Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Area Beaches

Nuevo Vallarta Hotel Zone Bucerias San Francisco/San Pancho Sayulita Punta de Mita El Anclote Destiladeras Boca de Tomates Marina Vallarta Los Muertos Garza Blanca Gemelas Mismaloya Boca de Tomatlan

Situated on Banderas Bay, which boasts 34 miles of coastline and 26 miles of sandy beach, the Puerto Vallarta area offers spectacular beaches.

North on the Costa Vallarta the beaches are longer and wider with the foothills of the Sierra Madre further back from the sea than in Jalisco, giving them a unique character. South of PV, where the mountains tumble into the sea, you will discover small coves and intimate sandy stretches.

Nuevo Vallarta. Lined with sprawling resort hotels, this gorgeous, wide sandy beach hugs Banderas Bay for as far as the eye can see. This peaceful beach – just minutes from Grand Velas is a beautiful spot to soak up the sun, swim and just relax.

Nuevo Vallarta also offers a wealth of diversions from the sun and sand, including three professional golf courses, a water park, a yacht club, marinas, mall shopping and many excellent restaurants.  [Top]

Hotel Zone in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Lined with resort hotels, this beautiful, wide sandy beach stretching from Marina Vallarta to the Sheraton is a tourist playground. The beach offers every amenity and water sport – from parasailing to whale watching – your choice. It's easy to have an adventure on this beach, simply by strolling and stopping into whichever beach-front bar, restaurant or venue that catches your eye.  [Top]

Bucerias in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Golden sands stretching for miles and gentle waves make this an ideal family beach – with oceanfront palapa restaurants and an interesting small town to explore. Boasting the longest beach on the bay, "The Place of the Divers" is known for its freshly shucked giant oysters and sublime seafood. Catch some rays in front of the beach restaurants and enjoy the constant breeze that makes the beach feel fresher and cooler. The town offers many waterfront restaurants and a colorful outdoor market by the main plaza, which is a fun way to absorb the local flavor.  [Top]

San Francisco/San Pancho. Just a few miles outside the bay, this pristine beach on open sea is gorgeous, windswept, primitive and long and wide, with deep creamy sand and rougher waters than inside the Bay. A long-established adventure resort attracts outdoor enthusiasts from around the world, offering every activity you can imagine, including surfing, kayaking, sport fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking, and tours to Matachen Bay, which boasts the world's longest surfable wave. The town’s main street is really cool, with an Internet Café and great restaurants.  [Top]

Sayulita. A surfing mecca of international renown, the shoreline of this picturesque fishing village is dotted with coves and beaches where surfers hang ten. Riding the gentle breakers to shore, most of the action happens off the main town beach, with lessons and board rentals available. Those looking for privacy will likely find it in one of the area's small coves, each conveying the sense it is yours alone. After a day of swimming and sunning, you’ll find palapa restaurants on the beach, mexican dining spots, as well as gourmet dining. A funky fishing village with dramatic wild beauty, Sayulita offers an appealing town square, as well as trendy shops and businesses.  [Top]

Punta de Mita. One of two beaches on this pretty peninsula at the northern tip of Banderas Bay, Punta de Mita is the ideal beach for strolling and absorbing the incredible beauty and tangy sea air.  [Top]

El Anclote. One of two public beaches at Punta de Mita, El Anclote is a bustling beach and seaside community with great swimming and surfing. Since the waves break right in front of the beach, it's an ideal spot to learn to surf. A favorite weekend getaway for Vallartans, this beach offers nice restaurants and many activities, such as kayaking, catamaraning, and snorkeling. Rent a boat and guide to take you to Las Marietas Islands nature preserve just offshore where snorkeling and diving are excellent. Hire a panga to take you whale watching in the Bay.  [Top]

Destiladeras. A local favorite with families and surfers, Destiladeras offers a wide white sand beach, a gradual drop-off, and fresh seafood at outdoor palapa-shaded restaurants at the edge of the water. The large flat rocks found here can be used as picnic tables. Surfers appreciate its five-foot swells, while others enjoy strolling its long stretch. This is a great beach for relaxing and savoring the beautiful sunsets.  [Top]

Boca de Tomates. A half hour north of Puerto Vallarta, Boca de Tomates is a peaceful, long sandy retreat where you’ll see more crocodiles, sea turtles and exotic birds than sun worshippers. An ecologist's paradise, the Tomates estuary is one of this area's most important refuges for wildlife. The beach is very popular with boogie boarders and offers funky palapa restaurants.  [Top]

Marina Vallarta. Catering to those staying at the resort hotels, this wide, sandy beach offers a great view of Puerto Vallarta and its undulating mountain backdrop. Check out Nikki Beach, a sensuous and cool restaurant-bar-beach club where you can eat in bed!  [Top]

Los Muertos. It's ironic, considering that the literal translation of Los Muertos is "The Dead," that this long sandy beach on the South Side is the town's liveliest. This funky and popular beach is lined with restaurants and bars where you can grab a beach chair and table, and is a popular parasailing beach. In the evenings, mariachi and other musicians wander the beach, stopping to play and charging by the song. From Los Muertos, many pangas depart for beaches further south.  [Top]

Garza Blanca. Located off the Barra Navidad road on the way to Mismaloya, this small, tranquil white sand, city beach is framed with palms and crystal clear water that laps the shoreline. Garza Blanca is popular with the locals on weekends and the perfect spot for a picnic and enjoying the sand and surf.  [Top]

Gemelas. “Twin" beach is two small crescent-shaped beaches at the foot of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Here the surf is gentle and good for swimming. Water sports and a restaurant are available at the beach hotel.  [Top]

Mismaloya. A small sandy beach on a beautiful jungle-fringed cove south of Puerto Vallarta where the Mismaloya creek meets the ocean, this is where the "The Night of the Iguana" was filmed in 1963. Mismaloya offers a beautiful white sand beach, several restaurants, little palapa spots, and a major resort. You can even walk around what remains of the old movie set.  [Top]

Boca de Tomatlan. With a primitive South Seas feel, this small sandy cove at the edge of the jungle three miles south of Mismaloya is where the mouth of the Tomatlan River meets Banderas Bay. Palapa restaurants serve fresh-caught fish and Mexican fare and small boats take folks to beaches further south.  [Top]

Photos by Mark Callanan http://www.callananphoto.com