I’ve never been content with surface-level travel. These posts are about going deeper—learning to cook traditional recipes with local families, understanding the stories behind the places I visit, and sometimes staying long enough to feel like a temporary local rather than a passing tourist. It’s messy, challenging, and absolutely transformative.
Nobody had warned me that howler monkeys don’t really howl. I hadn’t been expecting them to permeate the jungle with the calls of angry ghouls. I didn’t know that their rumbling gregorian chants would travel miles through the walking palms and ungurahui trees of the rainforest.
“Is it your first time here?” He twisted his head back from in front of me, gracefully moving through the cracking twigs and dangerous looking shrubs as though he were a part of the forest floor.
He had sensed my startle at the far off noises. I think he was trying to comfort me.
“In the Amazon? Yes. In Colombia? no” I responded in broken Spanish. I’d been practising since I arrived on this continent eight months ago, in late 2017.
I clumsily moved through the trail, swatting mosquitos off my face. Hopping from one paving stone to the next, following my guide. Paying extra careful attention as not to brush up against any unknown leaves or toxic creatures.
Gazing out over to a mud puddle I remembered a television show I watched years ago, where someone managed to survive a night lost in this jungle by hiding in the mud. That it was a miracle, in this hot and humid rainforest teeming with anacondas and tarantulas, that an unprepared human might make it through the night alone. Despite my own jungle hiking experiences, I still doubted I would succeed in such a miraculous survival story here.
After some more silent walking, I added – “It’s always been my dream, I mean – this. To come here” I fumbled around to find the right words “it’s my birthday”
Hop, hop, hop. The paving stones were unevenly placed and some sinking into the wet earth. I hopscotched between them like an excited small child. It was flooding season, and everything was a bit squishy underfoot. I stumbled along under the weight of my backpack, stuffed full of mosquito repellant and a bottle of celebratory bubbly wine.
“Happy birthday!” He grinned back at me broadly, not missing a beat on his well worn path. “We will be at your treehouse in just another 10 minutes, it’s just up ahead” He gestured out in front of him with his walking pole.
“we have a few rules. Before each meal a guide will come to your treehouse to walk with you. You shouldn’t walk alone out here, especially at night. It’s much too dangerous.” He paused a moment, waiting for me to absorb the seriousness of the situation and respond with a solemn nod of understanding. “Then” he announced, “Once you’re finished eating, we will walk you back to your treehouse again”
I had dreamed all my life of coming here, and this was not my first far flung adventure. It felt like I’d prepared my whole life for this moment, and I was giddy with excitement.
Up ahead stood in the forest enormous poles, leading up to traditional Amazonian treehouses. We eventually reached the base, and made the ascent up into my new lodging.
Once my guide had left, I sat swaddled in mosquito nets and opened my birthday bottle of wine – at once realising I hadn’t bought anything to drink it from. I sat for a moment, contented and sweaty. The heaviness of the jungle humidity caught up to me as I glugged sparkling wine out of the bottle. I admired a family of bats roosting in the eaves of my home, and I listened to the roaring furore of howler monkeys in the distance. Thirty two is going to be a good year, I thought to myself.
I’ve been collecting these photographs across more than a decade of visits to Oaxaca, starting from my very first trip in May 2013. When I look at them now, the textures and colours transport me immediately – those distinctive Oaxacan tablecloths, the hand-painted dishes, the flowers scattered in the background. I can taste the flavours all over again.
What surprised me most, initially, was learning about the pre-Hispanic heirloom corn varieties. I knew corn was important to Mexican cuisine, of course, but discovering these ancient varieties – criollo corn in deep purples and reds, some nearly black – opened my understanding of how fundamentally different Oaxacan food is from Mexican cuisine elsewhere.
The moles here aren’t what you’d expect if you’ve only tasted Mexican food outside of Oaxaca. The complexity is extraordinary – some require over twenty ingredients, ground by hand on volcanic stone metates that have been used for generations. I remember watching abuela after abuela working their way through the process, each family recipe slightly different, each one a masterclass in patience and technique.
These photographs capture something I find difficult to explain to people who haven’t been here. The way morning light falls across fresh tortillas still warm from the comal. The deep, earthy red of chile chilhuacle negro. The satisfaction of eating food that tastes exactly as it did centuries ago, prepared with the same care, the same reverence for ingredients that grow from this particular soil.
Looking through these images, I’m reminded why I keep returning to Oaxaca, why the flavours here have become such an important part of my understanding of what food can be when it’s deeply rooted in place.
I originally wrote this three years ago on the anniversary of my father’s 67th birthday. Today would be his 70th, so I’ve decided now is a fine time to move it off facebook and onto my blog instead. So, here we go:
It feels stilted and uncomfortable to try and celebrate the fact you were born, when I’m still grappling with the idea that you ever left
I’ve thought through the morning how to rustle through the grief for a thread of celebration, to put aside the two missed birthdays behind us and instead focus on the time that you were here before that. Focusing on the idea that celebrating somebodies life and birth need not require their presence.
For your birthday I cannot get you gifts or take you for dinner, even though I have since discovered surely no less than five thousand new places I think you’d love to go.
We can’t go away together on a trip, and you have no pockets to hold your passport.
I can’t cook for you any longer, but I can spend my life scouring the tiny corners of the planet for the kinds of foods you would love to try.
I can only bring you with me in memory for the railway journeys and street food excursions, the adventures in mistranslation and the most bizarre of travel stories I know that you, and only you, would appreciate. I can carry you with me in my thoughts, and more importantly through my words and in my stories, and for that experience I am grateful.
