Shopping Galore and Streets of Galleries!
Restaurants for Every Taste and Budget. Tacos to Fine Dining!
Villa Mercedes Petit Hotel Celebrates Diversity
Over the last 75 years, Puerto Vallarta has grown! But not lost its charm.
I love that in Puerto Vallarta’s Romantica Zone and Old Towne, you have so many unique special boutique properties to choose from.
On my recent trip, I discovered a “new” place to stay. VILLA MERCEDES PETIT HOTEL. Amapas 175, Playa Los Muertos. I have walked by here before, but never had the chance to see inside! Just peaking in the front door, you can tell that something very special is inside!
Adults only, pet friendly, gay friendly, Villa Mercedes is a fantastic gem! A PETIT HOTEL with boutique type accommodations steps away from Los Muertos Beach. It has sort of a 50’s Palm Spring feel to me. Bright colors, simple and sleek lines and a bit eclectic.
Here is the cool part; Villa Mercedes is located in this historic hacienda-style building built in the early 1950 ́s, at the time the first and only “finca” or weekend retreat in the once secluded and remote Los Muertos Beach.
The property takes its name after its original owner, who was a real trailblazer in PV and one of the earlier settlers. They have preserved most of its original architectural character through generations. Now the property is ran and owned by Mercedes grandson, who is gay. They have been a member of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) since 2009. And an active member of the Puerto Vallarta LGBT Business Association, and was one of the first supporters and still is an active supporter of Puerto Vallarta ́s Gay Pride.
Art and Mexican crafts mixed with contemporary eclectic define most of the carefully decorated spaces with wonderful murals by artist Ana Rifa, Zapoteco textiles, gorgeous vintage cement tile mosaics, and original historic architecture.
Connecting to the property is 116 Pulpito Gastro Bar (Formerly the old Kit Kat Lounge). Intimate dinner is served every night at Villa Mercedes Peitit Hotel´s courtyard. Drinks and appetizers are also available upon guests´ request in the pool bar or in the roof deck on the third floor. Guests can choose from two interesting menu choices: Pulpito 116 and Maia Inspired Cuisine. Breakfast is also served in the courtyard during the high season months of November to May. Service in the hotel´s courtyard and roof deck is open to guests and their friends from 9:00 AM to 11:30PM.
The property has a total of 16 lodging options ranging from studio rooms, jr. suites, master suites, and penthouses. Some include fully equipped kitchens, others have kitchenettes. All have been upgraded with AC, flat-screen TVs, wifi access, cieling fans, temperpeudic mattress tops, safe boxes, mini-bars, and unique art, and decor, and textiles.
There is a courtyard at ground level with a pool, lounge area, food and bar service, and tropical landscaping. On the third floor there is a more private sun deck and roof garden accessible to guests and also available for events. – I just LOVE THIS PLACE. It’s a piece of Vallarta history!
Villa Mercedes Petit Hotel Adults Only
Rivera Del Rio HIDDEN GEM Hotel
Magical and Whimsical!
LOVE THIS PLACE!!! What a hidden gem! It is whimsical and magical and you never want to leave! Usually my hotel is just a place to crash and shower and change. This place is SO SPECIAL, you never want to leave. The rooms are very very nice. Staff is top notch. The rooms, pool and views are breathtaking! Did I say I LOVE IT HERE?! This is MY FAVORITE Puerto Vallarta Hotel. It is visually stunning inside. Everywhere you look.
Situated in the heart of old town Puerto Vallarta (Zona Romantica). This luxury boutique bed and breakfast property is located on the bank of the Rio Cuale and the last remaining dirt road of old town. Rivera del Rio offers a luxurious setting for your wedding, honeymoon, group event or getaway with friends.
8 Rooms that are all very very nice! Each is very special. LOTS of photos on their site that will WOW YOU! Prices can run anywhere from $80-$150 for smaller rooms up to $170-$260 for the larger suites. All depends on the season and days you choose.
Rivera del Rio is a sumptuous Mexican bed and breakfast villa, nestled on the verdant banks of the Rio Cuale river. Here, amidst a primitive elegance, one steps back through the ages where Old Town Puerto Vallarta intertwines with the exquisite décor of the legendary “Silver” Maria Cortez.
