Checklist: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Known for its gorgeous beaches and azure waters, Puerto Vallarta isn’t just a sit-on-the-beach type of resort town, but a well-rounded travel attraction—a Mexican culture hub and a nature preserve. Once a sleepy fishing village, Puerto Vallarta rose to its stardom in the decadent 1960s when the American film crews arrived to shoot the now classic The Night of the Iguana. The Hollywood infusion quickly turned the quiet little town into a hot tourist destination. And yet, through their native Indian traditions of fishing, farming and foraging, the residents kept their ties to nature, retained their cuisine and preserved their art forms. The result of this ancient and modern mix is a vibrant multifaceted city with a cobblestone downtown, artisanal markets, fine restaurants and a variety of adventures for nature lovers, assuring that even the most demanding traveler will never get bored.