Ports -- any websites?

[offwego]

We are doing the Mexican Riveria and I was hoping for more info on those ports -- shore trips etc -- is there a link to individual ports here or elsewhere?

 

Thanks

[DonLou]

You might try the following link. It gives pretty good information from a cruiser's point of view.

 

http://www.mexicoportreviews.com/

[MSN-Travelers]

We are doing the Mexican Riveria and I was hoping for more info on those ports -- shore trips etc -- is there a link to individual ports here or elsewhere?

 

Thanks

 

This should get you started. The first is likely to be the best source of info.

 

Low commercial content and up-to-date: http://www.vallarta-info.com/

Third party tour broker & Info Source: http://www.vallartaonline.com/

Info Source (commercial): http://www.virtualvallarta.com/

Primary tour operator w/ contracts to cruise industry: http://www.vallarta-adventures.com/

Zip line tour operator: http://www.canopytours-vallarta.com/

Tour operator: http://pvmirror.com/tanitours/

English Daily Newspaper: http://www.vallartatoday.com/

Electronic Puerto Vallarta Travel Magazine: http://www.pvmirror.com/index.html

Electronic Daily Newspaper: http://www.banderasnews.com/

ENJOY!!

[Family Man]

MSN,

 

You continue to come through with great resources for Puerto Vallarta!!! Two more weeks and we are there! :D We are going on the Canopy Tour and Rythyms of the Night so far. DW also wants to go horseback riding. Do you have any suggestions? This will probably be our final official excursion (unless I pay some guy on the beach to go parasailing! :eek: ). Otherwise, we will relax, hang out, take the bus/taxi and tour on our own. I also saw a post yesterday about a place we can get massages for $25/hour. ;)

[MSN-Travelers]

MSN,

 

You continue to come through with great resources for Puerto Vallarta!!! Two more weeks and we are there! :D We are going on the Canopy Tour and Rythyms of the Night so far. DW also wants to go horseback riding. Do you have any suggestions? This will probably be our final official excursion (unless I pay some guy on the beach to go parasailing! :eek: ). Otherwise, we will relax, hang out, take the bus/taxi and tour on our own. I also saw a post yesterday about a place we can get massages for $25/hour. ;)

 

Horseback Riding (from FROMMER'S - 2005)

Travel agents and local ranches can arrange guided horseback rides. Rancho Palma Real, Carretera Vallarta, Tepic 4766 (tel. 322/222-0501), has an office 5 minutes north of the airport; the ranch is in Las Palmas, approximately 40 minutes northeast of Vallarta. It is by far the nicest horseback riding tour in the area. The horses are in excellent condition, and you enjoy a tour of local farms on your way to the ranch. The price ($62; American Express only) includes breakfast and lunch.

Another excellent option is Rancho El Charro, Av. Francisco Villa 895 (tel. 322/224-0114; cell 322/294-1689; http://www.ranchoelcharro.com), which has beautiful well-cared for horses, and a variety of rides for all levels, departing from their ranch at the base of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Rides range in length from 3 hours to 8 hours, and in price from $47 to $100. There's even the $60 Wild Ride, where you gallop along a ridge to a jungle waterfall -- too often, riders are disappointed with only trotting along well-marked trails on these excurions, and this ride allows experienced riders much more freedom. Rancho El Charro also has multiple-day rides, check their web site for details. Rancho Ojo de Agua, Cerrada de Cardenal 227, Fracc. Las Aralias (tel./fax 322/224-0607), also offers high-quality tours, from its ranch located 10 minutes by taxi north of downtown toward the Sierra Madre foothills. The morning and sunset rides last 3 hours and take you up into the mountains overlooking the ocean and town. The cost is $52. Both of the ranches listed above have their own comfortable base camp for serious riders who want to stay out overnight.

---------------------------------------------------------------

We went with Rancho El Charro back in Feb 2000 and did their waterfall ride. Feb was late in what turned out to be an unusually dry dry-season. The waterfall was a trickle and the trail dusty. We had a great time but that was our first trip to Vallarta and we didn’t know the seasons or how they would affect the various excursions. El Charro’s meeting point for tours is pretty close to the Sheraton. I can’t remember if they do a hotel pickup/drop-off.

Here is their web site: http://www.ranchoelcharro.com/

And here is a third party tour broker for price comparison: http://www.vallartaonline.com/tours/categories/subcategories/HorseBack/?cveSupCat=7

Here is a link to a third party tour broker that handles Rancho Palma Real: https://puertovallarta.net/tours/tours_results.php?option=land It looks like they do hotel pickup/drop off.

Here is another link to a third party tour broker that handles Rancho Palma Real: http://www.hypermex.com/htmlads2/sierra2.htm

Here is a link to the Rancho Ojo de Aguaa web site: http://www.mexonline.com/ranchojo.htm

You’re going at the transition to the rainy season. I don’t know what you should expect but I do know that some rain has come early this year and things should start to green up a little.

We used the para-sail guys that operated off the beach immediately north of the Sheraton. They charged $30. Yup, bought the t-shirt too. I’ll get you the name of their company tomorrow.

