BCAA Travel Blog

Hollywood star power created Puerto Vallarata as a tourist destination. The transformation of the sleepy fishing village of 2,000 souls began on November 11, 1954, when Mexicana de Aviación airline inaugurated its Guadalajara-Puerto Vallarta flight. One of the first visitors was American movie director John Huston, who built a home here in the small cove of Las Caletas where he lived until his death. In 1963, when Huston was hired to direct the film version of Tennessee Williams’ play, The Night of the Iguana, he changed the story’s setting from Acapaulco to his adopted home. The famous cast, headed by Richard Burton, Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner, and the exotic locale soon attracted a swarm of international media, especially after Elizabeth Taylor arrived to join Burton. Both married, the two created a major scandal with their illicit romance. In addition to generating reams of gossip, the media, and later, Huston’s film, showcased the primeval beauty of the place. From then on, Puerto Vallarta ceased to be a secret hideaway waiting to be discovered. Today, the resort is one of the world’s most visited beach destinations, attracting 2.5 million tourists each year.

In the latest issue of Westworld magazine, Vancouver journalist Jeff Topham writes about his recent visit to Puerto Vallarta, where he explored the resort’s historical underpinnings and its modern evolution as viewed from the perspective of an eco-conscious green theme. Topham sat down with me to answer some questions about his experiences there.

1. Was there anything that surprised you, or that you didn’t expect to see in Puerto Vallarta?  

Honestly, I was a bit stunned that the place was so beautiful–and that it actually felt like Mexico. I have to admit that prior to this trip, Puerto Vallarta meant big hotels, parasailing and bad sunburns. I would not have considered it a place for a cultural experience. But I was genuinely surprised to find otherwise.  

2. Puerto Vallarta makes a big deal about director John Huston and the American movie stars that originally put the town on the tourist map. Is there any of that old Puerto Vallarta left to see, or is it simply dusty nostalgia?

Actually, the authenticity and charm of the old town was also something that surprised me. I really arrived expecting just generic hotels and happy-hour bars, but the old part of Vallarta still has a very real feel. And if you go just a few miles north or south, life probably isn’t that much different from the way it was 40 years ago. It’s easy to see what Huston was drawn to.  

3. How did your experience of Puerto Vallarta differ on this excursion from your previous visit to the resort. When was that and was it a vacation? 

From what I can remember, I think it was a spring break trip when I was in university maybe a dozen years ago–which was obviously the source of some of my prejudices surrounding Vallarta. I sure didn’t recall all the high-end art galleries or five-star restaurants. And I didn’t do any Jell-O shots from a waitress’s navel this time around.

4. Did you get the feeling that ecotourism and going green is a major theme in Mexico, or is it merely a sideline aimed at the gringo tourist trade?  

I might not say ‘major theme,’ but you can definitely see it is becoming part of the local collective consciousness. I think even seeing basic stuff like the recycling of plastic water bottles is an indicator that there has been a genuine shift. Sure, there are definitely a lot of ecotourism operations where the eco stands far more for economy than ecology–there are a lot of 4×4s and big powerboats taking people to experience the “pristine nature”-–but I’m hopeful both travellers and tour operators will evolve.

5. What was your dominant impression of Sayulita, the beach town north of Puerto Vallarta? 

I’d hop a cheap flight to Puerto Vallarta and take the $2 bus ride for a surf weekend in Sayulita in a heartbeat. I think it would be about the same cost* and travel time as a Vancouver to Tofino trip–and the water is a little warmer… (*carbon offset credits not included).

6. The Hotelito Desconocido, which is located south of Puerto Vallarta, sounds like a very interesting eco-conscious place. What sort of tourists does it attract? Was the hotel busy? Is there anything else you can relate about it that you didn’t include in your article? 

It really was beautiful–just so thoughtfully planned out. But really just so simple. I always find it amazing how much we will pay for simplicity. It’s not a big place, so even at full capacity I don’t think it would seem busy. Funny, but maybe not surprising, that the hotel guests I met there were Canadian, from Vancouver–from my neighbourhood.

7. How much courage does it take to ride the zipline through the jungle canopy with Vallarta Adventures? 

I think as long as you’re ok with heights, it’s actually not quite as extreme as you might think. It also depends on the quality of the tequila you were drinking the night before, and the magnitude of your hangover. (Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of room for hedonism in Vallarta.)

8. On my last visit to Mexico I bought a piece of Huichol Indian art, just as you did on your trip to Vallarta. What it is about their art that appeals to you, and did you do any additional research on the Huichol?  

I’m going to go with the attention to detail. The effort the artists put into this work is staggering. There’s a lot of stuff that’s pumped out just for tourists, but ask around and you’ll quickly see the difference between the real artists and the manufacturers. I had planned on visiting a Huichol community to see where all the tourist money goes, but it didn’t pan out. One of the Huichol artists also offered to show me the artistic inspiration that peyote provides for them the next time I was there, but that would be a whole other trip.

Photo Credits:

 #1: z.about.com

#2: vallarta.blog.wexico.com

 #3: discoveryvallarta.com

Filed under: Westworld Writer Interviews