Black In Mexico: Here's The City You Can't Skip On Your 2025 Travel Bucket List

1. Along with the abundance of amazing cultural experiences involving great food, they take honoring the ancestors to a whole other level.

On my second trip to Puerto Vallarta this year, I created a new travel tradition that is now a requirement for all my future Mexico itineraries: A taco tour. We walked through the cobblestone streets adjacent to our resort with a guide from Vallarta Eats, supporting women-owned (or women-led) spots and eating the most delish Mexican taco staples that put any Tex-Mex dishes you've ever had in the States to shame.

From flavorful birria at Birria Chanfay, made the traditional way (not dousing the taco in the juices but putting focus on the succulence of the marinaded beef inside them) to homemade corn tortillas pressed and grilled right in front of us at Marisma's, you just can't beat the experience.

And if you're lucky enough to grab a flight deal to travel in early November 2025, Puerto Vallarta is the perfect place to experience all of the mystique, reverence, and revelry of Dia de Los Muertos or "Day of the Dead," when families get together to pay homage to their loved ones who have passed on.

While the celebrations are held all over Mexico, with Mexico City being the popular host of thousands of locals and visitors, Puerto Vallarta lets you in on the celebration of life in a way that's not as overwhelming and packed but is just as enjoyable.

Get your La Catrina on, catch a mariachi band, bar hop in Puerto Vallarta's town center, and catch a parade along the Malecon for views of the ofrendas (altars) elaborately decorated in bright pinks, oranges, and yellows in remembrance of the beloved departed. It will make you rethink how you celebrate those you've lost and maybe even create a few new practices of honoring the generations who came before you.​

2. You can get the most bang for your buck at a range of resorts and spas that actually make you second-guess even leaving the property.

For this particular trip, I stayed at the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa, located on a sandy strip along the Sierra Madre Mountains and Banderas Bay. It was a property where you could enjoy a tasting with a tequila sommelier, play all day in the massive pool with your kids, or enjoy a romantic sunset walk along the beach just steps from your hotel room. The mountain views from my suite were top-tier, and I was high enough to get moments of peace while still being able to eavesdrop on all the pool-bar excitement beneath me.

Standout parts of my stay included a massage to the Ohtli Spa, which perfectly mixed a contemporary setting with authentic ancient wellness practices, dinner at Las Casitas, one of six restaurants on the property, and lounge sessions near the massive pool where I could find a spot that was close enough to the beach shore for a cool breeze, mezcal margarita and plate of fish tacos, but far enough from the splashy amusement at the pool.

As someone who's a self-proclaimed anti-resort girlie, this property stands as one of the exceptions since I felt like I could customize my experience to my liking, pick and choose when I wanted to turn up or zone out—all while enjoying Mexican dishes and cocktails that actually tasted authentic and were worth ordering over and over again. Oh, and add to that the vicinity to downtown Puerto Vallarta (a quick Uber ride) and you've got yet another reason Puerto Vallarta remains on the must-visit list year after year.

3. There's a nice ratio of men to women which makes for a refreshing change of scene and vibes no matter what season you visit.

According to 2020 (most recent) government numbers, the population is 50% men and 49% women. (In the U.S., women have outnumbered men since the 1950 Census. Do with that what you will.) If you're single (or mingling regardless of your relationship status) this is one titillating draw for visiting Puerto Vallarta. And even if not single, it's refreshing to get a different experience when out and about, especially if you like to venture outside of the resort to make a few new contacts (or a new bae who might be happy to foot the bill for your next trip out there.)

And when it comes to enjoying the company of another visitor or a local, you've got options. If the evening activities at the resort like a gourmet dining experience, a sunset turtle release, or a couples dip in the infinity pool, head further into town to a club for dancing or try a few daytime activities like whale watching (mid-December to late March), shopping on the boardwalk, or a visit to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral.

Puerto Vallarta has also hosted celebrations including the Pilgrimage of Our Lady Guadalupe, which includes parades and fireworks in early December, the Festival Gourmet International, a culinary event showcasing the best chefs and restaurants usually held in November, New Years Eve festivities all along the Bay and other local beaches, Fiestas De Mayo with live music (typically held in May through early June), and Fiestas Patrias in Puerto Vallarta which includes the celebration of Mexico’s independence in September.

Puerto Vallarta always offers a new spin on an old adventure if it's somewhere you've been before (like me), but if it's not, you need to go and see for yourself why it's one of the top places to visit in Mexico. It's a must-go next year for your spring or fall break with bae or the family or simply for that long-lost solo vacation you've been itching to finally take the leap on.

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