birthday party there while hammered af and ended up blacking out. Whoopsie daisy! (All three restaurants are great for birthdays, but maybe it’s better to be a little more sober than I was.)

 

https://www.cafedesartistes.com/en

 

Need a hotel in Puerto Vallarta? Trip.com has the best rates and lets you earn trip coin to use toward future reservation.  It’s my favorite rewards program!

 

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