The beach at Playa Mismaloya is located in a small cove, just off of Highway 200, a few miles (25 minutes or so) south of Puerto Vallarta.

Mismaloya is the location of the set of the movie, The Night of The Iguana, the John Huston, Richard Burton film that introduced Puerto Vallarta to the gringo world. The old set of the movie is in ruins just to the south of the beach.

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Access to the beach is on the south side of the Resort Hotel Barcelo with a dirt road leading down to the beach. Limited parking is available on this road, as are refreshments and the traditional tourist trinket sales. Several palapa-style restaurants are on the beach.

There are pangas (boats) for hire for travel to the more southerly isolated beaches, back to Puerto Vallarta or for snorkeling trips to the Los Arcos rocks, just off shore. The beach is home to several restaurants and trinket peddlers and the hotel Barcelo.

Inland from the beach is the Puerto Vallarta Zoo and El Eden, a restaurant/canopy ride that was the set of the Arnold Schwarzenegger film, Predator.

The beach is crowded from the resort hotel and there is a sharp drop off just off shore.

Access is by car, taxi or bus from Puerto Vallarta.

Punta Negra is fairly well hidden rustic beach. It is just south of Nogalita and the Punta Negra bridge on highway 200 heading towards Mismaloya. It has few amenities.

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There are parking lots on both sides of the highway near the stairway (quite long and steep) that heads down to the beach. About 6 cars can park on the beach side of the road and a dozen or more on the other. These lots usually fill up quickly on weekends or on holidays. During weekdays the beach is quite deserted. There is a bus stop within a hundred feet (take a Mismaloya bus).

The beach itself is quite nice with fine sand and a rocky outcropping on the northern end where you can catch glimpses of tidal creatures (if you go at low tide). The beach is shallow and it is possible to walk out 20 meters or so. At the time we went, there were two chemical outhouses on the beach. During peak season and holidays there is often one or more small “restaurants” set up with typical beach mariscos. A very few vendors wander the beach with beach mats, donuts, etc. There is a garbage collection container up in the parking lot. This beach is a “National” tourist and local beach. Gringo tourists rarely go to it.

For shade, it is sometimes possible to find improvised leantos made out of palm thatch but most people bring their own umbrellas.

On many days, the water is calm and fine for snorkeling. Some days the surf is high and quite fun.