I think you’d be happy this year. Happy for our annual birthday check-in – where we talk about our lives and our goals, where we’ve been and where we are going in this crazy life. I’d get to tell you all about the life I’m living, you’d listen with great interest as I told you about how I finally visited the Amazon. You’d immediately ask if I saw any Anacondas, and tell me some hilariously inappropriate story about lost adventurers being eaten alive, knowing full well it would do nothing but fuel my sense of adventure.
We’d talk about my job, and how incredible it is that everything you taught me, all you encouraged me in from the moment I could use a keyboard had brought me to where I am. I’m living my dreams, I’d say. I have a great life and a wonderful job, I make good choices in my life and relationships and I know how to stand on my own two feet.
You’d be so proud.
What are you reading today? you’d ask.. scoping me out for new book recommendations as you made a large handful of your own. Exchanging books became a bit of a birthday tradition, didn’t it? I’ve read so many of your books since we last spoke. I’ve kept them all and as I make my way through page-by-page I take tiny pieces of you from every character I meet. I don’t keep things, I don’t own stuff, but I kept every single one of your books.
If it were your birthday today, in person and for real, I would be looking forward to hearing about the latest addition to your miniature railroad. That land that exists as a magical other world spilling out from your spare bedroom. I’d await eagerly the latest news of the tiny locomotive making its way in a missing package from Germany, we’d joke about the world tour it was taking as we spied on the tracking number in anticipation of its arrival. Prodding you to let it expand and take over your house, tiny tracks making trails across all the walls and out into the world.
But instead, you’re not here.
And for your birthday I’m left with a million happy memories and a series of questions. Where will I next find your memory? I find you in the strangest of places – I find you in the comforting clack-clacking of late night rail journeys, and I meet you again in every geranium, I remember you in anteaters and in thistles, Thai food and mistranslated English signs. I find you in Bill Bryson, Paul Theroux, Paulo Coelho. I find you when I finally discover where the missing semicolon was hiding amongst ten thousand lines of code and I laugh, I laugh out of frustration and relief and because I remember how it would make you laugh just the same.
I find you when I look at the person I’ve become, the jokes that I find funny and the ways I’ve grown to see the world. It’s in all these places that I find you that I get to celebrate your birthday. Happy birthday. Thank you for never quite leaving me, and for all the places you turn up.
Two years ago today my father died. I hope today by focusing my thoughts away from grief and loss and instead into sharing gratitude and love with the world around me I can shine some happiness into an otherwise difficult day I’m grateful for … inheriting your sense of adventure and braveness for visiting places for their culture and people, not tourist sites for encouraging me always to pursue what I’m interested in passionate about and not letting me settle for less than that for being my source of unwavering rational advice and practical solutions, peacekeeper and careers advisor.. over and over and over again for having me, rent free in your home all the times I chose paths of volunteering, or when I was simply just lost in life for a brief moment fish and chip Fridays your amazing model trainsets your wonderful sense of humour for keeping your shelves always stocked with new books for me to devour for a childhood worth of weekend swimming pool & hydroslide adventures for introducing me to Thai food and my first ever green curry sparking a lifelong obsession for all the quiet nights in watching trivia gameshows on the tv with you for always telling me how proud you were, even when the choices I made probably terrified you for teaching me how to use a computer from when I was about as small as the picture here, and not much later on teaching me how to code .. skills that have led to where I am today for every time you got up at 5am to drive me to an ambulance shift when I was a grown adult and probably should’ve worked it out for myself for bailing me out of so many things, so many times For always sharing my writing and telling anyone who’d listen about me and my work for introducing me to the wider world through stories, books and conversations for the endless hours spent in logic puzzle books with you for taking a morning out of each and every day to go out for coffee with me before work in the weeks before your cancer properly took hold For telling me in those last few days to keep traveling, keep pursuing my dreams, keep focusing on this life I’ve built once you’re gone
Towards the end of 2021 I moved to Puerto Vallarta for four months. It was far from my first time in Mexico, but It was my first time in this city as well as the state of Jalisco. When I move someplace new, one of the first things I want to know is an overview of the different neighbourhoods. The various barrios, or Puerto Vallarta neighbourhoods, have distinctly different vibes. So I got together with a few other bloggers who know Puerto Vallarta well to create a guide to the different areas most commonly inhabited by tourists and expats.
Puerto Vallarta is a city in the state of Jalisco. It’s on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, just below the Baja region, not too far south of Mazatlan and straddling the state of Nayarit. It’s picturesque – where the ocean meets lush green jungles & the Sierra Madre mountain range. It’s an excellent place to see whales, enjoy the ocean, and taste some typical Jalisco food.
There are of course, many many more barrios than those mentioned here! These are just the ones you are most likely to encounter when checking out hotels, airbnb, or rentals geared towards foreign expats. If you know Puerto Vallarta well, and would like to contribute a neighbourhood to this guide that’s not already covered, let me know! I’d be happy to include you.
Puerto Vallarta is a bit of everything – tourist mecca meets traditional Jalisco life,
Centro
Recommended by Vicky of Buddy The Traveling Monkey
One of our favorite neighborhoods in Puerto Vallarta is the “Centro” neighborhood. It’s nestled between the “5 De Diciembre” neighborhood and the “Zona Romantica” neighborhood. Centro has a very high-energy vibe. It’s perfect for those wanting to experience Puerto Vallarta’s lively and bustling scene.
