Which has better scenery and richer culture: Puerto Rico or Puerto Vallarta?
February 7, 2010 by
Filed under ixtapa hotels
Please answer only if you have been to BOTH places.
I am planning a vacation with a friend and we are trying to decide where to go.
Aside from all the things they say on the news about Mexico (I am Mexican so I know the whole truth about that and I feel very safe in Mexico). Which is prettier Puerto Rico or Puerto Vallarta? I have been to Puerto Vallarta (and its surroundings) and I absolutely love it. My friend and I are trying to book a vacation and she prefers Puerto Rico. I am very picky with places and I like scenery and culture. I am afraid that if I go to Puerto Rico I will be disappointed like I was when I went to Miami or when I went on a cruise (from Galveston to Cozumel). I totally disliked Miami and I also hated the cruise. Miami is very plane (no scenery or culture) and the cruise felt like being stuck in a low class hotel (though Cozumel was beautiful, too bad we had to quicky return to the ship).
Should I go to Puerto Rico? Is it as pretty as the Mexican beaches like Puerto Vallarta or Ixtapa? I don’t want to be disappointed!
I couldn’t convince my friend to go to Puerto Vallarta… I might go to Puerto Rico, but I am afraid I won’t get the experience I get at the wonderful all inclusive Mexican resorts… or maybe I should go by myself to Puerto Vallarta or Ixtapa (which is not very far from my hometown anyways).
Hey, I can honestly tell you that Puerto Rico has lovely scenery and lots of culture and its way better than Miami. Our culture is a mix of Spanish, Taino indian and African. I can’t compare Puerto Vallarta to PR becuase I never been there. I think it looks great though, so both options are good. But since you already been there you should maybe give a new place a try. I think you should really research Puerto Rico first. Look at the links I give you and decide what you think. Also there really arent any all-inclusives in PR, but I think you do experience more culture that way becaues you can go eat in local places and not be confined to a hotel for your entire vacation. If you do decide to go to Puerto Rico, I suggest you travel the whole island to really see the best of it. Nothing takes more than 3 hours from anywhere in PR. San Juan is a big city and yes you will see a lot of tourist and americanized things, but you will also see Old San Juan which is a beautiful historic part of the city with tons of culture. El Morro fort, La Fortaleza and the San Juan Cathedral are must see’s. Puerto Rico has nice beaches all around the island, but the best are on Vieques and Culebra islands (only a ferry ride away). Flamenco Beach on Culebra was voted 1 of the 10 best beaches in the world by travel channel. Also El Yunque rain forest is a sight to see. There are the famous coqui frogs and the endangered puerto rican parrot living there. You can also swim in waterfalls
The entire central part of PR has green mountains and the coasts are beaches. Ponce in the south is also a nice city to visit. It almost has a european feel. You can see Seralles Castle and also nearby is Guanica where there is dry forest with cactus. Camuy Caves and the Arecibo telescope are also great sights to take in. Oh and one of the bioluminescent bay’s are very unique as well. Goodluck 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvOLT7fjQ3Q
http://www.gotopuertorico.com/
http://places.eyetour.com/
I think you should give yourself the chance to experience Puerto Rico. P. Vallarta is very very beautiful, culture rich, unique and so is Puerto Rico.
You have to be open to other cultures and places. If not, why travel?