Puerto Vallarta welcomes new flights, hotel expansions and the return of Royal Caribbean

Few destinations offer the stunning natural beauty, unique culture and cuisine, and variety of outdoor activities found in Puerto Vallarta, and after a year of pent-up wanderlust and limited opportunities to reconnect with family, friends, and themselves, U.S. travelers can now enjoy multiple new flight routes, expanded accommodation options, and a brand-new cruise itinerary to the perennially popular destination on Mexico’s Pacific coast.

“We are delighted to see an uptick in visitors from the United States with our hospitality providers and travel operators reporting significant increases in short-term and future travel bookings,” said Luis Villaseñor, Managing Director of Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board. “Not only have hotels, restaurants, and attractions maintained the highest safety and hygiene protocols, for which Puerto Vallarta was recognized with a Safe Travels Stamp, they have also taken advantage of the previously low demand and occupancy to upgrade facilities and make improvements to on-property social distancing measures and services.”

Thanks to easy-to-follow entry and exit requirements and increased connectivity, a Puerto Vallarta vacation is now within reach to U.S. travelers. New and resumed air routes include:

• American Airlines doubled its flights to PVR from Phoenix (PHX), Los Angeles (LAX), and Chicago (ORD) in March.

• Southwest Airlines resumed daily flights from Denver (DEN) and added daily flights from Santa Ana (SNA) on March 11.

• Frontier Airlines resumed two weekly flights from Denver (DEN) and a launched new twice-weekly non-stop route from Las Vegas (LAS) on March 25.

• Sun Country Airlines is launching twice-weekly non-stop service from Dallas (DFW) to PVR on May 28 with fares as low as US$149.

• Spirit Airlines will offer daily flights to PVR from Los Angeles (LAX) and three times weekly services from Houston (IAH) and Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays starting July 1.

• United Airlines has added 28 flights into PVR from multiple U.S. cities, including Chicago (ORD), Denver (DEN), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Newark (EWR), and San Francisco (SFO), as part of its increased presence in Mexico.

Enhancements to Puerto Vallarta’s resort and boutique hotel offering include Sunset Plaza Hotel, which added 100 guestrooms and suites with chic, modern décor and ocean views in December 2020; the launch of the 72-room South Tower at Hotel Mousai, which includes new dining, spa, and outdoor wellness amenities, and the newly launched 50-room Mantamar Tower at the luxurious Almar Resort Luxury LGBT Beach Front Experience located in the Romantic Zone. The LGBTQ+ welcoming resort is currently booking guests into 16 of the new tower guestrooms and suites, and will unveil Eden Pool & Lounge Garden in April.

Finally, after a 10-year hiatus, Royal Caribbean has announced its return to the West Coast with a new homeport at Los Angeles World Cruise Center for its Navigator of the Seas cruise ship. Offering seven-night sailings with a stop in Puerto Vallarta, travelers will soon be able to book the year-round cruise for departures from Summer 2022. Recently, the cruise line gave the ship a US$115 million tropical-themed makeover, which comprises three pools, two water slides, pool deck, sports bar, three-level bar, and an intimate New England-style raw bar and seafood restaurant. This new launch represents the first time Royal Caribbean has based a ship in California since 2011.