In Centro, you will find Puerto Vallarta’s malecon, a stone boardwalk that is approximately one-mile long. There are always people walking, jogging, or biking on the malecon. There are usually food and craft vendors too. It’s a great place to people watch! A lot of the free things to do in Puerto Vallarta can be found in Centro as well. The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe is an iconic landmark and free to enter. You can also visit the ChocoMuseo. This free museum tells all about the history of chocolate. Centro also has a lot of great restaurants and bars. If you love seafood, definitely head to Restaurant El Malecón. It’s on the beach and a great place to watch the sunset.
Zona Romantica (aka Romantic Zone or Old Town)
Recommended by Sarah from Live Dream Discover
The Romantic Zone is aptly named as it is the heartbeat of Puerto Vallarta. Here the narrow cobblestone streets are alive with tourists, ex-pats and locals enjoying the many restaurants, bars and shops in the neighborhood. It’s safe to say that every visitor to Puerto Vallarta will spend time here. This is also the home of Los Muertos beach, the most popular beach in Puerto Vallarta. Of course, this means it’s not the most peaceful beach in PV. But if you enjoy a lively atmosphere created by people of all ages along with watersports, beach activities, vendors and beachside bars you’ll love Playa Los Muertos.
A walk on the iconic pier is another must on this beach. By day, top things to do in Zona Romantica include lunch on Olas Atlas (Café Street), shopping at Olas Atlas Farmer’s Market and Isla Río Cuale Flea Market and of course enjoying the beach. After dark, the neighborhood becomes even livelier with the sound of music and people enjoying the many bars, clubs and entertainment venues.
The Romantic Zone is very gay-friendly with several bars catering to the LGBTQ community who love Puerto Vallarta. For a lower-key evening there’s great live entertainment at Act II Theatre and Incanto. Accommodations in Zona Romantica tend to be small boutique hotels, vacation condos and guest houses. This is not the place to stay if you want large luxury, all-inclusive resorts. There are also quite a few residences here housing ex-pats and locals.
Gringo Gulch
At first glance, the name of this Puerto Vallarta neighbourhood catches people off guard! But despite how it might seem, Gringo Gulch was a name given to the area by the Gringos themselves, and is not considered anything negative. The barrio is made up of a little stretch of houses just up the hill from Centro, running along the Rio Cuale.
Here you will find some more traditional housing dotted amongst some incredibly luxurious villas. This is where Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had their house Casa Kimberly; which is now a fancy hotel & restaurant you can visit.
Gringo Gulch is beautiful, a little hilly, but with excellent views and close proximity to lots of restaurants and all the action of Centro Vallarta & Zona Romantica.
There are not many restaurants here, just housing and holiday villas. The main dining attraction here is the Iguana Bar at Casa Kimberly, this former house of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton offers fine dining, stunning views, crystal chandeliers, and a top-notch tequila bar.
Gringo Gulch is a beautiful neighbourhood to stroll around, a haven of cobblestone roads, tiny staircases winding up the hill and blossoming bougainvillea. From here, you can easily get down to the beach in just a few blocks; walk over to Cerro and up to the Mirador el Cerro de la Cruz from here for amazing sunset views; or down the Puente Iguana stairs to the Rio Cuale Island, and across to Zona Romantica for plenty of restaurants, bars, and things to do.
El Cerro
El Cerro means ‘The Hill’ in Spanish, and it’s a fair descriptor for this Puerto Vallarta neighbourhood! Cerro is just up in the hill behind Centro next to Gringo Gulch, and is part of Puerto Vallarta’s original old downtown. Despite being a quick and simple walk down to Centro, it feels like stepping into a small town. The bustle fades away, and is replaced with roosters cawing and the sound of kids playing in the street.
Cerro is where we rented for 3 of the months whilst we were based in Puerto Vallarta and I’d recommend it for the old-town Mexico vibes, incredible views, and the convenient location. Most of the restaurants around here are technically down in Centro, but there are some amazing finds up here if you know where to look. Restaurant & Bar El Panorama, the famously extravagant Café des Artistes, and Restaurante Barcelona are all excellent restaurants in the area.
Cinco de Decembre
Introduced by Bailey from Destinationless Travel
One of the best neighborhoods in Puerto Vallarta is 5 de Diciembre (or 5th of December.) This area is the perfect place to base yourself in Puerto Vallarta thanks to its central location and stunning beach. 5 de Deciembre is located just north of Centro and the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta. This location means that you are still within a vibrant and safe area with easy access to some of the best attractions Puerto Vallarta. You can walk to the Malecon in only a few minutes, which is one of the busiest tourist areas in the city. But 5 de Deciembre is also a lot calmer than other neighborhoods in Puerto Vallarta like Centro or Zona Romantica.
There are fewer people around and the beach, Playa Camarones, is always much more peaceful with fewer crowds and vendors. In fact, Playa Camarones is a favorite beach in Puerto Vallarta with both tourists and locals. It is clean and beautiful with epic sunsets. Some of the best restaurants in Puerto Vallarta are located in this area too. For a fancier seafood meal, you cannot miss El Barracuda. Located right on the beach this place has the best location. But besides that, the food is very tasty with a variety of creative seafood dishes to choose from made with locally sourced ingredients.
El Remence / Las Canoas / Buenos Aires / El Caloso / Las Penas
Tucked away in the hillside behind Emiliano Zapato, you’ll find a cluster of small Puerto Vallarta neighbourhoods which on first sight, feel much less touristed than their nearby counterparts. These small barrios share a similar vibe which is much more laid back. They are still popular with expats and tourists, and most Mexicans I’ve talked to have sadly described them as rapidly gentrifying.
Whilst still a very quick stroll to Zona Romantica or Centro, the feeling here is much more small-town, friendly, and relaxing & through the hotter seasons much of life here is lived sunbathing, picnicking and swimming in the Rio Cuale river.
