Paradise For Sale
By George Oxford Miller

After you've perfected your tan on the beach, played on championship golf courses, dined on sumptuous food, and danced the night away, you might decide you want your own place in paradise. Rated as the "World's Friendliest International City" by Condé Nast and voted as having "Latin America's best beaches" by Travel + Leisure, Puerto Vallarta booms with condo, timeshare, and villa sales to fit every lifestyle.

Development starts on the north end of the Banderas Bay with exclusive properties at Punta de Mita and follows the shoreline south through town past Mismaloya. According to RCI and Interval International timeshare companies, Puerto Vallarta offers 56 timeshare properties. Add an expanding selection of condos and villas for rent and sale and the possibilities seem endless. from golf, beach, and marina resorts to hillside properties with ocean views and downtown living in the midst of the urban action, sun lovers have a selection that's getting wider by the month. With so many activity options, you can pick a property in a development that caters to your special vacation interests. For convenience, the crescent coast is divided into zones.

North Coast
If you want to live at the end of the road, along with the Four Seasons Resort and its Jack Nicklaus golf course, check out the luxurious purchase and rental properties at Punta de Mita, 28 miles from downtown. Surrounded on three sides by ocean and pristine beaches, you can golf, windsurf, snorkel, and whale watch. The popular diving, kayaking, and daytrip destination, Islas Marietas, is just offshore. Punta Esmeralda and other exclusive properties lie to the south along with several fishing villages prized for their authenticity.

Nuevo Vallarta
Paradise Village and Mayan Palace, the area's two largest planned resort communities, include a variety of ownership and rental options, as well as world-class golf, broad beaches, water sports, and upscale shopping, dining, and nightlife. Marina Vallarta, with 450 boat slips, five-star hotels, restaurants, galleries, and boutiques, is popular among sailing enthusiasts.

Hotel Zone
The broad beaches that stretch from the maritime terminal into town belong on travel posters, or better yet, in your front yard. In this residential area, timeshares and condos share the beachfront with resorts and hotels. This surf and sand playground is 10 minutes from downtown, conveniently close to shopping malls, and close to the airport.

Viejo (Old) Vallarta, Zona Romantica
Cross a bridge over Rio Caule from downtown and you enter a district with tree-shaded, cobblestone streets and bougainvillea-covered walls. Despite decades of tourism, the district still keeps its character. Galleries, nightclubs, restaurants, and boutique properties are tucked among corner groceries, bakeries and shops that serve the residents' everyday needs. With centuries-old architecture and a relaxed, lived-in atmosphere, Old Town retains vestiges of its colonial past.

South Coast
Tucked in picturesque coves between towering mountains and sparkling beaches, properties in this zone suit view-conscious visitors who enjoy nature activities on both land and sea. You can explore waterfalls, soar above the jungle on zip lines, enjoy uncrowded beaches, and snorkel and dolphin watch around Los Arcos, the rock formation just offshore.

Don't feel guilty if you're not ready to return to the "real world" after your holiday. Plan your escape and become one of the many repeat offenders who adopt Puerto Vallarta as a second home.

Get a complete list of real estate resources and brokers, here.