Un-resort vacationing in Puerto Vallarta

MISMALOYA, Mexico — When my outdoorsy daughter, who goes snowboarding, rock climbing and rowing for recreation, heard we were considering Puerto Vallarta for vacation, she groaned with disappointment.

“That’s a resort,” she said dismissively.

But after a morning of snorkeling in the crystal blue waters off Los Arcos islands among thousands of brilliantly colored tropical fish, followed by an afternoon of serious hiking from the fishing village of nearby Boca de Tomatlan through the jungle to a hidden white-sand beach where she watched a lizard snatch a butterfly from the air, she was hooked.

“This is better than I thought it was going to be,” she said before slipping into a deep, contented sleep.

Lining the beaches of Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta is rightly famous for its spectacular resorts — where thousands of visitors flock and are cocooned in luxurious tropical surroundings; where sumptuous meals are standard; and the only decisions to be made are whether to play a round of golf, go to the spa, order a margarita or take a dip in the pool.

For a price, Puerto Vallarta has Jet Skis to rent, parasailing, swimming with dolphins, and jungle zip lines. As with any resort, T-shirt and trinket stores line the streets, and there are dozens of bars and nightclubs where Jalisco tequila and Pacifico beer with a wedge of lime flow freely and cheaply.

For the adventurous, there are other sides to Puerto Vallarta.It has become an artists’ colony and collectors’ destination, with dozens of galleries on the old cobblestone streets featuring a surprising variety of mediums and styles.

On the weekly Art Walk linking 17 galleries, I found the traditional pottery of Mata Ortiz arresting, but a friend with a critical eye who buys art for a living was particularly impressed with the Omar Alonso Gallery, across the street from the Cafe des Artists restaurant.

“There were several world-class artists there that even a novice art collector would appreciate,” she said.

Puerto Vallarta is also a fast-growing retirement destination for Canadian and U.S. citizens, who live in gleaming waterfront condominiums at about one-third of the cost of living in the United States. It also is home to an astonishing array of restaurants — from street stalls selling tacos and enchiladas to the River Cafe, where I had the best fried calamari I have ever tasted.

The Cafe des Artists has a menu that would not be out of place alongside the best in New York or San Francisco. Le Cliff, overlooking the bay, is about a 20-minute drive from downtown and is one of the most beautifully situated restaurants in the area — perfect for a marriage proposal such as the one the entire restaurant witnessed while we were there.

She said,”Yes.”

For those willing, Puerto Vallarta is a great starting point for excellent surfing.

We made our base the Casa Iguana, a family hotel in Mismaloya, about 15 minutes from old-town Puerto Vallarta and 150 yards from the beach that John Huston, Ava Gardner, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton put on the map when filming the “Night of the Iguana” in 1964. Before “Iguana,” Puerto Vallarta was a sleepy fishing village.

The Casa Iguana is a comfortable but simple hotel with 43 two- and three-bedroom suites, each with a kitchenette and dining area. The cost is about $100 a night, depending on the season.

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