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Hey guys! So last week my husband and I just returned from a five-day four-night trip to
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Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. And I was so inspired by the beauty of the scenery and the people
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and everything that I wanted to do a top six list of things that you must do when you visit Puerto
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Vallarta. So the first thing on my list is I really think if you visit you should stay in the downtown
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El Centro area of the city. The El Centro area has so much great food and drinks and really great
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prices on hotels right there in the middle of the city. For the first part of our trip, we spent a
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total of $40 a night for two people at a small hotel downtown. And not only does that put you
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within walking distance of everything, you get a really true authentic experience compared to if
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you were just staying in one of the smaller like marina areas or just at your resort. And going
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along with that, my next tip is to eat and drink locally. So on our trip, we actually split up our
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stay. We did half of our stay in a small hotel downtown and the other half at an all-inclusive
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resort. Let me be honest with you. We enjoyed our experience at the downtown hotel so, so much more
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than the all-inclusive. Yes, you have unlimited drinks at the bar and yes, you get unlimited
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access to food but everything kind of you know mediocre It like walking into like a buffet restaurant like Golden Corral You know the food not going to be that good but it fill you up That kind of my experience that I had at my all in Puerto Vallarta Not saying
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they're all like that, but the particular place I stayed, everything was very average. But when I
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went out to eat and drink in the local El Centro area, I was blown away by not only the price of
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everything, which was so much less than American standards of prices of drinks and food, but the
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quality and the ingredients and just everything felt so traditional and how it was supposed to be
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The restaurant at the bottom of our hotel was called Coexist Cafe and we ate there both days
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for breakfast because they had a wonderful menu of a lot of traditional dishes that were kind of
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special to the area and it only cost us about eight dollars a person. And for dinner you absolutely
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have to check out a place called Joe Jack's Fish Shack. I know it doesn't sound like something you'd
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want to try in Mexico. You guys, not only was the red snapper the best seafood I've ever had
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it was honestly the best meal I have ever eaten in my life. And the ginger mojitos made the night
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so much better. So my next tip is to go out. Seriously, whether you are staying in an all
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inclusive resort or you're staying at another hotel, you have to experience the nightlife of
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this city And the nightlife culture here is so huge Most places are open until like 4am 5am Literally you could find a bar for whatever your niche interests are There was something for you Now when you on vacation you probably want to bring home some souvenirs
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I highly recommend checking out this small little island right in the middle of the city
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called Isla Kuale. I think I'm pronouncing that right. Probably not. It's like this hidden oasis that has like lots of nature
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and there's like a tequila tasting place and a restaurant. But they also have what they call the flea market area right in the middle
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where there are so many stands of locals selling souvenir items. So be prepared to be approached by a bunch of the vendors trying to sell you something
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And also be prepared to haggle because you will get some of the best deals here
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compared to some of the like beach vendors that you see like in the main tourist areas
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So definitely take some time to walk down to this island and just walk around. It's so beautiful
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Now this next tip has to do more about your timing of when you visit
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We sort of made the mistake of underestimating when their rainy season would end
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They're pretty much rainy from June to like end of August is what I read
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So we thought mid-October it would probably be a little bit nicer. It was really cloudy for the majority of our trip and it rained a good bit
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And actually this week they actually got hit by a hurricane. So do a little bit better than us and just do your research and find out the best times to visit where the rain is low and the humidity is low and you will have a wonderful time
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So my final tip is actually something I didn't get to do on this trip. But next time I go it is going to be a priority and that explore outside of the city There are some excursions and day tours that are offered that take you to some of the most beautiful beaches in the area and
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really get you out of your comfort zone to do things you would never do if you weren't on
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vacation in Mexico. Whether you want to zipline through the jungle, snorkel, explore caves, relax
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on a private beach, there is a day trip or excursion for you. I did something really similar when I
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went to Cancun earlier this year, and it was definitely the highlight of my trip. So if you're
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in the city for more than a couple days, dedicate just one day for an off-site trip. You won't
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regret it and it may actually be your favorite part of the trip. So these are the top six things
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I recommend you do when you're in Puerto Vallarta. But I want to hear what your favorite things are
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Whether you're a local or this is your go-to vacation destination, leave your suggestions for
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food and drinks and things to do in the comments below. Not only for me, but for each other
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because tons of people know this city so much more than I do. I've only visited once, but I
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will absolutely be back. I think I found my new favorite vacation destination in Mexico
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Thank you so much for watching. If you want to see more of my travels, make sure to follow me on Instagram
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I put my handle here. And let me know if you want me to make more of these vacation guides. I love talking about travel
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It's like my favorite thing to do in the world. So if you want to see more, don't forget to subscribe
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And I'll see you guys next video. Bye. Thank you
