By Luis Dominguez

1. Climate

Warm during the winter and humid in the summer, Puerto Vallarta has the  perfect location on the map; just below the desert, but not too much as to make  the tropical heat unbearable. In fact it is right on the 20° North Latitude  below the Tropic of Cancer, that’s right same as Hawaii. Puerto Vallarta  combines the lushness of the jungle with the beauty of the Sierra Madre  Mountains and the wonder of the Pacific Ocean. The ocean breeze and the  fresh mountain air combine with the unrivaled sunny days Mexico is known for, to  create the best weather in the world. It is no wonder why Puerto Vallarta has  become a favorite vacation spot. Vallarta boasts three hundred sunny days a  year, some of those being hot summer days that then get a refreshing rain. If  you are ever in Puerto Vallarta anytime from the beginning of November through  to the end of May you will find yourself in a paradise hard to leave behind.

2. Great value for your money

While it is a commonly known fact that the peso is worth less than the  dollar, be it US or Canadian, you never truly appreciate it quite as much as  when you vacation in Mexico. Being on vacations and knowing that your hard  earned money can buy you twice as much fun as it could back home is simply  refreshing. And for those lucky enough to be permanent vacationers whose  retirement dollars allow them a life equal or better to what they had back home  when they still worked, it is simply incredible. Getting more for less is good  on anyone’s book, but when talking real estate this is simply great. One can get  a beautiful home for the price of a New York studio. On top of that, Puerto  Vallarta has a large array of first class real estate developments, from  stunning penthouses, state of the art smart homes on the beach to rustic homes  on the mountain side, many built with Americans and Canadians in mind so just  make your choice and become one of those people on vacations for life.

3. Stunning beaches

Nothing new for Mexican destinations, but Puerto Vallarta has a great story  to tell. In 1964 American film director John Huston, chose Mismaloya beach in  Puerto Vallarta, as the location for his film The Night of the Iguana,  starring Richard Burton and Ava Gardner. Huston also brought in, his  soon-to-be-wife Elizabeth Taylor, putting Puerto Vallarta in the international  spotlight and making its beaches world famous. But Mismaloya is only one of a  plethora of enchanting beaches that offer something for all walks of life.  Whether you’re an adrenaline junkie looking to do some kite surfing or simply  someone that likes to lay by the water being tended to, Puerto Vallarta has the  right beach for you. Many of those beaches have been certified by the Mexican  Government for their cleanliness and beauty. By the north end of the Bay you can  find fine sand beaches that extend for kilometers. On the other end you find  small island coves only accessible by water. Imagine taking your loved one by  water taxi to a private beach cove and spending a romantic afternoon. Puerto  Vallarta’s beaches are waiting for you to come and lay by their waves.

4. Amazing mountains

This is what puts Puerto Vallarta in a completely different league from other  vacation destinations. It is not the typical Mexican resort destination with  exquisite beaches and luxury hotels, I mean, it does have those things, but the  Sierra Madre Mountains and their tropical forests with lush jungle vegetation,  give the town a completely different atmosphere, far away from the “just beach  and nothing else to do” kind of destination. The beauty of this vacation  destination spawns from the fact that the bay is nestled in the Sierra Madre  Mountains. They surround the bay like a mother’s bosom protecting it and  offering magnificent views. There is nothing that compares to watching the sun  rise in the mountains every day and set in the Pacific Ocean. During the summer  season the rains make the surrounding mountains glow an emerald green that is  difficult to explain by mere words. A hike up the mountain trails will take you  to a time long before when mankind was one with nature and you to will feel its  beckoning. The vegetation and the bird calls combine to the mystic feel of being  surrounded by mountains.

5. Mexican Culture

You just can’t get bored with it. The mixture of indigenous traditions with  Spaniard customs has produced an amazingly rich culture, an explosion of color,  spirituality, flavors, images and sounds that will never stop impressing you.  Slowly discovering the little idiosyncrasies of this beautiful culture is one of  the best rewards for visiting Puerto Vallarta and once you start to understand  Mexican culture, you will only want to learn more. But don’t look only for the  exotic side of it, the “Día de Muertos” or the religious pilgrimages, for  instance, even when those celebrations are actually quite impressive, there are  is much more to discover on the day-to.day life of Mexico. You might travel for  the beaches and just to have some relaxing vacations, but if you are open to it,  Mexican Culture will surprise you.

