After getting back from Puerto Vallarta, I was surprised how gay Puerto Vallarta actually is! Prior to traveling I read from several travelers who called Puerto Vallarta “The San Francisco of México,” but didn’t realize how true that actually was. Rainbow flags are all over the southern part of Puerto Vallarta, in an area known as Emilio Zapata, Zona Romantica, Old City or now Rainbow Zone thank to all the gay travelers who vacation there.

Thinking about going to Puerto Vallarta? Well the scenery was gorgeous, the weather was perfect, there is a lively gay scene and the city was authentically Mexican! Below are some of my experiences.

Gay Puerto Vallarta?

On a map, gay Puerto Vallarta is the furthest southern section of the city near where the beaches start to become rocky and the mountains close in on the ocean. It’s a very scenic part of Puerto Vallarta and is supposedly where the Native Americans first settled as well as the Spanish and then the Mexicans that came after. Nowadays there are tall hotels as well as authentic Mexican styled buildings that start from the beach and work up the mountain. Outstanding views are almost a guarantee!

Hotel Options

By chance, I happened to pick a hotel that was dead center in gay Puerto Vallarta called Amaca Hotel. It was a decent hotel, for the price, although there are way nicer places to stay. It is located up some steep stairs near a very gay section of the Old City. The only drawback was that there was a condo under construction right next door, so that was kind of annoying. But we did get a view of the ocean, a hammock and some unbelievable breezes during the morning and night.

There are plenty of places to stay in the Old Town, and more than likely there will be tons of gays staying in the condos or hotels that are in the area. Most of these places are cheaper than the hotels up north in the Hotel Zone which are run by American hotel chains. Many people opt to stay in the Hotel Zone of Puerto Vallarta, but I feel it lacks things to do and is very inauthentic. Another option would be to stay over the river from the Old City, in Downtown Puerto Vallarta, but this is technically not the gay area.

The Scene

The southern end of Puerto Vallarta is very hilly and many of the hotels make you climb uphill. However I feel that the gay Puerto Vallarta area is the place to be. You have cobble-stoned streets with white wash buildings and the vacation experience that Puerto Vallarta is famous for.

You will see rainbow flags and stores that cater to gays everywhere. You will see specialty gay stores that sell mostly beach wear as well as more risqué items. It was refreshing to experience and great to see so many guys out with their significant other! However I will say that I saw way many more gay guys instead of gay girls and I’m not sure why?!

There are many restaurants to eat or drink at in the Old City, and many cafes to sip coffee and relax. Some of my favorite gay friendly restaurants (although most of the city is pretty gay friendly), would be The Swedes (Swedish and Mexican food), Andale (great Margaritas and Mexican food), The Blue Shrimp (great food in a huge straw hut), and Fajita Republic. Some cafés to consider are Café San Ángel and Café de Olla, or any restaurants/cafes that are on the beach!

The gay scene tends to be an older crowd in gay Puerto Vallarta but that is expected. I would say the average age was around 40s but there were several younger gay guys and there is somewhat of a variety with age. There are opportunities to meet gay guys at almost every corner and gay Puerto Vallarta is a much more relaxed gay scene.

Beach Time

Nearby is the Los Muertos beach which is probably the most popular beach in Puerto Vallarta. It also happens to be the gayest! The most southern end of the beach is filled with gays and many more gay hotels, restaurants and bars. I did walk over to see it for myself and was pleasantly surprised with how many gays there were and how everybody was so carefree. It’s not usual to see so many gays in concentration when I travel.

It’s good to note that the beach in Puerto Vallarta is not like the Caribbean side of México. It’s steep, less white and not as blue but it still does the job and there are plenty of umbrellas and chairs to grab. Sometimes you have to pay for bar service to have access to the chairs! The gay part of the beach seemed much more action packed and more party atmosphere which is fun!

NightLife

Gay Puerto Vallarta does actually have a good nightlife and has several gay bars or gay friendly bars like CC Slaughters. Many clubs are not designated as gay bars but you’ll see many gay guys outside of them so it’s pretty easy to spot. If you’re walking around the Old City than you should have no problem with running into gay friendly places to hang out.

If you’re looking to meet some gay friends there is a gay bar hopping tour that seems to be fun!

Check out this link for more Gay Nightlife.

Beyond the Rainbow Zone

If you’re gay but don’t feel like staying in the gay scene than there are many hotels to stay in north and south of the Zona Romantica. Puerto Vallarta is pretty gay friendly so it wouldn’t be a big deal to book a room somewhere besides the Old City.

There is also plenty to see, specifically above the Isle Cuale, the section that separates the Old City from Downtown Puerto Vallarta. There you can snap photos of Guadalupe’s Church, the Arcos, souvenir shop on the boardwalk and explore the open air markets. The atmosphere and architecture are quite lovely and it gets less and less crowded the further you get from the beach.

If you’re looking to get out of Puerto Vallarta than you may want to book some excursions. My recommendation would be the Vallarta Adventure Tour, where you can do zip lining and atving!

Overall

Puerto Vallarta was a very beautiful and authentic city, especially gay Puerto Vallarta. It’s worth a visit even if it’s just for an extended weekend. There is enough to do, see and experience so I feel it is worth while. It’s nice that Puerto Vallarta is so gay friendly!

My recommendation is to go but try to get a deal on sites like Expedia. Down time in PV seems to be in January and February and maybe early March. It will pick up through spring break and into summer and perhaps there may be deals. I got 4 nights with a hotel and a flight for 2 people for $850 when booking through expedia!

Hope this information helped and leave a comment if you’ve been to Puerto Vallarta and have something to add or just want to leave a comment…

images by: shawnvoyage