If you’ve been to Puerto Vallarta’s beaches in the last few years, you’ve noticed one thing: they are all crowded. Tourism to Puerto Vallarta is higher than ever, with a total of 6 million visitors who arrived in 2023, which is up 10 percent from 2022. And while (for better or worse) business is booming in PV, it’s leaving much to be desired among beachgoers looking for peace and quiet and far fewer all-inclusive resorts.
But for the adventurous set who don’t mind a long drive in search of idyllic, untouched shorelines and more palm trees than people, the Costalegre has been providing a welcome respite from the rattle and hum of Puerto Vallarta’s now “big city” energy. We’ve combed the best beaches of the Costalegre to bring you this handy little guide to where to go for a slice of that slow life. The Costalegre is the stretch of coastline that runs south of Puerto Vallarta towards Manzanillo.
These 150 miles are a paradise for nature lovers, peppered with rustic fishing villages, rimmed by mountains, and bordered by vast stretches of uninterrupted crashing Pacific shoreline. Two and a half hours south of Puerto Vallarta, you’ll come to the turnoff for Punta Perula. A few minutes off the main road will put you along the dusty main road of this little village that borders the beach.
Perula is a sleepy community, but that’s what locals and visitors love most about it. They also love the spectacular stretch of pristine shoreline that wraps around the Bahia .