Where Is This?

If it weren’t for the mountains, the above photo would look a lot like Florida. But it’s actually a shot of the channel leading out of the Vallarta Marina into Banderas Bay. You sure get a different perspective on things from a couple of hundred feet up.

Vallarta Marina, which has something like 300 berths, was in bankruptcy for many years. During that time the gates and docks crumbled because of a lack of maintenance, and the restrooms regularly scored an 11 on a 1 to 10 scale of disgustingly filthy.

The marina was purchased about 18 months ago, and last spring harbormaster Christian Mancebo showed us the renovations that were underway. At least three gates and many docks have been replaced, but the biggest change of all has beenthe restrooms. “They are very nice,” several visitors have told us.
The three major marinas in Banderas Bay — Marina Vallarta, Paradise Village Marina and Marina Riviera Nayarit — all have their pros and cons, and their ardent fans. Marina Vallarta scores big points for being very close to downtown Puerto Vallarta and all its many attractions. On the negative side, it’s surrounded by buildings and thus can be hot and windless. Paradise Village Marina gets high marks for being clean, well run, and a part of the very large Paradise Village Resort. Others don’t like the fact that it’s part of a large resort with so many tourists. Marina Riviera Nayarit is beloved by many cruisers because of adjacent La Cruz, which is an authentic Mexican town largely free of tourists, and because it’s popular with so many cruisers. Some people don’t like Marina Riviera Nayarit because it’s the furthest marina from Puerto Vallarta proper, which to the minds of others is a big plus.

As for us, we like them all, as they all have something different to offer.

Coming soon, our aerial coverage of Paradise Village Marina.

PHOTO