Cancun and the Riviera Maya have long been the destinations for most people visiting Mexico, but a new direct link from Thomson has made the Pacific coast more accessible.
It’s a long 12-hour flight, but the planes are new and the all-inclusive resorts are just minutes from the airport.
Puerto Vallarta is one long bustling strip, backed by the Sierra Madre mountains on the second largest bay in the Americas.
You can wander El Malecon, the pedestrianised promenade, at any time of the day or night, and sample its many restaurants, bars and clubs.
In fact, when most of Mexico is off-limits to tourists because of the drug cartels, this is one of the safest places to travel.
The resorts offer excellent value, taxis are cheap and you can get a beer for less than a dollar.
Food here is excellent with plenty of fish and prawns at very good prices, and tequila is everywhere. This state is home to the town where the drink originated, and many hotels offer trips to distilleries which of course include tastings.
From mid-September to the end of March, whales pass close to the shore, and I was lucky to spot a couple of humpbacks while I was having breakfast one morning.
Various companies offer whale-watching trips and often combine them with a visit to the Marietas Islands National Park, lying just off the shore. This is a haven for bird life, but the real attraction is Playa Escondida or ‘hidden beach’.
The ship anchors, you’re kitted out with flippers, life jacket and snorkel, jump in the sea and swim into a tunnel in the rock.
It’s dark inside but the light at the end leads to the hidden beach, formed by the collapse of the cave roof. I particularly enjoyed the snorkelling here and saw turtles, stingrays, a wide variety of fish, but unfortunately the dolphins eluded me.
Most hotels have some form of entertainment, but it’s well worth venturing into town and getting a taste of Mexican nightlife.
The Malecon comes alive, packed with party-goers and street vendors and, if you have the stamina, a bar crawl dropping into some of the clubs as you go, makes quite a night of it.
Mariachi musicians play on street corners and you can dine at the famous beachfront restaurant La Palapa which has been here so long that even that famous showbiz couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor used to dine here.
Rhythms of the Night is a more organised excursion. A boat picks you up at the marina and takes you one hour away to the secluded cove of Las Caletas, once home to American film director John Huston.
Flaming torches and drummers, dressed in native costumes, greet you at the dock and lead you to an amphitheatre with a giant pyramid lit by candles.
You’re surrounded by jungle, the drumming intensifies, there’s the sound of pan pipes and the show begins with a spectacular display of fire dancing.
There’s no story-line, rather it’s a spectacular displaying of dancing and acrobatics supposedly depicting the myths and legends of pre-Hispanic civilizations.
After the show there’s an all-you-can-eat candlelit buffet dinner by the water’s edge, then it’s back on the boat with some rock-and-roll to entertain you on the way home.
Of course you may just want to stay in your all-inclusive resort and enjoy the facilities.
Most activities are free, drinks are proprietary brands and many resorts offer a-la-carte dining if you’re bored with the buffet.
Service is of a very high standard indeed and everyone speaks English so there’s no language problem.
It’s easy to get around as taxis are cheap and there’s even a department store called Liverpool if you want to indulge in a spot of retail therapy.
A word of warning don’t have the tequila massage. You’ll spend the whole session thinking you’ve just woken up the morning after the night before.
Report by Rupert Parker
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