Vallarta Blog

Traveling to a city for the first time is a unique experience; new places, new people and a lot of fun… The bad thing about traveling to a city the first time is that you can loose time and money by making simple mistakes from your arrival to installing yourself in your Hotel room.

I arrived… Now what?

If you traveled on a bus, you should know that the Central Bus Station and the Airport are on the north side of Puerto Vallarta, 30-40 minutes from the city and any tourist attraction. Follow our steps to get directly and safe to your Hotel so you can enjoy and cool down at your hotels pool:

• Know the location of your hotel, buy a ticket where it says “TAXI” by the authorized Taxi Windows. The prices are per Zone and they are fair if you buy them in the Bus Station Central, but the ones in the airport are very elevated from 200% to 300% more. The taxis are monitored, so you don’t have to worry about safety on your way.
• If you are not sure of the location of your hotel, villa or stay, consult it before coming to PV on the internet, the hotels website or in a travel agency.
• If you are up to a little bit of adventure (and you don’t carry too much luggage) you can take a local Bus just in front of the station on the street. Take a bus that has a sign in the front window that says “centro” not “centro-pitillal” because if you do catch a centro-pitillal you’ll have to drive one hour extra before getting to the center of the city. All buses charge the same $5 pesos (50 cents), unless you are heading further away from Puerto Vallarta, like northern Bucerias or southern Mismaloya.
• Make sure to upload all your luggage onto the taxi or bus and don’t forget anything inside when leaving the bus or taxi because there is a very high chance of not getting it back ever again (especially in the public transportation facilities).

By car…

A street map will always be a big help, so try to get in contact with your hotel or any travel agency to ask for a map and directions on how to find your destination.In Puerto Vallarta, the hotel zone and the access to the Marina are on the principal boulevard Fco. Medina Ascencio; for Nuevo Vallarta and Bucerías, drive to the north, following the road number 70. !Bienvenido a Nayarit! Crossing the bridge of the Ameca river (Río Ameca) and don’t forget to take an hour of you clock since there’s an hour difference between the state of Nayarit and Jalisco.

¡Be practical!

• Write your name on a card together with your address, your destination information in Vallarta and keep it safe in your wallet; Also mark your bags, video or photo camera and other items; in case of loosing an item, taxi drivers, waiters and other service providers will have a way of locating you to bring back your lost item.
• Never take large amounts of money with you.
• Always keep handy a little bag with your camera, bathing suit and clothes to change because the beach is always tentative!!!
• Always check your map to localize yourself and the place of your stay.

¿Where do I go?

Relax on the Beach

First thing you should do is to get checked into your stay and go for the pool or beach. There are over 40 different beaches on Banderas Bay and you’ll want to take it easy the first day of your stay since the climate changes might exhaust you after a long travel.

The Sunset on The Malecon

One of the best places to enjoy the sunset is the Malecón. Start your journey at the northern zone (at the side of Hotel Rosita and close to the Buenaventura Hotel) and look for famous sculptures on the Malecon as are the arches of “Los Arcos” one of Puerto Vallarta’s icons.

Choose a Restaurant

Dolce Vita and El Tequila’s are an excelent option to dine on the Malecón. For seafood, Mauricio’s and Coleguita are only 10 to 15 minutes (from the airport) taking the road to the north to Ixtapa. One of the best places for restaurants and Cafès is Olas Altas (also called Old Town or Viejo Vallarta). It has dozens of places to eat, dance and shop. It’s also called the “Romantic Zone” for a reason.

Viejo Vallarta

Walk along the center into the romantic zone (Viejo Vallarta) over to the street of Olas Altas, where you will find little Cafés and Restaurants on the street side that give a special touch to this part of the city. Also you will notice there are a few Hotels like Molino de Agua, Playa Los Arcos, Tropicana and Suites Emperador. There are also other attraction near the River of Pitillal like the Art Market. Don’t miss the hanging bridges!!!

Bahía de Banderas (Bay of Flags)

Visit the extreme south of the bay, the tropical paradise of Mismaloya and its surroundings, scenery of some Hollywood movies. If you’re lucky and it’s the right season, you can see whales, dolphins and huge Manta Rays.

You also should go to the north; towards Punta Mita there are some beautiful beaches with fine sand and turquoise colored waters.

Explore Vallarta on the Sea

On Los Muertos Beach (Playa los Muertos = Beach of the dead) the water taxis can take you to Yelapa, Mismaloya, Las Ánimas and other hidden beaches between the tropical vegetation.

If you are looking for adventures over the sea, going to the Terminal Maritima will show you a lot of sea tours that will take you around the Bay of Banderas.

The Marigalante, is a pirate ship that will serve you a delicious dinner full of fun, music, competitions and artificial fire shows just in the waters in front of Los Arcos.

Another of the favorite tours with an irresistible price, is The Bora Bora, that starts a roundtrip through the Bay of Banderas while having breakfast onboard. They’ll take you to practice snorkeling to the maritime park Los Arcos and you’ll eat on a beautiful beach on the southern extreme of the Bay.

The Princesa Vagabundo is another ship that will take you along the Bay to beaches further away. Don’t forget your bathing suit and your camera!

Finaly the Princesa Sunset is a romantic cruise ship in the evening for people in love that are looking for a special sunset. They’ll serve you delicious food while the sun hides behind the waves accompanied by nice background music.

Visit the Marina

Come to visit the Marina, one of the biggest in Mexico, with space for over 400 Yachts. Go up to the “Faro Restaurant” to view a panoramic afternoon of the bay of Banderas and finally try their culinary specialties in their known restaurants.

¡Go up the Mountains!

Puerto Vallarta is surrounded by the Sierra Madre Mountains. There are exciting tours on vehicles of all type, horses and bikes that will take you through waterfalls and paths full of adventure and fun.

Have fun all night!

Vallarta has places for all kinds of taste, from the more fun juvenile ambient to the elegance and exclusivity. Some of our recommendations are De Santos, Carlos O’Brians, Sr.Frog’s, Zoo, Christine and with its traditional Cuban style, La Bodeguita del Medio.

Puerto Vallarta Blog, Wexico 2007

Puerto Vallarta. Two words that bring images to our minds like: Nightlife, Clubs, Beaches, Sun, Attractive Bodies in Bikinis, a lot of fun and in reality Vallarta is all that and much much more.

This typical little town with cobblestone streets and at the same time a modern attractive tourist spot is a tropical paradise, considered one of the richest places in natural biodiversity and one of the few places in Mexico that combines ecosystems of jungle, forests, coasts, islands and marines in it’s territory.

If you enter from the extreme north you’ll find the green thick tropical forests, but stop! If you ask yourself why you found yourself with shadowy and gray panorama of dry trees in the vacation season of winter, the answer is that exactly in that season the vegetation looses 90% of it’s leaves.

Don’t be shocked ahead of you, when you see signs that say “Watch out with the Crocodiles”. Most probably you are near the protected federal area that has the biggest mangle forests, where crocodiles and dozens of costal birds live.

More to the center, there is an area that extends to sandy beaches of low depth, ideal for boat rides, where colorful fish, crabs and others live. In this part of the region there are some costal dunes located, since the climate here is ideal for its formations, but because of the urbanization that concentrates, there are only a few left. Some of the mammals you might see around this areas and only if they come out of their hiding places, are armadillos and coatis.

South of the region the climate is more humid, which causes the vegetation to be more intense. If you travel to these regions you will enjoy majestic lands with mountains formed by the sierra Madre. The predominant ecosystem is the tropical subcaducifolio forest, a total paradise in its fauna.

If it’s about felines, you might see cute cats like jaguars, ocelots and pumas, but also reindeers, rabbits and some times tropicals like parrots and guacamayas. The south of the coast is the preferred spot to realize submarine activities such as snorkel and diving because of its richness in marine life, besides that the water is very clear and has good visibility, even in deep depths.

Besides all, Puerto Vallarta is a big host that gives each year a warm welcome to some species like the humpback whale and the dolphins that prefer this beautiful destination in their mating season just like the turtles, which take advantage to incubate their eggs. Many are protected and taken care of in the turtle camp of Puerto Vallarta which has been worried of maintaining alive its ecosystem creating new programs for protection and care, for which there exists the world day of environment, a day of awareness and motivation for the preservation of this “much more” than an attractive tourist location.

(Puerto Vallarta Blog, Wexico)

Puerto Vallarta, México – Intejet has opened its rute number 13 to Puerto Vallarta at a promotional price of 2,800 pesos round flight for two persons, hoping to increment it’s participation in the market of national airline customers.

In the inauguration ceremony, executive president of Interjet, Miguel Alemán Velasco, stated his desire that the company be the best airline at low cost with high efficiency in Mexico.

“We’ll charge less, so that people can spend more on their destination, so they can travel with their family more often or that businessmen can have more opportunities to get to Vallarta”, he said.

Jalisco’s governor, Emilio González Márquez, pointed out the relevancy that this port of Vallarta should count with more communication ways, since it’s one of Mexico’s most important entities with a considerable number of habitants and high growth.

