PUERTO VALLARTA
PV time is an hour later than ship time, but the ship advises us not to change our watches. Convenient shopping and nightlife all in one area downtown, rather than split like Mazatlan. In the morning we hit the shops downtown. The expensive cabs are the white ones just off the gangway, about $8-9, but if you walk out to the main drag (3 minutes) and get a yellow cab, it’s $4 if you bargain hard and $5 if you bargain easy. They can drop people off near the gangway but can’t do pickups there, the white cabs have the gangway contract. Tell the cabbie to take you to the Malecon (beach boardwalk), and drop you at 31 de Octobre street. Often their English is very limited, as was our Spanish, but if we showed them where on the map that worked fine.
The tourist shops and bars are along the beach road, Paseo Diaz Ordaz, starting at 31 de Octobre and going east until you get to Zaragoza street, a pretty treed square with a huge cathedral behind it. On one side of Ordaz are the cafes and shops, and on the ocean side is a pretty stone boardwalk along the beach. Again the endless peddlers on the shop side, less on the ocean side.
The real local shops with no peddlers and better prices are the next 2 streets in from the ocean running parallel to Ordaz, Marelos first, then Juarez next, running down to Zaragoza. Prices are as marked, no haggling. Wendy found another fabric store, half an hour of heaven. Best price on the #1 vanilla extract, Orlando brand, 120 pesos a litre. Morelos and Juarez are a sea of humanity, mostly locals, but lots of tourists, heavy traffic. We asked about crossing streets, and were told the method translates into “run for your life.” Sometimes traffic control cops (?) hold traffic back for tourists.
The tourism people also told us there was good local shopping for 2 blocks in each direction of the Main Plaza at Pitillal (pronounced pity-al), perhaps a mile inland from the ship, a $4-5 cab. The tourism kiosks have maps showing it.
In the afternoon we wanted to hit another resort, and went to the Krystal, a 5-7 minute walk from the ship, which welcomes both cruisers and crew for free day use, no towels included (bring ship towels). Don’t go the long way out to the main drag, take the shortcut down the back street. I’ll give these directions because there are so many messages asking how, and it is a bit hard to locate. Go off the gangway, walk to the right around the circular building, then across the square in front of the flea market, then head for the large white wall with a yellow wall behind it, go through the gate at the left end of the white wall, and go down this street to the end, where you will see the “Welcome cruisers to the Krystal resort”. You can see this route from an upper deck on the dock side of the ship.
The Krystal was lovely, several pools, no umbrellas but didn’t need one, loungers scarce at peak time after lunch but we found 2, more of them on the beach under thatched papillas umbrellas. Drinks were $4.50, rather weak. Beach flags show the danger level of the waves, second highest on our day, too much for kids under 12, it would knock them all over, steep dropoff too. Had a lovely afternoon, lots of ship towels all over, walked back to the ship for dinner.
After dinner we took a yellow cab back into town so see the nightlife. The Malecon boardwalk is hopping at night, music from all the party bars, stores open till 10, tons of people. At the end of the boardwalk there was a live band playing soft music in the pretty treed square. Across the street beside Hooters there is a small amphitheatre where a comedy troupe was putting on a free show, where you see several large Greek style arches. The show was very cute, good fun, at times pulling tourists in to be straight men, unicycles, fire batons, gags, lots of gestures, no language barrier. Donations requested, and just about everyone tipped. With a bit of polish they could easily be one of the ship entertainment groups. The show may have started around 7:30 ship time, they were rolling when we got there before 8. After 8 there were fireworks above the beach.
The party bars have staff out front trying to get you in, open air fronts so you can see inside and customers can look out at the street scene, sometimes no cover charge, sometimes a large cover of $30-40 incl free booze all night, some signs offering 10 beer for $11, all had 2 for 1 drinks, quite a scene. Don't go back on Morelos or Juarez at night.
Tons of yellow cabs, just like NYC, no prob getting one back whenever you need one. Sailaway pool barbecue at 11. The ship map in their shopping guide is good.
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