Puerto Vallarta, as resort areas go, is amply endowed with scenic beauty, cultural attractions and historical charm; away from the northern tourist zone, it even retains some of its tropical languor. It's a big city, though, and you're just one of 3 million visitors a year.
Alternative: San Pancho, about 25 miles north of Puerto Vallarta, is still more fishing village and mango processing town than tourist destination, but it has a smattering of beautiful villa rentals, a growing number of fine restaurants, and an idyllic beach where men cast their lines from shore, competing with flocks of resident pelicans. It's a quieter version of Sayulita, 10 minutes to the north — which would have gotten the nod on this list a couple of years ago, before the condos started going up and the main street got choked with traffic.
Alternative: San Pancho, about 25 miles north of Puerto Vallarta, is still more fishing village and mango processing town than tourist destination, but it has a smattering of beautiful villa rentals, a growing number of fine restaurants, and an idyllic beach where men cast their lines from shore, competing with flocks of resident pelicans. It's a quieter version of Sayulita, 10 minutes to the north — which would have gotten the nod on this list a couple of years ago, before the condos started going up and the main street got choked with traffic.
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