36 By El Faro - Centro Pitillal

There are two former lighthouses with views of Puerto Vallarta which is confusing if you want the one with the restaurant. ‘Favo’ means ‘lighthouse’ in Spanish. Three blocks of stairways up from the Malécon is a former lighthouse with a platform to view PV called ‘Faro de Matamoros’. Then, there is the former lighthouse with a restaurant at the top which is near the marina for cruise ships. This is called 36 by El Faro and also has a view of PV. Reservations are important for the small restaurant. A knowledgeable taxi driver delivered my friend and I to the lighthouse with the restaurant at 6:30 pm. Since we did not have reservations, we made them for the bar at 8 pm and went to an Argentina restaurant close by. At 36 we had a wonderful dessert and were delighted with the view. Even better was our attentive server at the bar, Alex. I had injured my foot a few days ago and was limping. He escorted us down the elevator (everyone is suppose to walk down from the top) and guided me down the long stairway at the bottom. Amazing!

We reserved for the special and had read the reviews cautioning about the water bottles, tequila cart, etc. The waiter brought the drinks menu and we reminded him about the welcoming drink included in the special. It turned out to be a flute of Prosecco each, which is one of my favorite drinks. We ordered the appetizer shrimp skewers with maracuya sauce and the arrachera with vegetables for our entree. All were very tasty and enough to warrant a take home box of arrachera for some of us. The ice cream with hazelnut flakes seemed to be the only available dessert that night. It was a bit icy (crystals) but still pleasant. The service was excellent, the waiters friendly and helpful, and the view was spectacular. A very enjoyable evening!