(Vallarta Blog, Wexico)

And again, it’s Tuesday in Vallarta. Everybody working or vacationing has had enough rest on Monday from the crazy Nightlife in PV accompanied by a clearly increasingly humid and hot weather.

It has rained a few times and tourism has gone away with the cool climate, forcing everybody to hold on their wallets and look twice on prices such as food, rentals and alcoholic parties.

If you look carefully, many places have 2×1 signs. Commercial Mexicana, Gigante and Soriana have some specials on liquors and other stuff that they give you a 3×2 discount. Also remember Pollo Feliz and some other Fast-Food chains have special offers on Tuesdays like Dominos Pizza and Tower Pizza.

Also something to consider is that since it’s the rainy season, there is much more business in Home Delivery and you might get some good deals on food on wheels. Chinese Food isn’t too popular, after the Sushi boom here in Vallarta, but it’s still great food, affordable and most of these restaurants deliver right to your door. Here in Olas Altas (Viejo Vallarta) I’d say Dragon Rojo is the most known Chinese restaurant.

Besides Foods and Drinks, there are several other Home delivery services, in case you don’t want to get your feet wet. CMQ Pharmacies is one of those with home delivery services.

Check out the ones near you and try em out!

Here the phones:

PALMAR DE ARAMARA
01 (322) 224-7070 
From 9am to 10pm

REGIONAL
01 (322) 224-6989
From 9am to 10pm

MEZCALES
Tel. 01 (329) 296-5050
From 9am to 10pm

Ok, I need to order a Chicken now, I haven’t had one in months and there’s nothing better than a good movie with hot spicy chicken after a hard relaxing Monday

Bon Appetite!

Forget the tie – give Dad a little father-son vacation this Father’s Day. South of the Border.

Book by calling 1-888-PARADISE or online at www.casamagnapuertovallarta.com using rate code PKG.

by David Simmonds

They’ve tried to ruin it. Chain hotels line the beaches north of town. The jungle line creeps higher and higher up the hills Stoplights! Oh yeah, they’ve tried to screw up my first destination, 25 years ago, into the interior of Mexico…but they haven’t succeeded.

Not if you know where to hang. You see, in my mind there really are two sides (literally) to Puerto Vallarta. There is the north side of the Rio Cuale and there is the south side. And except for motoring to and from the airport, there are very few reasons to ever venture on the north.

I first arrived in PV by dilapidated VW bus in 1971, shortly after completion of the road in from Tepic (100 miles to the north). I was a 21-year-old college student and thought I had truly found my Valhalla. I never wanted to leave.

Unfortunately, my traveling buddy, Tom Dawson, considered his Stanford education to be of slightly more value than mine at San Diego State and insisted we get back for fall classes. One blown engine in the Sonora Desert later, we did just that. Has anyone ever NOT blown a VW engine?

That first trip I found a camping spot tucked in between the hills and the beach, in the south comer of town. We camped for free, bought fresh fish from the local fishermen and considered an early retirement. Ironically, I have been staying in hotels in this same section of town ever since.

My primary abode is not luxurious, but it has more charm than a southern politician: a hotel named La Posada de Roger. Opened in 1970, Roger’s, as it is known, has grown from several rooms with shared bath to the present 40 rooms, all with bathrooms. The years have added a second story swimming pool and a restaurant/bar, the Tucan.

The beds aren’t real comfortable, the beach is three blocks away, and the rooms on the street side can be a little noisy, but you’ll love this place. Roger has moved up the coast to Bucerias, and has left the inn in the very capable hands of his brother, Federico Garcia.

The Tucan has become a regular watering hole for the expats and long time travelers to PV. Late afternoon and early evening attract a wide range of interesting characters. Truth and fiction seem interchangeable, but never boring.

You may run into a white haired gentleman of 72 years. Guy. Guy came to town in 1958 and opened a fine, still operating, beachfront restaurant, La Palapa. He had been in the restaurant business in Malibu, California. prior to his arrival.

He has stories of drinking with John Wayne, carousing with John Huston; well he has plenty of stories. And I do believe them all to be true. Guy is a good man. When asked if he knew any Spanish on his arrival, Guy will reply, “Hell, I didn’t even know how to say “adios”; that’s why I never left!”

Or certainly look for “Gris” to shuffle in, cane in hand, for a cool libation. Gris (sounds like grease) is short for Griswold. I have heard his age pegged at somewhere between 80 and 90. He’ll admit to having first come to town in the late ’40′s. The daily ritual involves Chenny, the young bartender, needling Gris to the point of Gris trying to brain him with his cane, yelling, “leave me alone,” and finally departing mightily angry.

It’s all fairly horrifying until you see it a few times and come to realize: this is keeping Gris alive. You come down to it, these two, the old gringo and the young Mexican bartender, care deeply for each other. I know for a fact that Chenny would protect the Old Man from anyone.

The daytime barkeep is Juan Carlos, a real bright, charming Lothario who used to wait tables in San Jose, California. He’s pretty sure he prefers PV, and has no intention to return to the States. Juan Carlos may rent you his VW bus for $35.00 per day… something to consider.

Read the rest of this entry »

Do you have a brand new passport or are you thinking about getting one? If so, the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa wants to be your first … date/stamp.

Deal: Show the CasaMagna Marriott reception desk that Puerto Vallarta is your first port of entry and they’ll give you $100 resort credit when you check in – just mention their “Passport to Paradise” promotion. Caveat: The offer is only good for U.S. citizens with a 5-night minimum stay. Has no cash value.

What country had the honor of being your first passport stamp?
When: Offer good through Dec. 15, 2007

Why Go: They have a large outdoor infinity pool with a swim up bar. Need a babysitter? They’ve got one right on the property—go ahead, enjoy some down time.

Why Not: You’ve got a passport filled with stamps and don’t qualify.

More…Details: The deal is a well-kept secret: I called the Marriott U.S. toll-free number (800-228-9290) and the suggested (888) 727-23473 [888-PARADISE] to inquire about the deal and neither reservationist had heard of the “Passport to Paradise” promotion. They could not find it in their records at all.

Contact: CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa, Direct international phone number: 52 322 226 0000

by JENNIFER GARCIA

Britney Spears had a whirlwind getaway in Mexico this weekend, where she let her new hair down – and offered some friendly advice to fellow tourists.

Over her three-day vacation, the singer, 25, stayed at the Four Seasons in Punta Mita, 26 miles from Puerto Vallarta.

Britney spears was spotted over the weekend vacationing in Puerto Vallarta where she “accidentally” flashed her thong.
Though she’s been sweating off her baby-weight by dancing in the studio, and though she’s been looking HOTT and thin when she’s seen in public, these unedited photos show that not EVERYTHING on Brit’s body is toned yet

While strolling on the beach with a pal at the Four Seasons, Spears stopped an older couple, also guests at the hotel, to warn them: “Be careful, there are lots of man o’ war jellyfish washing up on shore, you don’t want to get stung,” a source tells PEOPLE.

According to the source, Spears was “very sweet” – and the couple didn’t recognize her until she started talking to them.

“She seemed happy and carefree with her friend,” says the source.

Spears, who went to Mexico on Thursday and returned to Los Angeles on Sunday, was photographed over the weekend in Mexico wearing a turquoise-and-white sarong with her blonde hair extensions in a messy ponytail.

The weekend away comes just days after she posted a message on her Web site, saying she was at “rock bottom” when she went to rehab earlier this year and thanking fans for their support. “I love you for still loving me,” she wrote.

Spears, who has been recording a new album, also recently performed several shows in Los Angeles, Miami and Las Vegas in recent weeks.

Admittedly, recent productions here have been somewhat limited; underlining the expected resurgence in feature film production was the recent announcement by Walt Disney Studios of their “South of the Border” to shoot here in mid-July, 2007.

The project is a live-action feature film directed by Raja Gosnell (Yours, Mine and Ours; Scooby Doo 1 and 2, Never Been Kissed, Big Momma’s House) set mainly in Beverly Hills, Puerto Vallarta, and Mexico City, and is about a spoiled Beverly Hills toy chihuahua lap dog which gets dognapped while in Mexico and tries to get back home.

Variety reported a few days ago that Piper Perabo (The Prestige, Cheaper by the Dozen, Slap Her, She’s French and Coyote Ugly) has been the first principal cast member signed to the project. Casting Valdes opened the extras’ and local actors’ casting office for “South of the Border” here in Vallarta last week and have 8 weeks for casting, auditions and preparation.

6 to 8 weeks of filming (July and August) is planned for the Puerto Vallarta region and then they’ll head to Mexico City for about 6 more weeks of filming (September and October.)

Contact castingvaldes@yahoo.com for more information regarding casting.

Currently a “reality TV” show produced by Bunim, Murria Productions for MTV is shooting here, utilizing local buildings for sets and roving with their cameras as far as San Pancho, Nayarit.

Recently Wolfgang Richter, a Vancouver, B.C.-based producer (and instrumental in creating the British Columbia Film Commission in the mid-70′s) was here in Vallarta scouting locations for a possible feature.

