Thursday, January 07, 2010

Five Quebecers arrested in Mexico

Five Quebecers arrested in Puerto Vallarta on New Year’s Eve remain behind bars somewhere outside Mexico City, but it is still unclear why they were detained and handed over to military police, and in which way they were subsequently “mistreated."

A spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Canada would not release the names of the five men, but did say that consular officials in Mexico City are now in contact with them and their families in Canada, and have been to visit the detainees twice since their arrest.

The Foreign Affairs department has also contacted its Mexican counterpart, to address allegations of mistreatment and the delay by Mexican authorities in informing the Canadian embassy of the arrests. The detainees were not allowed to make any phone calls themselves until January 4, five days after their arrests.

Posted via web from Puerto Vallarta Mexico

The Riviera Nayarit is founded as a high quality destination

For the fourth consecutive year the Hotel Grand Velas All Suites Resort & Spa Nuevo Vallarta received the Five Diamond Award given by the AAA.

On Friday the Hotel St. Regis Punta Mita will become the third destination hotel in obtaining the distinctive Five Diamond Award.

The Riviera Nayarit is consolidated as a world class destination while its hotels and services earn awards for quality and competitiveness. On Tuesday it was the Hotel Grand Velas All Suites Resort & Spa Nuevo Vallarta's turn to endorse their commitment to the destination for its high standards of quality to get the fourth consecutive year the Five Diamond Award, the highest distinction awarded by the American Automobile Association ( AAA), while on Friday it will receive for the first time the Hotel St. Regis in Punta Mita, which completed its first year of operation.

During the awards for Grand Velas, Tony Perrone, director of the Office for Mexico and the Caribbean of the AAA, stressed the importance that the Riviera Nayarit has succeeded as a tourist destination because recently succeeded in obtaining the second place at more national Five-Diamond awards.

"Less than one percent of the hotels in the world ranked AAA manage to get Five Diamonds, 10 percent of those hotels are in Mexico and the Riviera Nayarit has three of the eleven who will be recognized this 2010, besides having a good number of hotels with the distinctive four-diamond, "said Perrone.

Posted via email from Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Manufacture of the new 2010 license plates Nayarit

When interviewed on Tuesday, Undersecretary of Finance, Domingo Acosta Coronado, reported that currently in development the bidding process to determine which company is awarded the contract for the manufacture of wafers for the new license plates.

The official said that their are several companies participating in the contest, and said they are currently reviewing them to see who makes the best offer.

Furthermore, also seen what will be the design of the new plates, which must be subject to approval of the Governor Ney Gonzalez Sanchez said.

He noted that the front plates sought an image that would give publicity to the Riviera Nayarit, and said perhaps this time will also be a design that serves to promote our organization.

Moreover, Coronado Acosta said that the increase in Value Added Tax of 15 to 16 percent, Nayarit benefit because the state administration will be able to receive more shares by the federal government.

"We must not forget that all federal and local taxes are part of the Federal Fund participate, which translates into more economic support for the state," abounded.

Posted via web from Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Skeet's Beat, a Special Day

I had a very special day last week. I got to take my oldest daughter Lea out on her first saltwater fishing adventure.

While in Puerto Vallarta on vacation, I thought it would be fun to take her out on a father-daughter fishing trip. I booked the trip with our usual captain at www.marlasportfishing.com, not knowing if she would get sea sick. I figured a half-day trip would be a good starting point.

So Tuesday morning we got on the boat and headed out into Bandaras Bay. It didn't take long for the adventure to kick in to full gear when within 2 miles of the ramp we saw our first group of humpback whales. We stopped and watched the mother and her calf for about 10 minutes; Lea was beside herself with a giant smile on her face.

Posted via web from Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Monday, January 04, 2010

Riviera Nayarit to Host the Nextel Bicentennial Edition of The Mexico Cup Regatta!

Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism, the Navy, the State of Nayarit, the Mexico Tourism Board, Fonatur, (Mexico's National Trust for the Promotion of Tourism) and the Mexican Sailing Association will head the official “Bicentennial Edition” of the Mexico Cup Regatta.

