Airbnb is an Easy Alternative to All Inclusive Resorts for a Family Trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Listener Hitesh Patel Tells Us How He Vacationed in a Local Mexican Neighborhood with His Family Using Airbnb
Tips and Tricks for Using Airbnb in Puerto Vallarta
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Hello fellow travelers, welcome this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel show. I am your host Barry Kessler and I am just so happy to be introducing you to my favorite vacation destination, and maybe even yours, Puerto Vallarta Mexico.
That music you were just listening to is performed by Alberto Perez, the owner of the La Palapa Group of Restaurants. Those are La Palapa, Puerto Vallarta’s Oldest Restaurant on the famous Los Muertos Beach,
and The El Dorado Restaurant and Beach Club right next door so you can enjoy that fantastic view of the Los Muertos Pier all lit up at night in beautiful colors, or during the day in its grand splendor for breakfast, lunch or dinner, seated with our toes in the sand right at the water’s edge. It’s so romantic, it’s so, Puerto Vallarta my friends.
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This week we are going to hear from listener Hitesh Patel, who chose the Airbnb live like a local experience, over the all inclusive resort experience some families with young children when they visit paradise, and I’ll be talking about my tips and tricks for landing a good Airbnb but first let’s see what’s happening this week in Puerto Vallarta, May 2, 2019.
Fiesta de Mayo 2019 in Puerto Vallarta
Fiestas De Mayo, Parroquia De La Santa Cruz 2019, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
The Fiesta de Mayo is under way they have food booths, homemade cakes and sweets, souvenirs, carnival style games, big bouncy thingies, it’s real Mexico and old-fashioned fun. So, get on down to
Aguacate and Carranza, and you can’t miss the good time at the Fiesta de Mayo at the Parroquia De Santa Cruz. Through tomorrow May 3rd. You can’t miss it. Dancing in the streets.
Getting my teeth cleaned While in Puerto Vallarta
I made my appointment, una cita for a tooth cleaning during my stay as well. My six month cleaning. Our friend of the show and my buddy Barbara Ann Renee recommended this dentist to me. She’s a real
dentist, she works out of an office in the Zona Romántica on ….in an office with her dad, they are both dentists, and they clean teeth all day long for wait for it….300 pesos. That’s about an hour with a doctor, not a dental hygienist. A doctor for about $17 US. Now she relies heavily on her ultrasonic tool but she does a great job. And when she’s finished, she bags on me in Spanish about how I need to floss more often, how I need to brush behind my teeth after I drink coffee, and how I need to take some time off and relax because you grind your teeth. Yeah, just like my dentist back home but hey, he never sees me anymore. Sorry doctor Chang.
My wife thinks I need to have my ears cleaned out while I’m down there too…hum, after 30 years of marriage she doesn’t know the difference between selective hearing and deafness. Sad really.
Restaurant Week Puerto Vallarta 2019 May 15th – June 10th
Restaurant week is coming too beginning May 15th, and as you may or may not know, it lasts longer than 2 weeks actually. But I will be talking about that next week as we get closer to the date. Just remember if you will be in town May 15 to June 10th, you will be able to enjoy some of the benefits of Restaurant Week Puerto Vallarta.
Festival of Folklore Vallarta Azteca International
A great celebration of color, music and tradition, will be lived for thirteen years in a row in Puerto 
Vallarta and the region, thanks to the work of the Folkloric Group Vallarta Azteca of CECyTE Jalisco, the Trust of PV and the H. City Council of PV through the Directorate of Tourism, who have given themselves to the arduous task of organizing this great event in which more than 750 guests from 7 states of th
e republic will be received, such as, Aguascalientes, Chiapas, Durango, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Sonora, Zacatecas and representatives of 5 countries in Italy, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Chile, who will give us a sample of folklore with their dances and music from their places of origin.
Festival of Folklore Vallarta Azteca International is on right now, through the 5th of May. In front of the Stadium! Near the Sheraton Hotel.
RISE is Looking for Some Volunteers
RISE is looking for some volunteers to help at the orphanage and here’s the Facebook post…
Shared from Lisa La Fontaine: Buenos Dias todos! I am the Volunteer Coordinator at RISE. RISE is a children’s home in Colonia Benito Juarez (just past the small tunnel). We are looking for volunteers that live in Vallarta full time that can jump in and help during the low season once all of the snow birds have gone home.
We are looking for people to have playtime with the nursery kids (under 5 years old). We have 11:30-1 and 4-5:30 playtime. This is just free play time. You do not need to know how to speak Spanish. Also structured activities (painting, puzzles, games, stories, music, arts & crafts, etc.) are welcomed during this time. Also, we have an English preschool program daily from 10-11:30. If you are interested in teaching or just assisting, let me know.