Dreamworks Studios shot second-unit footage for their now-in-release feature film “The Heartbreak Kid” here on the bay. An uncomfirmed report has veteran actor/director Clint Eastwood poised with an Angeline Jolie-starring project in pre-development in the Vallarta region.

As the `friendliest city in the world’ (Condé Nast Travellers Magazine, Readers’ Poll), Vallarta has got a leg up on other potential production centers. Movie making is a tough haul, an oftentimes hectic, stress-filled long day’s journey into night process. It helps if you can have some fun, sun, good eats, and a comfortable 5-star bed to fall into at the end of that day.

And if the traffic police, permits’ department, customs, immigration, and other authorities are all on the same channel, better yet. If there’s a talent pool of extras, technicians, equipment and services available, another big plus. And if you spend less dollars, well, that just about clinches it as far as producers are concerned.

Puerto Vallarta tempts with an array of A-list attractions: Beautiful beaches, superb sports, fabulous festivals, naughty nightlife, delicious dining and drinking, and an authentic Mexican atmosphere are on the list of attractions that beckon honeymoon travelers and others to this seaside city on Mexico’s tropical Pacific coast.

1. Strolling El Malecon
The town center’s boisterous beachfront promenade, the Malecon, is a whirlwind of happy activity. When you’re here, you can’t help but feel you’ve discovered the real Mexico. (Congratulations. You have.) During the day, couples walk, singles flirt, teenagers snack, children play, acrobats perform, and venders hawk coconut fudge and leather bracelets. At night, mariachi musicians in the town Plaza strike up the band as twosomes young and old clutch one another and twirl around Malecon’s many attractions.

2. Shopping and Exploring gay Puerto Vallarta
Malecon-area boutiques are among shoppers’ favorite attractions. Bargains include silver jewelry from Taxco and soft leather shoes like woven huarache sandals that take one day to custom-make. Galleries specialize in local artists’ paintings, village pottery from Mata Ortiz and Casas Grandes, or riotously colorful Wixarika (Huichol) Indian beadwork and yarn paintings. The open-air arcade along the Cuale River sells inexpensive crafts like tooled leather items, woven and beaded jewelry, embroidered blouses and bags, and hand-painted “Talavera” ceramics.

3. Enjoying the Nightlife
Café des Artistes, helmed by French-Mexican celebrity chef Thierry Blouet, promises a memorable meal in magical surroundings indoors or out. Continue the party at a Vallarta club. Visitors who crave the excitement of crowds dancing en masse head for Christine, which flaunts laser shows and roving international DJs. For sipping Champagne and dancing on the sand, moonlit Nikki Beach is the sexiest of Puerto Vallarta attractions.

4. Golfing the Championship Courses
If your favorite club is called Big Bertha, you’ll be awed by Puerto Vallarta’s spectacularly scenic championship . Many hotels offer golf packages and golf concierges. Puerto Vallarta’s seven 18-hole Par 71 or 72 courses designed by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones, Tom Weiskopf, and Robert Van Haggen are attractions for golfers the world over. Nicklaus’ Vista Vallarta hosts the Puerto Vallarta Championship, a PGA Tour Champions Tour event, won in 2006 by American Morris Hatalsky.

5. Skimming Along Banderas Bay
Puerto Vallarta is set on ocean-deep Banderas Bay, which has watersport attractions aplenty. Intrepid fishermen come to hook big game including yellowfin, sailfish, amberjack, and trophy-size black marlin. Surfers are drawn to the tall waves off the nearby beach town of Lo de Marcos. Scuba divers seek out Vallarta waters for their crystalline visibility, black coral formations, and large marine life such as sea turtles and dolphins. Yachting season kicks off with the San Diego to Puerto Vallarta Regatta in the fall and reaches a fever pitch with the Banderas Bay Regatta in March.

6. Whale Watching
Our mammalian brethren, the whales, also consider Puerto Vallarta one of winter’s attractions, and frolic in Banderas Bay from December through March. You can spot humpbacks from the beach or close-on a licensed whale-watching expedition with a group like the Whale Watching Center, which also runs dolphin tours.

7. Sending Sea Turtles to the Sea
Animal lovers can join in Puerto Vallarta’s sea turtle release. Throughout November, tiny hatchlings break out of eggs that have incubated in protected shoreline pens. Hotel guests witness the newborn sea turtles crawl into the ocean under cover of dusk, and a cheer goes up when the last baby swims off. This heart-warming tradition is observed at beachfront hotels including Marriott CasaMagna, Presidente InterContinental, and Dreams Resort.

8. Sailing and Snorkeling around a Secluded Island
Vallarta Adventures runs diverting, reasonably priced full-day and half-day trips. One entertaining choice is a party-boat ride to Las Caletas, a secluded isle where film director John Huston lived. Day-trippers can sunbathe, swim, snorkel, hike, play with parrots, and enjoy Mexican-spiced chicken and ocean-fresh paella cooked on the beach. Attractions for those who like to veer off the beaten track, the company’s San Sebastian expedition involves a picturesque drive or thrilling prop-plane flight to a 17th-century mining town high in the Sierra Madre Mountains.

9. Tequila Tastings
Tequila is made in Puerto Vallarta’s home home state of Jalisco. This is the true Margaritaville, where extensive tequila menus invite visitors to experiment. Tequila shops in town offer free tastes, as do airport duty-free shops. (Make sure you can carry bottles onto your flight.) Concierges can arrange day trips by air to the town of Tequila, where distillery tours await. The best-quality tequilas are 100% blue agave, with no additives. Clear, golden, and aged all have their attractions. Trust your own taste buds.

10. Puerto Vallarta Food & Film Festivals
November means the Puerto Vallarta International Gourmet Festival, a ten-day epicurean extravaganza. Restaurants offer special menus and globe-trotting guest chefs; special events include tastings, cook-offs, parties, and gala meals galore.

December brings the Vallarta Film Festival, which unfurls subtitled features, shorts, documentaries, and animated film attractions from the Americas. Participants dash from Puerto Vallarta premieres to meet-the-cast receptions to outdoor screenings of classics by local hero John Huston.

  by Archana

Ok, last minute trips will not be perfect,
…but they can definitely be thrilling and awesome!!and all that jazz !

We started off on Saturday 04/14 early morning, literally dragging ourselves off the bed and into the 9 am flight after missing the early bird 7am one (How in the world did Uday think we were going to make that?).

I did not have high hopes for the city but boy was it beautiful ! I looked at several websites trying to plan activities for our 4 day trip before we got there but one got there.. it was pretty much …

good food, good beaches, good time, good weather …and .. o yea, bad pirates  !

I will let the pictures speak for themselves but I highly recommend a trip to puerto vallarta to rekindle & revamp some of that lost/weary spirit in a relationship.

It was such a nice honeymoon get-away that if two 20-somethings walked around holding hand-in-hand, they will very likely bump into a curious local (or one of the dozen or so savvy timeshare salesman) asking them if they are “honeymooners”.

Needless to say, there is definitely some nice golf courses in the city to attract the “patchy adams” (this city hosted the 2005 world championship) and enough shopping buzz on the streets (downtown is a beautiful mix of restaurants, diamond & silver shops and some upcoming shopping joints) to welcome the “peachy madams”.

Also, the city boasts some 400 odd restaurants, mostly based on the hill slopes, offering some savory menus (mostly seafood)and splendid sunsets for the connoisseur in you to feast on.

The place boasts of the same weather as Hawaii besides the intimacy of a small town, filled with friendly people and good-looking latina singles, making a nice get-away for couples and singles alike  !

So I say… pack your bags muchachos y muchachas!
(dont forget your spanish cheatsheets) Get ready for some amazing time in the BBB (beautiful banderas bay) !

It was a beautiful day at the beach at Boca de Tomates. The beach is just outside Puerto Vallarta to the north. An odd little place with fishermen on one side and a bunch of little fresh seafood beach restaurants on the other. It is right at the mouth of the Ameca River where it lets into the Ocean and it is a popular camping spot for the locals during holidays and semana santa.

But on the most interesting and cool things on the beach are these little pin-wheel kites. They are made from cut styrofoam, 2 nails and a piece of balsa wood. They are hand painted with just markers and they sell for about 30 pesos but are absolutely cool. They fly instantly, spinning, spinning in the air. The kids absolutely love them and it keep them busy forever. I cant think of a better deal for $3.

That’s one thing about Mexico that I love, the ingenuity. The kites were such a simple concept, I found myself wondering why we never made these kites in Vancouver while I was growing up. We were always stuck with the traditional kite model that never wants to fly and you have to run and run and run to make it go anywhere. I would of been very happy with one of these.

Anyways, go to the beach and get a kite. You can actually take them apart and take them home, although they are quite breakable and disposable. Boca de Tomates has been the only beach I have ever seen them on, although it could just be because I wasn’t paying attention.

Happy Kiting!

