Uber or Taxi in PV to RIU Vallarta

[figmentdj]

Now that the cruises are starting again, we purchased a Resort Day Pass at RIU Vallarta but transportation to the resort is on our own.

Couple of questions:

Uber or Taxi - approximate cost?

Where at the pier do you catch the uber?

Any additional information?

[Ine]

At the port you will find special cabs, that charge in US$ and per person. They are the most expensive. Cross the road for a yellow cab at the parking in front of Walmart, but always make your price before entering. Uber cannot pickup at the terminal, you also will need to go outside along the road to order one. On your way back very likely you will need a cab as as far as I know there are no Ubers in Nayarit. That is the state where  the Riu hotel in Nuevo Vallarta  is situated.

[Ine]

Just now, Ine said:

At the port you will find special cabs, that charge in US$ and per person. They are the most expensive. Cross the road for a yellow cab at the parking in front of Walmart, but always make your price before entering. Uber cannot pickup at the terminal, you also will need to go outside along the road to order one. On your way back very likely you will need a cab as as far as I know there are no Ubers in Nayarit. That is the state where  the Riu hotel in Nuevo Vallarta  is situated.Be aware there are 3 Riu Hotels close to eachother.

 

 

[figmentdj]

10 hours ago, Ine said:

At the port you will find special cabs, that charge in US$ and per person. They are the most expensive. Cross the road for a yellow cab at the parking in front of Walmart, but always make your price before entering. Uber cannot pickup at the terminal, you also will need to go outside along the road to order one. On your way back very likely you will need a cab as as far as I know there are no Ubers in Nayarit. That is the state where  the Riu hotel in Nuevo Vallarta  is situated.

 

Thanks. You wouldn't happen to know what price I should be making

[MSN-Travelers]

23 hours ago, figmentdj said:

Now that the cruises are starting again, we purchased a Resort Day Pass at RIU Vallarta but transportation to the resort is on our own.

Couple of questions:

Uber or Taxi - approximate cost?

Where at the pier do you catch the uber?

Any additional information?

 

As you might guess, it is uncommon for people to take a taxi North from the port into Nuevo Vallarta. So, it will be tough for you to get anything but a "best guess".  I believe the current published rate from the airport to your hotel is $420 NMP (pesos). My guess from the port would be roughly $500 NMP (pesos) for a 2-3 passenger sedan.  Your hotel is located is located in Nayarit State where there is a whole different Taxi Union and the cost to the port is unknown to me.  There should be a rate board in the hotel lobby that list the standard rate from that hotel to common destinations back in Puerto Vallarta. 

 

The official exchange rate today is $20.34 NMP = $1 USD but the taxi driver might offer anything between 15:1 to 20:1. Mexican pesos is the standard currency.  USD's are widely accepted but don't expect a taxi or bus driver to give you an exchange rate that is anywhere near the official exchange rate.

 

Taxi Trivia -  The typical taxi is a small 4-door sedan that seat 3-4 thin people. Mini-vans are starting to appear but are not common.  Federal Taxis can pick up passengers inside the Port and Airport. City taxis and Uber operate just outside the entrance to the port. Federal taxis at the port cater to cruisers and tend to charge per person, City taxis and Uber charge per taxi trip.  

 

And as Ine pointed out, always negotiate the price BEFORE you get in the cab.  Taxis are supposed to be regulated on a zone system with set prices within a zone or set prices across zone boundaries; however, most cruisers/tourists don't know this and are occasionally charged more.

 

Enjoy . . .

 

 

Edited September 28, 2021 by MSN-Travelers

[Ine]

13 hours ago, figmentdj said:

 

Thanks. You wouldn't happen to know what price I should be making

Unfortunately no as we drive a car when in Vallarta. I see Paul gave you some suggestions too. Be aware it will be a drive of about 25 /30 minutes. 

 

 

[MSN-Travelers]

Just checked the current Covid protocols for Vallarta.  They are still operating with capacity limits at just about every activity.  The majority of the taxis are compact 4-door sedans. Pre-pandemic taxi capacity was 3-4 people (three cozy people in the back and one up front with the driver).  2021 rate schedules currently reference capacities of 2-3 people. 

 

I bring this up because you don't say how many are in your party.  You may need more than one taxi.

Your hotel is located in Nuevo Vallarta, a tourist area in the Mexican State of Nayarit. Historically, taxis from one state can take passengers across state lines but cannot pick up passengers for the return trip. Rates tend to be higher across state lines because they have to return empty. I bring this up because you asked what to expect for a one-way fare.  The cost to go to the hotel will be different than the return trip.  The hotel lobby should have a posted rate board.  As Ine indicated earlier, I don't think Uber exists in Nayarit State.