Hailed by Casas and Gente Magazine as one of the world’s top architectural lady designers, N.Y Interior designer Billy Baldwin called her eclectic abode “the house of dreams” – a true Boutique Hotel.
Stars from all over the globe have crossed her threshold; from Raquel Welch to the jewel fashion icon Ken Lane. Her flowing manta curtains captured not only the movie cameras of Tony Scott but countless films and set locations from Vogue to Italian Elle. John Crocus labeled lasting acquaintances “Silver,” and fashion icon Perry Ellis, the “Luxury Lovers.”
Bathing in an emerald pool forget five stars, you will find a web of stars as you savor the 360 degree view of a jaguared Jungle, or languish in the Greek oyster alabaster spa, particularly sensuous in the pearly glow of moonlight.
Each newly remodeled and carefully crafted apartment is decorated with heavenly marbled fireplaces, Victorian leopard-claw tubs, and crispy cold air conditioners that will acclimate you to Vallarta’s heavenly temperatures. The Rivera del Rio is one of the few haciendas in Puerto Vallarta to offer a wholly purified water system!
It doesn’t get much better than this!
- Delicious made to order breakfast
- Spacious suites including several with living rooms and kitchenettes
- AC mini splits throughout suites and living room areas
- Flat Screen TVs with Cable TV
- Wireless Internet throughout suites, villa, and pool deck
- Free USA and Canada calling
- Free Local and Mexico calling
- Outdoor Rooftop Pool
- Outdoor Whirlpool Tub for 10
- Indoor Lap Pool
- Daily maid service
- Top of the line pillowtop mattresses, linens, and comforters
- Top of the line bathroom towels and amenities
- Large soak tubs and bidets in most suites
Paradise awaits you – A true joy and delight at your beck and call! Viva Mexico!
Watch the Video on their site!
Puerto Vallarta named HRC’s National Travel Partner
The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board has partnered with the Human Rights Campaign, the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, as the organization’s first national travel partner. Reaching over 1.5 million members and supporters, including US Vice President Biden.
During the campaign, Puerto Vallarta will promote its adventure, gastronomy, cultural, nightlife, romance and family offerings in HRC conferences, dinners and events in 20 cities, including San Francisco, Los Angles, Minneapolis, New York and Chicago.
Participants of the events will have a chance to win stays in Puerto Vallarta with hotel accommodations provided by Casa Cupula, Costa Sur Resort and Spa, Luna Liquida, Marriott CasaMagna and Villa Mercedes. Winners will also have the opportunity to have special dinners at Café des Artists or Sapphire Ocean Club and take Vallarta’s Gay Bar Hopping Tour. Puerto Vallarta’s Vallarta Adventures is the partnership’s and will provide access to its various activities, including the longest zipline in Mexico, the magical beach destinations of Vallarta’s South and the colonial town of the Sierra Madre.
Puerto Vallarta, offers visitors a friendly and supportive environment to all its visitors and has been Mexico’s leading destination for LGBT visitors for decades. Gaycities’ 2014 Top Beach Destination, Puerto Vallarta boasts a gayborhood home to an array of gay bars and nightclubs, gay-owned restaurants, hotels, stores, services, and entertainment that put the destination in a league of its own. Its Vallarta Pride, is a 10-day celebration of LGBT culture that starts the Pride season in May and this year will have Orange is the New Black’s Lea DeLaria as its Grand Marshall with appearances by Andrew Christian.
In recent years, the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board, the entity responsible for promoting the destination in the US and Canada has partnered with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), GMHC and the International Gay Lesbian Travel Association to promote the destination’s diverse tourism offerings. In 2014, Puerto Vallarta became the first Mexican destination to participate in a World Pride with its Noche Alegre event during the World Pride celebrations in Toronto.
Many of Gay PV’s main attractions can be found in the Zona Romantica, a delightfully walkable and compact area where tourists of all stripes mix and mingle at the beach, in cafes, in restaurants and bars, as well as on the newly widened and covered sidewalks of the neighborhood. In the past decade, many gay ex-Patriots from North America have joined locals in opening businesses in the area to cater to gay tourism, creating a vibrant and exciting mix of unique and friendly businesses.
Galeria Indigena Fine Mexican Native Art Puerto Vallarta
The first time we drove past Galeria Indigena, there was a girl outside dressed as “Catrina” and I knew we had to stop in! We made the cab drive turn around and drop us off!
