If anyone has any questions about the December 2021 trip, I made a PowerPoint show of the trip and showed it at a few Lodges as an educational presentation.
In addition to the trip being an incredible amount of FUN, it was also quite educational. I have information concerning restaurants, traffic and transportation, shopping and vendors, as well as the two Lodges from the different Jurisdictions. You will find a lot of key information in MW Cameron’s previous posts; I encourage you to look back and read them, as they will provide you with all the fundamentals, as well as Cameron’s personal take on them. My take will, of course, be slightly different, as will everyone else’s who joined us in Puerto Vallarta in December of 2021.
I will not be able to travel to Puerto Vallarta in 2022, although I will be traveling there sometime in the following years. I learned a lot during the last trip, and I plan to take that knowledge and make the next trip more comprehensive.
That can depend on which hotel you want to stay in, and what you want to do. The way we did it last December, I was able to do the entire thing for just under $1,000. This included the travel, lodging, and dining. And I didn’t “brown-bag” it. I ate at restaurants and road-side street taco stands.
There are several hotels in the Zona Romantica. You can check them out on Google Maps as a start. We stayed at the Hotel San Marino, but some of us stayed at the Playa Los Arcos Hotel and liked it.
On the other hand, the father of one of my high-school classmates visited Puerto Vallarta last Spring and spent $4,000. He stayed at the Sheraton and did a lot of tours, Zip-line, 4-wheeler rides, things like that. It really depends on what you wish to do, but you don’t have to save up four grand to enjoy a week in Sunny Puerto Vallarta.
More and detailed information will be coming out soon, but for now, I can give you the quick and dirty. It should be plenty to get you started.
Air: There are daily direct flights to Puerto Vallarta from both Portland and SeaTac. Melinda and I haven't yet booked our flight because the prices seem a bit too high at the moment. We are going to wait a while and see if they fall. Normally a direct flight falls between 5 and 600 dollars, round trip. Flights with a stop are generally much less.
Hotel: We are going to recommend that people stay in the Romantic District. (Zona Romantica) It is the most interesting and vibrant part of Vallarta, filled with amazing restaurants, things to do, is quite safe, and well located to the events we have planned.
There are no large resorts within the Romantic District, rather small to medium sized hotels. Some quick recommendations:
San Marino is not a fancy hotel, but it is clean, comfortable, and extremely well located. View rooms (you have to specify this and get a suite) look directly over the bay and its iconic pier. It is located directly on the beach.
Donna Susana is not on the beach and does not have a water view. It is quite small, does not allow children, and is very quiet. An excellent location though, and Melinda and I really enjoy staying there.
Expect to find rooms for under 100 dollars, perhaps significantly less than that.
Do not book an 'All Inclusive Package.' Just get a room.
Another excellent option in the Romantic District is to rent an apartment. Melinda and I, plus many of our friends and relatives have done this through the years, and very strongly recommend using PVRPV if you want to do this.
If you do decide to rent an apartment through PVRPV, make certain that it is located within Zona Romantica, not too far from the bay, and keep in mind that Vallarta is extremely hilly, like Seattle. You might be two blocks from the water, but those two blocks might be straight up a very steep hill.
If these options don't suit you, let me know. Melinda and I have toured every single hotel within Zona Romantica and we can make extremely specific recommendations based on your personal needs.
Restaurants:
Restaurants in Vallarta are extremely less expensive than what is comparable here. Expect food and drink costs to be shockingly reasonable.
Our Activities: Last year I was able to pay for things such as the band and the facility using the funds available to me as Grand Master. I will not have the ability to do that this year. We will therefore be selling 'tickets' to cover the costs. These will not be expensive, but it is a cost I thought I should mention.
Lodges: Last year we each donated in support of the two Local Lodge's charity funds. We simply took up a collection among ourselves, and were able to make significant contributions in this way. Again, this will not be expensive, but is a cost I thought I should mention.
Trinkets: There are lots of cool little things to buy in Vallarta. Some folks buy little or nothing, others fill a suitcase with local handicrafts. Costs are too individualized to mention.
I think that is about it.
As VW Clayton pointed out, you can have a great time in Vallarta for a week for 1000 dollars, as he did last year. Or you can spend 4000 dollars for a week as his friend did. Melinda and I usually do a week for an amount roughly in the middle of those two amounts, but generally we are also paying many of the expenses for our children to join us.
If anyone has any questions about the December 2021 trip, I made a PowerPoint show of the trip and showed it at a few Lodges as an educational presentation.
