Nuevo Vallarta

North of bustling Puerto Vallarta is a pristine residential-resort development with lush tropical gardens lining winding waterways. Built up over the past 15 years, this modern adjunct called Nuevo Vallarta boasts the most important commercial area of the Riviera Nayarit, with high-end hotels and condos, terraced outdoor restaurants, sprawling pools, marinas, and rambling golf courses. A stroll through the landscaped grounds reveals a manmade paradise complete with canals, footbridges, flora and fauna, and if you’re lucky, a crocodile sighting. And even with all that, the construction continues.

Skeptics leery of the ‘gated community’ need not worry – beyond the luxuries and comforts of a resort, Nuevo Vallarta offers the proximity to the Old City and endless excursion possibilities. Mexico’s premier Vallarta Adventures – these guys are pros – facilitate all the expeditions one can muster: zip lining, jungle hikes, off-road drives, swimming with dolphins, colonial town visits, and dance performances that recreate the country’s mythological past. Super-organized, the region’s tourism and hospitality staff doesn’t miss a thing, especially not the opportunity to nudgingly remind its chiefly American and Canadian visitors: “We are working for you.”

While there are growing numbers of recreation options, some holiday-goers are perfectly content to lounge with a cocktail in hand at the hotel complex and immerse themselves in the tranquil, sanctuary-like atmosphere (if they can tune out the cacophony of pool and beachside activities).