(source: thingstodoinvallarta.com)

by Justin Burch

The beaches in and around Puerto Vallarta may be the most diverse in Mexico. Located at the midpoint of Banderas Bay, the area surrounding Puerto Vallarta boasts 34 miles of coastline, 26 of which are sandy beaches. Within the city, the beaches are elegant and pristine, bordered by restaurants and resorts. Beaches to the north of the city tend to be longer and wider, with great opportunities for surfing and swimming. South of Puerto Vallarta, the mountains topple into the sea in places, creating placid coves and intimate sandy pockets.

Playa Los Muertos is the most frequented beach in Puerto Vallarta. This sandy beach is long and wide with small waves perfect for swimming. Despite its popularity, there is usually plenty of room to spread out a towel and soak up rays. Los Muertos is a bustling place full of craft and food vendors; the beach itself is lined by numerous resorts, restaurants and bars. This is also a great place to ride a parasail and get a bird’s eye view of the city. The beach has the added attraction of being on the edge of Viejo Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta’s beautiful old town.

Several other beautiful beaches lie in close proximity to the city’s Hotel Zone. Playa El Saldo, also known as Marina Vallarta, primarily caters to hotel guests. However, the beach is wide and well-maintained, offering stunning views of the city and its mountainous backdrop. Playa Pelicanos is generally quiet, making it a great place to escape the beach crowds while remaining in the heart of the city. Playa Las Glorias is the name of the sandy stretch between Playa Pelicanos and Marina Vallarta. If you’re staying in a hotel north of the primary Hotel Zone, you will find this excellent swimming beach outside your back door.

North of the city, the beach of Nuevo Vallarta offers a wider stretch of sand with fewer rocks than most beaches within Banderas Bay. As favorites of families, visitors to Playa Destiladeres and Playa Bucerias can expect mild waves (perfect for boogie-boarding or learning to surf), elegant white sand beaches and fresh seafood at charming palapa-shaded restaurants.

To the North, Punta Mita, also known as Playa Anclote, is distinguished for its row of pleasant beach restaurants and gentle slope, making it a perfect beach for all ages. With consistently low, rolling waves, Punta Mita is also celebrated as an excellent place to learn to surf. There are even a few surfing schools that offer instruction to travelers.

For those with more experience on the waves, the tiny community of Sayulita is the place of choice. A surfing mecca of international renown, the shoreline of this picturesque fishing village is home to abundant coves and beaches where surfers hunt perfect waves and day trippers relax in the sun. As Sayulita has developed over the past few years into a surfer’s town with a bohemian feel, travelers will be treated to a refreshing, laid-back attitude.

A few miles beyond the northern-most point of the bay are the beaches of San Francisco and San Pancho. Sporting a windswept and primitive feeling, with deeper, creamier sand and rougher waters than inside Banderas Bay, these beaches are ideal for travelers who want a taste of pristine nature and the open sea.

To the south of Puerto Vallarta lie such treasures as Playa Gemelas, Playa Garza Blanca, and Playa Punta Negra. Because both are slightly more difficult to access, you’ll find beautiful beaches that are fairly secluded and scarcely used, with great rock outcroppings for snorkeling. In this area, you’ll also find Playa Mismaloya, where John Huston’s The Night of the Iguana was filmed in 1963, putting Puerto Vallarta on the international tourist map.

With a rustic South Seas feel, Boca de Tomatlan is a small sandy cove at the jungle’s edge three miles south of Mismaloya where the Tomatlan River meets the bay. Boca de Tomatlan is the last beach stop on the primary road heading south from Puerto Vallarta. It is another great site for swimming or snorkeling with a couple of lovely beach restaurants where you can sit under a palapa on the beach and enjoy fresh seafood.

To the south of Boca de Tomatlan are a number of quaint fishing villages, secluded beaches and peaceful coves. Playas Las Caletas and Las Animas are elegant, rock-lined stretches ideal for quiet relaxation. Quimixto, one of the largest fishing villages in the southern half of Banderas Bay, features a number of excellent restaurants and the best surf south of Puerto Vallarta. Near the southern-most point of the bay, Majahuitas and Yelapa allow visitors to feel completely removed from civilization. Bordered by lush jungles, these beaches are the definition of tropical privacy.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: T-shirts featuring inebriated croakers dangle from the walls of Senor Frog’s, one of the hottest nite spots in the town of Puerto Vallarta, now the #2 rated tourist destination in Mexico.

Puerto Vallarta has so much going for it like para-gliding over Banderas Bay, hiking the exotic foothills of the Sierra Madre, and your Maven’s favorite, perambulating around boutiques that feature the artwork of Sergio Bustamante. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, he is the one with the colorful sculptures of suns and moons gleefully hugging one another, and women in arks.

No matter the selection, it’s almost a sure thing that you will need your lorgnette to read the prices. Mostly they’re filled with little zeroes at the end.

“Oye,” asserted the Maven (Oye is short for “oy vey” en espagnol.). The salesman called back “Ciao, Maven.” Now where is the sense of saying goodbye when we were just saying hello? It didn’t matter, for the Maven’s mind already had taken a holiday back to those balmy nights where street vendors sold gelati and watermelon on the sidewalks of Rome. And then, of course, who could forget the frisky Italiano who tried to pinch the Maven on the Via Veneto?

With a quick adios (as the Maven needed to practice her Spanish), the night really belonged to the Screaming Maven, her rebellious teenage daughter, who scraped up a party of Britney Spears’ wannabes who lived to act out the intellectual lyrics “Oops, you did it again.”

Cautiously, the Maven entered the premises of Senor Frog’s, only to be greeted by an earth shattering blast of mariachi music, as grown men blared notes from their trumpets. “Wow, that guy is hot,” remarked the young Screaming Maven to which your Maven spoke back, “Yes, it is quite hot in here.” From there the evening slowly disintegrated, as the Maven searched for anyone over the age of eighteen.

No use the Maven putting on her faux diamond lorgnette to peer at anyone or anything, when clearly this was going to be a long evening that somehow reminded her of “The Night of the Iguana,” a movie that put Puerto Vallarta on the tourist map in the 1960s. Everyone remembers it was Liz Taylor who followed Richard Burton to the movie set every day, and refused to leave until all scenes between Burton, Ava Gardner, and a frisky iguana were over. Today it’s Liz Taylor who trails Michael Jackson everywhere, and no one discusses iguanas any longer.

But why dwell on the past when a bevy of volunteers from the audience had rushed to play one of those witty dart games. Vaguely, with all the cigarette smoke shortening your Maven’s air supply, did her mind retain a memory of eating Shepherd’s Pie at a pub in Winchester with everyone playing darts and churlishly singing Elton John songs, wondering if he really had a shot at soccer once he retired. Are you daft? Yet here at Senor Frog’s, once the game was announced, the Maven heard a girl bellow out, “Go for it!” It took some time to realize that she was really someone’s mother. “I want to play” she whined, and then made a run for the stage.

“Break three balloons and you win a prize,” the game show host explained to the contestants. The award? Either a papier-mache piggybank or a miniature bottle of tequila. Raise your hand if you know which one might have been chosen. One. Two. Three. The mother missed and had to surrender the darts, but decided to run around the stage until the host wrestled with her. The music blared. Tequila flowed.

Just then the Maven had had enough and flagged down the waiter who took one look at the Britney Spears impersonators and began dancing with all of them. However, noting the Maven was about to have a breakdown, he motioned for a server who came up quickly and whispered something in the Maven’s delicate ear. “Momento,” the Maven responded, and noticed how impressed he was with the Maven’s impeccable Spanish. As your Maven reached for the ear trumpet lodged in her Louis Vuitton bag, the man spoke into it. This is what he said, “WHAT DO YOU WANT, MAVEN?”

There went the waiters again beginning the beguine with the teenagers or whatever it is they’re dancing these days. Having had enough by this time, the Maven tapped the senor on the back. When he turned around, he had such a pleasant little look on his face that the Maven couldn’t resist asking him to take her picture, por favor. After all, who would believe your five star Maven at Senor Frog’s? “Si” he calls out, and disappears into the crowd with the Maven’s famed Hasselblad. All was not lost as your Maven thought back to when the last waiter had snapped her picture. Of course. It was Monsieur Abdul in the Sahara Desert as your Maven mounted a camel and rode gleefully into the Moroccan sands. As the reverie faded, though, the Maven found herself frantic about locating her Hasselblad, and thought perhaps she should call 911, only who would answer?

Inexplicably, the head waiter returned with the camera, put it on the table, and then took from his pocket a handful of pink balloons that he made into a pink poodle. Without warning, he placed the doggie balloon hat on the Maven’s head! Now everyone screams, “GET THE CAMERA!”

Before we know it, we’re heading out the door and how many more times can the Maven say adios? The young Screaming Maven approaches. “We’re coming back to Senor Frog’s. Promise you won’t be with us.” The Maven promises. And with love & knishes.

(source: camerontours.com)

Travel agents now have the opportunity to become Puerto Vallarta specialists with the new PV Pro Specialist Program. This easy to use, interactive on-line program offers travel agents information and tips on the destination along with perks, incentives and ongoing support to help them sell travel to Puerto Vallarta.

