I just got back from a stay in Puerto Vallarta – I just love Mexican vacations! Although we used a timeshare, I want to share some ways that you can use points and miles to visit Puerto Vallarta. One of the best things about points and miles is that you can just use them for part of your stay. Before I got into credit card points and miles, we traveled mainly through timeshares we bought when we were younger. We still enjoy them and like flying for nearly free to them.

 

Flights to Puerto Vallarta

We flew out of Denver so we used United Airlines. There are many other airlines to get to Puerto Vallarta. Here was my trip:

 

 

Not bad. You and your spouse can go roundtrip to Mexico with just one credit card signup! The card_name or card_name is a great option and at the time of writing, both have elevated welcome offers.

I’ve also traveled from Phoenix to Puerto Vallarta on American Airlines. Sign up for the Barclay Red Aviator Mastercard and earn up to 60,000 miles after just one purchase and paying the $99 annual fee, and you can almost get two tickets there! Or, if you’d rather avoid paying an annual fee the first year, you can get the Citi American Airlines card and get 50,000 points after spending $2,500 in 3 months.

 

 

So it looks like it will be about 35K to get you to Puerto Vallarta with American Airlines as well. Totally doable! We always start our flights out by getting to Denver a little early so we can get a quick meal in one of Denver’s amazing airport lounges. It is so nice to sit in a nice relaxing airport lounge instead of a crowded airport terminal.

I recommend checking out Google Flights and Southwest Airlines to see the options for getting to Puerto Vallarta from your home airport. From there, you can narrow down the search and figure out what points you need.

 

Lodging

We stayed at the Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta. I love Vidanta Resorts to exchange with my timeshare points. Unfortunately, we can’t use any credit card points to stay there. Fortunately, there are a lot of other options.

 

Marriott Hotels

You can stay at the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa. This resort currently costs between 40-60K points/night.  Remember, the 5th night is free when you book four award nights!

 

 

Another good choice is the Westin Resort and Spa Puerto Vallarta. This property will run you around 50K/night. This resort could be a great use of your Marriott free night certificates.

 

 

Hyatt

The Hyatt Ziva, an all-inclusive resort, is a great choice. Rooms start at 25,000 points/night, which includes food and drinks for two guests. Additional guests will be 10,000 points per night. We love using Ultimate Rewards to stay here. Simply transfer those points to Hyatt and book directly. Alternatively, you can open a World of Hyatt card.

 

 

IHG

If you have a family, the Holiday Inn and Suites Puerto Vallarta Marina and Golf is a great choice. Kids eat free, and each room comes with a kitchenette to save on the costs of eating out. It is a new hotel with excellent reviews, too! I found nights for just 18,000 IHG points a night, so the welcome bonus on the card_name will get you a week at this hotel for your family!

 

 

Hilton

There are two hotels that you can use Hilton points to stay at. 

 

 

There are plenty of free hotels to use your points on with many different hotels. Using hotel points to visit Puerto Vallarta is easy because of the many options offered.

 

Activities

Vidanta Time Share Presentation

Yep, I’m including this under activities! I’ve gone to many timeshare presentations in Mexico, and they are usually short once they know we are NOT buying. We have also been able to pay for extra activities like golf or massages through them and a large portion of our food bill. I have always been a huge proponent of attending one for these benefits, until this trip. We initially said no to the idea of doing one but were given huge savings on massages, golf, 1/2 of our resort fee back, 10% on meals, and an upgrade to an ocean-view 2-bedroom spa suite, so we got roped in.

Our initial 60-minute presentation turned into a 3-hour pull-my-nailbeds-off experience with pliers that we painfully endured. Despite complaining, it did not end. We saw no less than ten people that were passed to.  I said, “Never again”! However, during my cheap massage the next day, it crossed my mind that it might be worth it. My husband also enjoyed golfing on the Greg Norman golf course at the resort for $60, which normally would cost over $200 to golf on.

 

Day Trip to Sayulita

One of our favorite things is to rent a taxi driver for a day and head to San Pancho or Sayulita. We spent the day in Sayulita this time, so my husband could surf a little. Our taxi for four people cost less than $100, and he stayed the whole day with us.  Once in Sayulita, we rented chairs and umbrellas for $15 each.

 

 

 

 

Water Activities

There is the usual parasailing, paddleboarding, surfing, snorkeling, and fishing to do all over Puerto Vallarta. To be honest, when I am at one of these resorts, I often spend a lot of time at the pools. Watching the whale breach is one of my favorite activities. If you are there December-March, you have a good chance of getting in some good whale watching.

 

Malecón Boardwalk

One of the most iconic things in Puerto Vallarta is walking the Malecon Boardwalk. The Malecón is a 12-block, mile-long esplanade in Puerto Vallarta. Watch the Paplanta Flyers every night at 6:00 pm.

 

Release Baby Sea Turtles

From August through January, you can go on a tour and release baby sea turtles. You can read more about this fun activity here. A points/miles trip to Puerto Vallarta will be really memorable if you include this experience.

 

Bottom Line

With so many hotel chains and many airlines flying into Puerto Vallarta, it is an easy city to use points/miles on. Let us know what your experience is if you decide to use points/miles to Puerto Vallarta!