Los Muertos Beach in the Romantic Zone has it all; beautiful beach, beautiful pier, lots of shopping, fine dining, casual dining, sweet shops, and even taco stands.
Hi, it’s Maya! Many people have asked me what would be a really good day-trip to do in Puerto Vallarta? Well, there are many different fun and interesting things you can do in one day such as shopping, sight-seeing, adventures, day-cruises, water parks, zip lines, eating and drinking, or just hangin’ out on the beach with your toes in the sand. Most of these are just a few minutes from downtown and a short ride in a taxi, Uber, or city bus. Quick FYI; if you are leaving from the airport or ship terminal the taxis that are permitted there are more expensive than the yellow city cabs that you can find just outside. And don’t worry-Puerto Vallarta is just like any civilized city, it is mostly good neighborhoods with a few questionable outlying areas, and for the most part good family people, just like anywhere else. Just use the same common sense you use at home and you will be fine, and I promise I won’t send you anywhere that I wouldn’t feel safe myself. What you should really be watching out for while walking around is uneven pavement, unexpected steps, and protruding sharp objects that may be electrically active.
Los Muertos Beach is a long beach along the waterfront of the Romantic Zone, which is mostly apartment and condo housing, except for a strip a few blocks deep that runs along the water. And there you can find most all of the touristy stuff that you came down for, starting with the beach itself. You can just hang out on the beach, play in the sand, buy trinkets from the passing beach vendors, go swimming, parasail, jet-ski, ride a banana boat, horseback ride on the beach, or grab a bite to eat at any of many beachfront restaurants. Some are fancier and kinda pricey, and some are more casual. If you are down there checking one out and you’re not sure about it, just keep walking until you find something you like.
For a self-guided virtual tour along the beach, visit Google Maps:
Google Maps Los Muertos Beachwalk
There are tons of restaurants within a few blocks from the ocean, too many to mention individually, just find one that suits you! And they’re not just Mexican and seafood restaurants, there are Italian, Chinese, steak houses, hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, salads, taco stands, breakfast places, bars, coffee shops, ice cream shops; like I said, too many to mention!
And the shopping is awesome! If you walk around you can find all kinds of shops including clothing, jewelry, art, knick-knacks, corner stores, liquor stores, candy stores, and uhm… shall we say specialty romantic shops (it is the Romantic Zone, after all.) And along the ocean side of the parking garage on Venustiano Carranza, and again just one block south on Basillo Badillo, there are a whole bunch of merchant vendors set up during the day in little kiosks selling colorful clothing, handbags, backpacks, blankets, artisan pieces, toys, hats, basically souvenir stuff.
For a self-guided virtual tour of the kiosks along the parking garage, visit Google Maps:
Google Maps Los Muertos Shopping
I should mention that at the parking garage there are public 5 peso bathrooms. And there are some great shops on the north side, including a book store, a music store, a glass art shop, and some other great little shops.
The other cool thing at Los Muertos Beach is the Pier. The original Los Muertos pier was a wooden structure built in the 60’s for the transfer of movie equipment for the filming of “Night of the Iguana.” Thirty years later a concrete pier was built to replace it, but it was considered an eyesore. Finally, after three years of construction, the new pier was inaugurated in 2013, in a design resembling a large sail which then sweeps around in a spiral extending to reach the shore, and another extension reaching further into the ocean to receive certain allowed boats, like the water taxi. And my dad got to light up this Vallarta landmark with his super-cool color-changing LED super spotlights. Yeah, those are his!
All in all, the Los Muertos Beach area is a great place to spend the day hanging out on the beach, enjoying some great food, and having fun shopping! And if you come during whale watching season, bring those binoculars!
If you enjoyed this article or found it useful, CLICK HERE to visit my other Day Trippin’ suggestions. And speaking of suggestions, if you plan to visit Vallarta, allow me to give you two. First, especially if you come between December and March, whale-watching season, get yourself good quality, compact binoculars that you can carry around with you, and BRING THEM! Second, especially if you are in a poorer area, tip well and don’t haggle them down too far, they have families to feed! Have a Great Trip!!
beach photo by vallartalifestyles.com
parasailing photo by getmyboat.com
pier photo by traveloffpath.com
lit pier photo by wallpapercave.com