Las Canoas is where I lived for my first month in Puerto Vallarta, and I will readily recommend it to anyone as an excellent barrio to stay in. There are plenty of smaller restaurants and street food vendors here, and if you’re looking for more it’s a very quick and easy walk over to Emiliano Zapato where much of Puerto Vallarta’s best food can be found.
Amapas
Sometimes described by locals as the “Hill of Airbnbs”, Amapas sites just south of Zona Romantica but before you reach Conchas Chinas. It’s the hillside on the South of Centro, looking over Zona Romantica and is full of gorgeous AirBnBs.
Much like Conchas Chinas, there is not much else here to do or to eat, but you have close access to all of the wonderful restaurants in Emeliano Zapata, and some stunning coastline to gaze into. Many of the accomodations here are more modern, and less traditional. You’ll find plenty of pools and patios with amazing sunset views.
One highly recommended restaurant in Amapas you’ll be close to, however, is Hot Mamma’s Whiskey Kitchen – which has many well earned good reviews thanks to their excellent fried chicken.
Emiliano Zapata
The barrio of Emiliano Zapata is named after the revered Mexican revolutionary, and is the original old town of Puerto Vallarta. Some people call this interchangeably with the ‘Old Town’ or ‘Zona Romantica’ but it’s a little more nuanced than that. This is why I have them as two separate neighbourhoods here.
Whilst the entirety of Zona Romantica lies inside Emiliano Zapata, there are a number of blocks inland which are not really considered Zona Romantica at all. So could could say that the Zona Romantica is a section inside the wider area of Emiliano Zapata.
As you head in towards the Rio Cuale from Zona Romantica, things will start to feel less touristed and more local. The food gets better, more Spanish is spoken, and in my opinion this is one of my favourite parts of Puerto Vallarta.
If you’re on the lookout for an authentic foodie experience, and a spot close to the action without being right in it, this inland part of Emiliano Zapata is an excellent choice. Try Marisma Fish Taco & Balam Balam for great fish tacos, Red Cabbage Café for food themed around what was served at Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera’s wedding dinner, and Carnitas Lalo in the morning for the best carnita tacos (a typical breakfast food, unbeknownst to many visitors!)
Conchas Chinas
Recommended by Noel Morata with Travel Photo Discovery
Playa Conchas Chinas is on the far side of Puerto Vallarta’s beaches and is truly a gem because it is more isolated then the main beach lining up the large malecon of the city. Also to get to the beach is an Uber ride or bus ride and you actually have to hike down directly to the beach area from the main highway on top. The beaches here are mostly small coves with giant rocks and gorgeous views of the rests of the coastline north and south of the city.
These beaches are not so busy, so you can easily find your own perfect spot to lounge and enjoy the ocean mostly on your own and without any crowds. Vibe is low key with condos and homes in the area and just a few restaurants by the highway on top, so there is really not much of a neighborhood to stroll and enjoy unless you opt for any of the ocean views from the restaurants above. There are also no hotels but maybe Air Bnb rentals in the area so there are no crowds flocking to this beach.
The few restaurants here cater to a mostly affluent residence and dinner is the prime time to eat. Since I was there just a few hours I didn’t get a chance to eat at Conchas Chinas but took an Uber ride back to the main tourist zones of Zona Romantica to find a lot of choices in food venues. This area is definitely off the beaten path with beautiful sandy coves far away from crowds, so if you are looking for something unique, gorgeous coastline scenery and hardly any visitors, then you should check out this beach area and enjoy a fun day in the sun in south Puerto Vallarta.
Fluvial
The barrio of Fluvial backs onto the hotel zone, and is an upscale residential area bordering the Pitillal River. What it lacks in tourist activities, it more than makes up for with an abundance of shops, schools, and dining options. From here you have great access to Costco, Plaza Caracol, Macroplaza, and the Food Park PV food court.
There are also many more townhome style accomodation options compared to most of the barrios mentioned in this post. So if you’re looking for a house, rather than a condo, with great accessibility to shops and services, Fluvial is a good spot.
For eating here, you have an abundance of choices. The well known brunch spot Fredys Tucan has a branch here, and the Food Park PV has a selection of awesome food vendors.
Zona Hotelera / Hotel Zone
Introduced by Lora from Explore With Lora
Puerto Vallarta’s Hotel Zone is where you’ll find some of the top hotels right on the beach. If you’re visiting for the first time and looking for a safe, family-friendly area with lots of amenities, then this may be a good area to stay. Since it’s mainly for tourists, most expats don’t typically live in this area. Within the hotel zone, there are an abundance of beautiful hotels, resorts, and modern apartment buildings stretching along the golden-sand beaches.
While it includes top rated hotels such as the Sheraton Buganvilias, there are also accommodation choices to suit any budget. The location is convenient, just a 15-minute from the airport and 10-minutes from downtown. The beach will be right outside your door, with ample opportunity for water sports. Since Puerto Vallarta isn’t that large of a city, you can actually walk to several of the other neighborhoods from the Hotel Zone. Versailles is nearby, where you’ll find some of the best local restaurants in the city.
Zona Hotelera Puerto Vallarta
Versalles
If I were to move back tomorrow, and had my pick of all the different Puerto Vallarta neighbourhoods; Versalles would be where I would choose now. It’s a little off the tourist trail, but still very close to the beach. You can walk to the nearby 5. de Dec. neighbourhood easily from here, and it’s a short Uber ride to Centro and Zona Romantica.
The thing I love most about Versalles is the feeling – it feels more like normal Mexico life. It is, however, rapidly gentrifying so things may be incredibly different in 5 or 10 years time. It does mean though that modern condos are popping up all around, and there are some excellent restaurants and brunch spots to check out.
