After a full day of sighteeing, daytripping, sun worshipping, water sporting, and shopping, you are going to want to eat. Fortunately, Puerto Vallarta has, oh, a restaurant or two - okay, maybe more.

Indeed, Puerto Vallarta has come a long way from a simple fishing village that used to roll up the sidewalks at sundown. Hundreds of restaurants - serving everything from Seafood - a specialty - to French to Swiss, German to Italian, Argentinean to, believe it or not!, authentic Mexican - are found throughout town in establishments ranging from casual cafes to high-end retaurants to beach bars.

During the day, most visitors prefer to eat right on the beach. Delicious barbecued fish on a stick, with plenty of fresh-squeezed lime, is the traditional specialty sold by beach boys who catch them and cook them on the spot.

In the evening it’s fun to head to a favorite beach bar and watch the sun set from under the palm fronds of a palapa roof. Dinner choices range from beachfront cafes to hillside restaurants with wonderful bay views. Diners can also enjoy a meal from inland, where colonial-style buildings overlook narrow village streets.

Most of the restaurants are in Vallarta’s downtown area. Others are in the major hotels and scattered up and down the coast.

Note: During peak season make restaurant reservations in advance. The hotel concierge can assist with this. For restaurant recommendations it’s better that you ask on the PV Bulletin Board, the PV E-mailing list, ask the hotel concierge or friends for advice, rather than taxi drivers, who sometimes mention only the restaurants that give them a commission (not necessarily because they are good).

Shopping:

Puerto Vallarta offers rich opportunities for shoppers. Almost everything made in México is available: silver, blown glass, pottery, sarapes, clothing, sandals, masks and other arts and crafts. Also, the city’s reputation as an art center sets it apart from most other Mexican beach resort cities. Visitors have the unique opportunity to purchase pieces by some of Mexico’s most well known contemporary painters and sculptors, as well as internationally renowned artists. And, for budget-conscious vacationers with a good eye, Puerto Vallarta offers the opportunity to get in on the ground floor with Mexico’s up-and-coming new artists can be see at thePueblito del Sol Cultural Center.

More good buys include colorful handmade resort wear, the popular locally made leather sandals and huaraches. There is also a good selection of quality colonial-style furniture and most stores ship purchases to the U.S.

Excellent shops are scattered throughout. Some are near the beach, some in major hotels and many are located on the main downtown shopping area along Juárez and Morelos Streets. Most stores close from 2 – 4 p.m. Most open around 10 a.m. and stay open until 8 p.m.

Major shopping areas include the large Plaza Marina, Plaza Neptuno, Plaza Caracol, Plaza Genovesa and Villa Vallarta shopping mall, with mainly department store merchandise; and Plaza Malecón. Pueblo Viejo, in a Mexican Village setting, downtown next to the river, offers excellent shopping for traditional Mexican apparel, ceramics and souvenirs and room to bargain. The Mercado Central "Flea Market", located downtown between the two bridges is also popular with visitors on the lookout for souvenirs. Puerto Vallarta is still a small town, so clients can absorb the local life as they browse along the streets for shopping treasures.

Ecotourism in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: In a world in which communing with nature increasingly means a visit to the "Discovery Channel," more and more travelers want Ecological Adventures. Puerto Vallarta has always been, and will continue to be ideally suited to Eco-Adventurers. Here's why:

Puerto Vallarta is a natural for eco-tourists. Surrounded by lush tropical jungle, riddled with sparkling rivers and gushing waterfalls that flow to the foliage-covered shores and spill into the island-dotted waters of Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta offers visitors paradise-like adventures both on land and in the sea. The brilliant greenery from the Sierra Madre mountain foothills to the coast is home to an exuberant collection of wildlife including four-foot-long iguanas, butterflies, and 366 bird species.

Visitors can choose a wide variety of eco-tours from nature hikes and bird watching to wild rides for "road warriors" who enjoy splashing through hidden streams end jungle roads on bicycles, in open-air ATV’s and dune buggies. Many ranches offer horseback rides, often with lunch and a chance for a dip. Jungle Jeep Safaris use specially adapted all-wheel-drive Mercedes trucks and travel in convoy through the jungle and beyond. Another way to view the densely forested slopes is to soar above it all in a light plane or a hot air balloon. A champagne hot air balloon flight is a wonderful way to enjoy the bay at sunrise or sunset. An airplane expedition is an excellent way to take fantastic photos of the mountains and get to a Huichol Indian Village and San Sebastián del Oeste, a mining town in the high Sierras.

More eco-adventures await above and below the turquoise surface of Banderas Bay. The warm, tranquil waters are perfect for ocean kayaking. Kayakers should not be surprised to see dolphins, turtles and giant mantas swimming close to shore; they often appear to see what’s going on. Underneath, the bay is like a natural aquarium brimming with colorful tropical fish.

Banderas Bay is also the birthplace of the Humpback Whales. From December to April they thrill visitors with their playful cavorting with one another, showing their babies the ways of the world and breaching in the sparkling bay. Puerto Vallarta residents are concerned for the welfare of these gentle giants, so the local tour operators are licensed by the National Environmental agency to insure respectful whale watching.

From June to September, Puerto Vallarta is a breeding ground for sea turtles and the hotels and government sponsor conservation programs to protect their tiny charges. Vacationers can share in the wonder of life from June to September by participating in the hotel programs to protect the turtle hatchlings in their dash to the sea. Under a starry sky, children and adults release the baby turtles from buckets and applaud as the hatchlings scurry across the sand and plunge into the ocean.

Puerto Vallara’s lush coastline is dotted with craggy islets and beautiful tropical islands, which remind many vacationers of the South Pacific, and offer just as bountiful scuba and snorkel adventures. The Marieta Islands are home to dolphins and giant mantas and the El Salado mangrove estuary is a fabulous exotic bird sanctuary.

Underwater caves and tunnels teem with sea life. Near Mismaloya Beach, at the southern end of the bay, the three huge rock formations named Los Arcos will delight divers with underwater tunnels and schools of damsel, idol, chromis, and maybe even a stately mantaray in the surrounding marine national park.

Nightlife:

So, when you have seen all there is to see, done all there is to do, eaten all there is to eat, and eat, and still aren’t ready for bed. No problem.

Puerto Vallarta offers a variety of post-dinner options. Many visitors are captivated by the colonial charm of Puerto Vallarta and enjoy relaxing over a cognac or dessert wine, enjoying the cool night air and romantic views and listening to some pleasant music. Others can take advantage of the many nightspots and the number of leading restaurants that have live bands. Nightlife also centers around the hotels and most have attractive lobby bars where visitors and locals alike gather. For those who want to party the night away to hot tunes and flashing lights, Puerto Vallarta now offers a wealth of cool clubs, discos, and open-air beach places.