A great hostel in Centro PV with both dorms and private rooms—clean, social, and exactly what you want when location actually matters.
I’ll be back.
(Read in a Schwarzenegger voice. Non-negotiable.)
I’ve been traveling to Mexico since my teens, and somehow my favorite place here is always changing.
That’s part of the magic.
Most recently, I stayed at the Airbnb below in the Bay of Banderas—and once again, Mexico made a very strong case for rearranging my internal favorites list.
I went to Puerto Vallarta four to five trips in a row flying free on points using my Southwest Airlines credit card. I’ve been playing the travel credit-card game for most of my adult life, and honestly, I couldn’t even tell you how many cards I’ve opened, closed, reopened, and closed again.
Yes, it can affect your credit score—but I rarely miss payments, and I hover around 750+, so it’s never been an issue for me. At the moment, I carry Frontier, Southwest, and Hawaiian Airlines cards. In the past, I’ve cycled through Spirit (three times), American Airlines (twice), and Delta, usually rotating every couple of years to take advantage of signup bonuses.
One of my favorite Southwest hacks: Costco. They sell $500 Southwest gift cards for about $430. At one point, I bought $2,000 worth to help hit the minimum spend on my Southwest card and unlock the bonus miles. Between Rapid Rewards points and Southwest flight credits, I’m stacked—but I rarely fly SWA these days, so the coupons are sitting there waiting.
Once I landed in PV, I’d grab the local bus—cheap, easy, and reliable—either into downtown or out toward Nuevo Vallarta.
That said, Centro has always been my favorite. Everything you need is within walking distance: food, beaches, bars, markets, and that laid-back PV rhythm that makes staying longer feel effortless.
Hurricanes can be a real issue in Puerto Vallarta, and I happened to arrive the week after a devastating storm in 2021.
Seeing the aftermath firsthand was sobering. Entire areas were damaged, cleanup was still underway, and the mood was noticeably different from the PV most people imagine. One story in particular stuck with me—a woman had been swept away in her car during the flooding. Search efforts were still ongoing while I was there, and tragically, her body was never found.
Just to lighten things up a bit—the first time I ever had my nose and ear hair waxed was in Puerto Vallarta.
Bold choice for a first-timer.
I’ve since done it a few more times, now that I know what to expect—both physically and emotionally. Character-building stuff, really.
You’re welcome for sharing the laughter, as that is what I try to do around here. 