This new interactive program gives travel agents an opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge on all that the destination has to offer, from its vast array of accommodations, to its internationally acclaimed restaurants, exciting activities that include everything from snorkeling, kayaking, scuba diving, to eco-tours and canopy tours, ATV excursions, mountain biking, horseback riding, and whale watching, just to name a few!

PV Pro was developed by Destination Ventures; a company that specializes in helping travel agents sell travel to Mexico. Travel agents interested in becoming a Puerto Vallarta specialist can register on-line for the free PV Pro program. The program offers agents numerous benefits including an on-going support program, in addition to perks and incentives to help them better sell the destination. Some of the benefits include:

Certification: Three “Continuing education credits” from The Travel Institute (US) and CITC (Canada), towards earning professional designation as “Certified Travel Counselors.”

Sales Materials: Access to sales materials on the interactive online campus in PDF format that can be easily downloaded and printed, ready to hand out to clients

Online Interactive Forum: An innovative online chat room that allows “students” to connect with other agents selling Puerto Vallarta to share tips and ideas on planning itineraries as well as expand their destination knowledge.

Consumer Leads: All Puerto Vallarta specialists will be listed on the official Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board website giving consumers an opportunity to find a PV pro in their area.

Quarterly Newsletter: An electronic newsletter containing valuable news and information on Puerto Vallarta will be e-mailed to all specialists.

Points Program: Graduates can earn reward points for every booking they sell to Puerto Vallarta by registering the details online. Points can be used towards FAM trips to Puerto Vallarta.

Puerto Vallarta is one of the more popular and fastest growing tourism destinations in Mexico. A destination that’s rich in culture and steeped in tradition, Puerto Vallarta conserves all of the charm and character of an authentic Mexican town and is home to numerous cultural festivals from music, theater and film to culinary arts, traditional indigenous cultures, and colorful religious processions; as well as sports tournaments including championship golf, some of the best game fishing in the world and nautical regattas. Also, its internationally acclaimed restaurants offer some of the finest culinary delights in Mexico.

by chrisraymondcs.wordpress.com

Hola, amigos! My husband (Ken) and I just returned from a great trip to Mexico. This is our 2nd trip in 3 months…and 3rd trip in 8 months. Yep, we really like it there.

I’ve tried to figure out what the appeal is. Likely it is a combination of things. Being in another country where you have to adapt to their language and culture is a really good way to remove you from your day-to-day behavior, routine, even habitual thoughts. It does for me, anyway. Plus, I like getting out of my comfort zone and look at everyday stuff in a new and different way. Things I didn’t think twice about at home I have to ponder in Mexico…in another language.

I like interacting with the local people and learning their language and customs. I LOOVE the weather — warm and balmy in the winter, very warm and a bit humid (like Hawaii) right now. We like to go to the Puerto Vallarta area which is on the Pacific coast, and there is something about the sound of the waves and the ocean smell. Could be because I was born and raised in San Francisco. And now I am very land-locked in New Mexico. Yeah, the water is a very big draw.

I guess some people would call travelling to Mexico for a week here and there a vacation. But Ken and I don’t. I am really not sure what qualifies as a “vacation” — vacating from what?

When we go we are always scouting for opportunities. As an architect and developer, Ken is always looking for “projects”: land to develop and buildings to build. That is what architects/builders do. So he is not vacating anything.

As for me, I realized this time clearly that I can’t — nor do I want to — vacate what I do every day either. It’s important to me to be “poised to respond” for any calls to pray whether I am in New or Old Mexico.

Don’t know about you but when I travel there always seem to be MORE opportunities to pray because of the unfamiliarity with a different place. But this trip I was really struck by the various demands to get a spiritual perspective of a sticky situation.

Hey, we didn’t even leave Albuquerque airport before there was an urgent need…Ken left his wallet with credit cards, pesos, ATM card at home…an hour away. Not going back. I stood at the car staring at him and realized I had a choice: get stressed out or know, without a doubt, that all the resources we needed are already established in Mind, the source of all good. These resources are not parsed out over “here” and not there…they are everywhere, without restriction or limitation.

Truly, immediate peace and calm swept over me. As we walked up to the gate two ideas came to me: call my credit card company to let them know the card would be used in Mexico for a week (they were VERY glad to know) and call Ken’s bank to wire funds to another ATM card that I carried. Done. See? It’s not about money, it’s about ideas…and the ideas one needs are ALWAYS available, without restriction or limitation. Getting stressed is a bad detour that just wastes time and energy. Don’t even go there.

During the week there were SEVERAL opportunities to immediately choose to pray with the spiritual perspective, and not stare blankly at the material picture. Physical problems, confusion about plans, potential for various disruptions. But nothing was an “inconvenience” to me — I knew what I wanted to do — think spiritually.

So, all situations were addressed with spiritual logic and conviction that there is only one Mind operating. I remember one moment thinking, without a doubt, that “All is under the control of the one Mind, even God.” (Science and Health) And so it was seen.

It’s interesting when I think about it, being in Mexico gives me MORE time to pray and spiritually reflect because the daily routines and activities aren’t intruding in my mental space.

Hmmm, maybe that is the ultimate reason why I love to be in Mexico — I am not “vacating” what I like to do every day, I am immersing!

by whereiskatietoday.blogspot.com

As we have established, I did in fact come to Puerto Vallarta alone. I would like to say that I consider being alone in a foreign country a tremendous opportunity for growth, to try things and test your self-reliance. However, I know that there are some of you who worry about little Kate wandering through Mexico alone.

Thank you, I appreciate that. I love you, too. And for these peeps, I would like to assure you that I’m not really that far from home. Allow me to illustrate.

I live in ‘la Zona Romantica’; a sliver of neighborhood between the steep hills of the Sierra Madres and the Playa de los Muertos beach, full of cobble stone streets, white adobe condos, restaurants and art galleries. My building is called Villa Blanca (photo), and is an open air, white washed, and flower bedecked tribute to fantastic tropical architecture. From its’ hillside perch, its’ large windows gaze on an endless blue ocean and the northern and southern curving arms of the mountains surrounding the Bahia de Banderas.

Stone stairs lead up from the street to the iron gate, which opens to the pool level; blue tiles of all colors, lounge chairs, and a table with a green striped umbrella sit comfortably in the sun. There are four levels of apartments, with the top level, the pent-house, almost entirely open air, save the two bedrooms in the back. The roof is a blue tiled patio deck, ringed by ever more bright blossoms, with benches, a fireplace, and more chairs for taking in the breathtaking views and sunsets.

The roof is also a great place to watch, or listen to, the Blue Chairs resort down the hill and across the street. The Blue Chairs is an all-inclusive gay resort – drawing this particular crowd from all over the US and Canada.

So, point number one: I never really left San Francisco.

Blue chairs offers great activities from its’ open-air rooftop club and bar. In fact, I don’t even have to look at a calendar anymore; I can tell the day of the week by the Blue Chairs soundtrack every evening.

When I hear the MC say over the loudspeaker, “and we have…C…69!…ooooooh! 69!”, and the whole crowd cheers, I know it’s Tuesday: Bingo Night.

When I hear Shania Twain’s “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” blasting up the hill to the synchronized claps of the crowd, I know it’s Wednesday: the drag queen show. I’ve already been in fact; not bad.

If I lay out on the beach in front of Blue Chairs with the other guests, it’s a guarantee that I won’t get hit on. Well, except by the waiters. One actually said to me the other day, “you’re making me nervous, you look so good, normally all I see is gay men.”

So I look pretty hot compared to a gay man? If you meant that as a compliment, could you reach around here and put some sunscreen on that red spot on my back? Thanks…

Point number 2: I can eat like an American.

While bemoaning the fact that I couldn’t find navy beans at the local Mercado to a couple of neighbors, they sympathetically suggested, “well honey, have you tried the Wal-Mart?”

The Wal-Mart?

A thirty minute bus ride from my neighborhood and I was dropped off in close proximity to the hotel zone: the new and highly developed area of PV. Across from the bus stop, at the far edge a ginormous parking lot, stood a bright, block-like, air-conditioned Walmart. Identical to every other Wal-Mart I have ever seen.

Next to the Wal-Mart, I was surprised – and yet not surprised – to see another bright, block-like, air-conditioned building: a Sam’s club. Across the street from these two, is the large docking bay for cruise ships: essentially a mini-harbor that holds these lengthwise skyscrapers while they unload excursion hungry sailors for an afternoon, then reload and move on. As I stood in the middle of these three points, I couldn’t help but feel I had landed in the Bermuda Triangle of Globalization – my head swirled – am I in Mexico? Am I in the States? Am I in Mexico? Am I in the States?

When I entered the Wal-Mart, the twilight zone experience continued. Men’s plaid collared-shirt for $10? Check. Electronics department with the mid-aisle display of discount DVDs? Check. Yellow-smiley-roll-back-prices-face? Check. Cardboard tower of Frito Chips You betcha. bags near the soda aisle?

Can you sense the confusion? A wha? I mean, just look at this picture I snapped in the check-out line. Tell me you wouldn’t be disoriented. She’s even wearing a banana clip – a banana clip! (When my flash went off they actually turned around and looked at me – I had to stare upwards and pretend I was very interested in the ceiling structure. I didn’t get caught…this time).