Some crowd favourites to dine are Puerco de Oro for the best pork belly tacos in town, Tortas Ahogadas Tony for the best tortas ahogadas (a Jaslico speciality) around, and Cha’ for a legendary brunch.
Marina Vallarta
Marina Vallarta is the Puerto Vallarta neighbourhood closest to the Airport, and is home to a number of large resorts such as the Westin & the Marriott. If you’re heading out on one of the many, many boat tours available they will most likely leave from here, too.
Accomodations around here can be a little pricier than other parts of town, but they are also quite modern and have close access to the marina, beaches, and golf course. This draws a lot of foreigners in, so you will find many expats and a lot of English spoken around the Marina.
One of the main attractions of Marina Vallarta is the weekly night market, which happens every Thursday evening. And to eat, Mr Cream is a well known brunch spot, with some of the best pancakes in Puerto Vallarta, but be prepared to queue! Victor’s Place Cafe Tacuba is another waterfront spot with excellent enmoladas.
Neuvo Vallarta
Introduced by Claire from Claire’s Itchy Feet
Nuevo Vallarta is a bit like the Cancun of Riviera Nayarit. It’s split into 2 very distinct areas, the hotel zone and gated communities on one side of the highway. And the more local area across the other side of the highway. I’ve been living in Nuevo Vallarta for over a year now and have lived on both sides of the highway. The hotel zone is a super safe area full of large resorts, gated communities, nice restaurants, and lots of green spaces. It’s well connected by collectivos (small local buses) and easy to walk or bike pretty much anywhere. Unless you are staying in one of the resorts, it can be tricky to find one of the few public access points to the beaches, but they do exist. There is a bike lane running the full length of Nuevo which will take you right up to neighboring Bucerias.
Most people who vacation here are staying in one of the all-inclusive resorts. But it is also a popular area for medical and dental tourism, with some of the best Drs in Mexico practicing here at the private hospital. For expats and remote workers, what’s great about Nuevo is that the rent is lower than in Puerto Vallarta and you get a lot more space (both indoors and out). The WiFi is strong and fiber optic is common. It’s close to surfing beaches but still only 15 minutes from the airport. Most ex-pats who live here either live in one of the secure housing estates at the entrance to Nuevo Vallarta hotel zone in the Jaretarreras area, or over the other side of the highway in Valle Dorado.
Some of my favorite places to eat in Nuevo are Doña Raquel’s (just off the roundabout as you enter Nuevo by OxxO opposite El Tigre) it’s a small local restaurant with the best Pozole! Her husband is from the USA and they also have Chicago-style ribs and some other classics. For breakfast I’m obsessed with Paninnos, make sure you try their cinnamon rolls. And if you want a healthy lunch then try Organi-K down by the marina.
El Pitillal
Many visitors to Puerto Vallarta never see el Pitillal, a small town in its own right surrounded by Puerto Vallarta. It’s only 20 minutes driving away from the more well known parts of Centro Puerto Vallarta, but has the feeling of small town, traditional Mexico.
Located North east of the Hotel Zone, just near Fluvial, el Pitillal is a great place to experience a more typical style of life in the state of Jalisco. Whilst not much of a tourist stop, it’s a good place to see where many of the people who work in Puerto Vallarta live, shop, eat, and enjoy their free time. And if you speak some Spanish, it’s a great place to enjoy a less tourist driven way of life.
El Pitillal is the perfect spot to enjoy the delicious regional specialities of Jalisco, such as tortas ahogada & birria, and find traditional clothing, handicrafts, art, and performances.
At the beginning of 2021, I set myself a goal to read 50 books. I almost slid just in there, although I didn’t quite finish book number 50 before the end of the 31st! So whether I completed the challenge or not is up to intepretation, but I think it’s close enough to count.
It will come as no surprise when I say that 2021 was an unusual year. In pre-pandemic times I would read a lot of difficult books, memoirs non-fiction, and literary fiction. But I’ve noticed over the past two years, since the world got a little more complicated, most of my books have been beach reads, romance, and escapism. It’s been a nice shift, and I’ve enjoyed stepping outside of my usual genres and getting lost in some light and fluffy love stories.
Highlights from 2021: Piranesi (favourite fiction), Molecules of Emotion (favourite non fiction), One Last Stop (favourite romance), and Eat Pray Love (favourite re-read)
Moleculesof Emotion by Candace B. Pert
The Biology of Belief by Bruce H. Lipton
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Until Next Weekend by Rachel Marks
Saturdays at Noon by Rachel
The Spark by Jules Wake
The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary
Sunrise by the Sea by Jenny Colgan
Beach Read by Emily Henry
While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory
SEX/LIFE by B.B. Easton
I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella
Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella
The Regulars by Georgia Clark
Fiber Fueled by Will Bulsiewicz
The Bucket List by Georgia Clark
It Had to Be You by Georgia Clark
I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
Life’s A Beach by Portia MacIntosh
The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
My Great Ex-Scape by Portia MacIntosh
The Time of Our Lives by Portia MacIntosh
My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella
Stuck On You by Portia MacIntosh
Grown Ups by Marian Keyes
Paris is Always a Good Idea by Jenn McKinlay
Dreaming of Verona by T.A. Williams
Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik
The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes
The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes
How to Make a French Family by Samantha Verant
Angels by Marian Keyes
The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes
Watermelon by Marian Keyes
Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married by Marian Keyes
Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes
Gone Viking by Helen Russell
Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry
Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl
I am many different things, but three of the most prominent of those are an avid researcher, borderline obsessive foodie, and Mexico fangirl. This cocktail means that I arrived back in Mexico armed with an enormous amount of lists, mostly centered around where (and what) to eat in Puerto Vallarta.
