Tips for traveling into Nuevo Vallarta

Booking a Room 

Booking a Room

• Ocean Front means you have a clear view of the ocean.

• Ocean view means you have an Ocean View which can mean you need to stand on the balcony lean over and extend your neck to see a slice of blue.

• Never expect a free upgrade. If you want a Jacuzzi suite or ocean front, book it. Hotels all have a reservation system and especially during high season and high occupancy they cannot just hand out a better room since someone else may have already booked it. During low season you can always ask if you can be upgraded and even then, they may charge you for the upgrade.

• If you specifically booked a room that has a king bed, ocean view, etc. and the room they put you in is not as good as the room you reserved, by all means demand (nicely!) that you receive the room you paid for.

• Always print your proof of confirmation in case anything is incorrect, this is your back-up.

If you're Booking Activities, Book them Early

• If you're planning on booking Tours, Excursions, or Cruises for your trip to Puerto Vallarta Book them early. They tend to fill up close to the high season.
• Ensure that you have brought the prerequisites for the specified activity. Everything isn't always provided.
• Bring gratuity for tour operators, they work hard!
• Check the weather prior to your activity.
• Make sure to wear the appropriate footwear, some activites are extremely active and require running shoes.
• Be sure to check age requirements for activities such as ATV tours, and particular cruises.

General Tips in Random Order

• Pack more than one bathing suit. Wet bathing suits feel nasty when you put them on.

• Never use outdated SPF. Sunscreens have a shelf life of 3-5 years.  Look for an expiration date for the shelf life of your brand.
 
• Take it Easy! Your body is stressed the first day of travel. Early flight, the actual flight, being dehydrated from flying then drinking alcohol (another dehydrator!) and some rich food on a empty stomach will throw your body into over-load. Slooooooowly get into vacation mode.

• Wash your hands A LOT! Your hands are touching dirty things all day (bathroom door handles, inside buses, taxis, money, items others picked up and handled, etc.) Then you eat something without washing your hands and transfer all that dirt and bacteria right into your tummy.

• Never bring brand new shoes on vacation! Break them in or do not pack them. Blisters are a vacation breaker!

• Pack light, pack right! Check with the hotel, you may not need to pack a beach towel or hair dryer. Summer is HOT. Pack light weight and light colored cotton clothes. Winter can be cool at night so pack one light cardigan sweater, jacket or a shawl in case you need it.

• You can buy insect repellant here at any grocery store or Farmacia. Inexpensive and you probably will not need it.

• Spend a lot of time researching your vacation destination. The more you know the better vacation you will have. When you find things you want to remember, copy and paste it into a word document that you can print off and have everything at hand when you need it.  Remember to tell them "Best of Bucerias" sent you!

• NEVER lose your FMT. It is your Visa and you need to turn it in when you depart at the airport. Keep it safe with your Passport or other valuables.

• If you are staying in Bucerias or Nuevo Vallarta, the State is NAYARIT. If you are staying in Puerto Vallarta the State is JALISCO. You will need this info when you fill out your FMT. Bring a pen!

• Make photo copies of all of your important info BEFORE you leave and keep them separate from the originals. These include: Passport, Drivers License, Birth Certificate, Credit Cards, ATM Cards.

• It is a good idea to always have some ID on you even if it is simply a piece of paper with your name, address, phone, a contact person’s info and your HOTEL. Always have this in your wallet/purse in case it falls out in a taxi or you forget it somewhere. Taxi drivers are good about returning lost items if they know where to go.

• If you have a camera, also tape your contact info on the camera and/or case. (See above as to why.)