We flew direct from PHX to PVR on American. We landed in PV on a Friday afternoon and a few other flights got in at the same time, which jammed up customs. We ended up waiting ~45 minutes to get through, but it wasn't too bad. We had pre-filled and printed our Official Entry Immigration Forms online before traveling (SEE HERE). As always, make sure you don't lose your stamped copy of the form as you will need it to get back into the USA. 

Once through customs, we made our way outside. Ignore all the people yelling at you in the airport. Once outside, turn left and walk around the left side of the building. You will see a pedestrian bridge that goes over the street. We grabbed an Uber from Tacon de Marlin - a taco place on the other side that has crazy good reviews. We didn't get to try the tacos, but they smelled amazing!

The rest of our trip we walked everywhere and only used Uber to get back to the airport. The area around the Malecon / Romantic Zone is very walkable (or bikeable). 

I stayed at The Paramar and loved it. I would stay here again, but if I had to choose somewhere else, I would probably choose somewhere in the Romantic Zone. We drove past the Hotel Zone (north PV) and it seemed far removed and like you wouldn't get a good feel for the city itself because you would be surrounded by resorts.

PROS: 

• Location: Playa Camarones is right across the street and it's a nice, quiet-er beach. The Malecon is ~15min walking distance away so you're far enough that you don't feel like you're staying in a super noisy and touristy area, but close enough to all of the action. 

• Staff: Super friendly and helpful

• Rooftop Pool w/ views of the city and the ocean 

• Breakfast: Came included with the room. We didn't want to spend money on breakfast every morning and there was a good variety of dishes at the hotel. Would recommend. 

• Everything was extremely clean! 

CONS:

• If you are looking to be close to The Malecon, this was a little bit further away 

• We heard from some people with beach-side rooms that they could hear the music from a bar below late at night but we didn't hear anything (we were city-side).

Thank you to T-Mobile because I had service in Mexico without any added costs!! If you don't have T-Mobile, first of all switch, but there was WiFi in most places. 

Most places in PV are cash only. We found a few ATMs - the one outside Banco Azteca was our favorite. 

Remember not to drink the tap water. Bottled water is plentiful and cheap, but if you can reduce/reuse/recycle, plz do. 

(COVID TIMES)

• Masks are required in most inside places and employees enforce the mask policy. Don't give Americans a bad name, respect the rules of the country and WEAR A MASK <3 <3 

• We made our Covid test appointments with Laboratorio San Paulo. You can send them a message using WhatsApp and book your appointment that way - +52 322 888 4367. Super easy and there are lots of locations to choose from. We did our tests on Monday at 4:30pm (flight was Tuesday at 4:30pm). We got our results emailed to us around 8:30pm. Pretty easy, all things considered. 

• Download the VeriFLY app! It makes getting back into the USA much easier. You can upload your negative Covid test directly to the app.

If you want to splurge on dinner: La Palapa 

A little overpriced, but you can't beat the ambience. The salmon was perfection. 

If you want beers on the beach: El Solar

The best beachside bar, PLUS you can order from El Barracuda next door. 

If you want famous tacos: Panchos Tacos

If you want famous tacos, you'll have to wait in line. We waited about 40 minutes and tbh... I'm unsure if it was worth it. PV is full of amazing tacos, without a wait. (see below)

If you want no fuss tacos: Pepes Taco

The al pastor tacos here = Y U M. plus they were cheap which helps. 

If you want coffee and/or vegetarian and vegan food: Calmate Cafe 

An unexpected find! Loved their cold brew, smoothies, bowls, and bread. All very fresh and flavorful. Staff were friendly and it's a cute little place. Highly recommend.

Other: 

• Menos Place 

• El Patio - we didn't get to try, but heard it was really great! 

Snorkeling @ Los Arcos

We booked an AirBNB experience (HERE). I would recommend to those who have been snorkeling before and enjoy it. There were some waves in areas that could be off-setting for newbie snorkelers, but the fish were amazing and the guide was very nice. 

Hike to "The Cross" (Mirador Cerro de La Cruz) 

Not for the faint of heart, but if you can make it up a steep hill and approximately 285 stairsteps, you will be rewarded with a great view of the city and the ocean! We mapped ourselves to the viewpoint and followed Google Maps' walking directions, but HERE is a more detailed route. 

Explore the Malecon 

The Malecon is a mile-long strip next to the water with bars, restaurants, street vendors, art, entertainment, and more. We ended up walking the strip almost every day because there was always something going on. 

Beach Day 

If you are looking for permission to take an entire day to sit on the beach - this is it!!! There are tons of beaches to pick from - some are easier to access than others, but just pick one and go with it. You can't go wrong. We liked Playa Camarones but that was mostly because it was next to our hotel and there was a bar with yummy drinks and alright food. 

Other

• If you happen to be in PV on a Saturday, there is a Farmer's Market that I really liked (Olas Altas Farmers Market)