Puerto Vallarta is a city of 350,000 about halfway down the Pacific coast of Mexico, nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains, along the edge of Banderas Bay, one of the largest and deepest bays in the world. It attracts more than 3 million visitors a year - and for a good reason. The city features a variety of activities to appeal to a diverse crowd, from teens and twenty-somethings to seniors. The average temperature is 80 degrees year-round with an average of 345 days of sunshine. Unlike some other cities in Mexico, Puerto Vallarta was not created for tourism. It is probably the only destination in Mexico to combine an authentic Mexican town with the amenities of a world-class resort. The Cuale river divides the old town of Puerto Vallarta into the more purely Mexican southern side, with its economically priced cafes and restaurants, and the modernized north where there are more upscale shopping sites centered along the Malecon, an 11-block seaside promenade, dotted with eye-catching modern sculptures. From there you can see the whole Bay with a breathtaking view of the mountains as they fall into the sea.

Nestled off the southern tip of Baja California, Cabo San Lucas offers escape from the outside world for visitors today, just as it has since the 16th century. Pirates were the first to escape here, seeking refuge. Fishermen came later, pursuing a different type of escape: recreation. Today the tourist makes his or her way to Cabo San Lucas simply for a quiet retreat from the hectic pace of modern life. Jutting out from the Mexican peninsula, where the Gulf of California meets the Pacific, Cabo San Lucas is separated Nestled off the southern tip of Baja California, Cabo San Lucas offers escape from the outside world for visitors today, just as it has since the 16th century. Pirates were the first to escape here, seeking refuge. Fishermen came later, pursuing a different type of escape: recreation. Today the tourist makes his or her way to Cabo San Lucas simply for a quiet retreat from the hectic pace of modern life. Jutting out from the Mexican peninsula, where the Gulf of California meets the Pacific, Cabo San Lucas is separated from the north by Baja's desert interior. Due to the terrain, visitors still arrive most often by ship, following the same path that led pirates to their strategic peninsula, which served as a gateway to the Gulf of California and the Pacific.