When you walk in the door – it’s sensory overload! Rows of fantastic arts! This place is huge!
The store has an extensive collection from various indigenous cultures of Mexico: dance and ceremonial masks, handcrafted Oaxacan black clay pottery by Zapotec indians, unique Day of the Dead items in ceramic and paper mache’, sacred Huichol Indian bead and yarn work, hand-blown glass, Nahua Indian lacquer art from Guerro, religious arts and figures, majoloica pottery from Tlaxcala and talavera ceramic pieces from Pueblo with some 800 designs, Mata Ortiz pottery, as well as extraordinary bark paper etchings by internationally-known Nahua artist Nicolas de Jesus. The collection of items will wow you!
While we were there picking and choosing what we wanted to take back with us, we started talking with the owner, who has been in business 27 years! He offered us a beer and gave us a private tour of his growing collection upstairs! (Which is not yet open to the public). I just want to work in this store!
For the past 27 years Ignacio Jacobo (“call me Nacho”) and his wife, Maria del Camen Najera, traveled throughout their native Mexico searching for indigenous art which they offer for sale in their 5,000 sq. ft. Galeria Indígena. (Indígena is Spanish for “native” or “indigenous.”
“Nacho’s” inventory comes from some 54 Mexican tribal regions. He says that many of the skills are passed on from generation to generation, with each generation modifying the basic efforts and utilizing new technologies and skills. He is forthcoming in telling the stories behind most of his inventory. I’ll share some of them with you.
ROWS of Catrina’s at all prices! I don’t think I have ever seen so much Day of the Dead art in one shop! You have to allow a good hour to browse this wonderful treasure trove of art!
Sidenote – Some 100 years ago (1913), Mexican artist and cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada created the La Catrina’s calavera, the skeletal skull covered by a broad-brimmed hat decorated with ostrich feathers.
Some say that he was parodying poor Mexicans for putting on upper-class European airs. During the years 1946-47, Diego Rivera created a mural that featured a skeletal La Catrina fully dressed in finery. Rivera depicted himself as a young boy holding La Catrina’s bony right hand while behind him stands Frieda Kahlo with her hand on his shoulder. Posada stands at La Catrina’s left. The mural is now at the Museo Mural Diego Rivera in Mexico City. La Catrina has morphed into Mexico’s symbol of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) signifying Mexican’s belief in the neutrality of death.
The Indigena gallery is one of my personal favorites for gifts. But secretly I want ONE OF EVERYTHING for myself!
Galeria Indigena – Central – 628 Juarez.
Tel: 223-0800, 222-3007
Mon-Fri, 10am-8pm; Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, 11am-3pm.
FIND THEM ON FACEBOOK!
No Way Jose! Voted BEST FOOD Puerto Vallarta
Ask just about anyone in Puerto Vallarta and they will name NO WAY JOSE! as one of their top favorite restaurants!
Melt in your mouth Filet for about$17?!
Table-side prepared Caesar Salad that is one the BEST I have ever had in my life!
No Way José! boasts the only Mexican Contemporary menu in PV with delicious dishes representing every region in Mexico.
You’ll find your fav from the Red Snapper Carpaccio to the Creamy Shrimp Bisque, from the Chiles En Nogada to the Mole Poblano.
And you MUST, I stress MUST order a flaming coffee drink! The guys make it a show stopper and it’s delicious!
You’re kidding? You don’t see anything on the menu that excites you?
No problem! Their award-winning kitchen, La Cocina de Amor, happily responds to special orders to please even the most discerning palate. For the vegetarians who are on the look-out for creative options, they use only the freshest locally grown in-season vegetables to create dishes found only at No Way José!.
At No Way José! you become part of the family after your first visit.
Owners Julie and José Alfredo personally attend to every guest, and take every comment to heart to continuously improve their menu and service. “We’re a romantic and spontaneous environment where you may hear José Alfredo burst into song at the bar, or where you may be invited to spin around for an impromptu dance by a member of one of the most charming service teams in Puerto Vallarta.”
“We provide joy and happiness through delicious food, creative drinks, impeccable professional service and the warmth of a happy home that brings Mexican cuisine to the world.
We are at your service.
