So the hottest destination right now in Mexico for beaches is Puerto Vallarta! You’ve heard the name, but maybe didn’t know it’s a Mexican beach resort destination in Jalisco named after a former governor Vallarta. Some know it as PVR (the airline code) and others just call it good old PV.

For decades this destination has been a favorite among those who wanted an off the path vacation. During most of the past century it was difficult to get to Puerto Vallarta until the Mexican government started working on easier ways to get people to the area and the coast here became recognized as a tourist destination.

What helped put Puerto Vallarta on the map was a movie made by super producer John Houston called The Night of the Iguana. Stars of the movie, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were involved in an affair at the time and the media covered that as well as the filming. People began hearing this city name more and more. You may remember hearing it as a destination for winners in game shows – three nights in Puerto Vallarta!

The 1960′s and 70′s saw a boom here, but then Acapulco and Cancun took over the top spots as destinations of the in-crowd.  As tourism waned, hotels stopped popping up and the economy didn’t do so well. But now a come-back as the peso is good for foreigners to take advantage of and the beaches and weather haven’t changed at all.

As far as the Puerto Vallarta weather, in the summer you’ll find everything green and growing. The bay water is warm and soothing. Downtown the crowds are much smaller than the high season of winter so no need to make dinner reservations. But the summer can be humid and hot and a few of the restaurants close August and September.

People flock here during the winter because the weather brings to Puerto Vallarta low humidity and warm days with those cool, Pacific nights. The bay can get a little chilly, but the boardwalk here and the nightlife are worth the visit.

Remember, this is the largest natural bay in Mexico, and this location sits on the same latitude as the Hawaiian Islands – so weather is similar. But guess what? It’s only three hours away from most cities in the continental United States!

And now to the Puerto Vallarta beaches!!

Tags: season, elizabeth taylor and richard burton, playa conchas chinas, Puerto Vallarta, winter, richard burton, area, airline code, elizabeth taylor, destination