We also need volunteers for the older kids. Their schedule is a little more flexible, but what they really need is some structured activities to keep them busy.
If you are willing to fall in love with the sweetest group of kids, then I encourage you to join our group and get started. Any amount of time would be appreciated!
Gracias!, Lisa La Fontaine
So, if you are full time, maybe consider helping out at the orphanage. I have an interview planned at RISE this coming trip in a week and a half, and I can’t wait to bring you that interview in a couple weeks.
I have links and contact information for Lisa in the shownotes, so have a look at it.
[https://www.facebook.com/groups/190023464903867/?ref=bookmarks](https://www.facebook.com/groups/190023464903867/?ref=bookmarks)
Meet and Greet Podcasts Tuesday May 14th and 21st at Kelly’s Pour Favor
And that reminds me that I’m going to be dropping in on JR at his Meet and Greet at Kelly’s Pour Favor
Saloon and Cookhouse two dates, two Tuesday’s while I’m in town, the first one is Tuesday May 14th and Tuesday May 21st, both at 6:30 till about 8:30, we are going to set up on the roof and we’ll be looking for some of you to come over and join us, so if you’re going to be in town, stop on by and tell us what you are doing in paradise. We all want to know. Hey, many of my favorite interviews come from these meet and greets. It’s really great to meet you guys.
Flying Southwest Airlines from LAX to Puerto Vallatta
And speaking of my coming trip down, a big shout-out to listener and show contributor Adrian, who
works for my favorite airline Southwest. He shot me a discount code as a gift, saved me 20% off my already low round-trip fare of $235, down to $188, round trip out of Los Angeles. I love Southwest because you can check two bags for free, which means I can bring down clothing to donate, and it doesn’t cost me extra. I bring the used clothing and some toys too, and pack them in an old suitcase, and drop them off with Jorge at Andale’s, or I go with him and his merry band of helpers, to feed the poor, and hand out clothes with his Vallarta Sur Rotary Club. Plus, Southwest is the first terminal as you drive into LAX, so it’s easy for the flyaway bus.
Found a cheap Puerto Vallarta Airbnb
So that’s the airfare, $188, then, the subject we will be talking about with our guest Hitesh, the Airbnb. I found one for 9 of the 10 nights for get this, $24 night US. plus after a cleaning fee and taxes the total came to 9 nights at about $32 a night or $289, add $188 for the airfare, and air and room for 9 nights, with one night still yet to be decided, who knows, I might end up in somebody’s hammock, or under the librimiento overpass, naw, don’t worry about me. There’s plenty of rooms in town mid-May. Anyway, it all comes to $477 US. I’m so cheap.
Of course that doesn’t include any food, drink, transportation, gifts for the missus, weed…wait…..
So, yea, even without that 20% discount it’s more expensive to stay at home for crying out loud. So how do I get these cheap places all the time? I’ll get back to that.
What are the Best Puerto Vallarta Brunches?
Now I got an email from my buddy, listener Dwight. Dwight has actually been on the show both as a guest
at one of our meet and greets, and as an email contributor. And well, Dwight, I consider my friend. Anyway, I got this email and he asks about brunches in Puerto Vallarta, and since I know Dwight’s coming to town soon, I thought that next week I’m going to dedicate a big part of the show to the best brunches in Puerto Vallarta. So if you have a favorite brunch, either buffet style or sit-down, doesn’t matter, let me know which one, and why you like it, and I’ll add it to the list. If you really hate one, tell me about it too okay? We need to look out for one another you know. So hang in there Dwight, next week the show will be dedicated to your question.
So let’s get talk a little about using Airbnb in Puerto Vallarta.
Airbnb’s in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
For those of you who are listening to this podcast, you are technologically savvy enough to use an app
https://www.airbnb.com/s/Puerto-Vallarta–Mexico
either on your phone, tablet or computer laptop or desktop. And if you can use an app, you can use the very popular platform known as Airbnb. Airbnb’s allow owners of properties to advertise them to the world as vacation rentals. Enabling many in Puerto Vallarta especially, many of these Mexicans who were cash poor, but owned property could now create their own business, generating income from once deserted rooms in a building, by renting to tourists.
Currently, the reports are according to statistics, the number of Airbnb’s on the Bahia de Banderas is equal to the number of hotel rooms and timeshare resorts.. That’s amazing. A sleeping giant has awakened in paradise.
So how do you know if you’re getting a good place to stay, and what should you be looking for?
Choose your budget. Pick the highest price you are willing to spend per night, but don’t be afraid to look at the lower priced options as well.
