Ignacio Luis Vallarta Ogazón (1830-1893) was a Mexican lawyer and politician. At one point he was governor of the state of Jalisco.
In Jalisco is a city founded in 1851 as Las Peñas de Santa MarÃa de Guadalupe, eventually being renamed Puerto Vallarta in honor of Senior Ogazón.
It grew from a small village into a bustling resort city which is often referred to by tourists as Vallarta or PV. We've visited there several times over the past 20 years, mainly staying at all-inclusive resorts with our children and grandchildren, and have many happy memories of those family times.
When we saw a sudden bargain fare on Alaska, we agreed it would be possible to squeeze in a trip there for old-times' sake before our previously planned mid-February flights to Cyprus.
The itinerary was simple: fly from Bellingham to LAX the first night, stay at the nearby airport Hilton, fly onward the next day to PVR, stay three nights in Puerto Vallarta, and fly back to Bellingham via San Francisco and Seattle. We learned a few things along the way that we're more than happy to share.
It was a lovely evening to land at SEA.
On our outbound flights we were upgraded to First and finally got to dine on Alaska's famous Tillamook Cheeseburger. It's okay and not too messy.
In fact, it was better than the rather gloppy and tasteless Mexican-style whatever served on the next day’s flight. That one gave Brian indigestion. Who has heard of catching Montezuma’s revenge before landing in Mexico?
Alaska’s canned wine isn't as awful as it sounds.
Be prepared for chaos at PVR airport, both arriving and departing. If it's just busy rather than crazy, be grateful.
When we landed, the captain announced a delay "due to some kind of traffic jam." He wasn't kidding. It was 35 minutes from touchdown to the door's being opened at the gate. We then had a long wait to get through immigration. The newish automatic photo-taking gates were causing another traffic jam, as some passengers had to try two or three times to make it work,with an employee standing by to offer assistance. There was one line staffed by personnel and we would have chosen that one if given the chance.
Finally, it was our turns to slap down our passports, have our photos taken, and then proceed (on first try!) through the automated gates. It was then time to wend our past the timeshare touts who wait in one designated area. Do you avoid their gaze? Do you boldly attempt to stare them down? Do you smile and repeatedly mutter "No, gracias"? The third is our normal routine as we ran this particular gauntlet and looked for Aeromovil, our car transfer outfit.
Aeromovil proved to be a big disappointment and we wouldn't use them again. When we found where they were located - and the instructions list upward of three potential meeting spots, ours being the final one - it took some length of time to process our ride. Eventually, another employee escorted us to a line outside. There we waited for well over a half an hour.
One couple waiting in front of us explained that the reason several people deal with us and then pass us along is that everyone gets a "bite." It was both confusing and annoying to see others being escorted toward our queue and being seated in vehicles and driven away while we continued to wait.
Our hotel was almost near enough to the airport to walk, if it weren't for the busy traffic.
There are strict limitations on who is allowed to pick up passengers at the airport, with one company apparently holding the taxi monopoly. Ubers, for example, are allowed to drop passengers off but not to pick them up.
Eventually, a small sedan arrived, the employee handed us over to the driver, and he whisked us to our hotel within a few minutes and without drama.This was not the "VIP" treatment we'd been led to believe on the company's website. We had the impression they were farming the fare out to whichever driver they could get, as they handed the driver a paper that looked like a voucher. Live and learn.
Another time (despite this 2-3 hours of nuisance at the airport, we'd happily return to PV), we'd save time and money and schlep our rollaboards and shoulder bags up and over the pedestrian overpass that leads from the airport to a pickup spot for taxis and Ubers. It isn't just about price, although that transfer cost us $25 plus tip, in contrast to the return Uber to the airport that cost us about $3.50.
We used Ubers half a dozen times during our brief stay. The cars were all presentable, the drivers were safe and friendly, and the prices were cheap by our standards.
The Holiday Inn & Suites Marina & Golf, not to be confused with the nearby Holiday Inn Express, proved to be a fine spot for a short stay. It was modern and clean.
We'd upgraded ourselves to a junior suite for a modest amount over the regular rate, and it was great, complete with a large private deck.
We could see cruise ships docked in the distance.
The marina, a touristy spot lined with restaurants where we spent most of our time, was only a seven or eight minute walk away. That does includes crossing a busy six-lane street, but once you have it figured out it's not all that difficult.
For a similar length of stay, we would happily return to this property. Sometimes we would walk over and take an Uber back. Drivers were quite willing to pick us up for quick trips and low fares.
This area of the marina is lined with restaurants and bars, pharmacies where many prescription drugs (for us) are available over the counter, and a few time-share offices.
We know at least one boater friend who would love to have this sporty little vessel for his tender. We weren’t the only ones taking photos.
There was also a sign to beware the crocodiles.
They didn't just post that to tantalize and terrify the tourists.
As to meals, we ate the first night at our hotel, having read positive comments about it. The best we could summon up would be "Meh," and we're happy we didn't opt for their all-inclusive plan.
We subsequently dined at three different eateries, two of which were pretty good, and the highest-rated one, Christina Vallarta, being downright disappointing.
La Terrazza di Roma served up the best meal of the trip. No upsells either!
Speaking of upsells, Brian also let himself be upsold at Christina Vallarta to a very expensive bottle of Mexican wine.
It was good, but not worth doubling the cost of the mediocre meal and the disjointed and bungled service, complete with upsell attempts from more than one employee. We would not return there, despite the visually impressive globes.
The empanada appetizers were by far the meal’s highlight.
We spent a few hours at our hotel one afternoon relaxing within the largely deserted pool area at the other end of the corridor from our second-floor suite. The pleasantly warm hot tub proved to be extremely comfortable.
Before we knew it, the time had come to check out and fly home. Our hotel offered a generous 1:00PM checkout, which was perfect for our 2:40 departure. We arrived at the airport three hours early, giving us plenty of time to spare.
The departures area was not nearly as unpleasant as arrivals had been. It was mildly busy, making it easy to navigate through security and the temptations of the duty-free stores.
Before we knew it, we were seated at our departure gate with lots of time to spare. Our flights home were good, with no upgrades PVR-SFO-SEA, but decent seats in Alaska's premium economy. We did sit in first for our 24 minutes in the air between Seattle and Bellingham. Yippee!
We were home and in bed by 1:00 AM, and we think we'll be well rested before flying in a couple of days from Vancouver to London, and then onward for a return trip to Larnaca, Cyprus.
Adios.
