The Casa Dulce Vida is a charming old-style place. If you want a more authentic and personable setting than the plastic and anonymous hotel experience, you’ve found your oasis. The “Casa” is actually seven spacious apartments each with a semi-private patio opening to a common pool area and overlooking the ocean.

Your hosts, Audrey and Lee do an excellent job of keeping the place up and looking after folks without being intrusive. The rooms are bright, airy and have nice views of the ocean. Greeting the day by having our morning coffee out on our patio was our favorite part of the trip. One night we watched whales breach and blow over cocktails from our patio and the sunsets are not to be missed. In addition, the pool was clean and refreshing and the grounds were well kept.

So, a couple of things to keep in mind. This is an older establishment, not everything is in perfect working order, but it is clean and well kept. Our casa had a few loose tiles, the water wasn’t always hot, the maids walked in on us at inappropriate times on a couple of occasions, and the location, toward the end of Aldama Avenue, up a steep hill and even steeper steps to your casa, would not be appropriate for folks that are health challenged. All that said, we travel extensively and we would re-book at the Casa Dulce Vida without hesitation. The other folks in our party were staying at the luxurious El Presidente, spent a lot more money and ended up envying our spacious Casa and location in the heart of the City.

On to PV itself. This formerly charming little fishing town on Banderas Bay has evolved into a disco-fueled, mini-Cancun—and that is not a good thing in my mind. Tourism is the big thing going on in town and the attendant vendors of para-sailing, time-shares, atv tours, fishing charters, tequila tasting, etc., etc., etc., is what now constitutes entertainment in PV. While we would gladly stay at Casa Dulce Vida again, there is no way I would return to PV unless I wanted that totally alien, tourist experience. What goes on in PV has nothing to do with authentic Mexico and more in line with the Mexican version of Las Vegas. Prices have also risen to what that market will bear and restaurants and shops charge the same or more than you would pay at home. Shockingly, even tequila is as expensive in PV as it is in the States – deplorable! I ended up buying two bottles unavailable in the US at Costco (which is where I recommend you go for basics if needed). For the best fish tacos in town try the Marisas taco stand south of the hotel, we ate there once a day.

Anyhow, the moral of the story, if traveling to PV: Casa Dulce Vida; the proprietors: Audrey and Lee; and the tacos at Marisas were charming and authentic experiences. If you want the plastic hustle of an overly-touristy resort town stay somewhere else and enjoy what poor old PV has become. John Huston is rolling in his grave.