Before disembarking with family, ex-Marine and I took a walk over to the closest beach, Playa del Oro, a 15-minute walk from the pier. The beach was perfectly adequate but not exactly what our picky family would love since it was too far from the main Centro area. If you don’t care about heading into the downtown area of Puerto Vallarta, and are just looking for a “beach” to park yourself, walk over and save the very expensive taxi fares into Puerto Vallarta Centro.

The family had intended on sleeping in a little this morning but at 7:00 a.m., a booming announcement over the P.A. system that “…since today is New Year’s Eve day, all Puerto Vallarta streets would be blocked off after 5:00 p.m. for street parties. There would be no transportation to and from the pier into the city after that time…” The short version – prepare to walk back if the sun turns your mind to mush and are stuck there. So much for sleeping in…

Puerto Vallarta beach map, Mexico
Decisions, decisions. Groups forming up on the dock for pre-arranged tours plus organizers selling snorkeling, fishing and whale watching tours on the spot, glass blowing, touts everywhere. Now, which beach to go to? The beaches closest to Marina Vallarta are Playa Anclote, Playa Piedras Blancas and Playa Destiladeras. Moving further south, there is Playa Las Glorias, Playa Camarones and continuing to the Downtown Puerto Vallarta area, Playa Olas Altas and Playa Los Muertos. If that wasn’t confusing enough, another half hour drive from the Centro is Playa Mismaloya.

a perfect day in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
The water is clear, beautiful (ideal for snorkeling off the beach) and secluded at Playa Mismaloya, my first choice but the taxi/van rates were outrageous when you are paying for 20 persons. The drivers wanted $7 U.S. per person and that was for just one way. Fevered negotiations to no avail and had to settle for Playa Los Muertos, the most popular beach in Puerto Vallarta proper. When two huge ships containing around 4,000 people are in port, no one is going to budge. Playa Los Muertos (Doesn’t that mean beach of the dead?) is lined with palapas and hotels and always very crowded. Our van driver kept lowering his price, the closer we got to Playa Los Muertos, but too little, too late.

On the beach, made a deal with restaurant owner, another Victor, to use seven lounge chairs and one table with umbrella and four chairs for $30 U.S. And then, you are supposed to order drinks and/or food from him. Adult sons and sons-in-law got in the spirit and started ordering buckets of ice-cold Corona beers while the ladies greased up, stretched out and youngsters jumped into the surf. FYI: There is a very strong undertow…watch out!