Had a great time in Puerto Vallarta (April 16-April 23/05). The city has a beautiful culture, friendly people and plenty of fun things to do without spending a lot of money. Highly recommend the Canopy tour (De Los Veranos) the southern trip is the best, I can't say enough..Do it, get the video and photos, you won't regret it!
Alot of great restaurants, beautiful sculptures, talented street artist.. get out and see it all but don't bother renting a car, plenty of inxepensive taxis to get you where you want to go.
*The only downfall was the CONSTANT hounding to see a time-share presentation at the Mayan Palace - 'representatives' are (what seems) every 20 feet and sure they offer you tickets and cash, but unless that's what you're going on vacation for, DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME, it's really not worth it. If you can speak enough French to convey you don't understand, they might just leave you alone otherwise run.

This is truly OLD Mexico, so be ready to deal in pesos and it would help to learn a bit of basic Spanish. Or if you are lucky enough as we were, get one of your children enrolled in Spanish classes in school beforehand! As you leave immigration and customs in the airport, you will be "attacked" right off the bat by time share people disguising themselves as hotel directors. Walk right by them and near the exit of the airport you will find your hotel's transportation. Even at the hotel, you will find time share people willing to sell their "wares". The taxis are safe and affordable and worth the expense at the end of the day! Usually, only 40 pesos from downtowns to the hotel district. Want to experience true Mexican food? Then check out El Arrayan in the downtown area. The best food in town!
Also, I found out that just because the exchange rate online is 11 to one, does not mean that is what you will get at the exchange businesses. Usually, you get about 10.5 to 10.9 to 1. Better to do it downtown than at your hotel. Downtown is where you will be doing most of your shopping anyway.

I had the best time there no matter what I was doing. I enjoyed everything I did and saw, from watching bull fights to taking day trips to remote places. I loved the nightlife especially Senor Frogs. Poeple of any age group can come here and have the time of their lives, it really gives you that authentic mexican feeling. People are so friendly and helpful, gotta love those cab drivers. I am coming back here as soon as I can, and even that isn't soon enough!!

If you enjoy small cities - Puerta Vallarta is great, but the beauty truly is the nearby villages along the coastline south of PV. For forty-five cents, take the green and white bus to Boca de Tomatlan ( past Mismaloya ), a quaint village where families make a living either by travelling into PV to work at resorts, etc. or using their boats to transport tourists to villages along the coast. Once at Boca, have lunch at one of the few outdoor restaurants and then either walk through the river to the south side or use the swinging or cement bridges and walk
the stoney paths where true Mexican spirit and families live a quiet lifestyle. If you are adventurous, walk along the bay area for about twenty minutes which will take you to Cosmitos ( next bay with no facilities other than a small quiet beach to suntan, snorkel and swim ).
The hiking is real work-out and can be dangerous, so be careful and keep your wits about you at all times. You can also keep hiking to Las Animas or Quixmitos.

Yelpa is another village about forty minutes by boat from Boca. Boats leave Boca on the hour and the Water Taxi is the cheapest at sixty pesos ( $6.00 ) per one way trip. Yelapa is a native village that is all Mexican with very little influence of USA. It is primitive and the beach food vendors offer a variety of fresh catch red snapper, lobster, shrimp, etc. ** Beware - they will over-charge you. Make certain you keep track of food and beverage consumption and verify each as ordered.

For dessert - the Yelapa Pie Lady will sell you a huge piece of fresh pie ( several varieties ) for twenty pesos. It is not to be missed. She will sell a piece to you on tinfoil, along with a fork and napkin. It is mouthwatering.

We rented a casa ( house ) in Boca this year to escape the hussle and noise of PV. It wasn't a mistake. As we consumed breakfast on our balcony - we watched the dolphins making their appearances, the boats transporting passengers to and fro, and hiked the mountainside to Cosmitos for a frequent daily adventure. It is quiet, relaxing and offers an ambiance like no other.

One evening, we took a bus to El Tuito to celebrate the Benediction Day.
Hundreds of locals and those from PV and neighboring villages were there which created the ultimate for us in enjoying Mexico. An awesome church service, food and clothing vendors, etc. brought the town to an almost New Year's celebration feeling. They even had fireworks like I have never seen before.

Being from Canada where it was -50 degrees at the time, the weather in Boca was averaging 28 - 30 degrees each day. No rain either.

Beware of rip-offs. Telephone calls in PV and elsewhere can cost you far more than you would imagine. Fifteen minutes last year cost me $86.00.
Shop around for best prices of goods and always barter. If they want to sell you something for eight hundreds pesos - you can probably get the same for one hundred elsewhere. Consumer beware!!!!

Please try to study up on Spanish before you leave home, even if it is only twenty or so words. The Mexicans appreciate your attempted to speak their language, and why not - if they came to our country we would expect the same. It is also fun and worth afew laughs as we make mistakes. Everyone smiles.

All-inclusive packages in PV can be okay, but the true Mexico is outside the city. You will not regret the adventure.