Having spent most of my previous time in Mexico based out of Oaxaca, I was prepared for the food to be different. Jalisco is famed for tequila, birria & torta ahogada; quite the change from the lands of mezcal, chocolate, & mole I’d come to know.
To say I was eager was an understatement. Armed with my encyclopaedia-reminiscent lists, and guided by what was nearby in barrio Las Canoas where we were to start our adventure. So in this edition, the restaurants are all around the Emiliano Zapata (Zona Romántica), Centro, and 5 de Diciembre areas.
Without further ado, here are the best restaurants I tried in my first month of Puerto Vallarta.
A Handy Map of Restaurants in Puerto Vallarta
In case you’d like to try any of the places mentioned in this post, you can find them all in the map below:
I did my research, and Marisma was touted as one of the best fish taco spots in town. This made it one of my first stops after a number of years away from Mexico and yep, I would agree – excellent fish tacos. My favourites still come from Puerto Escondido, but these are a perfectly wonderful alternative.
Marisma has a well priced menu of baja-style fish, and other seafood, tacos – but the real drawcard is the awesome selection of salsas that come along with them. I trotted down in the mid afternoon and was treated to the whole stall to myself – but be warned, this place is popular and I hear amasses quite the queue around mealtimes.
Baja style fish tacos from marismo fish tacos in Puerto Vallarta
We arrived into Puerto Vallarta in search of Chilaquiles – my favourite Mexican breakfast food. I’m still not convinced that anywhere does them as well as Oaxaca, but I was willing to have my mind changed. So, I did my research. Cuates y Cuetes came up as a perfectly excellent choice to not only eat some chilaquiles, but also curl my toes into the sand & hear the ocean lapping whilst I did so.
Since that first visit, we’ve been back here more often than just about anywhere else. The view is amazing, the staff are unbeatable, and they make an excellent margarita. I love to bring guests to Puerto Vallarta here, and continue to recommend it.
A newcomer to the far, top end of Zona Romantica, Fonda el Cucon was one of the most convenient restaurants to our AirBnB in the Las Canoas neighbourhood. Immediately, we were welcomed like locals. Ever since, we’ve been welcomed back as friends. The food is wonderful, and I cannot recommend this little spot enough. Great for any meal of the day, I am particularly fond of their red enchilada sauce.
Best tacos in town, as it turns out, is a completely subjective thing. But Pepe’s has my vote, every time. I especially love their Hawaiian on a crispy tortilla – just amazing. But so far, nothing we’ve ordered has been disappointing. The el pastor is worth the walk on it’s own. Open late, super quick, always delicious – no complaints from me!
Soco’s place is a small joint on the corner in the riverside corner of Emiliano Zapata. We only went their the one time, so I don’t have a lot to say. But the chilaquiles were great, and that’s all that really matters … right?
River Cafe is always bustling. Maybe it’s the placement right on the Isla Rio Cuale in the heart of the tourist zone, maybe it’s the wonderful live jazz. Most likely, it’s the gorgeous tranquil paradise they’ve created on the edge of the river.
The food here is fine – it’s good, but the real attraction is the atmosphere. Go here for the experience of being here and enjoy a hidden paradise amongst the bustling Centro city area.
El Banquito is a tiny lunch spot in the heart of centro, just off the beaten tourist trail. It quickly became a beloved lunch stop of ours, and now we eat there frequently. They are most known for their (excellent) birria tacos, however the cubano torta is well worth a taste.
We discovered this cute, typical taco stop when looking for somewhere closeby to Vallarta Cowork to eat lunch when we first came to town, and we’ve been back numerous times since. Be prepared to use your Spanish skills here, and don’t miss their awesome agua frescas, too.
After two years away from Mexico, one of the things I felt most in need of was a decent margarita. So, first thing – I got to work quizzing the local expat groups on where to find an excellent margarita.
I gotta be honest – the results were incredibly divisive.
Some people recommended margarita grill for an excellent margarita, the others dismissed it as super touristy and a bit gimmicky. Turns out, I think both are true. In any case, they do make a great margarita & the cochinita pibil is pretty wonderful too.
In search of pozole, my research led me to the base of the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, and to the unassuming traditional-style El Campanario.
Cheap, delicious, traditional – what’s not to love? I’ve been back plenty since – the pozole is excellent, the comida even better. Also, for somewhere so central, everything is remarkably affordable too. Since that first visit, we’ve continued to return to El Campanario many times.
Joe Jacks is an oft recommended dinner spot that popped up onto my radar numerous times. So, for a nice dinner out in the Zona Romantica we decided to check it out.
The upstairs terrace is charming, and the food was wonderful. They mix an excellent cocktail, too. The only downside is that is does get pretty busy in the high seasons, and is generally pretty full of tourists.
I’m a self professed Oaxaca obsessive. Mole is one of my favourite Oaxacan delicacies, and despite being in Jalisco I was still keen to track down some delicious Oaxacan cuisine. As it turns out, the opportunities to eat Oaxacan are slim in Vallarta.
But, luckily enough there is still one option, and they do make a few delicious different moles. Mole de Jovita didn’t quite stand up to my (unfairly high) expectations after living in Oaxaca, but it’s the best I’ve found in Puerto Vallarta, and I would gladly eat there again.
We found Los Muertos early on in our time living Puerto Vallarta as it’s only a few blocks from where we were based for the first month in Las Canoas.
