The Malecon in Puerto Vallarta

By alantvuong on February 8, 2019

The Malecon is a 20 block beach walkway in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. During the daytime, there are a bunch of vendors, buskers and artists who make for a vibrant happening area. There are also art sculptures that surround the one-mile beach boardwalk. They even offer a free 2 hour walking tour of all the sculptures every Tuesday from November through April. At night, is when the restaurants, bars and nightclubs really transform this popular spot into something really lively and exciting. Both of my trips to Puerto Vallarta included spending time at the Malecon.

at the Malecon

Getting There

On my most recent trip to Puerto Vallarta, I only managed to spend time at the Malecon in the daytime a few times. From my hotel, the Plaza Pelicanos Club Beach Resort, it was a 40 minute walk to the Malecon. Since the weather was bright and sunny, it was always decided that my buddy would casually push me in my wheelchair. This gives us a chance to see what’s around, take pictures and see how accessible the stroll will be.

on our way to the Malecon

We noticed that one side of the sidewalks was much easier to maneuver because it did not have as many non-curb ramps at each end of the sidewalks. Cobblestone roads are more noticeable the closer we get to the Malecon and for some odd reason, there are a few blocks of raised sidewalks where it is very narrow with no side railings or a fence to prevent you from falling a few feet to the side. If we are not careful, it could a disaster waiting to happen.

some sidewalks leading to the Malecon have drops on the side

The Food

There are so many restaurants leading into the Malecon and at the Malecon itself. It ranges from big national chains like Senor Frogs, Bubba Gump, Mc Donald’s to smaller independent restaurants. My favorite was the rotisserie chicken at El Pechugon. The food there was so good that I ate there twice during our trip. The chicken was cooked perfectly and had the right amount of seasoning and spice. This was only a take out place as there was no seating, so we just found a bench nearby and ate our chicken there. I also got to try a local exclusive burger at the Mc Donald’s which I enjoyed too.

love the rotisserie chicken here

The Beach

There were ramps at each end of the Malecon and another ramp located in the middle that lead you down to the beach area. I was pleasantly surprised to see a wheelchair accessible stall at one of the washrooms at beach level. You are required to pay a small token to access the washroom and have a small amount of toilet paper. We didn’t really get to hang out on the beach because it is hard for any manual chair to be pushed in the sand. I did not see any beach wheelchairs anywhere so I assumed there wasn’t any available. There are times when I do hang out at the edge of the beach or try to go in the sand a bit but we had other things in mind to do.

the beach

Art Sculptures

The pathway on the Malecon was mostly flat and smooth and was very easy to get around. It made it a lot easier to check out all the cool sculptures and take pictures with them. Since we were here in January, the free walking tours were not available at this time. It was really great to see that there were lots of people wandering around and taking photos with all the sculptures. If you are into art and sculptures, the Museo Naval is a museum that is also located on the Malecon. It is free for people in wheelchairs but there is no elevator or ramp to get to the second floor. That means I was only able to check out the smaller ground floor.

Triton and the Nereid Sculpture (1990)

Nightlife

Back in 2006, I was at Senor Frogs at the Malecon and it was a very busy and popular hang out. Last month, we saw it still open for food during afternoon hours and was told it is still a popular club. Mandala and Zoo nightclubs are also very trendy with lots of people partying there. We decided to visit a nightclub just a block from our hotel called Strana. It is also a popular nightclub that plays current pop, hip hop and dance songs. This place reminded me of a smaller version of Omnia Nightclub in Las Vegas. Mandala, Zoo and Strana all offer specials throughout the week that include cheap cover or open bars. We did’t do that this trip because we weren’t in the mood to drink non stop.

at Strana Nightclub

If you’re ever in Puerto Vallarta, a visit to the Malecon is a must and highly recommended. Whether you are visiting it to check out the beach, sculptures, restaurants, walk down the promenade or to party at the nightclubs, the Malecon is definitely accessible to get to and easy to wander around. I will definitely revisit the Malecon when traveling to Puerto Vallarta.