For tropical places we have always gone All inclusive, this covers your food, accomadation and transportation to and from the airport. With your budget of $750 per week may I suggest that you check out sites such as Escapes.ca and Sears, yes you can get deals through Sears and even use the Sears credit card, if you wish. I suspect you are living in the States so you would have different on line companies available, offering trips, if anything at a better deal. Perhaps if you google "last minuit deals" that might help, looking for last minuit deals really is the way to go for people who love to travel but are on a budget.

May I also suggest that you check out "Viva Wyndham Tangerine in Puerto Plata", My Husband and I were there in December and had a blast. There was a bunch of collage students and other fun Adults like ourselves and we had such a great time with the animation team and dancing in the Disco. The beach there is a riot for boogie boarding and wind surfing, yes you can still swim there, but there are allot of waves. The rooms are decent and so is the food. The services is just fantastic and the staff really want to please you. We choose Nuevo because we spent a day there many years ago and we are in the mood to shop and play, I fear that I have choosen the wrong resort "Samba" due to the amount of kids there, but all in all we should have a good time. Hopefully other people from the States can direct you to which sites to check out for deals? Best of luck to you in your search, that can be fun too.

I'm pretty much limited to Nuevo Vallarta because airfare is much cheaper there. Unless my gradnparents let me use their timeshare in Mazatlan (Torres Mazatlan) which I absolutely love and have been there twice. That Wyndham place looks really sick, I'd love to go there but airfare is really expensive.

I do hear what you are saying, but do keep in mind that all inclusive packages include airfare and all, it is a matter of looking for last minuit deals. If you do a bit of research on these deals you will get a feel for how it works.

However to target what you are asking there must be others who can give you more suggestions on how to go about this for renting a place. Yes I do believe you would enjoy the V.W Tangerine hopefully you can go there down the road.

This is just a suggestion...might not be what you are interested in, but thought I'd throw it out there.

The first thing I'd suggest, is forget the kitchen. Having been to Puerto Vallarta area a few times, cooking is not what you want to do is it??? The food they serve down there is one of the highlights of simply being there. I discovered I could eat, and eat well, for less than I could cook it for while down there. There are always super cheap and good places to eat anywhere down there. I am the worlds most fanatical budget traveler, and PV area is perfect for finding some amazing deals.

Since you are wanting to stay in Nuevo, you will not find any real bargains since there are far fewer places to stay. I assume Puerto Vallarta is not where you want to be? I just booked time in Nuevo at the Allegro Nuevo Vallarta for $65 a night per person, all inclusive, including all the fees and taxes included in the $65 a night. Not the nicest place, but the only time I spend at the hotel is sleeping, always on the beach or downtown, so a fancy room is not a big deal. I used SkyAuction.com to buy and reserve a room there. Just a suggestion.

I have also found incredible...and totally real and legit deals for the area off of Craigslist. I just looked, and there are numerous condos that fit in your budget...and they come with a kitchen too!! Just go to Craigslist, select Mexico from the list, go to Puerto Vallarta, and then go to vacation rentals. Then type in Nuevo...and check out what's available.

As for not having a car...you don't need one. The bus system is not only fun, it is cheap, and they go everywhere you could possibly want to go. Just don't be afraid to ask if the bus you are about to get on is going to where you want to go. It takes a couple times to figure out just how it works, then it's easy...part of the fun??

Destiladeras and El Anclote beaches are where to boogie board...perfect waves and beach. Just north of Nuevo...$1 by bus if I recall.

As a last note, don't put a ton of energy into the hotel. The chances are, you will think it looked way better from the pics you saw of it. Unless you pay $300 a night....your place will not be quite what you are used to back home. I would put your energy and dollars into playing while there, and the eating....even if you do cook it!! For any shopping required while there...both food and anything else...go to WalMart on the bus. I suggest the bus everytime because cab rides really do begin to add up after a while...the bus doesn't. Unless you need to get somewhere fast, or it's a late night after drinking?? Might I suggest Andale Bar and Grill in Old Town for at least one night...or just a few hours out trying the drinks down there. Funnest place to just chill that I have yet to come across in my travels down there. Excellent drinks, much cheaper than most other places, no cover ever, excellent staff, excellent tunes.

Good luck girls...no matter what, you will not want to leave you know!!

Thanks for the suggestions. All of it seems like good advice. I'll check out that website and see what I can find.

Anyone know how the waves in PV compare to the waves in Mazatlan, cause last time I was in Mazatlan the waves were really decent sized.

Ahh I dunno where to stay, Villa Magna looks nice, and it isn't as big as Playa Royale and the beach looks nice there and the waves look decently sized.

Is Villa Magna in a good location? for restaurants and stuff?

Holy f***, that skyauction place is insane. There are lots of fees attached and stuff though but still, it's a cool concept. I'll probably find a good deal there. If prices are cheaper I might consider mazatlan or cancun as well, I've never been to Cancun though.

What I know this is the Nuevo forum, but out of cancun, Mazatlan, and PV (and Nuevo area) what location would have the biggest waves for boogie boarding?

Your response about SkyAuction was amusing!! There are deals to be had...sometimes not.

Just noticed you are from Whidbey...I am an hour north of you. Love Deception Pass.

Mazatlan would be better than Cancun for what you are looking for, and with the budget thing in mind. There are also some very killer deals I found...just depends on when you are going. If you let me know the dates you are going, I can see if the deals are in your timeframe.

As far as PV and boogie boarding...it is do-able as I have seen people doing it, but it not where you want to board if that's the main purpose of your trip. Another excellent option is a town north of PV called sayulita. You want waves....they have em!! 9 out of 10 people in the water there were surfing rather than boarding...but the few that were boogie boarding, were having a blast. Also, the accomodations there are very very reasonable, places to eat and shop very very reasonable, not full of tourists and very laid back place. I totally loved Sayulita...most people that go there....are there for the waves. It took 90 minutes to get there on the bus from Wal Mart...cost was $3. And because it is where the great waves are....the beach is lined with surf shops and such...you would have no problem having your needs met right there on the beach if you needed anything. Go to sayulitalife.com and it will have a ton of listings for rentals in every budget catagory.

Let me know your travel dates....and I'll send you info on the deals to be had if I find any in your timeframe. Would be glad to help out someone else who is probably a bit tired of our fantastic summer weather so far this year!!

Awesome, thanks. Whidbey is nice, but honestly there is nothing to do here though.

I think I will be going from 8/26-9/2, or 8/27-9/3 depending on what airfare is cheaper. I might do Mazatlan but I dunno yet, I've put a lot of time into places in NV already, but that's alright, it's fun to look at places.

The reason I'm going to Nuevo/PV in the first places is because airfare is way cheaper from Seattle to Vallarta, than from Seattle to Mazatlan or Cancun.

So I saw this ad on skyauction:

www.skyauction.com/action/offer/1404379

If I'm not mistaken there are a massive amount of extra surcharges and fees.

"U.S. and International taxes, fuel and security surcharges are $295 per person roundtrip!"

"Summer & Fall Surcharge (6/28/2008-8/31/2008, 11/1/2008-12/19/2008) for $85 per person"

so if I won I would have to add $380 to the winning price correct?

I'm just using this as an example, I'm not quite sure how the site works yet. I'm looking at places in Cancun and Mazatlan though as well as Vallarta.