Los Muertos brews some great beers, the El Duderino (a delicious vanilla java porter) being a personal favourite. They also make great (albeit massive!) pizza, and everything else I’ve tried on the menu has been good too.
This is an excellent spot if you’re looking for a beer and a momentary break from Mexican food, or if you’re just craving a slice of pizza!
Monzón was the second brewery we quickly checked out in our first few weeks in town. They also make really good beers, and I love how often they switch them out and try new things.. although I haven’t yet found anything I like quite as much as the El Duderino (mentioned above)
What I really love about Monzón is the tacos!
They are more US styled & priced than the kind you’ll find out on the street all about town, but gosh are they delicious! Right now I’m specifically enamoured by their baja fish, but the caramelized pork belly is pretty excellent too. Monzón very quickly became our go-to spot for a boozy Friday late lunch.
Right at the fartherest end of Emiliano zapata, right by the mercados & fruterias that border the rio cuale is Mariscos el Colera. We’ve only eaten there the once, but I can vouch for their fish tacos being excellent, and they mix up a mean raicilla margarita.
There are plenty of tables, it’s excellent for watching life go by in a less touristy part of an otherwise tourist-heavy neighbourhood, and the prices are excellent. Many neighbourhood locals eat here, and it’s an excellent respite from the cloying & heaving crowds of holiday makers closer to the malecon.
The small port-side village of Lyttelton, New Zealand is a place close to my heart. It’s where my grandmother lived when I was growing up; it’s a short boat trip away from where my family lives now; and it’s where my partner and I ended up, by chance, renting a house for the first 6 months of our unexpected and extended stay in New Zealand (thanks, pandemic!)
The village feels like a world away, it’s beautiful, and the sense of community is something I adore. Yet it’s a very quick drive through the tunnel to the heart of Christchurch city. It’s kind of the best of both worlds, in many ways. It doesn’t feel at all like the city, Lyttelton. And in fact, before the tunnel was built through the port hills, it really was much more on its own.
Nowadays it has the accessibility of a suburb, with the charm and feel of a small town. Throw in loads of lovely houses, gardens and native birds; and you have quite the undiscovered little haven of a town.
I haven’t always written about New Zealand, but I am extremely proud of where I come from, and after having spent near to two unexpected years in the country, it felt about time to blog about it! So without further adieu, here’s three of my favourite things to do in Lyttelton.
1. Lyttelton Market
Every Sunday it’s time for the most wonderful things about Lyttelton – the weekly farmer’s market. People come from all over the region, as it’s surely one of Canterbury’s best markets. The Main Street of town is closed off to traffic and stalls pop up down the full length. The surrounding restaurants and cafés are bustling with people, and there are usually musicians and street performers. There is excellent produce to be found, locally produced cheese, meets & olive oils but my favourite stall is the bakery right at the end who make one of my favourite foccacia in the world – but you need to get there early as they sell out!
Pizza at Bomba Gelato, Lyttelton
2. Eat, Eat, Eat!
For such a small place, Lyttelton has an abundance of wonderful cafes and restaurants. It was a delight to spend our weekends exploring the different foods and excellent coffee. The Lyttelton Coffee Company has my vote for coffee, Bomba makes some of the best pizza you’ll ever try (and all made by one of the friendliest people in town), and for a few other places to get yourself to make sure to head to Forty Two – the restaurant of a good friend of mine; Super for awesome cocktails and asian inspired food; and Fisherman’s Wharf for fresh seafood right on the water.
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3. Take the Ferry to Diamond Harbour
Every hour throughout the day (and even then sometimes more frequently) a small little ferry makes the seven minute hop across the harbour to picturesque diamond harbour. An even tinier town, with beautiful views, loads of walks, and a lovely little eatery to sit and enjoy a coffee. This also happens to be where my family are, so I love it for personal reasons, too! But it’s a wonderful trip to make if you want to explore more of the beautiful banks peninsula.
I arrived in Lesvos under the more unusual of conditions, and tourism was the last thing on my mind. Yet, the island is perfectly suited to tourism – and not in an over-done hyper-resorted Mykonos way, either. It’s perfect for an authentic taste of Greek life and a haven of delicious food, kindhearted locals and beautiful beaches.
My life was based in the beautiful port town of Myteline for four weeks, and one of the many things I learned from my experience here is what this little paradise needs is some more tourism. Loads of people have never heard of the island, and of those who have, many only know it because of the refugee crisis is has become synonymous with. But this is not a reason to avoid Lesvos – quite the opposite, in fact.
The island is a true European paradise, and the kindness and hospitality of the people shows just how special this hidden gem is. So please, explore this magical island – drink in the perfect mauve sunsets and sip ouzo at one of the numerous tavernas. Come here to enjoy Greece without the horrendous price tag or nightclub life of the more famous party islands! In my opinion, Lesvos is my favourite Greek Island .. and here’s three reasons why:
1. Historical writers & poets
Lesvos is famously home to the poet Sapphos, who has a permanent home (in the form of a statue) in her namesake Sappho’s Square in central Mytelini.
2. The picturesque small villages & abundant natural beauty
Being Greece’s third largest island, there is so much beauty to explore.The island is home to numerous charming small fishing villages, such as Panagouda, a smattering of castles to explore, and a petrified forest – not to mention an expansive coastline of gorgeous beaches.
3. Food, tavernas & ouzo
Lesvos is known by most Greeks as the place where the best ouzo comes from, more specifically the town of Plomari on the island’s Southern coast.
In 2018, I decided to give living in one place a try. Through a few last minute change of plans, and my brother already being there, that place ended up being Melbourne, Australia.
