hola, im leaving for mexico a week from today for two weeks. i went for the first time a few years ago and have been going every year since. i try to check out a totally different area w/ each trip. this time we are going to take a bus to zacatecas and go to guadalajara and than puerto vallarta. if anyone has been to that area (central pacific coast), can you recommend some good eateries to check out/hotels to stay/places to see. aside from the obvious tequilla factory tours. stuff off the beaten path. how about beaches around puerto vallarta? good swimming/waterfalls/rivers/hikes? if anyones been, id love to hear about it. any info would be appreciated. gracias
Vallarta has become a tourist trap, but there's still some amazing places outside of town. Get a travel guide for more specific info, as I really can't remember the names of towns etc.... Definitely rent a jeep, take a day trip up the coast one day, then down the coast the next. Lots of public beaches & nature hikes & whatnot to do. Check out Tres Arbolitas restaurant in town. Be sure and order the "Mexican Coffee" (or "cafe especial") after your meal. Bring a camera & good luck walking down the spiral staircase afterwards.
I worked for 3 months in Guadalajara. It's a fun town - lotsa good restaurants. Serious hotties there. But for vacation? Hmm. Not sure it would be high on my list. Mazatlan and PV are definitely better for that. Although it sounds like you're looking for something different than the Carlos and Charlies/spring break type setting, so maybe you would like some of the historical stuff in and around Guadalajara. I've also spent time in Cuernavaca (south of Mexico City) as someone mentioned - which is way out of your way. Beautiful town. Has a world-renowned restaurant called Las Mananitas, where they have exotic birds and flamingos and stuff walking around as you're eating your food.
Depends what you want. If you want to go to a place that knows how to party go to Acapulco. The clubs are badass and its not at Gringo as Cancun. Mexico City and Monterrey are amazing to party in but you have to have connections otherwise you won't have a good time and the people are a little 'fresa' (snotty) if you aren't introduced in. A really cool little town near that area is San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato. Its a little resort town in the mountains that is beautiful. Its got some fun nightlife too. The city is all cobblestones and you walk everywhere.
I agree with Khan on San Miguel. Don't miss Guanajuato, the most amazing town in Mexico architecturally in some ways. Consider going to Real de Catorce,where they filmed the Mexcian with Brad Pitt. What is cool about Catorce is that to enter the town you have to drive down a 40 kilometer cobble stone road and then pass throug a 1km long one way tunnel to get to the town! All three of these are close to Zacatecas and up in the plateau so they are great escapes from the Texas heat.
I know you said west coast, but... I've got to plug Cozumel. As a diver, I never tire of this place. RR
cool, thanks alot yall! buck - we are planning to rent a car for a couple days and hit some of those beaches north and south of PV. (Los Arcos, Tomatlan, Chamela-ive heard good things about these) bigtexxx - as far as guadalajara goes, ive heard what you said from others too. many have told me that zacatecas is actually better, so we are probably going to spend more time there than guadalajara. and ill keep cuernavaca in mind for next year! glynch-i went to real de catorce last year. we spent almost a week there. its a very surreal place, like going back 100 years (except for the new internet cafe). we went from monterrey to matehuala, but missed the last bus to real, so we had a taxi drive us all the way there for $30. this cab driver was hauling ass up this mountain while me and my buddy were in the back smoking cigs and sipping tequila. quite memorable! we ended up meeting this couple from austin w/ an SUV, so we went w/ them to a place called Las Pozas. it is about 2 hours west of tampico in the jungle highlands. lots of waterfalls and caves and stuff. anyway, this guy in the 50's built an adult playground, basically, into the surrounding jungle and river. there are 50' conrete towers w/ spiral stairs leading up into the trees, waterfalls and pools going under and over huge paint-stained concrete structures. its only about 6 hours south of the border, well worth the trip.
unbelievable! i just got hit w/ a jury summons requesting me to be there two days after i leave for mexico. i havent gotten one in almost 10 years and than they send it to me during my vacation. and whats up w/ only getting a weeks advance notice? i dont qualify for a legit exemption, so i had to email the judge and explain my situation. if she doesnt let me out of it im still going on my trip, but i dont want to get in trouble w/ the law. ill just have to stay in mexico, on the run...like brad pitt...in a river runs thru it.
you should have just burned it and acted like it never came I'm thinking of going down in Sept to catch Coldplay. A friend of mine wants to go so I'm gonna try and tag along with him.
i thought about that after i emailed the judge. could have called in two weeks and said i was gone for 3. it never pays to be honest. where is coldplay playing. mexico city? judas priest and iron maiden w/ all original members are playing together this month. i couldnt convince my travel-mates to do that one though.
Zihuatanejo - or something like that - is a badass small beach pueblo, but my favorite city in the entire country is Monterrey. No beaches, but one of the most interesting and beautiful cities I've ever been to. Oh, and I second the Mazatlan/Senor Frog's suggestion posed earlier. Good luck with the summons though man.
jo, have fun in mexico. Watch out for the donkey show. It is not what you think.!!!!!! You don't get to participate..
Coldplay will be in Mexico City on Sept 8. Their site says Guadalajara also, but they have both concerts listed on the same day. Looks like I can't go because that is a monday night and I'll be in school.
Dallas Tomas, I agree. Monterrey is underrated. Where do you go there? it is so close 9 hours by car from Houston. Closesr mountains. loser than New Mexico.
yes, monterrey was a nice suprise. last year was the first time i had been there, but we will be there a couple days again this trip. when going to mexico, you have no choice but to pass thru, so might as well stay a while. its a very american city, by mexico's standards. very cool downtown area too. i like the strip clubs by the bus station. if there was a cover it was never more that $1.50 and the girls were very friendly.
