Just south of the airport, Marina Vallarta began with a dream of creating a new level of life on Banderas Bay, where sailboats, yachts and fishing craft could count on a safe harbor. Work on the marina itself, with 450 boat slips, began in 1986. And by 1990, the marina was in full swing, even though it was 1993 before it was completed (ahead of schedule). Marina Vallarta is now one of Mexico’s most successful master-planned communities with golf, marina and beachfront real estate opportunites.