 

Enjoy . . .

 

 

[figmentdj]

great information, y'all. Thats strange that you said most taxis don't go north.

 

It'll just be the two of us.

 

We have used resorts for a day in the past but they usually provide transportation. Good thing we are in PV for 13 hours. Plenty of time to get around. Just don't wanna pay more than I have to. Probably will though.😆

Edited September 29, 2021 by figmentdj

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, figmentdj said:

great information, y'all. Thats strange that you said most taxis don't go north.

 

It'll just be the two of us.

 

We have used resorts for a day in the past but they usually provide transportation. Good thing we are in PV for 13 hours. Plenty of time to get around. Just don't wanna pay more than I have to. Probably will though.😆

You do understand there are at least 3 different price schemes in PV (and some other parts of Mexico).  The first and lowest price is what is paid by Mexicans and very knowledgeable ex pats.  And then there is "gringo pricing"  (the name says it all).  And finally there is the pricing for cruise passengers!  Just saying :).   

 

When we use a taxi in PV (we live there in the winter) we always ask the price before we get in the taxi and if it is close to the proper price (there are actually zone fares in PV) we are OK.  If the driver charges us more then the appropriate price we will sometimes pay but not give him any tip.  If he quotes the proper price then we are often very generous with a tip :).    But when the price is much too high I do get annoyed and tell the driver, "we are not cruise passengers and we live here!"  The price immediately drops :).  But just understand this is all part of the charm (and culture) of Mexico and enjoy your visit.

 

Hank

 

 

[hazenumber1]

What was the outcome of this.  We are a family of 16 people, 9 adults and 7 children.  How much is this going to cost us to go to the RIU?  Thanks

[Hlitner]

16!  Wow.  So you have a few choices.  You can certainly use the taxis at the airport and you will need to split your group into multiple vehicles.  The Rui is in Zone 3 which means a 6 person van (assuming you can get one) would cost about 1200 Pesos (there may have been a recent price increase) which is over $60 (per vehicle) and you would need at least 3 of those vehicles.  My math says you are talking at least $200 and we are assuming you can get those large vehicles.  More than likely they are not going to have any large vehicles sitting around the airport which would mean spliting up into multiple small vehicles (at

So here is my suggestion.  You can certainly ask the Riu if they will arrange transportation but make sure to also ask the cost.  Personally, we would contact Superior Tours (Superiortoursvallarta.com) well in advance and ask Astrid (or any of her staff) to handle your transfer (they might be able to do it with a single vehicle).  They will quote you a price, meet you at the airport and get you to your resort.  They would also be able to handle your transportation back to the airport when you are ready to fly home.  Her company has been around for years and has an excellent reputation.  You can also ask them to provide child seats (if needed) which you will not likely get with the taxis.

 

Hank

[xeriod]

We used a day pass for the Riu last month. The taxi "to" the resort was $40 from the port . We should have crossed the street to Walmart and looked for a taxi there, but did not. The price coming back was $17 . There was 4 of us. The RIU called the taxi for us we were ready to leave. It was about a 45 minute ride each way with a bit of traffic.

[jjherbert521]

On 9/29/2021 at 2:19 PM, figmentdj said:

great information, y'all. Thats strange that you said most taxis don't go north.

 

It'll just be the two of us.

 

We have used resorts for a day in the past but they usually provide transportation. Good thing we are in PV for 13 hours. Plenty of time to get around. Just don't wanna pay more than I have to. Probably will though.😆

 

Do you happen to have any recommendations for a resort day pass in PV?  

[Ine]

2 hours ago, jjherbert521 said:

 

Do you happen to have any recommendations for a resort day pass in PV?  

Try the Marriott or Westin in the Marina. I donot know the price at the moment, but a certain amount of it is for food and drinks. 

[Rmyoung]

Do the Marriott and Westin let you book in advance or only day of.

[Ine]

6 hours ago, Rmyoung said:

Do the Marriott and Westin let you book in advance or only day of.

As far as I know you can book in advance,

[figmentdj]

We used resort for a day. The resort was Hotel RIU Jalisco, Puerto Vallarta. The taxi ride was bit lengthy the resort was so much fun. The taxi fare to the resort could be expensive, depending on who you use. It was easier and less expensive to get a cab from the resort back to the ship.