Map & Directions

FAQs

      Archie’s Wok – Rodriguez 130; Asian fusion, nice atmosphere; very popular

      Kaiser Maxmillian – Olas Altas 380B; fine dining; romantic atmosphere; Austrian cuisine with Mexican touches

      Daquiri Dick’s – Olas Altas 314; fine dining on the beachfront

      Cuates y Cuetes – Los Muertos Beachfront @ Rodriguez; very casual beachfront bar/restaurant, local gringos hang out here

      Mickey’s No Name Café – Malecon; good breakfast, great view from upstairs balcony, sports on TV

      Taco carts on Rodriguez and on Manuel Dieguez @ Olas Altas; the tacos al pastor (pork on the spit) on Dieguez are to die for; the carne asada tacos are better on Rodriguez; try the (non-spicy) avocado salsa at either stand

      Tacos el Bigote - just over the big bridge on the Malecon, authentic and tasty carne asada tacos, sold in orders of 5 (they're tiny)

      Juice stand on Rodriguez – next to taco cart; 2 blocks from beach; delicious fresh-squeezed orange or grapefruit juice; a great way to start the morning!

      8 Tostados –  Neptune Plaza in Marina Vallarta; try the traditional Mexican-style shrimp cocktail in its juice – it’s better than it sounds!

      Marisma Fish Tacos – Neptune Plaza in Marina Vallarta; the fried fish and shrimp tacos are yummy; one of the best limonadas in town!

      La Palapa – Pulpito 103 @ Los Muertos Beachfront; fine dining, beachfront – there are romantic tables in the sand or in the open-air restaurant

      El Dorado – Pulpito 102 @ Los Muertos Beachfront; good food, nice atmosphere

      Coffee Cup – Rodolfo Gomez 146 @ Olas Altas; tasty American-style sandwiches and salads in a pleasant, air-conditioned atmosphere

      La Dolce Vita – Malecon; authentic Italian on the Malecon, nice atmosphere and great views if you can score a railing-side table upstairs

      Memo’s Pancake House – Basilio Badillo 289; breakfast

      Group of 2 fish/shrimp-on-a-stick restaurants – Los Muertos Beach at the foot of Madero; grilled, seasoned fish or shrimp served on a skewer – great for a snack or very light lunch; look at the food at the grills and eat at the one that looks best - we like Ramada La Maquina.

3.      Helpful Hints Around Town

      Drinking the Water – the city water in PV is treated but there are many buildings with older plumbing, so typically it is better to avoid drinking water from the tap.  We do, however, brush our teeth with tap water here at Casita Encantada.  Any restaurant that caters to tourists (and probably even those that cater more to locals) will serve you purified water with purified ice, free of charge, if you ask for a glass of water.  It is unnecessary to order bottled water at a restaurant, but you should, of course, do what makes you feel most comfortable.

      Street food – we have eaten at numerous food carts, including the taco stands and the fish-on-a-stick places listed above, many times without incident.  For the most part, we feel it is relatively safe to “eat on the street,” but we do recommend avoiding eating mayonnaise that has been sitting out all day at a street cart.  That being said, everyone’s body is different and you should do what makes you feel most comfortable

      Groceries – Gutierrez Rizo on Constitucion, Mega Commercial (look for the orange and white pelican emblem) on Francisco Medina Acencia (main drag), Xochitl Mini-Super on Olas Altas @ Rodriguez, Wal-Mart on Francisco Medina Acencia across from the cruise ships; these are our favorites, but, as you will see, there is no shortage of groceries around town!

      Washing fruits & vegetables – if you buy fruits and vegetables that you are not going to peel, it is a good idea to soak them in the sink or in a large bowl of tap water with a few drops of Microdyne (in the small blue bottle) to purify them; just follow the instructions on the back of the bottle; fruits and vegetables that you peel in order to eat, such as bananas, oranges, limes, avocadoes, etc. are fine as is and don’t need to be treated

      Mosquitoes – if you experience problems with them in the condo, MATS plug-ins with the blue inserts seem to be quite effective in keeping them at bay; they are available (cheaply) at Gutierrez Rizo grocery store or at any of the other major supermarkets

      Laundry – most, if not all, laundromats in town are full-service; should you need to have clothes washed, the lavandaria on Rodolfo Gomez next to the Coffee Cup café provides same day or next day service (depending on drop-off time) and does a good job; USD$6/load. 

      “The Book Store” – Carranza 334A; great selection of new/ recent-release English-language books, magazines if you need something to read by the pool or at the beach

      Vallarta Tribune – PV’s English-language newspaper has lots of info about stuff going on here; available free of charge at various locations around town (www.vallartatribune.com)

      Telephone – if you need to make a call, there is a pay phone at the entrance of the mini-super on Amapas about 2 blocks from here; pay phones in PV typically operate with pre-paid calling cards, which are sold at many of the mini-supers around town

      Internet café –  Olas Altas @ Rodolfo Gomez is a convenient one we’ve used; there are many located all over town, but rates vary, depending mostly on location

      Useful websites – www.vallartaonline.com for general information; www.vallartatribune.com; www.infopv.com is the best online source for movie listings

4.     Instructions for Operating Things in the Condo

      Our plumbing is fragile – please do not flush toilet paper, kleenex, tampons, etc. in toilet; rather, please throw them in the wastebasket next to the toilet

      No smoking – period; thank you for respecting our non-smoking home

      Drinking water – there is a water cooler for your use located on the kitchen bar in the condo; if you should need additional water for the cooler, you can take an empty container up to the hotel desk and they can fill it with purified water (please note that they do this as a favor to condo owners).  If there is enough help at the front desk, someone may be able to bring it downstairs for you, but please be aware that they do this as a favor to renters and they may not have the resources available to transport the water for you. 

      Hot water can sometimes take 5- 10 minutes to heat – be patient (this is Mexico!)

      Resources are precious – please help us conserve energy by keeping the windows and doors closed when A/C is on, turning off the A/C when not needed and only using as many towels as you need – thank you!

      If you take a book from our library, please leave one behind to replace it

      Air conditioner – operates with remote control (remote should be located on top of or inside nightstand)

      The ceiling fans should be operated only by using the knob switches (that look like dimmer switches) on the walls, not on the fans themselves

      The housekeeper comes once or twice per week to do general cleaning and to launder your sheets and towels; it is customary and much appreciated to leave her a tip of about 25 pesos ($2.50) per visit (or more, if you have specific requests for her)

      Garbage – should you need to take out the trash in between housekeeping visits, please take it up the stairs to the grey trash can near/outside condo unit #504

      Internet connection – if you brought a laptop, please feel free to use our cable internet connection; simply plug the available end of the grey cable (attached to the cable modem on the other end)  into your computer; we also have a wireless network for your use if you are wi-fi enabled; if it asks for a security code, enter the following: 61660410974156909621cae503 (case sensitive)

      For your security – please close and lock the terrace doors and windows before leaving the condo and while sleeping at night

5.      Emergency contact info

      Should you have any questions or maintenance problems in the condo, please feel free to contact our property manager, located near the condo off the highway, across from the Pemex station and next door to Los Veranos Canopy Tours company:

                        Susan Wiseman/Victor
                        Wiseman & Lord Properties
                        Francisca Rodriquez 336, Colonia Emiliano Zapata
                        Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, MX
                        Tel: (322) 223-4424 / 223-4418

                        Cell Phone: 044 (322) 294-0734

Thank you for choosing Casita Encantada.  We hope you enjoy your stay and welcome your comments and suggestions!