Vacationers booking luxury rentals in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, already know to expect stunning natural sights and top-notch service from the tourists' paradise, yet vacationers with a green thumb also have a wealth of opportunities to learn about local flora and fauna. One of the best places to gain a sense of the area's natural beauty is at the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens, an elegant green space that travelers are sure to love.

Easily reachable from many villas in Mexico, the gardens provide a little touch of Eden in the middle of a Mexican paradise. The facility, which opened in 2004, offers 20 acres of highland mountain vegetation, including an impressive array of orchids, anthuriums and agaves. There is also an authentic country kitchen known as Hacienda de Oro, which serves up traditional Mexican classics to hungry travelers.

Visitors can even go swimming in the spring-fed river that runs through the gardens, where the cool crisp waters will be a welcome respite from the ravages of the Mexican sun.

Of course, you may also want to take a swim in the onsite pools found at your luxurious villa vacation rentals – just one of the many comforts afforded on an upscale adventure in Mexico.