We are… Tu Casa in Vallarta!”
| 5 de Febrero 260, Emiliano Zapata, 48380 Puerto Vallarta, Jal., Mexico +52 322 223 2853 |
Colectika Gallery and Peyote People Art
COLECTIKA GALLERY
is a wonderful shop with room after room of amazing Mexican art. Located at the corner of Guadalupe Sanchez and Allende. Owner Kevin, together with his wife Beatriz work directly with artists and their families.
Here you will see very old Mexican traditions in art but interrupted in new colors, forms and techniques!
This evolution in traditional Mexican folk art is adapted from the outside world and allow Native and Mexican folk artists alike a whole new way of expressing how their ancient traditions and beliefs fit into today’s modern world.
Artists like Jacobo and Maria Angeles, Afonso Castillo, Saulo Moreno, Guillerimina Aguilar, Florencio Lopez, Santos Bautista, Luis Castro and Jose Benitez are very well recognized and have been shown in museums and galleries the world over!
(On a recent visit, artists Jacobo and Marie Angeles were on hand, doing some live wood carvings).
The store provides a wonderful tour of many rooms; some indoor and some outdoor. Art in every corner and at many different price points.
Huichol Indian Beaded Mexican Folk Art; Oaxacan Wood Carvings; Oil paintings to Catrina and Day of The Dead. It’s a world where skeletons come alive to celebrate life. Shaman converse with their Gods and nahuales shift from human to animal form under the light of the moon. Something here for everyone.
They also own a shop called Peyote People at Juarez 222, Colonia Centro. Peyote People is more of a store than a gallery – though there are art pieces here as well. Prices are very affordable.
The story behind the store is quite fascinating! Deep in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Western Mexico live the Huichol Indians. Very little is known about the exact origins of the Huichol, but today they are clinging to a set of customs and beliefs that make them one of the best preserved Pre-Columbian tribes in the Western Hemisphere.
Since 1997 Kevin and his wife have been traveling up to the ancient Huichol Indian Ceremonial Center of San Andres Cohamiata where they have followed a number of Huichol families through their daily lives and have documented the ceremonies that set them apart from the rest of the world. Through their web site they give you a never before seen look into the Huichol Indian ceremonial cycle and Peyote People help market their art for the money they need to host their traditional rituals and ceremonies.
Peyote People is a fair trade co-operative based in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico that provides most of the carvings to our artists as well as new iridescent glass beads that are imported exclusively by us into Mexico for our artists to use in their art. We have been recognized by the Huichol Indian Traditional Government of San Andres Cohamaita for not only promoting their artwork but also for our commitment to the preservation of their customs and traditions through what we call CULTURAL AUTHENTICITY:
“Cultural Authenticity may be an invisible quality but it is what separates
the ‘urban’ Huichol from those who actually live in the Sierra and are
actively involved in the preservation of their cultures traditions.”
Located at the corner of Guadalupe Sanchez and Allende.
Colectika Gallery & Peyote People
Learn about the Puerto Vallarta art walks and schedule HERE.
Art and Culture during Vallarta Pride 2015
The Vallarta Pride Organizing Committee is pleased to announce that during the third annual event that celebrates the vibrant LGBT community in our destination, a number of art and cultural events will take place to add to the various entertainment options scheduled from May 17 to 25, 2015.
• International Art Show
The week long Art Exhibition showcasing local, national and international artists will take place from May 18 to 25, 2015 at the local Art Gallery, Galería Omar Alonso. The main theme of the exhibition will be “Unity”, the official motto of Vallarta Pride 2015. The LGBT community contributes in many ways to society and art is one of them. The exhibition will open Monday, May 18, 2015 at 6:00pm. A wine and appetizer reception will take place on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 to coincide with the last ArtWalk of the season.
Time: 6:00 PM – 10:00pm
Location: Galería Omar Alonso
• The Puerto Vallarta Men’s Chorus
On Monday, May 18 and Friday, May 22, 2015, ACT II Stages will welcome the Puerto Vallarta Men’s Chorus, composed of talented Mexican and foreign singers. This will be the fourth gay pride concert offered by the famous local gay choir.
