Down Mexico Way: Discover Puerto Vallarta Laura Chubb - Express Daily
go to original July 22, 2014

Puerto Vallarta has all the swaying palm charm of Cancun, but with a more traditional flavour[GETTY]

For a long time, Cancun has been the hottest spot in Mexico for tourists, a party town with four million visitors a year. But while Cancun might be loud (and proud of it), I prefer a bit more sophistication from my holiday. So is there somewhere I’ve been missing in Mexico?

A more refined spot to marvel at the luscious landscape and feast on glorious food?

The answer is yes. More specifically, Puerto Vallarta. This resort town on the Pacific coast offers all the beachfront and  swaying palm charm of Mexico’s mass tourism hub, but with a far more relaxed, traditional flavour. The former fishing village is the kind of place where locals saunter the streets barefoot and couples are forever swooning over romantic sunsets.  

I met one of the resort’s most imposing residents while strolling along the Malecon, or seafront promenade – an enormous pelican. These impressive birds are a daily sight here, swarming around fishermen’s boats and swooping elegantly over the ocean’s glassy surface.

Until recently, this authentic slice of Mexican life was all but inaccessible for Britons. A lack of direct flights resulted in routes with marathon stopovers. But now, with the aid of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, you can reach Puerto Vallarta in 12 hours from London or Manchester.

These new flights launched only in May, which means there’s still chance to soak up Puerto Vallarta’s calming charm before everyone else discovers it. With a prime location on Banderas Bay, the verdant backdrop of the Sierra Madre mountains, and its collection of whitewashed houses, you should really visit this town while it remains relatively unspoilt.  

I began my trip with a lesson in what lies at the heart of Mexican culture – food. El Arrayan, a charming little restaurant a few minutes’ walk from the Malecon, specialises in cooking courses for tourists and seems to be on a quest to teach foreigners about real Mexican cuisine (not the American-made Tex-Mex fare we’re used to – ask for a fajita here and you can expect a disapproving look).

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