I could have been back in Indiana or Ohio for all I knew, but one thing was certain, I found my Navy Beans, as well as Oatmeal, Uncle Ben’s instant rice, cheap spices and a bright pink beach towel for $5. God bless America.

Point number 3: I don’t even have to miss an episode of 24.

Ok, so I don’t really watch 24, but every time it comes up, someone tells me I have to watch it. Ergo, I wanted to include this point more as a comfort to you all; a show of support sort to speak.

However, there are in fact a whopping twelve stations out of seventy three on the television in my apartment that come down directly from the States in English. Want to know who sang the best on American Idol last night? I could tell you. I can watch a wide variety of shows while I’m procrastinating on Spanish homework…like I’m doing right now…

So friends, whenever you think I’ve fallen off my rocker and moved to earth’s end, just picture me spraying bulk-size Pam on a muffin tray, flipping the channels, while rocking out to the song coming through my open windows…. “We are family! I got all my sisters and me”…

 By Juan Pablo Hernández

For the third year in a row, Mexican Sean Farley Gomez won the Kiteboard World Tour 2007, celebrated this year at Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. “In Mexico we based the contests on the freestyle, that is how I won the competition, but in the world edition I will dedicate my efforts to the regatta where I’m really good,” said the winner. The regatta is a race among buoys, like the sailboat race “we had (in Puerto Vallarta) a race like this the last day of the World Tour. I organized it to show the other contestants what I do, why I’m representing Mexico on the world champions and why I’m a three-time champion winner.” According to Sean Farley, Kitesurf has an increasing fan base in Mexico, he is even training any of them. “I’m glad to teach what I know to increase the sport’s awareness.”

Currently, Sean Farley Gomez has the sponsorship of a renowned Mexican sports company that specializes kitesurfing gear. “I’m very happy with my sponsors. Mexico’s Tourism Promotion Office is one of them and I have their logo on my equipment to promote their brand all over the world. Last year there was not a single katesurf competition race in any part of the world, so now I’m one of the ones pushing to make this race possible because I want to be the first world champion at this category.” Sean Farley will continue competing at international kiteboarding competitions, the next one to be held in Portugal where he will go on July 20th, after a training period in the United States.

by Andrea Carman Ruesga

Although I’ve been in Vallarta for many years, there always seems to be something new to try as was the case last night when a group of us hit a spot called “Banana Cantina.”

“Banana Cantina” is located above the old “Choco-Banana” location just up the street from La Palapa. It’s a hip little spot with some interesting decor and a really tasty menu of offerings including a variety of original salads and some fabulous looking coconut shrimp. It’s a good place to check out if you’re looking for something comfortable and not too pricey. The place has somewhat of an interesting history and my husband and I play a small role in that history.

Many, many years ago a woman jumped ship here in Puerto Vallarta. I can’t remember her name but she was a crew member aboard the Cruise Ship “Canaval” originally from England and she was just having so much fun on the weekly calls to this destination that she decided to ignore the boarding call. Shortly after jumping ship she developed an enterprising idea in an effort to provide an income for herself. She was soon seen all over town with a cooler over her shoulder going from business to business offering her homemade chocolate covered frozen bananas. Well, at the time I recall Vallarta hadn’t seen anything like her or her product so her fame grew quickly. One day we were driving by and she asked us for a ride and we obliged. She had been at our ranch a few times to party and ride the horses so we knew her story. Well, that sidewalk business grew into a fixed restaurant called “Choco-Banana”which still operates and I heard she eventually sold that business for a pretty penny to as American couple and the new owners opened up the more expansive sit-down eatery above the original.

That’s the history of Choco-Banana/Banana Cantina here in Vallarta.

Visit their website for more information:
www.bananacantina.com

This project is called IslaMoin, and it is the first five-star marina to be built between Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and the Panama Canal. IslaMoin will also be the first five-star resort on the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica.
For the first time in Costa Rica’s history, there will be a luxury resort, residential community and marina development on the Atlantic side of the country. This location is outside the hurricane zone and is convenient for those who enjoy boating or yachting. An international airport is located within 15 minutes, along with a major sea port that is home to several cruise lines.

This unique location provides views of the water from all angles: from the dramatic ocean views, deep-water canals and a natural river that flows through IslaMoin. It is a community designed with quaint streets and walking paths between the low-rise resort residences, beachfront villas and home sites. One of the unique features of this property is the natural beauty of the preexisting landscape that has matured over the years and provides large palms, beautiful wild orchids, and hundreds of species of other flowers and fauna. IslaMoin is also surrounded by national parks and rain forests.

A luxury hotel is planned on the property so that full-time and part-time residents will enjoy all the amenities of a resort community. A residents-only clubhouse is planned and will provide owners with a recreation and fitness center, social center, a facility to accommodate special events, and a movie theater. Concierge and room services will be available anywhere on the property.

The City of Limon, with its native and colorful history of the old Costa Rica, was discovered by Christopher Columbus in the year 1502. Many of the old traditions, architecture and culture have remained much the same. In recent years tourists have been drawn to the area because of the national parks and natural beauty one can only experience in this part of Costa Rica. IslaMoin will help you discover what will be one of the most unique real estate and lifestyle opportunities.

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BELOW THE FOLD
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According to the developer of the marina, residences, hotel and resort at IslaMoin, because the development is taking place on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica rather than on the Pacific Coast, residents’ yachts will be assured safe harbour away from the threat of damaging storms and extreme hurricanes.  But what’s of far more interest to us property lovers is the fact that IslaMoin is offering up some rather tasty real estate options to boot.

So, you can moor your boat at the IslaMoin harbour and have access to such luxuries as dry storage units, full staff available to service and maintain your baby and also excellent security to prevent pirates…and you can reside in a home with beach access in the vicinity of national parks, rivers, tropical forestry and the stunning and diverse flora and fauna that Costa Rica is quickly becoming so famous for.

Sounds like a pretty good all round solution to us!

The properties for sale at IslaMoin vary from luxury apartments in low rise blocks to individual custom built homes on spacious water fronted parcels of land – and apparently interest has been sustained and intense so if you want to reserve your very own hurricane free Caribbean marina property in Costa Rica you have to move fast.

Within the IslaMoin marina resort there will also be a five star hotel – the facilities of which will be accessible to the residents of the IslaMoin villas and apartments.  There will be a spa, gym, restaurants, bars, swimming pools and plenty of outdoor activities and amenities.  What’s more, the residents of IslaMoin will also have 24/7 concierge and room service available to them meaning that if you decide to buy into this excellent property development in Costa Rica you can live in your own Caribbean home, have your yacht to hand and have all the benefits of being in a five star hotel…pretty nifty I think you’ll agree.

Check out www.islamoin.com for all the information you could possibly require.

Every Tuesday or Wednesday some chicken place has a special with 2X1 chickens or a special price. I prefer a grilled chicken from Pollo Feliz as I do not always trust a roasted chicken from grocery stores as they can sit under a heat lamp for hours. I also do not trust rotisserie chickens from some places as they often throw in a new rack of chickens that drip on the cooked chickens and the potatoes below.

Anyways…
Prices went up at the Pollo Feliz, the whole chicken dinner is now 110 pesos, with all the accompaniments, and the half chicken meal is now 55 pesos. The Pollo Feliz outlets elsewhere in town still are charging 75 pesos for the whole chicken meal. I’m seeing more and more gringos at Pollo Feliz now, as they’ve been “discovered.” And they don’t have grilled onions now, only grilled jalapenos, with the salad bar… but still probably the best 2×1 meal you can get in Vallarta if you are not a vegetarian.

Dont risk and throw your money away by ordering a dominos 2×1 pizza… its really sh!…tty

Just phone me and we will make you a better one for the same price. You can pick it up here in Olas Altas, Conchas Chinas or the Romantic Zone.. we will deliver to your home if you are in one of these zones for an extra charge of $20 pesos or $2 USD

By Marla Dickerson

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico · A few years after retiring to this Pacific resort city, David Bender was bored with golf. His new hobby, the American decided, would be tackling Mexico’s income inequality. He would do it by teaching English to Mexican children.

Never mind that Mexico didn’t ask for his help. Or that the former advertising executive knew nothing about running a school. Bender saw working families hungry for affordable English-language instruction and a shot at upward mobility for their kids. 
 
Credit a seasoned adman for knowing his market.

Fewer than five years since its founding, Colegio Mexico-Americano has become the largest school in Puerto Vallarta. The nonprofit school’s tuition is 70 percent cheaper than that of the city’s priciest bilingual academy. Enrollment has grown to 1,135 students, with dozens on the waiting list.

Not bad for a project that began in August 2002 with a few preschoolers learning their ABCs. It is vindication for Bender, a preacher’s son who never lost faith when the current campus was a weed-choked vacant lot with no funding and plenty of doubters.

“We saw a tremendous need,” said Bender, 71, a former Chicagoan. “We are trying to build a middle class.”

