Originally Posted by
tatterdema
Glad you had a good time overall. I am really surprised at your comment about the food. No idea what kind of food you are used to, but I have found Puerto Vallarta has some of the best food of anyplace I travel, including here in Seattle. The one exception would be beef. Not a fan of steak in Mexico, but love some of their Italian, Swedish, and especially seafood. I do understand people not liking the beach. It is not flat, sugar white sand, crystal clear turquoise water. It is Pacific Ocean beach. Beach hawkers can be tiresome, but depending on how long you stay, how many times you return, it gets to where you do not notice them. They remember people, and will stop bothering you after a few polite "No Gracias". I have more of an issue with taxi drivers yelling at me if I stop walking rather than beach vendors.
PV is not a sophisticated Miami style beach town. From your comments it makes me think maybe that is more of what you were looking for. PDC probably would have been better in that aspect, but you would not have had the gay nightlife. Like None. At all. Nothing like Diana's cruise there. No rainbow flags.
That said, come back sometime and try PDC, then compare the 2. I know people that swear by both. Neither are wrong. I am much more of a PV person.
For the food in PV, we ate (dinner) in several places that were good (i.e. good but not more than that) and several places that were mediocre. These were all on research and recommendations, rather than just seeing what was about. We didn't think it was a bad place for food, but didn't come away thinking it's a place you go to for the food.
Funny you should mention Miami. Went there a few years ago, as part of a bigger Florida trip. Didn't live up to the hype! Too cool for school and lacking the kind of soul it sells itself on. Although the strip on South Beach was great to see, as was Little Havana. Enjoyed Fort Lauderdale much more than expected, and Key West was fab. Can only dream of international travel right now...
Originally Posted by
carlosdca
what was not great about the beach?
what does a beach have to have to be great?
just curious
Lots of things! Clean water is one of them. A nice atmosphere mainly from the others around. Don't mind hawkers per se, but fewer pushing the hard stuff would've made it a bit more relaxing. Admittedly we were in PV at the back-end of high-season (spring break-time), so accept that if we'd have gone for New Year (say), it could've been a different experience.