Puerto Vallarta is a charming seaside resort area with alluring beaches, colonial ambiance and architecture, and first-rate restaurants and hotels. The town is located in Banderas Bay, which is on Mexico's western coast in the state of Jalisco. To the East is the Sierra Madre mountain range, which acts a natural barrier against tropical storms. The area offers broad expanses of beach with calm waters and abundant marine life.

Though Spanish explorers visited the region along the Cuale River as early as the 1500s, Puerto Vallarta wasn't settled until the mid-1800s, and it wasn't named until 1918. Migrants from the colonial mining centers in the surrounding mountains first developed the town, and it later became the vacation spot for wealthy Guadalajarans. The area grew steadily for the first half of the 20th century, but it wasn?t until 1963, when John Huston began filming Night of the Iguana, that it earned its place on the international map. Conveying the splendor of this tropical Eden, Huston's film lured celebrities to its shores, transforming the exclusive area into a playground for American vacationers.

Despite the tourist trade, modern-day Puerto Vallarta has faired decidedly better than most ?discovered? paradises in Mexico. The beaches, although no longer pristine, are still clean and beautiful, and the mountains are still lush with vegetation and astir with wildlife. McDonald's, the Hard Rock Cafe, and Planet Hollywood have inevitably set up shop, but Puerto Vallarta imparts authentic Mexican culture in other ways. As evidenced by the traditional costume of the Charro, the thriving sport of Charreria, the music of the Mariachi, and even by the presence of the regionally specific agave plant (the key ingredient in Tequila), Puerto Vallarta is still very much in touch with its past. Walk through any number of neighborhoods and marvel at the cobblestone streets and whitewashed adobe houses capped with red-tile roofs.

The city has two main areas. There is the old center, known simply as downtown or, in Spanish, El Centro. El Centro is divided into two main areas lying north and south of the Rio Cuale, which bisects the town. The area south of the river is known by various names: Old Town, Olas Altas, and the Romantic Quarter. In recent years, a thriving restaurant and bar scene has taken hold, lending the district a European charm. North of the river is where most of the larger establishments are located, set along a stretch of oceanfront known as the Malecon.

Farther north is modern Puerto Vallarta, marked by a stretch of three- and four-star hotels known as the Zona Hotelera, along with a marina and a second stretch of five-star hotels dubbed Marina Vallarta. Farther on along the bay is Nuevo Vallarta, which offers a grand selection of mega-resorts, condominiums, and time-shares. Similarly, to the south, there are resorts on nearly every accessible bay.

Despite this development, there is great beauty in Puerto Vallarta, which has done a noble job of preserving its natural wonders.

The part of the city that stretches along seven miles of the bay is divided into three sections. To the west lies old Acapulco, the center of town, with its town square, commercial wharves, and fishing fleet. More centrally located is an area known as Acapulco Dorada, or Golden Acapulco. Farther east is Acapulco Diamante, the most recently developed area, with both grand-style resorts and lavish private homes.

Despite its environmental issues, Acapulco still has world-class accommodations, elegant restaurants, and a high-energy, glamorous disco scene. Acapulco can still offer what any vacation should: rest, relaxation, and beauty.