Some might chafe at the notion of an American who speaks little Spanish presuming to remake Mexican society. But the school’s enthusiastic reception here speaks of parents’ desire for their children to learn English in a town where most of the good jobs require it.

About 85 percent of Mexico’s exports go to the United States. Americans and Canadians constitute the majority of its international visitors. More than 400,000 Mexicans migrate illegally to the U.S. each year in search of work. The money these expatriates send home — $23 billion last year — is a pillar of Mexico’s economy.

But while Hispanic nations such as Costa Rica and Chile have seized on English fluency as a key to global competitiveness, Mexico requires just three hours a week of English instruction for three years during Mexico’s equivalent of junior high school.

“Pencil. Window. Door. It was useless,” said Jose de Jesus Alcantar Delgado, a Puerto Vallarta workman recalling his rudimentary lessons. Lack of fluency has kept him from higher-paying jobs in the city’s air-conditioned resorts.

Often blamed are scarce resources, an inflexible teachers union and widespread resentment of U.S. hegemony. But Puerto Vallarta mother Kenia Salazar Torres isn’t buying it. English is standard in elite academies where the children of Mexico’s wealthy matriculate. Salazar wants the same chance for her three boys.

Her oldest son, Jose Rodolfo, 9, has a partial scholarship to Colegio Mexico-Americano. Salazar earns the rest by rising before dawn to prepare refried beans for local markets. Her husband, Arturo, is a ticket seller at the bus station. He’s trying to land a better job to earn tuition money for their twin 5-year-old sons.

Jose helps out by collecting cans to earn recycling money. On a recent afternoon, he was too shy to practice his English. But the serious, handsome child knows what’s at stake.

“That’s how you get a good job,” he said softly in Spanish.

Such stories keep the balding, bespectacled Bender focused on his all-consuming second career.

Conversations with the mostly Mexican congregation of his local church, the New Dawn Christian Center, led to the idea of a secular, nonprofit, bilingual school that working-class families could afford.

But as the school expanded, slots were taken by the children of well-heeled parents who knew a bargain when they saw one. The annual tuition and fees of $2,645 for a grade-school student are 40 percent below the city average for comparable private schools and less than one-third the annual cost for the American School, the city’s priciest academy.

Bender said he and school administrators dismissed reviewing a family’s financial standing for admission criterion as unworkable. The solution, they agreed, was a bigger campus to take all comers.

Unable to secure financing from banks on either side of the border, the school appealed to those with the most at stake: parents. Some risked everything they had.

Maria Elena Covarrubias Ibarra was among those to pledge their homes as security to a landowner who agreed to sell the school 5 1/2 acres on installment.

Others raided their savings accounts and mattresses, extending unsecured loans on little more than a handshake. Tradespeople swapped building materials or labor to get their children a seat in class.

The new school opened in August 2005.

“It was worth it,” said Alcantar, who has two daughters enrolled. “I hear my girls speaking [English] and I feel so proud.”

The Los Angeles Times is a Tribune Co. newspaper.

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – Keepers at a Mexican zoo are bottle-feeding round the clock after four big cats gave birth to nine cubs in two months, among them a rare white tiger.

Three 20-day-old Bengal tiger cubs, including the white female named Brisa, romp around a grassy enclosure while two lion cubs, a baby jaguar and three other tiger cubs frolic and chew each other’s ears in a nearby wooden pen.

The arrival of six Bengals, three each from different parents, is rare — and Brisa represents a coup for the endangered white Bengal tiger, which often fails to survive in the wild for its lack of camouflage.

The owners of family-run Zoologico de Vallarta, set deep inside virgin jungle in the Pacific coast state of Jalisco, say there is no big secret behind the rash of births — just a propitious natural environment and lots of hands-on care.

“The zoo is magical. It’s situated in such a precious area which is almost completely the animals’ natural habitat, and that has a lot to do with why they procreate happily and naturally,” said veterinarian Xochitl Nicteja, who is bottle-feeding the youngest cubs with milk every two hours.

“If you observe the animals they are very comfortable. You can see they enjoy their habitat, and the love and care we give them, so the rest of it is up to them.”

The 350 animals at the 12-acre (5-hectare) zoo, set in 142 acres (59 hectares) of tropical forest filled with monkey shrieks and birdsong, range from hippos to flamingos. Many seem almost tame.

Visitors, many of them tourists from the nearby resort of Puerto Vallarta, can buy food on their way in and get close to many of the animals.

“It’s not often you get to scratch a lion’s belly,” said Canadian Mike Whitner, cuddling one of the cubs.

Behind him, an American woman squealed as a baby tiger clawed its way up her leg.

The Vallarta Zoo was opened in 2005 with a focus on breeding endangered Mexican species like jaguars and wolves.

source: reuters

By KRIS HUNDLEY

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — Once you shake the time-share salesmen, who cling like ticks from the minute you clear customs, Puerto Vallarta proves to be a surprisingly laid-back place for a family vacation.

This resort town on Mexico’s Pacific Coast is wedged between the Bay of Banderas and the craggy Sierra Madres. Walk four blocks inland from the Malecon, the broad city sidewalk that follows the shoreline, and you’ll find yourself hiking up cobblestone streets at a San Francisco-like angle. Stop at any point for a breath and a view of the sea or of a hideaway straight out of Architectural Digest.

Puerto Vallarta was a speck of a fishing village until the 1960s when it was used by director John Huston as the setting for Night of the Iguana. The film’s stars, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, who were married to others at the time, scandalized the world with their love affair during filming.

Taylor is said to still visit Casa Kimberley, a three-story villa Burton bought her overlooking the bay. The thrill of touring her former home, most recently a B&B, is muted a bit when your kids ask: “Who is Elizabeth Taylor?”

Bypass the sales pitch

Like any resort town, Puerto Vallarta offers a wide range of accommodations, from the frankly flea-bag to the exorbitantly out-of-my-price-range. A spacious condo that sleeps six at a four-star resort runs about $250 a night in season. You can keep costs down by picking up breakfast and lunch foods at the local Sam’s Club or Gigante, the Mexican deep-discounter.

Puerto Vallarta has everything, from golf to parasailing to deep-sea fishing to flying along zip-lines through the jungle canopy. Arranging such tours, however, is another matter. Our “personal concierge” promised several times to get us great discounts on a dive trip, but the discounts never materialized. A call to the dive shop was the solution.

It is simple to get around Puerto Vallarta by cab, though the $17 fare from the airport is a bit of a burn when you consider the return ride is only $5. The best deal for traveling around town is to grab a bus: 50 cents for a tooth-rattling ride over cobblestone streets.

Walk along the water

Other low-cost entertainment can be had by strolling the Malecon. The city is a magnet for Mexican families on holiday. Everybody parades the Malecon, clambering all over fantastical sculptures that dot the walkway.

One night, the Malecon’s main event was a performance by four Indian voladores, or flyers, who climbed a 90-foot pole, deftly wrapped ropes around the pole as well as their legs, then proceeded to swirl, upside down, to the ground, all to the music of a fifth Indian, who was playing a pipe and dancing on the top of the pole (big tips appreciated). At the town’s central plaza, a crowd gathered around a big outdoor movie screen to see a ’50s Mexican sci-fi film.

A peaceful discovery

The best part of any trip is always the unexpected. For us it came when we rented a car and headed out of town. Going north on Carretera Federal 200, we pulled off the road at a gin-clear beach at Destiladeras. A thatched roof restaurant served beer and fish tacos on the sand. Around the point we came to the hippie surfing village of Sayulita.

The second day we headed south, to the Botanical Gardens of Vallarta. Only a year and a half old, the nonprofit gardens are a promising work in progress. We arrived early, walking through the paths that wound through jungle, across streams and along a river where enormous boulders created hidden swimming holes. The crowds and the mosquitoes and the time-share salesmen had not yet arrived. It was heaven.

Turtle-loving travelers heading to Puerto Vallarta in the coming months can join the region’s Sea Turtle Release Program to help thousands of hatching baby sea turtles survive long enough to reach the sea.

This past month, sea turtles began laying their eggs on beaches as part of a yearly natural phenomenon that lasts through September. Normally the eggs would incubate in the sand, but recreational resort activities now make the beaches dangerous places for baby turtles.

On the Puerto Vallarta coastline—one of the world’s most important breeding grounds for endangered species of sea turtles—the Sea Turtle Release Program helps the reptiles complete their breeding cycle. Staff at participating resorts gather eggs each night and take them, still in their nests, to incubators where researchers gather and study data.

Turtle liberation ceremonies are held daily throughout the season at participating hotel beaches. Local eco-tour operators also host night tours to the research camps to see sea turtles laying eggs and hatchlings being released. Open Air Expeditions (vallartawhales.com), best known for whale-watching trips, is one operator that maintains a nesting nursery and research center where small, guided tours are welcome.

By early November, when hatchlings emerge from their eggs, resort guests can join staff in releasing hatchlings at their nesting sites. Traditionally, children name their baby sea turtles, wish them luck and free them to find their way to the water.

