Grocery Shopping

Downtown Puerto Vallarta offers limited grocery options; you will want to venture out of the central area for a major store.

We typically do one major shopping excursion every 7-10 days and rely on the smaller local shops for interim needs.

A great alternative for those seeking to do a relatively quick small shop for wine, produce, meats and deli items is Los Mercados, a set of mini-shops that are short walk from Vista del Sol. The shops in Los Mercados are a tad pricy, but they are very convenient and the quality of product there is outstanding. Just go out the front door, turn right and walk up to the next block. Los Mercados is on the left hand side of the street.

Another easy alternative that’s even closer in proximity is the OXXO convenience store. You’ll find OXXOs on nearly every block, including ours. Again, just go out the front door of Vista del Sol, turn right and you’ll find the OXXO at the end of the block on the right. They offer convenience store type items like eggs, milk, butter, hot dogs, chips, toothpaste, laundry soap, etc. Nothing special, but occasionally useful.

Within the downtown of Puerto Vallarta, Lay Supermarket is a terrific option for those who are open to a more authentic shopping experience. You'll find many of the locals shopping at Lay because their prices tend to be lower, while the quality and range of options is just as good as any other supermarket in the area. Lay located is at 1150 Avenida Mexico, about a 20 minute walk from Vista del Sol. Just head down the Malecon toward downtown, past the McDonalds and Hotel Rosita. We suggest you walk there and take a cab back -- or take a cab both ways -- (about $4-5 US each way) if you're doing a major shop.

We also recommend shopping at the following supermarkets, all of which can be reached by taxi (or bus if you’re feeling adventurous!). These grocery stores are further from town -- about a 15-20 minute drive -- and the fare is about $5-7 US each way.

                • Soriana
                • Walmart
                • Comer
                • Costco

A note on taking the bus: If you go to the main bus station (the front desk can direct you), the busses actually have the names of the major stores (Walmart, Costco) listed as destinations and you can ask the bus driver to tell you when you arrive. To be safe, we recommend taking a bus one way and a taxi home, since the bus doesn’t always pick up in the same spot that it drops off.