Puerto Vallarta with Kids: Family Villas, Beaches and Things to Do

Puerto Vallarta works well with children. The airport is 15 to 30 minutes from the villa areas, the bay is usually calm, English is widely spoken, and a villa gives a family the things a hotel can’t: a private pool, a kitchen, bedrooms for everyone and, in most larger homes, staff to help. The one thing to plan around is the terrain. Many of Vallarta’s best villas are on steep hillsides, so the right choice depends on the ages of your children.

The short answer

With toddlers and young children: choose a villa with an easy layout and ask about pool safety, and base yourself near Conchas Chinas or Amapas for calm water close by. With older children and teenagers: the South Shore villas, with boat days, snorkelling and zip-lining nearby. For multi-generational groups: a large staffed villa with ensuite bedrooms and, ideally, an elevator.

Choosing a family villa

Questions worth asking for any villa, and ones we check for you:

• Pool safety: most Vallarta villas have infinity pools without fences. Ask whether a pool fence or cover is available, and how close the pool is to the edge of the terrace.
• Stairs and drops: hillside homes often have long stairways and terraces above steep slopes. Fine for teenagers, harder with toddlers, prams or grandparents.
• Bedroom layout: ensuite rooms for each family, and a bedroom for young children near the parents.
• Staff, cribs and high chairs: many villas include a housekeeper and cook; ask in advance for cribs, high chairs and babysitting.

A few villas that suit families particularly well:

• Villa Amapas South (four bedrooms, up to ten guests) has an elevator across its three levels, full-time staff and a heated infinity pool, useful with grandparents or a pushchair.
• Villa La Mansion (six bedrooms) has a heated saltwater pool, a hot tub and a man-made sand beach area; there is no access to the sea, so swimming is in the pool.
• Villa Veranda in Conchas Chinas can be booked with three or four bedrooms, for a family of up to eight.
• Villa Veva (six bedrooms) has a game room with a pool table and big-screen TV, a good rainy-afternoon option with teenagers.
• Casa Peña del Mar (six ensuite bedrooms) is in a gated community at Los Arcos.
• For large family reunions, Villa Kismet sleeps 14, Casa Morada has 11 bedrooms, and Villa Mandarinas has 16 bedrooms and three separate pool areas.

Best beaches for children

Conchas Chinas is the best family beach close to town: rock formations create natural pools of calm, shallow water, good for paddling and first snorkels. Las Ánimas, a short water taxi ride from Boca de Tomatlán, has restaurants on the sand and banana boats. Los Muertos, in the Romantic Zone, is busy but easy, with food and shade. See the full Puerto Vallarta beaches guide.

Things to do with kids

• Whale watching from December to March, peaking in January and February. Choose a Semarnat-certified operator with a larger, stable boat for younger children.
• Snorkelling at Los Arcos, for confident swimmers, usually as part of a boat trip.
• A boat day to Las Ánimas or Quimixto, where there is a walk to a waterfall.
• Zip-lining in the jungle behind the south shore; operators set their own minimum ages and weights, so check before booking.
• The Malecón at sunset, with its sculptures, street performers and ice cream.
• Vallarta Botanical Garden, south of town, with trails and a river.
• Sea turtle releases: turtles nest on beaches around the bay, and local turtle camps hold hatchling releases in season, roughly late summer into the autumn.

More ideas in things to do in Puerto Vallarta.

When to go with children

The dry season, from November to April, is the most comfortable, and Christmas, New Year and Easter are the most requested family weeks, so book them early. The summer holidays fall in the rainy season: hot and humid, with afternoon storms, but fewer people. See the best time to visit Puerto Vallarta.

Practical notes

• Getting there: Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR) has direct flights from many US and Canadian cities, and the villa areas are 15 to 30 minutes away.
• Food: a villa cook or private chef makes mealtimes with children much easier; see villas with a private chef.
• Safety: read our summary of the current advice in Is Puerto Vallarta safe?

For more on choosing a villa with young children anywhere, see the best luxury villas for families with young children. Or tell us your children’s ages and your dates, and we will shortlist the Puerto Vallarta villas that fit.