Nuevo Vallarta and Bucerias restaurants Advice?

[JoeWilly]

Heading to Nuevo Vallarta soon. Staying at the Grand Luxxe and will use public transportation or cabs. Looking for recommends on your favorite restaurants in Nuevo and Bucerias. Great seafood, mexican, american, italain with reasonable to moderate prices. Not looking for fancy places--little hole in the wall places are fine.

Also, where are the best places for happy hour, massages and jewelry shopping?

Is a day trip to Sayulita via the bus worth it? Where should we eat, what to see and do?

Anyone hire a cook to cook your meals? Thoughts and recommendations please.

I read the sticky on Nuevo and Bucerias, but the information is over a year old. Looking for more current recommendations. thanks

 

[Keep Traveling]

I would love to know about hiring a cook while there.

We aren't going until Aug 2012 but there are like 10-14 of us going

KT

 

[curtbrown]

Private Chef

We haven't tried it, but I went back and looked at a posting on another forum from back in Sept. 2010 where the poster said they used the private chef option for a dinner party for four couples. They were able to plan the menu with the chef and they said it included "everything from soup to nuts". The price at that time was approx. $50.00USD per person.

Curt

 

[Neesie]

I will keep checking this thread since we are going to Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta for three weeks in January. Our first trip to this area, but not Mexico.

 

[chibuilder]

I will keep checking this thread since we are going to Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta for three weeks in January. Our first trip to this area, but not Mexico.

We just got back from Nueva Vallarta and had 2 phenomenal meals at Eva's Brickhouse in Bucerias. We went there on the 2nd night and Eva and her husband Kent were very welcoming and the food was excellent. They age their steaks on premises and the ribs were also good. All 4 of us loved it. After the 1st meal, we arranged to go back for a special prime rib feast a few nights later. House aged prime rib cooked exactly as they remembered we liked it with a nice salad, stuffed rigatoni appetizer, grilled veggies and key lime pie. Delicious. Definitely recommend this place. :whoopie:

We also enjoyed Dugarels La Playa on the beach and found it to be the best of the beach-front spots in Bucerias. Very good food there, too.

And, while in an off-the-beaten spot, Chocolate (xocolate??) was pretty good too. It's right off the highway a bit past Bucerias and built into a cliff overlooking the bay.

The steak restaurant inside the Villa Estancia lobby is also pretty good.

Another thing to DEFINITELY do while in Nueva Vallarta is to take the Segway Tour. They are great fun to ride and David, the owner, is a super nice guy and really makes for a fun outing.

Have fun!

 

[california-bighorn]

We have found the day trip to Sayulita to be one of the highlights to our PV / NV trips. It's a great place to do nothing and lay on the beach or sit at a table on one of the small beachfront restaurants and have a margarita. Or take a surfing lesson. While shopping, we found some items that were different from what we saw in PV and NV. The busses are comfortable and the trip only takes about an hour, maybe less.

 

[cedars]

steak house

We ate in NV at an Argentinian steak house on the main road-it was excellent but I can't remember it's name.

 

[easyrider]

I will keep checking this thread since we are going to Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta for three weeks in January. Our first trip to this area, but not Mexico.

Every year in January Bucerias hosts the Festival of Our Lady of Peace. Its a big carnaval in North Bucerias. At the same time South Bucerias hosts an art show with street chaulk drawings. Many of the good restaurants are in South Bucerias. The best place to party is in North Bucerias at Bucerias Gardens.

 

[JoeWilly]

Thanks everyone - appreciate the recommendations. Prime rib and key lime pie--my favs--gotta go there for sure! Segway and surfing lessons--on the bucket list--thanks.

Please keep the recommendations coming.

 

[pammex]

Fajita Republic in Nuevo Vallarta, extensive menu, hearty portions and good food, reasonable prices, not cheap reasonable.

 

[pittle]

We ate in NV at an Argentinian steak house on the main road-it was excellent but I can't remember it's name.

I think that is La Portena - which is a "sister" restaurant to our favorite at the Marina in PV - Buenos Aires. La Portena is across the street from the OXXO store on the road to the MP/GM entry (at least the "old" one if they are now using the newest one).

 

[rifleman69]

Is Prine159 and the other restaurant still there? That's an easy walk from the Luxxe if you can move on your own.

 

[rpennisi]

Is Prine159 and the other restaurant still there? That's an easy walk from the Luxxe if you can move on your own.

Prime 159 and Portobello still there from the main entrance past the driving range and over the bridge.

 

[JoeWilly]

Thanks again everyone

We love walking especially on vacation. It helps keep the weight gain somewhat under control.

 

[Zib]

One of our favorites is La Laguna. It's just a little way down the main road from the Mayan gate. Take shuttle to front entrance and walk maybe 1/4 mile down the road towards town ( not towards the Marina)

 

[Asl18940]

We've been to NV many times, and will be there again over Thanksgiving. First, the restaurants at the resort itself are excellent. We've bought the meal plan several times, and we love Tramanto. A great place nearby is Oy Caramba (spelling?). The sunsets are great.

As for activities, the GL books through Vallarta Adventures. You can find cheaper, but I don't think you'll find better. We've done the zip line tour and the one that combines zip lining with rapelling. Friends have also loved the ATV trips, if you're into getting exceptionally muddy.

I'll post when we return with more ideas, but honestly, your concierge at the GL will have great recommendations. You can really trust them.