Here is another Vallarta information site. They have a pretty active discussion board and you might be able to get better info on current conditions. *****

Enjoy!

[Family Man]

Wow! Thanks for the great assortment of options! I will check them out.

 

You have been so much more help than I got from a timeshare board I posted on!

[offwego]

Thanks for the great sites!

 

I know our son (16) wants to do the traverse (sp) thing but since he is alone on that we need to find one that allows one of us to go along but NOT partake in the fun LOL I can't just let him take off alone on a bus and then meet us later I'd be freaking out he got hurt or something went wrong -- such a Mom! :rolleyes:

 

 

WE always like to just walk around at least 2 of the stops and then plan activities on the others. We are going to Acapulco, Ixtapa, PV and Cabo and each one has a time of at least 7 hours. Any suggestions on which of these stops are good for just strolling around on our own?

 

Thanks again for all your help!

 

Julia

[MSN-Travelers]

Thanks for the great sites!

 

I know our son (16) wants to do the traverse (sp) thing but since he is alone on that we need to find one that allows one of us to go along but NOT partake in the fun LOL I can't just let him take off alone on a bus and then meet us later I'd be freaking out he got hurt or something went wrong -- such a Mom! :rolleyes:

 

 

WE always like to just walk around at least 2 of the stops and then plan activities on the others. We are going to Acapulco, Ixtapa, PV and Cabo and each one has a time of at least 7 hours. Any suggestions on which of these stops are good for just strolling around on our own?

 

Thanks again for all your help!

 

Julia

 

If by "traverse" you mean the canopy/zipline tour then you should take a look at Los Veranos http://www.canopytours-vallarta.com/ They allow non-participants to travel along for a fee. (see their web site).

 

Their tour office is located on the far south side of Puerto Vallarta. This offers you the opportunity to walk (shop, eat, drink) back through Old Vallarta to the Malecon. If interested, I can offer a route that will take you to the local glass factory outlet, down "restaurant row" in Old Vallarta, to Los Muertos beach, the flea market and on into the downtown area. Reference the maps on the web sites I posted above. The Los Veranos tour office is located on the south side, on Rodrigeuz across from the PEMEX gas station.

 

Enjoy!

[MSN-Travelers]

MSN,

 

You continue to come through with great resources for Puerto Vallarta!!! Two more weeks and we are there! :D We are going on the Canopy Tour and Rythyms of the Night so far. DW also wants to go horseback riding. Do you have any suggestions? This will probably be our final official excursion (unless I pay some guy on the beach to go parasailing! :eek: ). Otherwise, we will relax, hang out, take the bus/taxi and tour on our own. I also saw a post yesterday about a place we can get massages for $25/hour. ;)

 

The name of the company we used was "Yo Yo Parasailing". The have operated every year from the stretch of beach immediately north of the Sheraton. This link will take you to a photo of the `chute they use.

 

http://p073.ezboard.com/ftodopuertovallartafrm5.showMessage?topicID=331.topic

 

I guess you arrive in Vallarta this Saturday. Have a great time!

[Greektreats]

Wow!! You are a wealth of information on Puerto Vallarta!! Do you happen to know how far the Carnival Cruise Ship dock is from the Nuevo Vallarta area?

Here's the deal - DH and I are sailing on the Pride 7/16/06 and will be in PV on 7/19. We didn't plan it this way, but our daughter and son-in-law will also be in PV (from 7/14 - 7/19) celebrating their 1-year anniversary, but have to catch a 5:00 p.m. flight on 7/19 to get back home. (They are staying at the Marival Grand & Club Suites in Nuevo Vallarta.) Just wondered if there was any way we would have a chance to meet up with them, just for grins. DH and I plan to do the Los Veranos Canopy Tour at 11:00 and at first thought it would be fun for us all to do it together, but after corresponding with Sylvie at LVCT, she advised that the "kids" wouldn't have time to do it and still get to the airport by 3:00 for their 5:00 flight. I have been unable to find a PV map on-line that shows the airport, Nuevo Vallarta, cruise ship dock, etc. Think there's any way we would have a chance to see them? (Hope this all makes sense!)

[Ine]

There is a map of P. Vallarta on this link:

http://www.blue-map.com/puertovallarta.asp

 

The ship will dock around the area F9. As you can see N. Vallarta is more west from aswell the port and the airport.

The airport is around F8.

Taxi time from the port to N. Vallarta will be abt. 15 minutes.

[MSN-Travelers]

... (They are staying at the Marival Grand & Club Suites in Nuevo Vallarta.) Just wondered if there was any way we would have a chance to meet up with them, just for grins. DH and I plan to do the Los Veranos Canopy Tour at 11:00 and at first thought it would be fun for us all to do it together, but after corresponding with Sylvie at LVCT, she advised that the "kids" wouldn't have time to do it and still get to the airport by 3:00 for their 5:00 flight. I have been unable to find a PV map on-line that shows the airport, Nuevo Vallarta, cruise ship dock, etc. Think there's any way we would have a chance to see them? (Hope this all makes sense!)