Time: 8:00pm
Location: ACT II Stages – Main Stage
Event Sponsor: Puerto Vallarta Men’s Chorus
• International Film Festival Screening
An International Film Festival Screening will take place from Tuesday, May 19 to Sunday, May 24, 2015. This event was recently added to the Vallarta Pride festivities and will mark UNITY as the theme and celebrates the creativity and diversity of the LGBT community worldwide. Appetizers and refreshments will be available at the movie screenings.
Time: 9:00 PM – 10:30 PM
Location: ACTII Red Room, ACT II Main Stage, Puerto de Luna and Mantamar Beach Club
For more information on the events scheduled for the 2015 Vallarta Pride, or the official Facebook page.
Best Zip Line in Puerto Vallarta
Believe it or not,
neither my partner or I are big on high heights. We both have some vertigo issues! We don’t mind roller coasters, because you are strapped in really good and really, nothing can happen to you.
So when the guys from GoGay Puerto Vallarta ASSURED me it was very safe, and that you are totally strapped in, we said WHY NOT?! (See that tiny little orange dot flying over the river? That’s me!)
What a fantastic time and experience! CANOPY INDIO has more than SIX miles of cable in a series of 10 zip lines, many over than 1100 feet long and over 656 feet high, without any doubt, this tour will be the most memorable of your vacation.
The experienced and bilingual staff will explain the mechanics of riding the cables taking you step by step through your high-flying riding adventure with a short little “class”. Ricky and Ivan were our guides for the day, and they were funny, helpful, and just all around great guys who really helped make the experience memorable.
All of the quality gear is professional and certified and all participants are under the care of trained staff during the whole tour also.
And for those who enjoy the calm and relaxation instead of flying through the trees, they offer delicious specialties and freshly made drinks in the open air restaurant-bar.
With a beautiful river-view you can enjoy the most delicious Mexican dishes and the choicest of the seafood and refreshing beverages while you wait for your adventurous companions, or enjoy the “Tequila Bar” tasting the best brands and you can even refresh yourself taking a swim in the beautiful river.
The package we bought from GoGay / Jungle Zip Line Advernture, included transportation to and from the luxury gay boutique hotel Casa Cupula, the complete zip line canopy experience, and afterwards lunch with refreshments and a complimentary tequila tasting. We also had a photographer shooting photos of us while we zipped and 2 of the guys had GoPro cameras on their helmets to capture some live footage – and I am so glad we did the photos and video – well worth it!
This awesome Canopy in Puerto Vallarta will WOW you! It’s amazing zipline’s speed and height will amaze you with outstanding views of the Banderas Bay.
Come alone and make new friends or come with a group to enjoy an adventurous and unforgettable experience in Mexico!
BOOK YOUR RESERVATION through the Concierge Services at Casa Cupulo
or on the GoGayPuertoVallarta Facebook Page
Suggestions & Restrictions
– Guest intoxicated with drugs or alcohol are not allowed on tour
– Maximum weight: 250 lbs
– Comfortable clothes and tennis/running shoes
– Swimsuit – in case you want to jump in the river and cool off
– Towel, sun glasses
– Sunscreen advised -Insect repellent (bugs did not bother me-but you never know)
– Cash for souvenirs and photos (and tipping your 2 guides!)
RANKED NUMBER 1 with TRIP ADVISER
and BEST GAY PUERTO VALLARTA.
Galeria Colectika presents Oaxaca wood carvers
Galeria Colectika will be hosting two of the most famous Oaxaca wood carvers, Jacobo and Maria Angeles, on a special event to take place Wednesday, February 18, 6-10 pm. Last year was truly special for the award winning couple, as they participated in the creation of a 1200 piece nativity scene for the Vatican Museum. 142 carving families were involved in the monumental project but Jacobo and Maria were responsible for carving and painting Mary, Joseph, the Angel and baby Jesus.
Their nativity scene was inaugurated on the 10th of December by Pope Francis. Jacobo and Maria were on hand to describe why they made Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus darker than the Angel.
At Colectika, the artists will demonstrate how they carve the traditional Copal wood, create the natural pigments that they use to decorate their pieces and share experience creating the Nativity scene for the Vatican Museum.
Galeria Colectika is located at Guadalupe Sánchez 858 in El Centro. For more information, please click here.
Puerto Vallarta TOURISM EXCELLENCE AWARD 2014
Puerto Vallarta has been awarded the TOURISM EXCELLENCE AWARD 2014 by Spanish Corporate “Grupo Excelencias”at FITUR 2015 for the development and implementation of its strategic plan to “re-engineer” the destination’s Tourism Action Plan put together by the Mexican beach destinations Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board, the Puerto Vallarta’s Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism of Jalisco.
