What To Know Before You Go

When stepping off the plane in Puerto Vallarta, please remember you are on vacation. You are now on Mexican time. Almost everything here moves at a slower pace. It is best to just sit back, relax and enjoy your vacation. We hope these helpful tips will make your stay a more enjoyable one.

Tourist Card and proper identification: YOU WILL NEED A VALID PASSPORT TO TRAVEL TO MEXICO. BE SURE YOUR PASSPORT IS NOT EXPIRING WITHIN 6 MONTHS OR YOU CANNOT TRAVEL OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY. Be sure to confirm your flight reservations at least 72 hours prior to departure.You will be receiving a tourist card on the plane on the way to Mexico. Be sure to keep your copy of the tourist card with your ticket. You will need it to enter back into the US when you check in for your return flight.

Airport: Upon your arrival you will pass through customs. Ignore the timeshare folks as you walk through the hall. After claiming your baggage, continue to the front exit to the first booth on the right, for a taxi. The booth is yellow and white. There will most likely be a woman hanging out of the booth window trying to get your attention. Tell her you want to go to Visa Del Sol Condominiums, (on Aquiles Serdan and Olas Altas). She will collect your money, about $20-$25 US. They will accept pesos or U.S. dollars for your transportation ticket. The lady will give you a ticket and tell you to proceed to outside to find your taxi. You will give this ticket to a taxi driver, he will load up your bags and take you to where you want to go. It is a set rate from the airport to your location. You can tip if you’d like but it is not necessary in Mexico.

Condo Location: The address of the condo is 174 Aquiles Serdan and Olas Altas. There are two ways to travel to your condo: Take a drive along the ocean through town or through the mountain tunnel. If this is your first visit, ask the driver to take you through town to familiarize yourself with the close proximity of your condo to all the charm and activity of downtown Puerto Vallarta.(just a sidenote on this, GPS is not the best in Mexico regardless of what device you have, sometimes it works, sometimes it does not).

Telephone: The telephone number is 011-52-322-22-301-55. Your local phone number is 22-30155. The telephone rings at the front desk and they will connect people who call to your condo number. It is much more economical to call to Mexico rather than from Mexico. You may want to leave the Vista Del Sol phone number at home and have a designated time for friends and family to call you. Local calls are charged and you will be given a bill at checkout. Long distance calls are made through the front desk and must be paid, with cash, at the time of calling. You may send or receive a fax from the office for a fee.

Cell Phones: Be sure to contact your service provider prior to traveling. They will offer an international package for calls and text messages. Downloading the APP "Whats App" is also helpful. You can use it to text free messages on wifi to and from the states. Though some cell phone packages offer free text message packages in their international packages as well.

Wifi: The condos both have free wifi. The passwords and codes are posted in each condo.

Check-In: Please introduce yourself to the front desk staff and give them our "permission to occupy" slip. Upon receipt, they will give you the keys to the condo. Please return the key upon departure. Help is available for your luggage.

Condominium living at Vista del Sol We know you are going to love the location of our condo. You may chose to dine out at nearby restaurants or prepare snacks to full course meals in the well-equipped kitchen with microwave. The dining area seats six people and is great for gathering at the end of the day to play cards, display souvenirs or to tell stories of your adventurous day. Both bedrooms have private baths. There is a swimming pool on the roof and the beach has palapas for shade. The condo also has a good restaurant located on the beach.

Maid Service: There is a daily maid service except for Sunday and national holidays. The maid changes bathroom towels as needed and bed linen is changed twice weekly. If you find beach towels marked with the condo number, you are welcome to use them; the maid will launder them. Unfortunately, they do not do dishes. We suggest a tip of $2.00 per day per bedroom. If you are arriving or leaving on Sunday, a special request can be made for maid service at the front desk.

Laundry: There are washers and dryers in the basement of the condo. You pay and reserve your time at the front desk which is only a few pesos. You may also take your laundry to one of the laundromats and they will do the laundry for you the charge is very reasonable. Ask at the front desk for the locations.

Bottled Water: This is available by calling the front desk. A boy will bring it up for you. The cost is 30 pesos. You can tip him if you like. Despite all the claims that Vallarta has purified tap water, we don't drink it. It's fine to cook, wash dishes and brush your teeth with the tap water. Microdyne drops can be added to the water when you wash your fresh vegetables. It's in the small brown bottle near the kitchen sink or you can buy it at the grocery store near the veggies.

Notebook: Please look for the guest book in our condo and sign it.

Electricity: We are metered for our electricity. Please conserve. If necessary, you might want to turn on the air in the bedrooms one hour before you retire. Please do not run the air conditioning when you're not in the condo. Open the doors, turn on the fans and catch an ocean breeze!

Tanning: Please remember even though the ocean breezes are cooling, it is very easy to become sunburned, especially sunning at the roof-top pool. When you go out, use a lotion rated at least 15 and go down from there. To get to the roof-top pool, you can take either elevator or walk the stairs to the top! Bring a camera, the view is spectacular!

The Beach: We enjoy the beach in front of the condo. The waiters are always eager to serve you breakfast, lunch, dinner, cold drinks and cocktails there or on the beach. Also, you can buy anything from jewelry to table clothes from the vendors. After they give you their initial price, start at less than half that price and bargain until you can agree. It is OK to buy jewelry, but always look for the "925" mark to indicate real silver. Of course, if you buy with friends in quantity, you will get a better deal.

Who, What, Where, When, Why.....

Pharmacy: If the need for a pharmacy arises "Farmacia Olas Altas" islocated about 4 blocks south of the condo or just a couple of short blocks east of Los Arcos Hotel. Freddy, the pharmacist speaks great English. Just tell him your symptoms and he will give you whatever you need to fix almost anything. There are many other pharmacies throughout Vallarta, do not hesitate to go to those either, this one is just our favorite.

Transportation: Taxis are very reasonable. Before you get in a taxi, ask the driver, how much to ______? By asking, he will think you know what the fare should be. Usually a ride to anywhere in P.V. is less than $5.00 and its customary NOT to tip the drivers. Also, watch where the buses go and eventually you can travel that way too, but please have correct change. The bus fare is 5 pesos.

Money Exchange: $$$ You can exchange $$$ at any bank. Bring your passport for ID for getting or exchanging money at the bank. There is one on Olas Altas, near Daiquiri Dicks, it is next to the Safari store. We also exchange money at the bank on the corner of Olas Altas and Aquiles Serdan... Always count your money before you leave no matter where you are. ATM machines are located all over town, some dispense pesos and others dispense American money.