Next, think about where you want to stay in town and then use the map feature in the app to locate the approximate location of your Airbnb.
Housing Options
- Hotel– traditional hotel or small boutique style lodging
- Hostel-Sharing a Room with other travelers
- Private Room– in a private or family home
- Entire Home– Small loft to or one bedroom apartment to a luxury Villa
Airbnb doesn’t give you an address of a property, they show you a map of the vicinity of the bnb. Now if you are familiar with the city, sometimes you can tell where you are if they have a picture looking out a window for example. Sometimes, if you read the reviews from previous guests, they’ll slip up and tell you the street. But when you are on the site, you can opt to look a map view of all the properties, and that particular map view, gives you a really great idea of where this particular Airbnb will be located.
But I’ve gotten so good at the technique of looking at outside pictures and triangulating and with the help of Google Earth or Google Maps, I actually knew where the place was before I booked it. So, the trick is to look for landmarks, then incorporate Google maps or Earth to do the triangulation.
Puerto Vallarta has Hills and Stairs
Remember Vallarta has lots of hills and steps. Know your physical limitations. Many of the listings will tell you in advance that there are many a few or no steps. The reviews will be the best gauge of the difficulty of your climb, that’s for sure. And if the place is on a steep hill, are you going to walk that or are you going to hire a cab at the bottom of that hill to drive you up? How many 50 peso trips will you be taking up and down that steep hill? These are some of the issues renting in Puerto Vallarta. You can ask the host about steps, and they should accommodate.
Use the Rating and Reviews and Read them Carefully
Travelers often build a relationship with their hosts and are shy about telling the whole truth about the place. If someone says it’s a little noisy at night, they really mean it’s really noisy at night. Otherwise, why mention it? They are giving a hint, a tell. And if there are lots of reports on the same issue, you know you have the goods on that place. If one of the reviews says the internet was slow, you can count on it being worse than slow. Hot water, cleanliness, security and noise issues, Don’t take these little hints with a grain of salt, magnify them and understand the underlying sentiment.
So read those reviews carefully and read between the lines. And if they have a rating of less than 4 and a half stars, or 4.3, move on.
New Listings on The Market
If they have no ratings, and are too new, you can take a chance on it if you can tel by the pictures where it is, and if it looks too good to be true, often times they come on the market new with a low introductory price, in order to build up good reviews. I’ve had very good luck with those types of stays, although, you have to be looking for them. They are often noted as a new listing by Airbnb. It’s taking a chance but can be really worth it.
In Puerto Vallarta, Air-conditioning is Important
Does the place have air-conditioning? If you are staying in Vallarta during the high season like between January and March, even April, you may not need air conditioning. I don’t. A fan does just dandy for me, and places without air generally are cheaper. Some places will charge you extra on top of the posted rate, for electricity. They take a reading and charge you extra above a certain agreed upon amount of use. This was the case when I rented one in the V177 building, and the extra cost, although I was a little worried, it was less than $10 extra in the end.
So in paradise, air-conditioning and fans are a must. We are all different, and some of you need air-conditioning in Vallarta at all times of the year due to the humidity. You know best about you, and if you are one of those people, or if you are traveling with one of those people, get it.
Internet and Television in the Airbnb
Do you need good internet? If so, read, read, read the reviews. If they advertise internet in the listing, if you really depend on your service, you can ask the host questions before you book. Ask. And be ready to use your own data plan and to use your phone as your mobile hotpot. If you don’t know how to do that, learn before you go.
In many cases, if the listing is horrible, you can address it with Airbnb, and get a refund.
I must say, that I have had nothing but good experienced going Airbnb in Puerto Vallarta, and I have embedded several videos that I have taken of places I’ve stayed in Puerto Vallarta, in the show-notes.
Staying in a Local Neighborhood Airbnb in Puerto Vallarta, With Young Children
And all this talk brings us to our guest, his name is Hitesh Patel, and he wrote an email which I read a
couple of weeks back, about his listening to the show, and deciding to bypass the all inclusive resorts, in favor of the more local experience of renting an Airbnb. And he made that decision after listening to the
podcast. He has a couple of young kids, and he and his wife and family had a wonderful time. He offered to come on the show and share his experiences and give us some tips for traveling with young kids and
infants, and I’m like, bring it on. So I sent a microphone to Hitesh, and we had a conversation via Skype call so let’s go right now to Tigard Oregon, and let me introduce you to Hitesh Patel, who will tell us his experiences with Puerto Vallarta, Airbnb and young children in paradise.
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Email from Hitesh to the show…
Barry,
Just wanted to thank you for your show.