This world class event will take place in Riviera Nayarit on February 27th to March 13th 2010, as part of Mexico's Bicentennial Independence celebrations and centennial of the Mexican Revolution. This elite event will continue to position Mexico as the best destination for sail and sport fishing, while at the same time, promote the country's tourism attractions on a national and international level.

This magnificent event will bring together a variety of sectors within Mexico including the participation of government and private initiatives. The Mexico Cup Regatta will set international standards for sailing competitions, generating important benefits for the country's tourism promotion and will also have an important impact within the international nautical community.

Posted via web from Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Puerto Vallarta Explodes With Tourism As We Enter A New Year

Welcome to Puerto Vallarta as we enter the New Year and the next decade. Some of the timeless charms we have here in Puerto Vallarta are the subtle comforts that come with friendly people and a wonderful city spirit.

Puerto Vallarta FishingWelcome to high Season as tourism returns to Puerto Vallarta in full swing. People from all over the world come to our fair city to soak up the sun and escape the stormy winters. This goes for the Whales as well, as they come to the beautiful Bay of Banderas to have their young and mate, visitors have the opportunity to enjoy their presence.

As the seasons change, we see a change in the species of fish available to the traveling angler looking to catch some winter action. Sailfish and Marlin are still in the area and will be for some time. Short trips in the bay will experience the Whales by accident many times and is an extra bonus to a day fishing in the Bay. Jumping Manta Rays, Turtles and of course Bottle Nose Dolphins are also here for the winter as well.

Posted via web from Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Steep discounts at hotels in Puerto Vallarta, Hawaii and beyond

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: Here’s a vacation made easy. On Orbitz, I found a standard room at the Canto del Sol Plaza Vallarta — with meals, drinks, activities, taxes and even tips included — for $166 per night. Through the resort’s website, the same room would cost $224 per night.

Posted via web from Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

An insider's guide to the real Mexico

I called an old boyhood friend, regaling him about a place in the jungle called Puerto Vallarta. The first paved road there from Tepic had just been completed. Using advanced calculus, with gas costing 15 cents a gallon and sleeping on the beach costing nothing, I estimated we could do a two-week trip from San Diego for about $100 each. So off we went in my 1966 VW van with no jack, a case of beer, and four bald tires. I had no idea then that this trip would come to define my life.

This was long before all of the freeway-like toll roads in Mexico, so we drove through every town and village along Highway 15 heading south. The term hadn't been invented yet, but this was "rural tourism."

Beyond Puerto Vallarta: Cabo Corrientes

That first trip I took to Puerto Vallarta spurred a life-long fascination with Mexico that endures today. I recently went back to Puerto Vallarta for about the hundredth time, exploring an area a short distance south of town called Cabo Corrientes. You may know it as home to the town of Yelapa, which was once primarily accessible only by boat. Today, the entire region can be reached by auto, although most of the roads are dirt.

Posted via web from Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Aeromexico cancels remaining Sunport international flight

The Albuquerque International Sunport won't be so international come next week. Its only flight across the border to Mexico is coming to an end.

Less than one year of service to and from Chihuahua, Mexico, and Aeromexico is hitting turbulence. Soon, the airline will cancel its three day a week route which never gained much popularity.

"I think the average was about 20 percent on a 50 seat regional jet so the numbers were really not ever there," stated Daniel Jiron, a Sunport official.

The state was pitching in to subsidize the flight, setting $300,000 dollars aside to pay for up to 23 empty seats. According to state officials, about 175,000 taxpayer dollars will have been spent by the end of this month.

Though the Sunport will keep its "international" designation, officials there envision plenty of sand and sunshine in their future.

"Our numbers definitely show that Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, those types of places definitely have the numbers to support it," said Jiron.

Posted via web from Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Retirees Flock to Mexico for the Sun and the Health Care

Thousands of Americans are increasingly traveling to resort towns like Puerto Vallarta, in Mexico, not for vacation, but for the cheap health care. In many cases, reports Ray Suarez, for care they couldn't afford in the United States.

Posted via web from Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Daily discharge of 80 million pesos, Riviera Nayarit

The sun and beach destinations of the Riviera Nayarit are at 100% and is expected to leave a season of more than 120 million pesos, said the state secretary of Tourism, Mario Basulto Mares.

