Brownie11927--The first thing you need to understand is that VDPM Flamingos is not really near anything. You can't just walk out the door and walk a few blocks to a restaurant. (Playa del Sol Grande is nextdoor. It's another timeshare resort and also has a restaurant.) VDPM Flamingos is, however, an absolutely beautiful resort with a wonderful staff. It's great for R & R, but not if you want to be in the center of all the action. The resort is north of Nuevo Vallarta and south of Bucerias. You can take a cab to Bucerias for very appx. $7. USD. each way. Bucerias is a small town with a flea market type set-up near the beach, some reasonably priced restaurants, and a nice beach. I like Bucerias a lot; my favorite spot there is Vista Vallarta Hotel at the north end of Bucerias. They have a poolside restaurant and bar where I always make sure to hit happy hour. They have a happy hour around 1 p.m. and around dinner time--and no, I don't hit both. Artemio is the bartender and Chuy is the cook. There is a new Mega grocery store not too far away from VDPM Flamingos, but too far to walk in the heat of August. IMO, staying at VDPM Flamingos, the most important thing you need to know is the bus system. To get to Puerto Vallarta, you will catch the bus right in front of the resort on the south side of the driveway, streetfront. That bus will take you to Walmart. The bus will cost appx. 12 or 16 pesos (I can't remember which) unless it's gone up since December. Twelve pesos is like $1.20. Get off the bus at Walmart. At Walmart, catch any bus that says Centro. Those will be appx 5 or 6 pesos (it's appx 10 pesos to a USD). Don't take any buses that say Tunnel. They take longer and the tunnel has tons of exhaust and little ventilation. To go back to your resort, from downtown Puerto Vallarta, take any bus that says Walmart. Sometimes the bus turns east at Walmart. If that happens, stand up and get off at the next stop and walk the block and a half back to Walmart (I still haven't figured out how to know which bus will turn east at Walmart. Just go with the flow!) At Walmart, go to the northernmost stop (there are two) and take the bus that says RIU. It HAS to say RIU. The RIU bus will take you to your resort--it's basically its last stop. So you have an idea of the stops, here they are: RIU bus (Walmart to Flamingos)=Mayan Palace Nuevo Vallarta area; Paradise Village Mall Nuevo Vallarta; and then eventually VDPM Flamingos. Here are the stops going from your resort TO Walmart: Marlin Restaurant (hop off and walk around the corner to the bus stop and catch another bus if you want to go to Nuevo Vallarta--Paradise Village Mall, etc); Airport; Commercial shopping center; Marina turn off; and finally Walmart. Actually, going into town, the bus' last stop is not Walmart, it's Plaza Las Glorias--but that only complicates things. Just remember Walmart as your main point of focus to change buses. To give you a timeframe for the bus trip, from VDPM Flamingos to Walmart takes appx. 30 minutes. It's probably another 15 minutes from Walmart to downtown. OK-- The bus from Walmart to downtown. Get off as soon as it turns left after a park. It will be the first left turn it makes. From there, walk toward the ocean a half block, and you are at the street the leads to the Malecon (cement boardwalk of sorts). Head south on that street one block and you'll be at Hotel Rosita which begins the Malecon. Hotel Rosita has a very reasonably priced beachfront restaurant and bar and clean restrooms. To catch the bus back from town to Walmart, walk one block east from Hotel Rosita (away from the ocean) to Woolworth's. All the buses stop there. You might want to take an extra facecloth or fingertip towel with you. It will be very hot and humid in Puerto Vallarta this time of year, and the towel will prove useful when you're on the bus or walking around downtown. After you've taken the bus to the Hotel Rosita area a few times, the next time or two you might venture farther south to old town. Just stay on the bus until it goes over a bridge. Then you'll be in old town. There are tons of good restaurants in that area. Don't know anything about the studio units at VDPM Flamingos, but the 1-bdrms have a dishwasher, and they don't provide dishwasher soap. If you have a 1-bdrm, you might pick up some dishwasher soap (have fun figuring that out!)at the grocery store. Also, the 1-bdrm units have a full-size fridge, so you can plan your grocery purchases accordingly. The 1-bdrms have a fantasic balcony--huge. It doesn't get much better. If you've rented a car, you won't need a lot of this info, but oh well. Since you've never been to Mexico, the grocery stores are quite an adventure. I rarely go to Walmart in the USA, but in Puerto Vallarta, it's worth it--especially since the bus stops there. To get bakery goods, grab a pizza style aluminum tray and some tongs. Then you take the items up to the bakery register and they'll tag them with a price. One of my favorites is the chapata rolls at Walmart in Puerto Vallarta. They don't always have them. Walmart is VERY crowded in Puerto Vallarta, so brace yourself. It's all part of the fun. Finally, use precautions with wallets and purses. It's better to be safe than sorry. You might carry your wallet in your front pocket and not leave a purse unattended in a grocery cart. VDPM Flamingos will have a lockbox in the room. You might want to take advantage of that. Vallarta is a very safe tourist destination, but a friend had her purse stolen the Xmas before last at Gigante grocery store in town; she had it in her grocery cart. A national distracted us, and the purse disappeared. Just a word of warning.
