Puerto Vallarta Travel, Puerto Vallarta Vacation - 2

Day Two

After breakfast, pack your bags and move to your new hotel: the Hacienda San Angel, located on a hillside in El Centro. The second I walked into this boutique hotel (with only 21 rooms), I wanted to send for the rest of my things back home and never leave.

One of the five villas that make up the property was once owned by Richard Burton. Each room is decorated differently, and all have amazing views, either of the hotel gardens or the surrounding city and ocean. I could spend all day lounging at one of the Hacienda’s three pools or eating yummy dishes from the restaurant’s menu. Combine them both and snack by the pool!

Hacienda San Angel. Miramar 336, Colonia Centro. Tel. +52-322-222-2692 (U.S. toll free: 877-815-6594). www.haciendasanangel.com

After you investigate your new digs (take your time—there’s something to see everywhere you turn), head down the hill for lunch. The Río Cuale runs through the heart of Puerto Vallarta, and on the lush green island in the middle of the river is The River Café.

It’s easy to forget you’re in a city while enjoying the restaurant’s tropical setting, complete with iguana-viewing opportunities from the comfort of your table. Choose among Mexican specialties such as chile pepper strip and squash blossom quesadillas (my fave), local fresh seafood, pasta or meat dishes. Chef specialties include white fish stuffed with crab meat.

 

• The Hacienda San Angel has 21 rooms, each with different décor.

Jill K. Robinson

The River Café. 4 Isla Río Cuale. Tel. +52-322-223-0788. Open daily, 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. www.rivercafe.com.mx

Walk off your lunch by exploring the Zona Romantica (just south of the Río Cuale) and Playa los Muertos. Like El Centro, the Zona Romantica is a great spot for wandering, shopping and people-watching. Here, you can buy handmade huaraches, home décor, jewelry or T-shirts. Or stop in at a cantina and grab a cerveza.

Another good spot for that beer is Playa Los Muertos. Chill out on the beach and watch the fishermen or other tourists—or snack on the stuffed shrimp. Don’t do too much snacking, because you need to be hungry for dinner.

Celebrated chef Thierry Blouet of Puerto Vallarta’s Café des Artistes opened Thierry’s Prime in the city’s hotel district as an “avant-garde eatery with Mexican flavor.” The spacious restaurant has wood-beamed ceilings and an open kitchen, plus a huge central chalkboard-style drawing of a bull mapped with cuts of meat.

 

• Beach vendors serve up freshly grilled stuffed shrimp.

Jill K. Robinson

While the main feature is luscious, buttery prime rib (I’m not usually a fan, but I was amazed)—offerings range from salads to sandwiches to seafood and other meat dishes. Kids can venture downstairs to the cinema room to catch a flick.

Thierry’s Prime. Interior Plaza Peninsula, 2485 Blvd. Francisco Medina Ascensio. Tel. +52-322-221-1212. Open daily, 1 to 11:30 p.m. www.thierrysprime.com

Next: Day Three in Puerto Vallarta