I live in Portland, OR, and there is now a direct flight from Portland to Puerto Vallarta on Alaska Airlines, which is fantastic and very inexpensive. So I decided to go on a trip there last month with my family. I have two very young kids, one 3 years old and one 10 months.
I am normally a very adventurous traveler on my own, but having two small kids and hearing about all of the “bad stuff” happening to travelers in mexico, my wife wasn’t sure it was a good idea. I had a responsibility to make sure my family was safe. I was ready to go the resort route with my wife and kids for this reason. I started doing more research, found your podcast and started listening regularly. Your podcast convinced me that it really wasn’t as unsafe, and i was able to convince my wife through all the knowledge i learned from your podcast.
I listened to every single one of your podcasts. And then, rather than the resort route, i rented an AirBnB house in the old town district right on the river Cuale which was amazing! We had such an amazing time! It was right in the middle of a local neighborhood, got to experience a lot of culture, birthday parties, kids playing in the streets, swimming in the river, the fireworks, etc. It was so much more fantastic of an experience than i could have ever hoped for. The locals were so friendly. We went to many restaurants you went to and discussed in your podcast.
The restaurants were so inexpensive, and so accommodating to my kids! It was amazing. They would go out of the way to put cartoons on for the kids, hold them while we were eating, play with them etc. I mean, hospitality was amazing. I have never traveled anywhere that was so accommodating for kids.
It was just an all around amazing experience, and i plan to come back to PV every winter.
I would be more than happy to talk to you more about my experiences there if you want to hear more, or if you think it would be valuable to hear more tips for travelers with young kids, we have several.
Thank you for all your work. Greatly appreciated. You made our vacation so much better.
So Hitesh used many of the services that are offered on the Airbnb app. Tours, cooks, and so on, to make his vacation simple, and easy.
I have some pictures of Hitesh and his family as well as a link to the Airbnb unit they stayed in, and his review, it’s a long one and very good to read as well. He talks about all the things he did through Airbnb.
The Airbnb Hitesh and Family Stayed at…
Now with all that in mind, you know how I feel about Airbnb getting into the tour business, I don’t like it. I prefer that if any of you need a tour, you see JR first and go to Vallartainfo.com first. But then you all know that….don’t you? Yes you do! There I’ll answer that for you.
Things Hitesh did…
New Alaska Airlines Flights out of Portland
Used a stroller called a BOB with large tires
Restaurants
Fredy’s Tucán
Memo’s Pancake House
Los Muerto Brewing, Puerto Vallarta
No Way Jose, Puerto Vallarta
Street food
Barrio Vallarta
Also….Used Airbnb Superhost and purchased a Meal Cooked at Home by the Locals
Things to do with Kids
- Play in the Sand at the beach
- Walk Everywhere
Ideas…Mosquito bracelets on Amazon
Fly during regular nap time
Don’t over-pack They have baby Food, Diapers, formula..everything, and cheap!
Okay that should do it for this week.
Next week, stay tuned for more on the ground reports from Puerto Vallarta Mexico, with travel tips, great restaurant and excursion ideas and more. Until then, remember, this is an interactive show where I depend on your questions and suggestions about all things Puerto Vallarta. If you think of something I should be talking about, please reach out to me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending us your message.
And remember, if you are considering booking any type of tour while you are in Puerto Vallarta, you must
go to Vallartainfo.com, JR’s website and reserve your tour through him, right from his website. Remember the value for value proposition. His experience and on the ground knowledge of everything Puerto Vallarta in exchange for your making a purchase of a tour that you would do anyway, you’re just doing it through him as a way of saying thank you. It costs no more than if you were to use someone else so do it. Really. And when you do take one of these tours, email me about your experiences. Maybe you can come on-board and share with others what you liked or didn’t like about the tour. Again, contact me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending off a message. Don’t forget his maps, his DIY tours and his revitalized Happy Hour Board. I have links to all of those in the show notes.
And once again, if you like this podcast, please take the time and subscribe and give me a good review on iTunes if you would. That way we can get the word out to more and more people about the magic of this place. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Remember I made it easy for you to do just that with each episode I create. But if you haven’t been to my website, you really need to have a look there. I have the links to the
places we talk about, interesting pictures and the more all right there in my blog-posts and show-notes for each episode of the show so check them out for sure if you haven’t already all-right? All right.
And thank you Hitesh Patel for coming on the show, and telling us about your experiences with Airbnb, and traveling with your young kids. I have links to places Hitesh talked about, in the shownotes.
And thanks to all of you for listening all the way through this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show. This is Barry Kessler signing off with a wish for you all to slow down, be kind and live the Vallarta lifestyle. Nos Vemos amigos!
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