Before the Sea Turtle Release Program, only 40 percent of the eggs hatched. Now, 96 percent will hatch, according to Dennis Whitelaw, general manager of the Marriott CasaMagna, which participates in the rescue.

Cancún: If You Build It, They Will Come

On May 17, Mexican President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa and Quintana Roo Governor Félix González Canto cut the ribbon to inaugurate Cancún International Airport’s new, $100 million terminal, effectively doubling the number of passengers the airport can funnel into the Caribbean resort city.

The new Terminal 3 offers 84 check-in counters and 11 gates, with open public spaces and a variety of services. The advanced security system includes what the airport says is Mexico’s first CT scanning system for all checked baggage.

The number of daily flights to Cancún will increase from 266 to more than 450, and airport officials say they expect to double the number of airlines flying into Cancún within three years. Nearly every major U.S. carrier except Southwest operates flights into Cancún, Mexico’s busiest international destination. For flight and airline information, check cancun-airport.com.

Deals & Steals: Free Passports

Despite the Mexican government’s fears that the January 2007 requirement that U.S. travelers returning from Mexico and other Western Hemisphere countries carry a valid passport, 15 percent more U.S. travelers have visited Mexico during the first quarter of 2007 than did in the first quarter of 2006. Still, some of Mexico’s major resorts aren’t taking any chances, which means two intriguing deals for U.S. visitors:

1) Marriott and Renaissance Resorts have extended their Passport to Paradise promotion through Dec. 15. A $100 resort credit per room, good for spa treatments, meals, water sports and other services, will be granted to guests holding new passports who book a minimum stay of five nights. The new passports must show an entry stamp only from Mexico. Participating properties include CasaMagna Marriott Cancún, JW Marriott Cancún and CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta.

2) Baja’s One&Only Palmilla resort, which tied for the top spot in the Zagat survey of “World’s Top Hotels, Resorts & Spas” for 2007/08, will reimburse guests for the cost of new passports for up to two children: $82 per child under 15, $97 per child 15 to 17, and $60 per expedited passport if necessary.

The One&Only Palmilla resort deal is good on new reservations for seven-night “Escape to Baja” specials, which include two nights free with five paid nights, for stays from June 1 to Oct. 31. Passport costs will be credited at time of check-in to guests providing a printed copy of the resort’s Complimentary Children’s Passport Form, proof of passport purchase between the date of booking and date of travel, and a valid passport with an arrival stamp for Los Cabos airport—and only Los Cabos airport—on the day of check-in.

By Juan Pablo Hernández and Paco Ojeda

Four cruise ships arrived simultaneously in Puerto Vallarta’s Maritime Terminal on April 25. And for the first time since its major expansion was completed, the Maritime Terminal was able to dock three of them.

Carnival’s Pride arrived at 7 am with 2,307 passengers at dock one, Regal Princes docked second with 1,514 passengers at 9 am. TheRyndam arrived at 7:30 am with 1,183 passengers at dock 3. Finally, the Radiance of the Seas arrived with 2009 passengers on board.

Cruise ships began visiting Mexico’s Pacific Riviera long before Captain Stubbing and his Love Boat crew of misfits appeared on our TV sets in the late seventies. “Puerto Vallarta is a very attractive destination for cruise travelers,” according to Francisco Martinez Narvaez, general manager for Administracion Portuaria Integral, or API, the company that oversees our Maritime Terminal.

“And since other destinations on the Pacific Riviera depend on this popularity, the efficiency of our terminal affects the entire cruise circuit.” An experienced engineer, Martinez Narvaez came to Puerto Vallarta from Mexico City seven years ago to administer API.

Under his skilled supervision, the expansion of Puerto Vallarta’s Maritime Terminal, a gargantuan project full of technical and logistical challenges involving hundreds of workers and specialists, was begun in September 2005.

Attend your local cineplex and, if you pay attention to film credits, you’ll find an increasing number of incredibly talented Mexican artists contributing in many different capacities to high-grossing films.

For example, the third installment of the successful Harry Potter series was directed by Alfonso Cuaron, whose futuristic thriller “The Children of Men” won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s Best Cinematography Award. The breathtaking views of eastern Wyoming’s lush landscapes (actually filmed in southern Alberta) in “Brokeback Mountain” were captured by Best Cinematography Academy Award nominee Rodrigo Prieto, who went on to collaborate with Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu in last year’s narrative drama “Babel.”

By the time you read this, “Babel” may have won any of seven Hollywood Foreign Press Association Golden Globe Award nominations at the presentation of the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards, giving Mexico’s creative force an even more prominent presence in the world’s cinematographic limelight.

Many of the aforementioned artists, along with several others, have played a pivotal role in Mexican cinema development, which started at the beginning of the 20th century but has experienced a tremendous surge over the last couple of decades. Thanks to the advent of the DVD, we are able to discover (or, in some cases, rediscover) many Mexican films that are considered representative of what is now referred to as “el Nuevo Cine Mexicano,” or New Mexican Cinema.

The following is a selection of such films. Regretfully, if you are in Mexico, chances are that the versions of these films available at local video stores will not have English subtitles. However, we’ve verified that the versions available through online retailers, such as amazon.com, not only have subtitles but also often have insightful commentary by actors and directors. Pursue any of these enlightening films and you will acquire a deeper understanding of their creators’ roles in the production of some of the later films mentioned above.

Like Water for Chocolate (1993) “Como Agua para Chocolate,” Alfonso Arau’s beautiful adaptation of Laura Esquivel’s first novel, is a tour-de-force in the magic realism artistic genre present in the work of many Latin American writers, where magical elements manifest themselves in an otherwise normal environment. In this case, Tita, the main character, expresses her love of the kitchen through her cooking. When people try her dishes, unexpected things happen.

Amores Perros (2000) Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, “Amores Perros” (also known as “Love’s a Bitch”) features three separate stories linked by a car accident that takes place in Mexico City. This film served as a springboard for Gael Garcia Bernal, who went on to star in the two following films and is presently enjoying international acclaim for his performance in “Babel.”

Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) This film by Alfonso Cuaron was Diego Luna’s big break. Along with childhood friend Gael Garcia Bernal, they appear as teenagers in a coming-of-age road trip with an attractive older woman during which they learn about friendship and sex. Set in contemporary Mexico, the film offers a candid view of the country’s political and economic realities during the leadership of PRI, Mexico’s revolutionary party. Its strong language, violence and sexual scenes made the film an international hit.

The Crime of Padre Amaro (2002) Uncovering the lifelong relationship between church and corruption, “El Crimen del Padre Amaro” tells the story of a young priest (Gael Garcia Bernal) who struggles as he uncovers drug-related financial assistance in a small town’s church community, and as he fights falling in love and having a passionate sexual relationship with a local 16-year-old (Ana Claudia Talancon). Thanks to the many Roman Catholic groups in Mexico that opposed the film’s controversial subject, “Padre Amaro” became Mexico’s biggest box office draw ever.

Frida (2002) Although not a Mexican film per se, this film by acclaimed American director Julie Taymor is the result of actress Salma Hayek’s eight-year struggle to bring the life of successful and tormented painter Frida Kahlo to the big screen internationally. The production of a Frida film by director Luis Valdez was in the works in the early 1990s, a period during which Frida Kahlo’s work had captured the world’s interest.

A longtime fan, Hayek auditioned for the part but was turned down for being too young for it. She prophetically replied, “Then you are going to have to wait until I’m old enough.” Eight years later, acting as co-producer and as Frida herself, Hayek ensured that the film accurately recreated Mexico in the first half of the 20th century, along with her relationship with Mexican painter Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina).

Garnering six Academy Award nominations among its international cast, “Frida” not only secured a spot for Hayek but also set the foundation for many other multinational collaborations featuring Mexican talent, such as “Babel” (with Brad Pitt), “21 Grams” (with Naomi Watts and Sean Penn) and “Desperado” (with Antonio Banderas and Quentin Tarantino).

By Juan Pablo Hernández

Many Mexican cities consistently woo national and international movie producers to use them as backdrops for ambitious movie projects, which traditionally leave behind substantial amounts of revenue and tourism promotion.

As a result, Puerto Vallarta could be the location for Silvester Stallone’s latest Rambo installment. The production of movies in Puerto Vallarta and the city’s development have evolved hand-in-hand for many decades. and the State of Jalisco is committed to maintaining this industry alive. Presently, Destilando Amor, a popular Mexican TV soap opera, is using our magnificent landscapes to record their episodes.

The State of Jalisco has made more than 348 million of pesos just for being the location of several movie and TV projects, documentaries, and reports for national and international TV channels. The income includes hired services for food, drinks, lodging, transport, among others. Jalisco’s Promotion and Region Development Director Francisco Salas Montiel said “The mythical scenes of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton at Puerto Vallarta all the way to the action of Tanrantino’s Kill Bill and the recent Pirates of the Caribbean have captured the beauty of the Bay.”

Salas Montiel emphasized that state authorities will supervise the responsible preservation of local flora and fauna. “We will pay particular attention to the use of explosives that could damage the environment in all projects that are produced locally.”