Flying in

There are very reasonable fares available on charter airlines - try Apple or FunJet. Check air only for flight and price information. Commercial airlines sometimes have unexpected sales, if you go to their websites directly, try Air Canada, Alaska Air, ATA, Continental, Frontier, Northwest or America West.

Arriving

Make sure you complete your tourist card and customs form while on the airplane. The address you are staying at in Mexico is Casa de Piedra. The city is Boca de Tomatlán, which doesn’t quite fit in the spaces provided on the card. Writing BocadeTom is sufficient. The state is Jalisco. Don’t be confused by some folks on the plane who may be going to the big commercial resorts north of Puerto Vallarta — Nuevo Vallarta is in a different state, Nayarit, and a different time zone.

The airport in Puerto Vallarta is small, and the lines at Immigration usually move quickly. You will receive a stamped portion of your tourist Card (FMT). Do not lose this paper — it will significantly delay your departure if you do not have it when you leave.

Internal airport porters circulate in the baggage claim area. If you would like assistance, they will help you with your bags as far as the exit of the building (tip: about $1.00 USD per bag). Proceed through customs. Currently, there is a small stop-and-go light in customs; press the button, and if it is green, you may go though without inspection.

There are several money-changing booths, ATMs and banks in the airport. However, Puerto Vallarta has a completely bi-currency economy — everyone will take US dollars as easily as pesos; they’ll even take a combination of the two, although they don’t take non-Mexican coins. They are not as familiar with the exchange rate on Canadian dollars, and do not take Euros, so it may be a good idea to change currency in the airport if you do not use US currency.

As you exit customs to the lobby of the airport, you will see many sales representatives for time-share condos. They may be wearing uniforms, or sporting badges, to look “official”. They may offer you free breakfast or a discount on tours, in return for listening to a four-hour sales talk. They can be very persistent. Our advice is, don’t talk to them. Decide what form of transportation you will use before you get off the plane, so that you do not appear approachable while you are deciding. Decline offers of help with hailing a taxi from these folks — the taxis are highly regulated, and are easily available in an orderly line, right outside the door of the airport.

Transportation to Boca

Taxis are easily available at the airport. However, since the airport is a federal zone, the taxi owners must purchase an expensive federal license plate, so the cost is double the city rate. In January 2005, the cost of a taxi from the airport to Boca was $65.00 USD for two persons.

If you want to rent a car, it is much cheaper to book it on line before you arrive. You can rent by the day or the week. There are booths for several car-rental companies in the airport — take your reservation papers to the company you selected. They will shuttle you to their car lot. Tip the driver $2-3 USD, depending on the number of bags you have.

If you do not have much luggage, try taking a bus. The buses to the Zona Central are available in front of the airport, near the highway. Take one marked Centro or Tunel — they take different routes, but arrive at the same transfer point. You will need to transfer at the South Terminal at the corner of Constitución and Basilio Badillo. Next, take a bus marked Mismaloya — Boca is the last stop on this route. Buses cost 4.5 pesos (about 45 cents), and for this, you do need pesos, not dollars.

Transportation around the area

Buses are a very inexpensive and fun way to travel. The bus to Puerto Vallarta comes every 15 minutes to the bus stop at the top of the hill on the coast highway. The trip is about 20 minutes. The last bus back to Boca leaves Puerto Vallarta at the corner of Constitución and Basilio Badillo at 11:00 p.m. The bus to El Tuito is available at the corner of Aguacate and Carranza in Puerto Vallarta.

None of the beautiful beaches south of Boca de Tomatlán are accessible from the coast road. You must take a water taxi or hike to reach these lovely spots. The water taxis are small, open motorboats called pongas, available on the beach in Boca. Plan to go early; larger, crowded boats from the resorts in Nuevo Vallarta sometimes arrive in the late morning or afternoon. A great hiking map is available at Vallarta-Info.com; click on Hidden Beaches.