Sand Fans Bewitched by Easy Puerto Vallarta

When a small fishing village goes from romantic backwater to bustling resort of 300,000 souls in a few decades, all sorts of strange things happen--some good, some not too bewitching.

Buccaneers first sailed their galleons into the bay here in the early 16th Century, caught enough Aztec arrows to label one landing Deadmen’s Beach, then made the sensible decision to sail right out again and leave the place to the Indians.

Not a whole lot happened for the next three-plus centuries, until the late film director John Huston hit town with Richard Burton and Ava Gardner to make the 1964 film “Night of the Iguana,” with Elizabeth Taylor playing a steamy off-stage role that got more press than the movie.

That did it for local real estate, Playa de los Muertos (Deadmen’s Beach) soon became the more cosmetic Playa del Sol, and small hotels with complimentary mosquito netting gave way to a ribbon of air-conditioned wonders lining beautiful Bahia de Banderas.

More than a dozen discos now blast away until sunup, but old-timers may still fling themselves into a spirited dance on the tables of Carlos O’Brian’s Bar & Grill, as they have since the place opened its doors in 1971.

Getting here: Fly Delta, Alaska, Mexicana Airlines or Aeromexico direct. A 14-day advance-purchase, round-trip ticket from Los Angeles will cost from $226 on Mexicana to $278 on Alaska. Aeromexico flies round-trip twice a day, Monday through Sunday, from $240 to $486.

How long/how much? Cultural requirements are sparse here, so your stay hinges on beach time and budget. Most visitors hang around about four days. Lodging costs are moderate to downright cheap in summer, jumping up considerably during the winter high season. Dining will hardly dent your wallet, except in the large hotels during high season.

A few fast facts: Mexico’s peso recently sold at 2,940 to the dollar, about .000340 each. October through February are the best months, but sea breezes make midsummer reasonably pleasant. Mexico’s tap water is dicey at best, so shun recently rinsed fresh salads and stick to any beverage that comes in a bottle or has been boiled.

Getting settled in: Hotel Pelicanos (Carretera Aeropuerto; $43 double) gives you most of what you seek in a resort hotel--local ambience and architecture, private white-sand beach, three pools, two restaurants and bars. Beneath the roofs of tile, bamboo and palm fronds you’ll find an open and airy lobby with overtones of Polynesia.

Bedrooms are simple, yet pleasant, with showers only, no tubs. Individual villas around one pool have two bedrooms, sleep six and go for $86 nightly, with kitchen.

Plaza Vallarta Tennis & Beach Club (Playa Las Glorias; $42 double, $84 suite) is much larger than the Pelicanos and has more of a big-hotel feel, but the beach is at your doorstep and a clutch of fine John Newcombe tennis courts await.

There are inside and beachfront restaurants. La Vendome is small and intimate, turning out very acceptable French fare with a soothing background of piano music.

Molina de Agua (downtown on the beach; $30 to $50 double) rests in a garden setting, with lots of trees, tropical flowers and caged parrots. Molina is a spread-out complex of bungalows, seafront apartments, suites and mini-suites, with the least expensive being tiny and farthest from the beach.

There are two pools, but the beach doesn’t measure up to those of the hotels mentioned earlier. The feeling is one of seclusion, yet you’re close to the downtown action.

Regional food and drink: Apart from the usual Mexican fare, including town-specialty pozole (a chili-flavored stew of corn, pork, beef and chicken), the emphasis is on fresh seafood, which is to the frozen variety what prime steak is to Spam. Try the red snapper, shrimp (not up to Mazatlan’s but fresh), local lobster and the heavenly ceviche--raw seafood marinated in lemon juice, green chili, tomatoes and onions.

Mexican beer is surely among the world’s finest, and locals tell us that Reposado tequila is the best in PV’s state of Jalisco, which invented the stuff.

Good local dining: El Dorado (on the beach at Playa del Sol) is one of the town’s oldest and most authentic restaurants. The crowd has been a mixture of locals and visitors for 32 years, and many are drawn here for the fabulous chicken soup. Grilled red snapper, or Veracruz style (with a sauce of tomatoes, onions, parsley and lime), comes to the table for a sensible $7.50, staple Mexican dishes for about $4.50, steaks $8.

You can’t beat the prices at this thatch-roof place right in the sand, and the sunsets take on a special glow at one of the candlelit tables.

Carlos O’Brian’s (Paseo Diaz Ordaz) has been a town institution since it opened, combining a huge menu with a nutty atmosphere and frequently manic customers. Pictures of Gorbachev, Marilyn Monroe and latter-day customers grace the walls, along with a sign over the entrance that proclaims “The Customer Is Always Wrong.”

Eager customers line up at the door until just before closing, expecting to pay a little more for their food in exchange for wild tales to tell the folks back home.

El Set (Carretera a Barra de Navidad) has an ambience that can only be described as funky-jungle, with coconut trees towering over the tile roof, colorful hanging lights, tropical plants and still more hypnotic sunsets from its cliffside perch overlooking the sea.

A Mexican combination dinner costs $9, fish dishes go for $7.50, grills $6 to $12.

Going first-class: Fiesta Americana Puerto Vallarta (Carretera Aeropuerto; $110 double) grabs your attention quickly with a reed-roof lobby soaring 100 feet, pebble-mosaic floors and Mexican-modern architecture and decor, plus a subtropical setting clustered with palm trees beside the sea.

Each spacious bedroom has its own private balcony facing the Pacific, or you may descend and get lost wandering the gardens, bridges and assorted terraces around the pool. Now add a few restaurants, bars and a popular disco such as Friday Lopez and there’s plenty to keep you busy.

On your own: Knock off the cultural requirements pronto by visiting the delightful Church of Guadalupe with its fanciful, open-ironwork steeple, ornately gilded altar and iron silhouette of the Virgin above the entry. You might also enjoy the mural of Puerto Vallarta in 1851 at the City Hall.

Beach time is a must. You may ride horses, parasail, wind surf, water ski, scuba dive or just soak rays there. Golf and deep-sea fishing have their regular devotees, and many agree that the town has the country’s best shopping outside Mexico City.

For more information: Call the Mexican Government Tourism Office at (213) 203-8151, or write 10100 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 224, Los Angeles 90067, for a brochure on Puerto Vallarta, another on the beaches and resorts of Mexico. Ask for the PV package.