The engineering plan involves all tourism stakeholders, government departments, associations, chambers and private initiatives, and involves improvements in infrastructure and tourist heritage as well as a formal program of training and awareness aimed at local people who become hosts / destination ambassadors, reinforcing Puerto Vallarta as one of the world´s most friendly destinations.
Since the Puerto Vallarta’s Convention and Visitors Bureau was restructured this past August, its new Executive Director, Miguel Andres Hernandez has been busy laying the ground work to ensure the destination’s future as a serious contender in the business travel industry.
An important element in the CVB’s work is training and presentation by renowned meeting planners and professional congress organizers. On November 13 of this year, the bureau hosted Miguel Harraca, President of the Convention and Visitors Bureaus of Latin America and the Caribbean in a presentation on strategic alliances.
From Nov. 25-27, the CVB partnered with SITE and other Mexican entities to do the first of a number of training aimed to make as many of the member of Puerto Vallarta tourism industry Certified Meetings Specialists. Over 20 members participated in the four-course class in Mexico City. Additional classes with PCMA and other associations are currently being scheduled for 2015.
The CVB has also started working on the development of its own certifications. Designed to create a service norm and standard across the city, it has partnered with local, state and federal institutions to train and certify local businesses. On December 5, the OCV started a certification program that is expected to train more than 2,500 taxi drivers in basic consumer relations, destination representation, language and others. Similar certification are being developed for other suppliers in the destination, including restaurants, hotels, tour operators, etc.
As part of its promotions and PR campaign with the tourism board agency, LATITUDE, the CVB, the Puerto Vallarta International Convention Center, destination hotels and the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board have continued to promote the city’s infrastructure in numerous events throughout the year including AIBTM, IMEX and MPI’s WEC. Puerto Vallarta also becoming an MPI Preferred Partner in April.
Puerto Vallarta is most definitely a destination that will not fail to surprise, taking full advantage of its long list of features and benefits. On a daily basis, it is committed professionally to offer a unique and distinctive product, full of added values, to be a true “Experience Generator” for all those travelers seeking tirelessly for the perfect destination.
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico is one of the main tourist destinations in Mexico for sunny beach vacations. Its unique features, perfect weather and convenient geographical location has made it one of the cities with the best connections by air and sea as well as one of the most visited by travelers from Mexico, USA, Canada, Latin America and Europe.
With more than 22,500 hotel rooms, an active tourist seaport, international airport, more than 300 days of sunshine per year and the traditions of Jalisco: excellent cuisine, tequila, raicilla, mariachi and charrería (rodeo style Mexican cowboys), Puerto Vallarta is a destination that falls in love and outdoes itself every day. Its setting is perfect for cultural, artistic, historical, culinary and adventure travel, for destination weddings, romantic escapes and incentive trips, corporate events, conferences and conventions.
A fantastic International Convention Center and more than 30 hotels offering excellent and warm deals for conference tourism, including meeting rooms and social areas, complement a varied and quality nightlife that boasts some of the best restaurants in the country and endless activities such as adventure and ecological tours, artistic events and sports. Being highly competitive, Puerto Vallarta is also positioned favorably today as one of most popular and quality destinations for medical tourism.
About Puerto Vallarta:
Besides being one of the top 5 tourist destinations in Mexico, Puerto Vallarta offers a wide range of hotels with business services as well as an International Convention Center, all of which is conducive to support a variety of events for all preferences, ranging from work meetings to international conventions. Besides sun, sand and sea, Puerto Vallarta boasts a rich environment to secure the success of your convention. Its geographical location bestows a beautiful, typical Mexican town surrounded by the emerald green mountains of the Sierra Madre and the deep blue sapphire tones of the Pacific Ocean.
Puerto Vallarta Mardis Gras
The glitter and glow of the 2015 Mardi Gras season has officially begun. The OFFICIAL city-sponsored glittery, bead-hurling parade hits the streets on Tuesday night, February 17th. 20,000 spectators and dozens of crowd-wowing entries are anticipated to revel in the fun along the world-famous malecon to ‘Old Town’. Puerto Vallarta Mardi Gras is our time as we come together to celebrate and showcase our diversity. facebook.com/events/593705484040374/
The parade will start just south of the Sheraton (across from the Municipal Stadium) and will travel south along the malecon, through “Old Town” to Olas Altas.