As it turns out, I wasn’t ready to stop travelling, and my year in Melbourne was cut short, as I took off bound for the Oaxacan coastlines of Mexico. But the city of Melbourne will always hold a special place in my heart, and it’s a city I feel has so much to offer, and much for me to go back and explore again, and again, and again.
Here’s a quick love-note-list of reasons I love Melbourne ??
Flat Whites
If you’re from Australia or New Zealand, you will already be well familiar with the distinctly antipodean version of coffee – the humble flat white. And, truth be told, if I had been arriving in Melbourne from my home country of New Zealand, this wouldn’t have excited me in the same way.
But, I had not been to New Zealand in a while, and had spent years travelling around Asia and Europe, far from my beloved coffee, and arriving back somewhere that makes these so well was super exciting. I was delighted.
A flat white is like a latte, but with more milk. It’s kind of difficult to describe, but trust me, it’s better.
If you’ve never tried one (or you’ve only tried them outside of NZ and Aus, which doesn’t count) Melbourne is an excellent place to start. It’s practically a sin to butcher a flat white here, so you can get an excellent drink just about anywhere you try.
Long Summer Evenings
Melbourne puts on a stunner of a summers evening, with temperatures (and sunlight) soaring until the late hours. At the peak of summer, it can be hot and sunny until almost 9pm, and gorgeous average highs hovering around 28 Celcius (and soaring up into the 40s from time to time!)
The months I lived in Melbourne were all summer months, so my opinion is a bit bias! Previous trips into the city throughout other times of the year have proven Melbourne is not immune from gross winter weather, either. But the summer evenings are just so lovely it makes up for it.
Yarraville
Yarraville is an inner suburb to the West of the city centre, and it’s pretty fabulous – not just because it’s where I found my apartment and based myself (also that!), but because it is full of trendy cafes, leafy parks, and is off the well-trodden tourist trail of the city – whilst still being only a couple of quick train stops from the heart of very Central Melbourne.
It’s a beautiful neighbourhood to wander about on a sunny day, and has a strong sense of community for such a small, central neighbourhood. And for its size, the variety of excellent restaurants and cafes is impressive. The art deco Sun Theatre is a great spot to watch a film in a gorgeous, traditionally restored & maintained 1930’s theatre, and one of my favourite brunch spots in all of Melbourne is here: Dad and Dave’s Cafe
Love craft beer? Melbourne’s got you covered. I did not, in fact, love craft beers. At best, I liked them from time to time. But Melbourne changed that for me, and introduced me to a whole new world of delicious drinks. There’s no shortage of trendy craft breweries to discover, and maybe if you’re like me your whole attitude towards beer might shift!
But that’s not even the best part of the Melbourne beer scene, nope – the coolest part is just how many rooftop bars there are tucked away in the city. So many unsuspecting doorways leading up narrow stairs to super cool rooftop bars with awesome views. They are honest just about everywhere, and I continued to be surprised
Melbourne Street Art
Melbourne City Street Art, photo by Anna McPhee
The Melbourne Train Stations
I grew up in a city without trains, so funky train stations and railway travel through the heart of a city will always be a novelty for me. But some of the train stations in Melbourne are simply charming.
My favourites were the Yarraville station, for something that felt like stepping back in time to a tiny little rural station (yet mere stops from the heart of downtown) and Flinders Street Station for being so gorgeous and magnificent, in exactly the opposite way from Yarraville!
The Greek Precinct
Many people don’t realise that Melbourne is the city with the largest Greek population, outside of Greece. In fact, I hadn’t known this either until I read Afternoons in Ithaka. But it’s true!
Greece is a country I am rather enamoured with, and one that will always mean a lot to me. So it was wonderful to find that Melbourne city has a busting Greek precinct full of typical Greek restaurants, where I could catch up on all my favourite Greek foods and goods. They even have a website that provides more information about this little central city gem.
Melbourne has good food running through its veins, and it would be impossible to provide a list of the best cafes here because there are just so many (but here’s one of many lists, if you need one!) but safe to say, my inner foodie was in love. It’s an especially great place to go out and find brunch
Tram Life
Melbourne currently has the largest urban tram network operating in the world, which is pretty impressive. For me, getting around by tram feels like a rare public transport treasure and reminds me of some other very cool cities, such as San Fransisco and Lisbon. Exploring the many different tram stops (over 1700 of them!) is something I rather love about Melbourne.
Fitzroy
Fitzroy is another of my favourite Central Melbourne suburbs, a hub of trendy cafes, galleries and bookstores with a famously bohemian vibe. It’s also where you’ll find my favourite little perfumery, Lore Perfumery.
The majestic Yarra river flows through the heart of downtown Melbourne, and is an iconic feature of any cityscape snap. The beautiful river is important for locals, tourists, and even holds spiritual significance for Aboriginal communities. It’s a pleasure to wander the banks, and explore the city along the Yarra.
I had saved Marrakech for later. To me, it felt like an advanced destination – suited to skilful travellers who know exactly what they are doing. The more I reflect, the more I see how wrong that assumption was.
I had bundled Morocco away with the likes of Japan and India for quite some time – a place not dangerous or in the midst of war, but somewhere that might pose a unique set of challenges. Having now visited all three countries with a difficulty rating of high in my mind, I can comfortably let you know they were all awesome and I held off in my earlier travel years for absolutely nothing.
Marrakech charmed me, and although I spent over a month exploring Morocco, I only had a few days in Marrakech and I would gladly return for longer next time.
“I believe that Marrakech ought to be earned as a destination. The journey is the preparation for the experience. Reaching it too fast derides it, makes it a little less easy to understand.”
