Live your perfect life in Puerto Vallarta

By Janet Blaser

Abundance of postcard-perfect beaches? Check!
Legendary sunsets on a serene, beautiful bay? Yup.
Year-round lush tropical climate? Uh-huh.
World-renowned gastronomic, arts and entertainment scenes, with fun on every corner? Yes!
All the conveniences of modern life, yet steeped in the culture and traditions of colonial Mexico? You got it!
Is it any wonder why Puerto Vallarta has been winning the hearts of generations of travelers and expats from all over the world?

With one of the largest expat communities in Mexico, Puerto Vallarta offers an enchanting mix of a casual beach lifestyle with a big-city atmosphere. You’ll find open-air markets and small mom-and-pop tiendas, modern shopping malls and big box stores with a smorgasbord of imported products, family-run restaurants and upscale dining establishments.
The beachfront malecon, or boardwalk, is lined with art galleries, bars, shops and restaurants of every kind, as well as unique sculptures and street performers and of course, those breathtaking sunsets every night. PV is also famous as a foodie paradise, and you can eat and drink to your heart’s content.

The city has kept up with its phenomenal growth by keeping a watchful eye on the basics with a solid vision toward the future, maintaining and modernizing its infrastructure and services while also protecting its abundant natural resources and historical center. Dozens of internet providers keep the city connected, including ultra-high-speed fiber-optic broadband in many areas.

The area’s natural beauty has provided the perfect backdrop for contemporary and classic films, including “The Night of the Iguana” which ignited the torrid love affair between its stars, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Both loved Puerto Vallarta so much they ended up buying several homes, one of which is now a boutique hotel, Casa Kimberly.
In between the lush Sierra Madre mountains and the beautiful Bay of Banderas one can find everything needed to live a comfortable, fun, happy life, including stellar health care and services. PV is known for its smorgasbord of doctors, specialists, dentists and medical services— the majority of them English-speaking. State-of-the-art facilities, services and equipment are the norm, fueled in part by a growing medical tourism industry.
And you’ll find everything in close proximity—no need for a car. An efficient city bus system, abundance of taxis and ride-shares are all at your fingertips. A myriad of neighborhoods, each with its own personality, make up the city, and the year-round perfect weather makes exploring by foot a breeze.
Perhaps the most well-known is the Zona Romantica, the city’s charming historic center, home to a myriad of restaurants, art galleries, boutiques and the fabled malecon, or boardwalk, winding along the coast, a lovely place for strolling day or night. Easy day trips offer birdwatching and hiking, visits to small towns nearby like Sayulita and Bucerias, or Yelapa, a more remote getaway accessible only by boat.

A bit north of PV is Nuevo Vallarta, a planned residential resort community near the Marina. Luxury estates, condos and homes front a beautiful five-mile-long beach that’s perfect for walking; and a network of trails and paths traverse the city for biking, jogging or walking. Nuevo Vallarta is more spread out than PV, with wide palm-lined streets and engaging nightlife and gastronomic scenes.
Nearby is Marina Vallarta, an exclusive combination development designed for boat owners and as a luxury residential area. This is also where the cruise ships dock and home to a world-famous golf course overlooking the glittering Pacific. One of the most sought-after destinations in the Vallarta area, the Marina boasts breathtaking high-end condos and a tremendous real estate market.
Home to one of the biggest expat populations in Mexico, the area’s lively, dynamic vibe reflects the ever-changing panoply of visitors that pass through its modern international airport. Whichever area you choose—Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta or Marina Vallarta—all are great places to live or invest. With a multitude of housing options at a fraction of what they would cost in the U.S. or Canada, laughingly affordable property taxes and every convenience you could want, Puerto Vallarta makes it easy to live the life you’ve always dreamed about!