Bahia de Banderas, on which Puerto Vallarta sits, is one of the world’s biggest bays. Although it had no permanent settlements until the mid-19th century, the bay was charted and used for hundreds of years as a rest stop for pirates, priests, the military and other sailors. It is now a savvy tourist mecca with a string of high-rise hotels marching up and down the bay.

The resort specializes in galleries and shops selling fine art and handicrafts, including objects make by the mountain-dwelling and spiritually attuned Huichol. Some galleries focus on the crème de la crème of folk art from the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Michoacan.

The heart of the old city is Vallarta Vieja, where buildings are painted white by government decree. Capped in rust-coloured roof tiles and draped in bright fuschia-pink bougainvillea, sunlight-dappled houses stagger up palm covered hills. From there, the Rio Cuale descends to divide the Old Town into north and south sectors.