Puerto Vallarta Downtown Real Estate

The heart and soul of Puerto Vallarta, El Centro, is the oldest area of Puerto Vallarta. Once known as a small fishing village, the first residents of this place settled here in 1851. Since then, from this spot and along the hillside, that little town has expanded to become a cosmopolitan destination encompassing various micro destinations like El Pitillal, Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerias, Punta de Mita, among others.

For those of you who have visited Puerto Vallarta before, you should remember that Puerto Vallarta Centro (Downtown) is framed by the famous Malecón, a mile-long boardwalk facing Banderas Bay. It is one of Vallarta’s most renowned landmarks and is an excellent setting for people to understand how living in Puerto Vallarta can be. Tourists visit the Malecón and the Downtown area of Puerto Vallarta for its small-town appeal. Locals gather here to spend a day out with the family and have fun at the shows and spectacles usually held at the town’s square or the Los Arcos amphitheater. Both tourists and locals can treat themselves to street food or enjoy the sunset.

Downtown is where you’ll find the true Vallarta style; cobblestoned streets, tiled roofs usually of a reddish color, bugambilias adorning the streets. The Our Lady of Guadalupe Church with its iconic tower, the Plaza de Armas (or main town’s square), and the Pacific Ocean to complete the picture.

Real Estate options in Puerto Vallarta Centro are limited but include residential and commercial real estate, usually older homes for sale or small condo buildings or premises for commercial purposes at medium to high prices. Because of its easy access to the Malecón, the beach, and entertainment, Puerto Vallarta Centro is an easy choice for living or investment.

To the east of Puerto Vallarta Centro, and over the hills, is Gringo Gulch. This tiny section of El Centro gained popularity back in the 1950s and 1960s because it was the preferred place for American celebrities (including the actors Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton). Currently, this little hideout is still called that way. Most of the construction here includes traditional Mexican-style architecture by the hand of Fernando Romero and Guillermo Wulff. They are responsible for creating the “Vallarta Style” and adding copulas to home design, respectively. To this day, some properties are still in place but with a few upgrades.

There is not much recent real estate development going on in Puerto Vallarta Centro. Most new construction is taking place in Versalles, Fluvial, or Emiliano Zapata.

Puerto Vallarta Centro is also an area filled with amenities and services. You can find restaurants, bars, shops, nightclubs, grocery stores (big and small), but it tends to be a crowded area, especially in the holiday season.