Puerto Vallarta or Mazatlan?

Question

I'm thinking about planning a trip to Mexico in September. There would be 3-4 adults and a 2 yr old. Mainly we want to hang out on the beach and maybe see a cultural sight or two. Would you recommend Puerto Vallarta or Mazatlan?

Answer 1

I would never go to Mazatlán.  Most of their beaches are not very clean.  This is a commercial port.  (lots of gasoline, oil and dark sand beaches).

Puerto Vallarta is not commercial port but a tourist destination.   Lots of activities and wonderful hotels.  Try  Hotel Dreams Puerto Vallarta.   Look for a video in Youtube so you can see the hotel, rooms and amenities.

Best luck.

Answer 2

Puerto Vallarta all the way! I visited Mazatlan as a child, and Vallarta as an adult, and both are pretty cities, but I love Vallarta. There's tons of activities to do, plenty of nice beaches, lots of shopping, lots of tourists, and it's a great place to see the Mexican culture while still having a few american style restaurants.

I've heard that Mazatlan has recently had more drug related violence & the state of Sinaloa (where Mazatlan is) is home to a major drug cartel (who bring the violence).

You won't be disappointed with Puerto Vallarta! Have fun & good luck!