Mardi Gras is a time for celebration and to show the city’s diversity. It is an occasion that unites the advanced with the conventional, the straight with the gay, gratification with religion, and the adolescent with the old. 20,000 spectators enjoyed last year’s parade which featured dozens of crowd-wowing entries. With your continued support, we anticipate even more participation this year.
ACT II’s Voice of Vallarta contestants will serve as the parade’s Grand Marshalls and kick-off the 3.5 kilometer route. Non-profit organizations are able to participate for free and businesses can take part for a nominal $200 peso entry fee. This year, we are offering a $5,000 peso cash prize to the most inventive parade entry so it is time to get creative.
El brillo y el resplandor de la temporada 2015 del carnaval Mardi Gras han comenzado oficialmente. El brillante, desfile de perlas OFICIALMENTE patrocinado por la ciudad sale a la calle la noche del martes, 17 de febrero. 20.000 espectadores y docenas de entradas de multitudes-espectaculares se anticipan para deleitarse con la diversión a lo largo del malecón de fama mundial para “Viejo Vallarta “. El Desfile de Carnaval Mardi Gras es nuestro momento de brillar como nos reunimos para celebrar y mostrar nuestra diversidad.
Spencer Day in Puerto Vallarta
Acclaimed pop/jazz singer/songwriter Spencer Day will be performing at The Palms in Vallarta A LOT in the coming weeks!
Check 2014/2015 dates and tickets!
Acclaimed singer/songwriter Spencer Day returns to his musical roots with his fifth full-length album Daybreak, and his first independent album in seven years. His past two albums were released on the legendary Concord/Jazz label. With Daybreak, Spencer has created an album of signature interpretations of well-loved songs from the 1960’s along with five brand-new compositions written in homage of these classic American tunes.
Puerto Vallarta Gay Pride May 22-26, 2014
“Orgullo Vallarta Pride” is a new annual event
celebrated in May in Puerto Vallarta. It
was launched in 2013 to celebrate the diverse LGBT community that both lives in
and visits Puerto Vallarta, and that over the years has positively influenced
and formed part of its culture, heritage and history.
The LGBT event “Vallarta Pride” will take place this year on
the weekend of May 22 to 26, 2014. Previously it was a 2-day celebration and
will now be expanding into a week-long cultural celebration. Celebrate Puerto
Vallarta and its international population with
music festivals, beach parties, fashion shows, parade, and activities in
participating bars and clubs. Puerto Vallarta is the number one Mexican travel
destination for LGBT tourists.
Puerto Vallarta offers an LGBT inclusive atmosphere in the
Romantic Zone area, in the heart of downtown, which is home to many businesses
that are LGBT-owned and/or target the consumer, including beaches, tours,
activities and restaurants bars and clubs to choose from. LGBT travelers have
the option of choosing from gay friendly resorts, hotels, lodges, bed and
breakfasts and guest houses. One of my favorites is Hotel Mercurio. Nuevo
Vallarta is 20-30 minutes further north and that is where you find the sterile big
chain resorts and this is where the cruise ships dock. I highly suggest you
stay in Romantic Zone to get the true feeling of Mexico and skip the big chain
resorts.
In the Fall of 2013 the state of Jalisco, where Puerto
Vallarta is located, approved a civil union law that allows couples co-habiting
to register their union with the state and allowing for certain rights,
including that of inheritance, property ownership, and medical rights among
others. Puerto Vallarta provides a perfect backdrop for a wedding and a
honeymoon all in one. During the week of pride events there will be a mass
commitment ceremony.
Updates will be posted on their facebook page as the
schedule is announced.
Grand Opening at Di Vino Dante November 22nd!
GRAND OPENING!
Friday, November 22nd
Basilio Badillo 269 A
50% off wine by the glass and tapas 5-7pm
and
20% off wine by the glass and tapas 7-11pm
Hours:
Email: info.divinodante@gmail.
Phone: (322) 223.3734
only accepting cash or
American Express.
Fun Parties at Puerto Vallarta’s Hotel Mercurio!
