Teen Picks

Teen Picks in Puerto Vallarta

This month we had the delight and honor of hosting two teenage girls from the US. We’re sharing their top five favorite places in Puerto Vallarta.

OXXO’s on nearly every corner in Puerto Vallarta came in handy for cold drinks and icy fudgebars, Sabritas chips, and Kinder Sopresas, the chocolate eggs with a tiny toy hidden inside. Kinder Eggs have been banned in the US since the 1930’s. These smarties risked hiding them in their luggage and took several home! A lifting of this silly ban is underway and hopefully will be approved soon, so it won’t be illegal to bring children’s candy across the border.

The girls’ favorite stop for ice cream was Lix on Basilio Badillo. We can attest to how delicious it is; we had to try a few favors ourselves and love the rich, creamy, sweet treat. The selection at Lix is creative and fun, with flavors such as wild French cherry, blueberry, lavender and salted caramel. Bananas Foster was a hit, and we shared a banana split on their last night!

Cuates Y Cuetes, on the north side of the pier in Old Town was the place to watch the sunset and indulge in guacamole and chips. The girls were amused by the vendors, and contemplated on the difficulty of making a living, trudging in the sand, under the hot sun every day. The candy man cart was heavenly, and paletas on the beach were a thrill, reaching into the freezing cart and choosing from a huge variety of popsicles.

 The Malls. Liverpool and La Isla were high on the list of young, experienced shoppers. There were things to like at both malls, and trying on clothing in air conditioned stores was a nice relief. Liverpool is all indoors, so there wasn’t a need to seek shelter from the heat. La Isla has some of the same stores as our guests shop in the US, but there were no break in prices in stores like Benetton, where sticker shock was the norm. H&M was ho-hum, with much of the same merchandise and equally as inferior, according to our seasoned shoppers. We found the best buys and styles at Sfera, where we walked out burdened with bags.

Parque Lazaro Cardenas, the park where devotion to mosaic has brightened a corner of Puerto Vallarta to the point of dazzling. I enjoyed perusing with them all the diverse designs, display of real talent, and whimsical artistry. When these young ladies return to Puerto Vallarta, they’d love to participate in something like this.

There was so much fun and too little time! Isn’t that always the way it is!

Que es cómo es.