The state official explained that the data is estimated by the statistical system resulting Datatur of the federal Secretariat of Tourism (Tourism Ministry), which calculates a daily discharge of 80 million pesos.

Mares Basulto said at the end of the season they will have the final statistics from the records of each of the tourist areas, both sun and sand, as in the capital and other municipalities.

He said Nayarit is to close 2009 with a positive return, after it was a difficult year for the sector, while promoting the Riviera Nayarit made by Governor Ney Gonzalez Sanchez gave good results.

The Secretary of Tourism indicated that in other places, like Tepic, hotel occupancy is conservative, since there are two thousand rooms.

To date, the Datatur casts a statewide occupancy of 92%, both sun and beach destinations such as municipalities and the capital.

Via:
http://www.terra.com.mx/articulo.aspx?articuloId=887263&ref=1

Posted via email from Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Friday, December 11, 2009

Second homes: The Mexican Riviera migrates north

You might not find the Riviera Nayarit on a map, because the name was coined just three years ago to describe the 190-mile coastline north of Puerto Vallarta. But development began a decade earlier, and this is now one of the hottest vacation home destinations in Mexico.

Puerto Vallarta sits on the Bay of Banderas, one of the largest bays in Mexico, at the northern tip of the state of Jalisco. A popular cruise port, the city is heavily developed for tourism and day visitors. But just north across the border in the state of Nayarit, more than 30 miles of less-developed beaches line the bay.

Essentially a suburb of Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta is the first community over the border in Nayarit, and as you head north things quickly become more rural. The bay ends with the Punta Mita peninsula, home to Mexico's premier luxury residential community, but the Riviera Nayarit continues north for more than 100 miles.

via:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/secondhomes/2009-12-10-riviera-nayarit_N.htm

Posted via web from Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Seasonal time change in northern border, Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta approved

Although DST will remain the same in the rest of the country, the Chamber of Deputies approved a change in schedule seasonal northern border areas to match, starting next year, the southern states, to not affect daily activities in that region of Mexico.
The Senate still must approve this measure and the DST in the northern borders stretch from the second week of March until the first of November, said Gaston Luque, PAN deputy.
"But it's nothing more to the northern border of this strip, 20 kilometers south.
Deputies also approved eliminating one hour difference between Jalisco and Nayarit on the side of Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta.

Via:
http://www.notisistema.com/noticias/?p=228616

Posted via email from Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Puerto Vallarta Remains One of the World’s Most Coveted, Exotic Retreats

Luxury Destinations: Puerto Vallarta offers visitors a broad spectrum of authentic Mexican experiences, with a wide range of spectacular landscapes, fantastic food (and tequila, of course), and the chance to see some of the rarest animals on land and at sea.

As one of the most responsible, ecotourism locations in the world, doing more to protect and conserve its natural landscape than almost any other destination, Puerto Vallarta stands as a leading example for exotic escapes world-wide. From conservation programs for endangered species to organized eco-awareness days, both the local government and community are involved in taking care of one of the most beautiful areas on earth.

The area has made considerable efforts to protect many of the species that call Puerto Vallarta and its surrounding areas home. Puerto Vallarta is the birthplace of the Humpback Whale and every year, from December to April, humpback whales return to the area to breed. Visitors are offered the once in a lifetime chance to see the whales in their natural environment on a whale-watching excursion in the calm waters of the bay.

via:
http://www.justluxe.com/travel/luxury-vacations/feature-247556.php

Posted via web from Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Thursday, December 10, 2009

At 52, Malcome Farley has a new baby and a new attitude on the way

Brooklyn's beer taps (The Denver Post | CYRUS MCCRIMMON)

Farley, 52, is one of Denver's best-known artists, his name being synonymous with action paintings of sports heroes. He grew up in Denver — except for a stint during junior high school in India, where his parents were teachers and missionaries. He started painting at 4, but he was hoping to become a professional athlete. Painting won out. He's married, again, expecting a new child with his wife, Amoy, 36. They split their time between Denver and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where they are building a school for needy children. He's co-chair of the Mask Project Acquisition Committee, rounding up bold names to paint faces for the Hospice of Metro Denver's gala May 1. "It's like collecting baseball cards," he says. He orders a glass of wine. "A great big red heavy cabernet."

Posted via web from Puerto Vallarta Mexico