The Neighborhood

Puerto Vallarta’s version of a local 7-11 are local bodegas. There are a half dozen bodegas within a block of the Corona Adobe in which you can find pretty much anything you need

Not sure what this is, but this is what we happened upon up one of neighborhood streets

The Landmark Hotel down the street is a great place for drinks. Restaurant on the very top floor has gotten excellent reviews as well

Some streets are blocked off for local street parties at New Years. Same thing for Christmas, Day of the Dead and anything else that can be an excuse for a gathering

Three blocks down Corona is the Malecon, a miles-long boardwalk that was totally redone one year ago. If you can’t find something to eat or drink to your liking here, you’re not hungry

So you don’t want to go out? Our version of a swim-up bar is a pool with cocktails on a table and a 360 degree view

Our Lady of Guadalupe church from the street level.

Street in what is called the Gringo Gulch neighborhood, one of the older along the Rio Cuale river. Quiet, charming and mostly inhabited by…. Gringos!

A street in the arts district of El Centro

The famous “Love Bridge” connecting Liz Taylor’s and Richard Burton’s casas. The bridge is located four blocks south on Miramar, just around the corner

Typical old Vallarta casa nestled underneath what was once the tallest hotel in Vallarta.

dinner-up-top — Relax and enjoy the sunset

slider-sunset-boat — As the sun sets, one of the local pirate ships looks for its next prey

Whether staying for a weekend or a week, this is a wonderful way to integrate into the city’s nightlife, galleries, beaches, restaurants, bars and neighborhoods.

El Centro

The Corona Adobe is in the oldest section of Puerto Vallarta, the hills of El Centro. Home to many of the city’s best restaurants, bars, galleries and shops, El Centro is the heart of old Vallarta. Mixed in with all of this is a potpourri of homes, hotels, and condos of all sizes and styles.

El Centro stretches from the Rio Cuale river on the south to the Hotel Zone in the north, and climbs up from the Malecon (boardwalk) into the hills referred to as El Cerro. The Corona Adobe is located in the center of El Centro, at the corner of Corona and Miramar, three blocks from the Malecon.

The Corona Adobe is part of a vibrant multicultural neighborhood where Mexicans, Americans, Canadians and Europeans live amongst each other. What sets this area apart is the fact it is a neighborhood of kids, families, young and old, with million dollar condos next to old adobe homes that have been in the same family for generations. Fall asleep listening to the sound of a neighborhood street band and wake up to the crowing of a rooster. This is not always a quiet retreat, rather a way of being connected to the very fiber of a wonderful neighborhood.

Local Website Article about El Centro:

WeLovePV: Spotlight on Puerto Vallarta’s El Centro Neighborhood

Staying in culturally diverse neighborhood vs. in a resort on the beach

There are advantages and disadvantages to staying in our neighborhood. For example, need an egg, or cigarette, or beer, or chicken, or bread, or Creme de Cacao? Walk across the street and down a short block to the neighborhood bodega where you can buy ONE cigarette, or ONE egg or one of just about anything basic. Feel like a midnight snack? Walk out the front door and across the street to the taco stand that opens up at 8PM most nights. Mexicans are very into holiday parties, whether it’s Christmas or Day of the Dead. Any holiday seems like a good excuse to have a street party with the attendant music, laughing and drinking sometimes until late in the evening.

One of the great things about our neighborhood is the surprises of daily life that go on all around. Listen to the bread vendor as he walks down the street hawking freshly baked goods. Or see the two maids and butler walking the five perfectly coiffed poodles of one of the local residents.

I’m hungry, where can we catch a meal?

If you want choice, your best bet is following gravity down the stairs on Corona to the Malecon. Here there are probably fifty restaurants from Mexican to Italian to everything in between. Of course, there are McDonalds, Burger King and (thank god!) Starbucks too.

For dinner, go left at Aldama and walk down the hill, turning right on Gpe. Sanchez. A few blocks north are some of the most famous Mexican and Continental restaurants in all of Vallarta – like Pepe’s and Cafe des Artistes. Feeling like a french bistro? Then take in one of our favorites at La Cigale; go down the stairs on Corona to Hildago, then three blocks south (left). And since you’re right next door, you might stop in and see the most famous church in Puerto Vallarta , Our Lady of Guadalupe.

See the Corona Adobe Guide for some more information.

Another great neighborhood night spot, tucked away so most tourists can’t find it, is El Patio de Mi Casa (the patio in my house), on Calle Guerrero, close to the corner of Matamoros. It’s a great patio with pizza oven, bar and lots of casual seating in a casa-like ambiance.

Night brings a whole new list of surprises

ANY holiday seems to be a good excuse for a street party or impromptu band session. Two blocks in any direction will land you at some kind of restaurant or bar.

What Else To Expect

Some of our neighbors are noisy; they drive loud cars, party hardy, talk with enthusiasm and generally practice the “let the kid scream all day” school of parenting. Yet, for those who like the authenticity, Corona Adobe’s neighborhood is vibrant, full of activity, and offers a glimpse into how locals live. Some of these Mexican families have lived and worked in the neighborhood for generations. Hector, the local mechanic, can and does repair just about anything with wheels and motors. Hugo is quite the house painter. Commerce is not only left to Mexicans, as across the street is DAVANNA’S YOGA STUDIO which has classes every day.

Unfortunately there are no swim-up bars in El Centro that we know of. That innovation is best found at the beach resorts along the Hotel Zone or in the Marina.

Have we mentioned the views from Corona Adobe?

Since we’re in the hills, with no mountains or canyons to obstruct our views, we have a 360 degree view of central Puerto Vallarta from our fourth floor terrazzo. The first time you go up it may well take your breath away. There is no better place for a morning cup of coffee or an evening cocktail. Stretched out in front of you is the entire Banderas Bay coastline, from the mountainous jungle on the south to the glittering lights of Nuevo Vallarta on the north. Swing around and look at the hundreds of houses in the hills behind us.

The bay is always full of activity. Watch the ocean liners glide into the marina, or Vallarta’s two pirate ships troll the bay, or the para-sailors flying by or water craft of every kind.

Once here, please don’t hesitate to ask us for tips on what to do and where to go in PV and the surrounding area.