More Helpful Info...

Time Zone
We are on Mountain Time. Puerto Vallarta and most of the rest of México is on Central Time. If your flight arrives at noon Vallarta time, it's 11am here. IT IS ONE HOUR LATER IN PUERTO VALLARTA (P.V.) THAN IT IS AT CASA FLORA, which is important to know when you’re thinking about arrival and departure times at the P.V. airport.

Business Hours generally begin early and run late in México, but most break in the afternoon for 'comida', the main meal of the day. Usually they close from 2 until 4 in the afternoon, but some close at 1 and others don't reopen until 5. Many government and other offices close at 2 and that's it for the day.

Local Coffee
If you are a coffee drinker, the locally grown, freshly roasted coffee that is available here is wonderful and very inexpensive. This is available at Café Occidental in La Peñita. They will grind it for you.

Tipping is commonly the same here as it is up north, 15%, and applies to the same services.

ATM Credit Cards: It's a good idea to bring an ATM card. As with your credit cards, call the bank and let them know you will be in México and the dates so they don't stop your card due to unusual, suspicious activity.

Credit Cards: Very few places accept them: this is a cash society that runs on pesos.

Getting Change: Take small bills and coins when you are out. For small purchases, you might find yourself minding the store while the merchant wanders the Avenida looking for a fellow shopkeeper who can break your 500 peso note.

Bartering: If it's a good deal up north, it's a good deal here. Very few merchants dicker over price. They have a set price and the Mexican who stands next to you will pay the same. Some of those who do negotiate are the silver sellers who wander the beaches. If you're in the market for some of these lovely trinkets, you would do well to look at the prices in the local gift shops first. You will find that the traveling salespeople have already increased their offering price to cover the expected barter. But if you love something you see, buy it. You'll probably never see the exact same thing for sale again.

Toilet Paper Etiquette
Unless the building you are in was built with large drainage pipes to the sewers, it is considered courteous (and important) to deposit your toilet paper in the waste basket provided for this use. Most older buildings have small exit pipes installed. Toilet paper tends to block up this system. Using the baskets also gives a break to the still-developing sewage system here. When in doubt, don't flush it.