The Malecon in;Puerto Vallarta is the scenic boardwalk, where passersby and locals can get a whiff of fresh air, admire the beautiful Banderas Bay, bike and walk for a mile. A recently jazzed up walkway offers visitors more than Wookie statues (yes, they have some sort of strange obsession with Star Wars down there).

But what you’ll notice in addition to the Wookie statues, there are statues by Alejandro Colunga, the celebrated Mexican artist, painter and sculpture whose high-backed chairs look inspired by Dali. There are also sculptures and mosaics, as well as the popular statue of the PV mermaid (the symbol of Puerto Vallarta). 

You’ll find restaurants serving traditional Mexican hot chocolate (the kind with chili pepper in it), souvenir shops with gaily-patterned folk art geckos made out of clay, and other upscale and low-key restaurant like Playa Los Arcos, which serves some of the best Mexican cuisine on the Malecon. Choose from the Mi Pueblito Restaurant, which serves everything from tortilla soup to fantastic quesadillas (burritos are American). The fresh queso is everything.

Of course, strolling down the Malecon means taking in the live concerts and often impromptu theatrical performances, sometimes acrobatic.  It’s well worth the walk.  

 

Read to pick up your tickets to Puerto Vallarta? Visit;CheapOair today! 

 

Photo credit: Charu Suri;