Plaza Caracol — Local services in Jalisco

There are lots of shops and fast food places. Soriana is a large store with everything from groceries to clothing to hardware. It is on the order of Walmart, although I don't know about slashed prices. I do know on weekends there is a line for the butcher/meat department. They have guards at both entrances. So far I have been satisfied with selection of items and quality. They do have some American products, but you have to look for them. Very few employees speak English. If you aren't fairly fluent, a translator app is good to have.

Lans is a good quality department store at the front of the mall. There is a movie theater at the back of the mall, a game area with bowling, pool table and more. There is a casino on the second floor, possibly some shops and offices. I was up there once several years ago using poor directions to a dentist. There are hair salons, beauty supply stores, Radio Shack, OXXO, lots of clothing and shoe stores. The phone companies are all represented with large and small stores. It is low season, but there are mostly Mexican families shopping or walking around in the air conditioned maze of stores.

McDonald's is at the rear of the mall, but there is an ice cream stand at the Soriana entrance where the groceries are. There is Dairy Queen, and Thrifty ice cream stands and many others everywhere you look. There is one Asian fast food place, Bamboo. Most others are loncheria places of local food. There are banks both in and out and across the parking lot. Lots of electronic stores and some repair places. There are fancier malls heading north, but this one does have lots...

Caracol has plenty of stuff. It's close to my work, so I find myself eating and shopping there at least a couple times a week. The Soriana inside is especially convenient, and I definitely enjoy the variety of restaurants, including American, Chinese, Japanese, and about a dozen different Mexican options. Clothing and accessories also supplied in considerable variety. The C&A department store is especially good in that regard. My wife and I have been buying most of our clothes there lately. The downsides to Caracol are that the old building shows its age rather obviously in a few places, and it's quite crowded in the afternoons. It's a local favorite, though. Other shopping malls in town may be newer and fancier for tourists, but they don't have the local Mexican flavor of Plaza Caracol. If you want a shopping mall that looks like a transplant from any other North American city, go to La Isla. If you want something more...

This is a nice plaza in Puerto Vallarta. Smaller in comparison to the larger shopping centers. However, this plaza seems to be where most Mexicans go to shop. I found it to be somewhat empty when I went there and some stores were closed. And there are plenty of retail spaces still empty. I had just left my hotel because my check out was at 11 am and my flight was leaving at 5 pm. So with 6 hours until my departure I walked around in the plaza with my luggage in hand. A nice break for a few hours. I wish I could have been here when I arrived because I saw some retail stores that had good items I could have used. The prices are good here. Sometimes better than the big shopping malls. But we go to the shopping malls to get the stuff that makes us feel like home. Overall I recommend a visit to plaza Caracol. You will find some surprises here...