Bringing kids to Puerto Vallarta... is PV kid friendly?

Short answer - YES!

We always hear concerned parents wondering if Puerto Vallarta is safe enough to bring their kids along with them when they travel and we say absolutely! Honestly, many locals will go out of their way to make you feel welcome with your young ones, grabbing high chairs in restaurants and having kid friendly menus, offering reduced rates for children on different activities, there is no reason not to bring your kiddos along. Family is incredibly important in Mexico and you’ll see three or four generations enjoying a stroll on the malecon or having a nice dinner at a local restaurant, there is even a day devoted to children called Dia del Nino - much like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day where the children receive gifts!

Entertainment Ideas:

Build sandcastles on the beach or go for a swim at Playa Los Muertos.
Puerto Vallarta has a zoo where they can even feed some of the animals!
What kid doesn’t like pirates? Take them on board the pirate ship in PV.
Enjoy your accommodations pool - some places even have pool toys provided.
Do your kids love horses? Take them into the jungle and ride horses to a waterfall.
Swimming with the dolphins for older kids will be an experience they won’t forget!
Kids love a thrill, why not take them zip-lining? They will be laughing and squealing with joy.
Want to go to a water park, there is one in PV with 10 water slides and a lazy river.
Walk along the malecon, there is loads of entertainment for young and old alike.

Travel Logistics:

If you are thinking of traveling with small children to Puerto Vallarta but the idea seems downright overwhelming, let us help! Many rentals are kid friendly, some will provide pack-n-plays, highchairs, cribs etc. If they don’t, you don’t have to bring all of that with you. There are companies where you can rent everything you could ever need for your kids and it comes at very affordable prices. Activity tables, baby swings, bassinets, booster seats, car seats, bed rails, cribs, strollers, foam mats, diapers and wipes, beach toys, life jackets, it is all available to order online and have delivered to you. If you want a night out, there are excellent babysitters who will watch your children for a couple of hours while you enjoy a date night. Having shops like Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Costco make stocking up on groceries very similar to how it would be at home. Items that are gluten free, lactose free etc are becoming more common in case your kids have any food allergies, it is easy to pick up diapers, wipes, etc. at those shops or pharmacies around town.

So bring the whole family to Puerto Vallarta and enjoy paradise!

Dia de los Muertos and Halloween in PV

The Day of the Dead is celebrated in Puerto Vallarta and the rest of Mexico from October 31st until November 2nd, overlapping with of course Halloween as we know it in the US. October 31st is Young Souls Day, the 1st of November is All Saints Day and the 2nd of November is All Souls Day.

Dia de los Muertos is a day in which Mexicans honor and celebrate their deceased relatives and loved ones. It is a wonderfully colorful and festive holiday, not dim and somber event as you may think. The belief behind the holiday is it is one day that the spirits of those who have passed return to the world for just this short period of time.

The Day of the Dead and Halloween to share similarities as both are based on the idea of spirits returning, but with Halloween, customs seem to stem more from the idea that those spirits were wicked and evil rather than spirits that are accepted as family.

Halloween festivities are becoming more prevalent in Puerto Vallarta and the rest of Mexico. You can find masks and costumes sold in stores as well as sugar skulls (gifts for the departed young souls of children) and pan de Muertos (bread of the dead). Some children even will dress up and go trick-or-treating.

If you are going to be in Mexico, enjoy the wonderful celebrations, just be sure to be respectful since they are honoring the deceased. You'll see calacas and calaberas (skeletons and skulls) all around, people will be eating, drinking, partying and enjoying themselves! You may see lanterns hung on trees, firecrackers set off, pathways of flowers (which are intended to guide the souls home) and elaborately decorated altars and graves. Of course with tourists, you'll likely see them dressed up, partying in the clubs around town!