 

There is always a way to make anything happen. It just depends how hard you want to push things. The Pride arrives at 0800 (ship time) which will likely be 0900 Vallarta time. You are doing the Los Veranos canopy tour at 1100. You need to leave the ship (ship area) around 1020 in order to arrive at the Los Veranos office by 1045. This leaves a window of 1 hour, 20 minutes in the morning.

 

You really don't have time to run out to Nuevo Vallarta to see them. (It would cost you about $50 USD round trip by taxi and you would just have 15 minutes or so for a hug `n a kiss.) On the other hand, they could meet you for breakfast at the Marina or at the Krystal resort. They have to pay $20-$25 USD to get back to the Airport/Marina area anyway. It would be another $3 USD to get to the airport from the Marina/Krystal.

 

This site has up-to-date maps of those areas. http://www.vallarta-info.com/index.html

 

Ine gave you a link to an area map that shows the big picture.

 

Although this would be kinda cool to meet up with them, I think it might be more work than it's worth. The kids would have to clear the resort early in the morning and hang out in the Marina/Krystal area until their flight or else make three one-way taxi trips at $20-$25 each way.

 

Enjoy!

[Greektreats]

Thanks again, MSN-Travelers. You are absolutely right. It would be more trouble than it's worth to try to meet up with them; it's just kind of weird to all be in the same city in Mexico and not see them! Oh well, we'll see them when we get home, and we can all compare notes on our fabulous time in PV!

[Family Man]

The name of the company we used was "Yo Yo Parasailing". The have operated every year from the stretch of beach immediately north of the Sheraton. This link will take you to a photo of the `chute they use.

 

http://p073.ezboard.com/ftodopuertovallartafrm5.showMessage?topicID=331.topic

 

I guess you arrive in Vallarta this Saturday. Have a great time!

 

Paul,

 

Thanks for the heads up on Yo Yo Parasailing. I'll probably do this Tuesday or Friday. The picture of the beach and chute is gorgeous! Thanks to you, we booked our tours through Vallartaonline. Monday we do the Adventure Trail Horseback Ride, Tuesday night is Rythyms of the Night, and Thursday is the Canopy Tour!!! On Wednesday, we will definitely just hang out at the resort since the Pride is in port that day. I'm sure downtown will be a little more crowded Wednesday.

 

Yep, we fly out Saturday at 6:15 AM Pacific and get there at 1:55 PM Puerto Vallarta (Central) time! We can't wait. I can't express how AWESOME you have been with the incredible info you've provided. You ARE the PV guru on this board!!! ;) :D

[familyplanner]

Okay, somewhere in the posts I missed it. Is there a website for yo-yo parasailing or directions on how to get there?:rolleyes: We will be on the Norwegian Star in December.

[Family Man]

Okay, somewhere in the posts I missed it. Is there a website for yo-yo parasailing or directions on how to get there?:rolleyes: We will be on the Norwegian Star in December.

 

MSN mentioned it back a few posts. I can't find a website, but I will let you know when I return what I find out next week. Yo yo is by my timeshare.

[familyplanner]

I will greatly appreciate any information you would be willing to share. Have a wonderful vacation.:)

[MSN-Travelers]

Okay, somewhere in the posts I missed it. Is there a website for yo-yo parasailing or directions on how to get there?:rolleyes: We will be on the Norwegian Star in December.

 

There are probably a dozen parasailing operators working the beach resorts throughout Puerto Vallarta. I have never seen one that actually advertises or has a web site. They just show up on the beach with a couple chairs, an umbrella (some times) and one or more `chutes. All the operations I have seen are beach launch vs. off the back of a boat. I know there are a couple operators at the Maritime Terminal of the North Hotel Zone. We have our timeshare at the southern end of the hotel zone (Sheraton).

 

My wife is deathly afraid of heights. It takes a day or so before she will go to the balcony rail aboard ship or at a resort. We had been watching the same operator working the beach just north of the Sheraton for years. They were the only one we had seen that had two different size `chutes. One for smaller people (my wife is 4'10") and one for the rest of us. I was quite shocked when she announced that "this was the year" and we better go do it before the margarita wore off. :D Naturally, we had to buy the t-shirt. It had Yo Yo Parasailing printed on the shirt along with the usual "I did it!" jargon. For all I know, all the parasailing operators in Vallarta got together and ordered a boat load of these t-shirts with the same logo. Every operation looks pretty much the same. The only thing that is unique between operators is the parachute itself. The link I posted above has a photo of the chute that operates just north of the Sheraton. The Krystal Resort is located immediately south of the Maritime Terminal and would likely be your closest opportunity to parasail; however, the further away from the cruise ships you go, the lower the price will be. For us, the guys were told $40 per person and it dropped to $30 when we sent the women over to ask what the price would be. :rolleyes: A typical ride is about 15 minutes.

 

Enjoy!

[familyplanner]

I appreciate the information on parasailing. What kind of info do you have on wave runners? Do any offer a guided tour or are you just off on your own?:confused: