Puerto Vallarta Rentals Blog

One of the most famous and also the longest running event in Puerto Vallarta
is the Annual Sailfish and Marlin Tournament. This event takes place on
the Banderas Bay and it will be celebrating its 50th year next
November. Nuevo Vallarta as well as Puerto Vallarta
proffers several fine resorts and marinas in Mexico, which in turn
makes it a popular destination for all cruisers and sport fishers from
all over Canada and United States.

Another Sporting Event that Puerto Vallarta is a host to is the Canto Del Sol Tennis Tournament which utilizes a play on both hard and clay court surfaces. In addition to this, many tourists also come to Puerto Vallarta
because of its abundant and magnificent golf courses. There is also no
shortage of golf tournaments here and the largest tournament is played
at the Paradise Villages El Tigre golf course. In the past year, up to
18 countries have competed in this event. The top three teams are then
transported to the World Cup.

North Shore residents and tourists visiting Puerto Vallarta can be assured of a good grocery shop that is rather suitable for residents living close by. Established in 1993, a successful mega chain of ?Mega Cormercial Nuevo Vallarta,? offers a spacious store, where you can stroll around with your cart at ease and examine the range of commodities for sale. Get custom made shoes from Huaracheria Fabiola on I. L, Vallarta. They can make any type of flat-soled sandals, which are popularly known to be the most comfortable shoes costing only $20. The soles are made of rubber tire which makes the sandals flexible and can be designed in any way you want. These designed casual shoes of Puerto Vallarta are a possession you would want to flaunt everywhere. Visit the flea market that lies near Rio Cuale. There are numerous stalls and a variety of things in Puerto Vallarta to choose from. At the same time you will also come across designer shops, so that you may easily purchase causal wear as well. These shops lie close to the Malecon strip.

If you have not had the opportunity to travel to gay Puerto Vallarta, or have not been for a while, give it a try. Of all the Mexico vacation destinations I have visited, gay Puerto Vallarta is by far the most appealing. The weather is almost always dry and sunny, so whatever time of year you plan to travel, you are sure to find a good time.

The Romantic Zone, which is just to the south of the main downtown entertainment area, is where all the gay scene is. Here you will find an array of shops, spas, boutiques, restaurants and cafes that will make your trip much more enjoyable. Mexico is not always known to be very gay-friendly in areas, but it seems that Puerto Vallarta has learned to appreciate the benefit of being a gay-popular destination.
Best choice for an all-gay hotel stay in gay Puerto Vallarta!

Best choice for an all-gay hotel stay in gay Puerto Vallarta!

There are also a few small gay owned and operated hotels within the Romantic Zone that you may want to check out. The Abbey is my favorite. It is clean, comfortable, and operated by guys that know the hotel industry. The most famous property is Blue Chairs, but the last time I visited that property, it was getting very run down and was not a place I would want to sleep at night. They may have the best location, but location is definitely not everything.

You can find great hotels in the Romantic Zone in addition to the small gay properties on the gay-popular travel sites GayTraveocity, Orbitz/GayTravel and Expedia. The small gay hotels are labeled as such in their booking engines making it easy to find what you are looking for. You can also Google gay hotels in Puerto Vallarta and contact them directly from their web sites.

Right now, with the negative impact of Swine Flu, the economy and drug violence in Mexico, you are sure to find some great prices for your trip. Try planning for September or October, great times to travel anywhere. The Swine Flu issues have subsided in Mexico, although it is still a threat worldwide now, so wherever you go, be wary. The drub violence in Mexico is mostly in non-tourist areas near the border with the US. So, Puerto Vallarta should be violence free, but always be careful, since Mexico is generally more conservative. Don?t travel or walk around alone, and be careful who you party with.

Take advantage of the situation right now if you have the means, and need a vacation as badly as I do. Gay Puerto Vallarta could be the best vacation you could take for the price!

By Jim Scherrer
The term ?Golden Years? seems to have all kinds of connotations; to some it may mean the beginning of the end, to others more fortunate it means the years of freedom with gold! Yes, to many of the latest generation of baby boomers about to retire or recently retired, the ?Golden Years? have become the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, i.e., the free time and the financial ability to enjoy their favorite activities and perhaps even serve a purpose to their community. Retirement often coincides with important life changes; over time, a retiree will virtually eliminate the frequent social contacts with previous work-related associates, will have a completely different spending pattern, will have the time for new or inactive hobbies, sports, or other activities, might sell a long term residence, and yes, may even move to a new location. Upon retiring 13 years ago, we moved to a secluded gated community in Clearwater, Florida. It was very nice, however it seemed that all the neighbors were still working and seldom around during the days and therefore nobody knew anybody in the neighborhood. We met some nice folks at the local country club; however most of them could only play one day per week or on Saturday because they too had jobs that occupied their time. When you did run into a group of retirees, like over at the local shuffleboard courts, they seemed to be geezers on their way out! We were still young, at least at heart, and wanted to play every day and every night. We finally had the financial ability and free time to do whatever we wanted to do, only needing friends and good weather to do it.

We had been vacationing at our condo in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, known as PV or Vallarta, since 1984 and we knew that the climate in PV was absolutely perfect from November through May, its seven month ?high season?. We had no idea what there was to do in Vallarta other than lay on the beach and drink cervezas or sip on margaritas nor did we know whether or not there were any other Americans or Canadians retiring in Puerto Vallarta. In 1997, we sold the condo and purchased a luxurious new Puerto Vallarta home on the mountainside overlooking Banderas Bay and El Centro, the downtown area of PV. Our plan was to spend six months in Clearwater and six months in Vallarta per year. The first six months of November through April were spent in PV and the second six months of May through October in Clearwater. Perhaps that wasn?t fair because the extreme heat in Florida made that summer miserable, especially after having so much fun during the previous six months in Vallarta. The average daily temperature in PV had been 73?F with virtually no rain the entire period. While in PV that first year, we must have met over fifty nice couples and absolutely none of them had to go to work tomorrow!
Puerto Vallarta real estateOther than a couple of golf courses, one that was playable, the other a cow pasture, a couple of tennis courts, great deep sea fishing, and a couple of small charity related clubs, there really wasn?t a whole lot to do in Vallarta during the gorgeous daytime. The nightlife was somewhat better with parties at someone?s house, condo, or restaurant almost every night. The North American community was relatively small and very open to newcomers. After the first year of splitting time between Florida and Vallarta, we decided to sell the house in Clearwater and travel or cruise during the summer months of June through October and spend the ?high season? in Vallarta.

During the ten years that we?ve lived in PV, things have changed dramatically. Today, the size of the American/Canadian community and the Puerto Vallarta real estate market is difficult to estimate with thousands of new houses and tens of thousands of new condos having been built. The population of our sleepy little Mexican fishing village is now roughly 350,000 inhabitants and we can only guess that there are 50,000 Americans and Canadians here at any given time during the ?high season?. You can be assured that none of them have to go to work tomorrow and that they?re all in search for the same things; they are here to enjoy life and reap the benefits of years of hard work. With perfect weather, the remaining challenge is to find the things to do that are most enjoyable. With good people, time, and money, those things came to Vallarta!

There are now seven magnificent golf courses in Puerto Vallarta with three more either in the planning or construction phase. There are too many tennis courts to begin to count them and of course, deep sea fishing will always be here. There are art classes, dancing classes, computer classes, language classes, and classes for just about anything you ever wanted to learn but never had the time. There are card clubs, fitness clubs, acting clubs, car clubs, writing clubs, and clubs for anything of interest to retirees. Another huge group of organizations in Vallarta has to do with charitable activities; this includes the InternationalFriendship Club, Becas Foundation, Toys for Tots, Feed the Children, Make a Wish Foundation, etc., which most of us are involved with to some extent. There are so many daytime activities now in PV that one can be as busy or as relaxed as he wants to be. The nightlife borders on being ridiculous during the ?high season? with the Malecon, or walkway along the beach, being more active at midnight than it is at noon! There are hundreds of fine restaurants and numerous parties every night. With so much fun available, we?ve learned that in order to survive, sometimes you just have to say no! To pass away the time at home, we all have satellite TV with 350 channels and high speed internet service.

Today in PV we have clean water, clean food, safe living conditions, and modern health care. Most importantly, we have many good friends that are all here to enjoy life doing whatever pleases them under absolutely ideal weather conditions. All of our friends are successful retirees, have good health, and appreciate the perfect climate with an average temperature of 73?F and clear skies. One of the main differences between Clearwater and Vallarta is that in Vallarta, every single American or Canadian that you see is here to enjoy the good life, is open to new friendships, and has the day off tomorrow! Anyone retired or about to retire is really missing the boat if they don?t at least consider Puerto Vallarta as their retirement destination.

It’s been two weeks since the State Department and the Centers for Disease Control lifted their travel warnings on travel to Mexico, and the deals are rolling in.

The CDC lifted its recommendation against nonessential travel to Mexico on May 15, citing evidence that Mexico’s flu outbreak was slowing down, increasing numbers of cases in the United States and other countries were unrelated to Mexico travel, and that the risk of infection appears to be lower than first believed. The State Department quickly followed suit. The CDC still recommends following local public health guidelines and taking precautions such as frequent hand-washing. It suggests that people at high risk for complications consider postponing travel.

In fact, U.S. citizens have more chance of exposure to H1N1 flu at home: The World Health Organization, which contended from the start that there is no reason to restrict travel, shows 2,200 more confirmed cases in the United States than in Mexico, though far fewer deaths.

Mexico began opening museums, restaurants and other public venues on May 6 and all schools by May 18. Mexico City, where new cases are dwindling markedly, has lowered its health alert from yellow to green and eased up on precautionary measures imposed at the beginning of the outbreak. Most popular tourist destinations, such as Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit, Los Cabos, Mazatl?n and Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, haven’t registered a single confirmed case of H1N1 flu.

Latest developments are posted on the Mexico Tourist Board’s new Web site, which was created in response to tourists’ fears about drug-related violence but is currently dominated by reports on the flu situation.

Bringing tourists back

President Felipe Calder?n announced a $1.3 billion stimulus plan to revive Mexico’s tourist industry on May 8. The initial outlay went to promotion, but subsequent announcements included financial incentives for hotels, tourism companies, airlines and cruise lines to lower their prices.

This week, Calder?n unveiled a national campaign, “Vive Mexico,” to motivate Mexicans to travel throughout the country. Special packages are displayed at a new, dedicated Web site. It’s in Spanish, but U.S. travelers conversant with Google’s translator might find deals that fit their itineraries.

The efforts seem to be working. Travel packagers report clients are sticking with their original bookings, and new bookings are picking up. Some flights to Canc?n were full again last week, and Mexico City’s hotel occupancy rate has reached 25 to 30 percent after dropping to 5 percent.

Once the alerts were lifted, cruise lines were quick to return to Mexican ports. The first, the Sun Princess, docked in Acapulco May 19. Royal Caribbean resumed calls at Cozumel this week, and Carnival will return to its original routes with stops in Mexico after modified itineraries are completed, most in mid-June.

Show me the deals

The diminishing concern over flu, proliferation of deep discounts and lack of crowds present an unprecedented opportunity for travelers. Discounts are substantial and widespread; you can pretty much pick a place and find savings. But with bookings already picking up, they might not be there for long.

Apple Vacations, one of the biggest Mexico travel vendors, jumped in early. It mounted what it calls its “biggest-ever” sale on Mexico trips, advertising savings of up to 70 percent on all-inclusive vacations for bookings made through June 11, 2009. A seven-night stay, including airfare, can be had for $69.99 per person, per night in Canc?n, the Riviera Maya, Cozumel, Los Cabos or Puerto Vallarta.

Here is a small sampling of other deals coming out of Mexico now:

Mexico Boutique Hotels

• Four-day package for two at Hacienda Sep?lveda (Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco state) with master suite, daily breakfast and lunch, two special dinners, horseback and carriage rides, spa treatments and local tour, $1,380.
• Five day package for two at CasaSandra (Isla Holbox, Yucat?n) with ocean-view room, daily breakfast, daily choice of lunch or dinner, airport transfers, bottle of wine and whale-shark trip, $2,509.
• More packages and last-minute deals also available; a different deal offers two nights for the price of one when booking by May 31 for travel through June 30 at 17 properties.

Riu Hotels & Resorts

• Special prices of $73 to $115 per person, per night at nine all-inclusive resorts in Canc?n, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Nayarit, Cabo San Lucas and Mazatl?n through June 25. Includes 24-hour food and drinks, liquor dispenser in room, stocked minibar, gym, kids’ club, disco and tennis.

Palace Resorts

• Summer promotion offers $200 airfare credit per room for five- or six-night stays or $400 per room on seven nights or more, if booked by June 15 for travel through Sept. 30. Properties in Canc?n, Isla Mujeres, Riviera Maya, Riviera Nayarit and Cozumel.
• Palace Passport for stays of three nights or more offers unlimited off-site tours, spa and golf discounts, two-for-one ATV tours and dolphin swims, through Dec. 23; Golf & Spa Summer Special includes $100 credit toward golf at three courses and $100 credit for spa treatments at one of seven Caribbean resorts, through Aug. 19; Kids Stay & Eat Free summer promotion increases age limit to 17 years, through Aug. 28.

Pueblo Bonito Oceanfront Resorts and Spas

• Fourth and seventh nights free at four luxury properties in Cabo San Lucas and two in Mazatl?n, through Dec. 23.
• “Stimulus Package” offers lowered rates, kids stay and eat free, spa credits and other offers, through Dec. 31.

Bookit.com

• “Half Price Flights” promotion with $150 to $600 credit on seven nights or more ? $75 to $400 on five and six nights. Dates vary, but most must be booked by June 1 or 2 for travel up to Dec. 19 to 21. Bookings available for resorts in Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Maya, Cozumel, Mazatl?n, Mexico City and numerous other popular destinations.

Some ultra-posh individual properties also have discount deals, including the Tides Zihuatanejo and Tides Riviera Maya (second room free with one paid room or villa, through September); Rosewood Hotels and Resorts at Mayakoba and Las Ventanas (discounted rates, $200 resort credit, room upgrades and full daily breakfast for two, through fall); the Ritz-Carlton Canc?n (“Love & Family” with oceanfront room, half-price second room for kids, dinner on the beach for parents, daily breakfast for two and kids meal plan, until Dec. 20); and Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita (third night free for every two consecutive paid nights, through Sept. 30).

And those who are still a bit nervous about the flu might consider booking through BestDay.com. The Mexican booking site (which I have used with good results) instituted a “Flu-Free Guarantee” early on, and plumped it up after travel alerts were lifted: a free vacation, including airfare, transfers and other perks such as admission to the Coco Bongo disco, for any traveler who contracts H1N1 virus within 14 days of visiting any of 30 participating hotels.

Puerto Vallarta Rentals

Ever wanted to know the best places to visit in Mexico? What to go, where not to go, what to do, who to see, and why? If this describes the situation you find yourself in… there is help just a mouse click away. I am not going to tell you to look at the website VisitMexico.com, or have you book a vacation at Expedia.com.

Instead I just want to inform you about the newest website that discusses all things related the this wonderful country, and its unique Mexican culture. Mexicovacationtravels.com has become by far one of the MUST SEE websites when it comes to finding information about hotels, all inclusive packages, colonial cities, and even food from the colorful country of Mexico.

There you will find daily updates on just about any topic having to do with the country. If you want to know about Mexican history, weather, news, vacation spots, or just general facts… MVT is the place for you. If you want to know about Latin America in general you can always check out LANIC, but if your focus all things Mexico… trust me, you’ve gotta stop by MVT.

Inquiries as well as general tourism to Mexico have slightly dropped due to the swine flu scare that says it started in the country, but that shouldn’t stop you from learning about and possibly visiting some of the most beautiful places this planet has to offer and getting a really nice visit to some Mexico hotels. Whether you want to lay around the beach sipping a Corona, or swim in an unpolluted natural river… you can find it at a reasonable yet affordable price. Do yourself a favor and don’t let all the cons that you have heard about Mexico hold you back from an experience of a lifetime! Visit MVT today.

Swine Flu in Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta Rentals

An order from the Governor of Jalisco, Emilio Gonz?lez M?rquez, reestablishes business as usual in Puerto Vallarta beginning 00:00 on Wednesday, May 13. All bars, clubs, movie theaters, etc, may resume business here. Schools will reopen May 18.

Sometimes I’ve been called a maverick because I don’t always agree with my
colleagues, but then, only dead fish swim with the stream all the time. The
stream here is Mexico. You would have to be living on another planet to
avoid hearing how dangerous Mexico has become, and, yes, it’s true drug wars
have escalated violence in Mexico , causing collateral damage, a phrase I
hate. Collateral damage is a cheap way of saying that innocent people, some
of them tourists, have been robbed, hurt or killed.

But that’s not the whole story. Neither is this. This is my story. I’m a
journalist who lives in New York City, but has spent considerable time in
Mexico, specifically Puerto Vallarta, for the last four years. I’m in
Vallarta now. And despite what I’m getting from the U.S. media, the 24-hour
news networks in particular, I feel as safe here as I do at home in New York
, possibly safer. I walk the
streets of my Vallarta neighborhood alone day or night. And I don’t live in
gated community, or any other All-Gringo neighborhood. I live in Mexico.
Among Mexicans. I go where I want (which does not happen to include bars
where prostitution and drugs are the basic products), and take no more
precautions than I would at home in New York; which is to say I don’t wave
money around, I don’t act the Ugly American, I do keep my eyes open, I’m
aware of my surroundings, and I try not to behave like a fool.

I’ve not always been successful at that last one. One evening a friend left
the house I was renting in Vallarta at that time, and, unbeknownst to me,
did not slam the automatically-locking door on her way out. Sure enough,
less than an hour later a stranger did come into my house. A burglar?
Robber? Kidnapper? Killer? Drug lord? No, it was a local police officer, the
“beat cop” for our neighborhood,
who, on seeing my unlatched door, entered to make sure everything (including
me) was okay. He insisted on walking with me around the house, opening
closets, looking behind doors and, yes, even under beds, to be certain no
one else had wandered in, and that nothing was missing. He was polite, smart
and kind, but before he left, he lectured me on having not checked to see
that my friend had locked the door behind her. In other words, he told me to
use my common sense.

Do bad things happen here? Of course they do. Bad things happen everywhere,
but the murder rate here is much lower than, say, New Orleans , and if there
are bars on many of the ground floor windows of houses here, well, the same
is true where I live, in Greenwich Village, which is considered a swell
neighborhood – house prices start at about $4 million (including the bars on
the ground floor windows). There are good reasons thousands of people from
the United States are moving to Mexico every month, and it’s not just the
lower cost of living, a hefty tax break and less snow to shovel. Mexico is a
beautiful country, a special place. The climate varies, but is plentifully
mild, the culture is ancient and revered, the young are loved
unconditionally, the old are respected, and I have yet to hear anyone
mention Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, or Madonna’s attempt to adopt a
second African child, even though, with such a late start, she cannot
possibly begin to keep up with Anglelina
Jolie.

And then there are the people. Generalization is risky, but- in general –
Mexicans are warm, friendly, generous and welcoming. If you smile at them,
they smile back. If you greet a passing stranger on the street, they greet
you back. If you try to speak even a little Spanish, they tend to treat you
as though you were fluent. Or at least not an idiot. I have had taxi drivers
track me down after leaving my wallet or cell phone in their cab. I have had
someone run out of a store to catch me because I have overpaid by twenty
cents. I have been introduced to and come to love a people who celebrate a
day dedicated to the dead as a recognition of the cycles of birth and death
and birth – and the 15th birthday of a girl, an important rite in becoming a
woman – with the same joy. Too much of the noise you’re hearing about how
dangerous it is to come to Mexico is just that – noise. But the media love
noise, and too many journalists currently making it don’t live here.

Some have never even been here. They just like to be photographed at night,
standing near a spotlighted border crossing, pointing across the line to
some imaginary country from hell. It looks good on TV. Another thing. The
U.S. media tend to lump all of Mexico into one big bad bowl. Talking about
drug violence in Mexico without naming a state or city where this is taking
place is rather like looking at the horror of Katrina and saying, “Damn. Did
you know the U.S. is under water?” or reporting on the shootings at
Columbine or the bombing of the Federal building in Oklahoma City by saying
that kids all over the U.S. are shooting their classmates and all the
grownups are blowing up buildings. The recent rise in violence in Mexico has
mostly occurred in a few states, and especially along the border. It is
real, but it does not describe an entire country. It would be nice if we
could put what’s going on in Mexico in perspective, geographically and
emotionally.

It would be nice if we could remember that, as has been noted more than
once, these drug wars wouldn’t be going on if people in the United States
didn’t want the drugs, or if other people in the United States weren’t
selling Mexican drug lords the guns. Most of all, it would be nice if more
people in the United States actually came to this part of America ( Mexico
is also America , you will recall) to see for themselves what a fine place
Mexico really is, and how good a vacation (or a life) here can be. So come
on down and get to know your southern neighbors. I think you’ll like it
here. Especially the people.

By Linda Ellerbee

he H1N1 (swine flu) peaked late last month in the Mexican State of Jalisco, Mexico?s Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said over the weekend.

Cordova made the announcement during a visit to Guadalajara on Saturday, May 9. He added that the total number of cases in Jalisco has risen from 26 to 31. He explained that a backlog of specimens waiting to be tested in Mexico City resulted in officials not being able to announce that there were any cases in Jalisco until May 6.

Guadalajara is the capital of Jalisco and is Mexico?s second-largest city, after Mexico City, which was hardest hit by the flu.

The coastal resort city, Puerto Vallarta, is also part of Jalisco. Most of Jalisco?s flu cases were from Guadalajara. Just two were from Puerto Vallarta, according to Pam Thompson of Puerto Vallarta Health Care Resources. For my previous post on the Puerto Vallarta cases along with a link to Pam’s updates in Banderas News, click here.