In addition to the trip being an incredible amount of FUN, it was also quite educational. I have information concerning restaurants, traffic and transportation, shopping and vendors, as well as the two Lodges from the different Jurisdictions. You will find a lot of key information in MW Cameron’s previous posts; I encourage you to look back and read them, as they will provide you with all the fundamentals, as well as Cameron’s personal take on them. My take will, of course, be slightly different, as will everyone else’s who joined us in Puerto Vallarta in December of 2021.
I will not be able to travel to Puerto Vallarta in 2022, although I will be traveling there sometime in the following years. I learned a lot during the last trip, and I plan to take that knowledge and make the next trip more comprehensive.
Thank you for posting your perspective of the last trip VW. I appreciate it!
Can you enlighten us with estimated costs and places to stay?
Art Liss
WB Art:
Estimated costs:
That can depend on which hotel you want to stay in, and what you want to do. The way we did it last December, I was able to do the entire thing for just under $1,000. This included the travel, lodging, and dining. And I didn’t “brown-bag” it. I ate at restaurants and road-side street taco stands.
There are several hotels in the Zona Romantica. You can check them out on Google Maps as a start. We stayed at the Hotel San Marino, but some of us stayed at the Playa Los Arcos Hotel and liked it.
On the other hand, the father of one of my high-school classmates visited Puerto Vallarta last Spring and spent $4,000. He stayed at the Sheraton and did a lot of tours, Zip-line, 4-wheeler rides, things like that. It really depends on what you wish to do, but you don’t have to save up four grand to enjoy a week in Sunny Puerto Vallarta.
W Bro. Art:
More and detailed information will be coming out soon, but for now, I can give you the quick and dirty. It should be plenty to get you started.
Air: There are daily direct flights to Puerto Vallarta from both Portland and SeaTac. Melinda and I haven't yet booked our flight because the prices seem a bit too high at the moment. We are going to wait a while and see if they fall. Normally a direct flight falls between 5 and 600 dollars, round trip. Flights with a stop are generally much less.
Hotel: We are going to recommend that people stay in the Romantic District. (Zona Romantica) It is the most interesting and vibrant part of Vallarta, filled with amazing restaurants, things to do, is quite safe, and well located to the events we have planned.
There are no large resorts within the Romantic District, rather small to medium sized hotels. Some quick recommendations:
San Marino is not a fancy hotel, but it is clean, comfortable, and extremely well located. View rooms (you have to specify this and get a suite) look directly over the bay and its iconic pier. It is located directly on the beach.
https://www.hotelsanmarino.com/en/
Los Arcos has more of a resort feel, and is also located directly on the beach.
https://www.playalosarcos.com/
Donna Susana is not on the beach and does not have a water view. It is quite small, does not allow children, and is very quiet. An excellent location though, and Melinda and I really enjoy staying there.
https://www.casadonasusana.com/
Expect to find rooms for under 100 dollars, perhaps significantly less than that.
Do not book an 'All Inclusive Package.' Just get a room.
Another excellent option in the Romantic District is to rent an apartment. Melinda and I, plus many of our friends and relatives have done this through the years, and very strongly recommend using PVRPV if you want to do this.
https://www.pvrpv.com/
If you do decide to rent an apartment through PVRPV, make certain that it is located within Zona Romantica, not too far from the bay, and keep in mind that Vallarta is extremely hilly, like Seattle. You might be two blocks from the water, but those two blocks might be straight up a very steep hill.
If these options don't suit you, let me know. Melinda and I have toured every single hotel within Zona Romantica and we can make extremely specific recommendations based on your personal needs.
Restaurants:
Restaurants in Vallarta are extremely less expensive than what is comparable here. Expect food and drink costs to be shockingly reasonable.
Our Activities: Last year I was able to pay for things such as the band and the facility using the funds available to me as Grand Master. I will not have the ability to do that this year. We will therefore be selling 'tickets' to cover the costs. These will not be expensive, but it is a cost I thought I should mention.
Lodges: Last year we each donated in support of the two Local Lodge's charity funds. We simply took up a collection among ourselves, and were able to make significant contributions in this way. Again, this will not be expensive, but is a cost I thought I should mention.
Trinkets: There are lots of cool little things to buy in Vallarta. Some folks buy little or nothing, others fill a suitcase with local handicrafts. Costs are too individualized to mention.
I think that is about it.
As VW Clayton pointed out, you can have a great time in Vallarta for a week for 1000 dollars, as he did last year. Or you can spend 4000 dollars for a week as his friend did. Melinda and I usually do a week for an amount roughly in the middle of those two amounts, but generally we are also paying many of the expenses for our children to join us.
I hope this helps.