6. The people

You have to travel a lot in order to be qualified to compare people and  cultures. Well, I have done it, and I can tell you that, there are no warmer  people in the world. Mexicans always smile, they always say “please” and “thank  you”, they will kiss and hug you, so be prepared; they will touch you all the  time, they are a happy people and they like to show it. You will have a lot of  fun around them, they will make you feel at home, you just have to let go and  learn from their laid-back and unpretentious attitude towards life. This way to  understand life, where people work to live and not live to work, might be  arguable, but for a place like Puerto Vallarta, where people travel to forget  for a while about the problems of daily life, it’s just perfect.

7. Things to do

There is almost everything to do, except maybe those boring winter games that  include snow and cold, Puerto Vallarta offers to visitors a formidable variety  of activities. Eco-tours, golf (7 courses), ATV’s, scuba diving, canopy,  whale-watching, swimming with dolphins or sea lions, a theater, museums, plenty  of art galleries, gourmet restaurants, festivals (film, food, wine), surfing,  botanical gardens, old towns to visit, a zoo, lots of discotheques and  nightclubs, and much, much more. I am telling you, this place is worth the trip.  Whether your dream vacation consists of lounging by the beach or zipping from  tree top to tree top Vallarta has it. If you want to enjoy a five star gourmet  dinner or just have tacos at a stand, this is the right place to come. The  culture scene the little coffe shops in old town add to the incredible allure of  this great city. Many visitors come because the large array of Puerto  Vallarta tours and activities.

8. Accessibility from USA and Canada

Accessibility is not to be forgotten when planning a vacation. There are some  other incredible corners in the world, but somehow they are always plenty of  flight hours to Puerto Vallarta. Many cities in the US and Canada have direct  flights to Puerto Vallarta, making it so easy and cheap to come down there, that  it makes it even harder to invent excuses for not spending a week or maybe just  a weekend in such a beautiful place. Puerto Vallarta is just a three hours  flight from Los Angeles, and that is all it takes to feel like you are in a  complete different world, the mountains, the rivers and the ocean make their  presence felt at every corner, but you won’t miss civilization a bit, as luxury  hotels have everything in place to make you feel at home. On top of that the  ongoing commercial relationships provided by NAFTA allow for crossing of people  and goods without mayor hassles.

9. Services

This point is mentioned quite a lot by the large expat community in Puerto  Vallarta (nearly 50,000 and growing). One of the biggest fears of those moving  abroad USA and Canada is that they might not get the same quality services at  the places they move to. But that’s just not the case with Puerto Vallarta, as  the city has defined its identity as a perfect place for retirees and developed  the proper infrastructure to please them. You will find excellent medical  services, a big focus on security, a diversity of financial businesses and all  kinds of information and technology services, such as high-speed internet,  digital cable TV and everything to help you avoid missing home while you are on  vacations in Mexico.

10. The nightlife

Especially on Spring Break, but not limited to it. The “Malecon”, a beautiful  boardwalk by the beach, has been called “Puerto Vallarta’s Bourbon Street”  because it has club after club open all night long. World famous club brands as  Hard Rock Café, Señor Frog’s or La Bodeguita del Medio (where Hemingway used to  go in Havana), compete with local clubs such as Mandala, Zoo or Punto V, to see  who throws the best party in town. There is the world famous “Foam Party” at  Collage every Tuesday and many salsa discos to feel the Latin vibe. Puerto  Vallarta also has its own share of electronic festivals with some of the best  DJs in the world, playing outdoors till dawn, with people dancing and jumping in  the sand just a few steps away from the ocean.

Luis Dominguez is the editor of Enjoy Magazine – the best Puerto Vallarta  vacation travel guide [http://www.enjoy-magazine.com] where you will find all  you need to know about this gem of the Mexican Pacific. Enjoy Tours – Puerto  Vallarta Tours and Activities  [http://www.enjoy-magazine.com/en/vallarta-travel-tours] provides a full array  of leisure options, from adrenaline high activities like canopy and atv, to  eco-tours like whale watching and swimming with dolphins.