Vallarta Lifestyles

Best Musical Makeover: Los Bambinos: From travelling troubadours to overnight sensation, one of Puerto Vallarta's favorite musical groups, goes through a makeover. Check out one of their songs! (Audio)

Best Examples of: Vibrant Aging: Some people are forever youthful, despite their chronological age. Three such individuals are Puerto Vallarta residents, Don Gallery, Beverly Rose and Nelly Barquet.

Best Place to Beat the Munchies After Midnight: Pizza Metro: Think of it as a late-night outlet for La Dolce Vita, its successful Malecon sibling. Open until 4 am, Pizza Metro is a tiny, but extremely popular, stop among the downtown nightclub crowd. Nothing beats a slice of pizza after a night of gallivanting around town. And with over half a dozen varieties to choose from, including vegetarian – a comforting spinach and mushroom combo – Pizza Metro hits the late-night spot.

Best La Cruz Connection: Philo’s: On a typical Thursday evening at Philo’s Music Bar on Calle Delfin in the heart of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, the musicians are tuning up while, in one corner of the palapa-covered space, a group of grinning Mexican children are playing “Simon Says” – in English.

Best Outdoor Activity: Canopy Tours: Exhilarating and educational, this eco-activity has taken off in a big way in the four years since two progressive local companies established tours enticing young and old up into PV’s lush tropical rain forest.

Best Yelapa Connection: Brad Wollman: After 15 years of visiting and ultimately living full-time in Yelapa, Brad Wollman decided to share his considerable expertise with would-be visitors to this pristine village 15 miles southwest of Vallarta.

Best Young Performers: Hannalore Hein & Jayce Johnson: Recently we had the privilege of seeing actors Hannalore and Jayce for the first time in “My Fair Lady,” although they have participated in previous American School annual productions and been active in Puerto Vallarta’s growing theater community.

Best Nightclub: Carlos O’brian’s: Having just celebrated 34 years in Puerto Vallarta, Carlos O’Brian’s, of the Anderson’s chain of restaurants, is without a doubt the best nightclub in town.

Best Beach: That Depends on What You Have in Mind: With some 26 beaches on Banderas Bay’s 34 miles of coastline, there really is no such thing as “the best beach” here. Besides, whatever floats your boat, right? We can, however, give you a heads-up about the best ones for enjoying various pursuits.

Best Vantage Point: Las Carmelitas: From every angle, Puerto Vallarta is stunning — but see it from this breezy mountaintop restaurant, and you’ll be flabbergasted. All of PV, the venues people commonly go to for the views included, is at your feet. And untouched nature is all around you.

A Coconut: From soap to rope and, of course, food and beverages, there are myriad uses for this bowling-ball-sized fruit ubiquitous on tropical beaches around the world — floating on ocean currents, its seeds tend to take root not far from shore.

El Centro Hot Spot: Just one block up from the Malecon, where folks stop to interact with the eclectic Colunga sculptures in front of Las Palomas restaurant, are some of this town’s best browsing, shopping and dining opportunities. And these businesses all have bilingual staff. So, while we can’t say enough good things about our wonderful oceanfront promenade, we encourage you to step away from it long enough to check them out.

The Late Richard Kaplan: Chances are, those of you who have been around for a few years recognize this mountain of a man, a larger-than-life entertainer and promoter of this town he so loved.

Bob Mandel: Making Wishes Come True: Most of us have a lifetime to fulfill our dreams. For children whose existence is threatened by a terminal disease, however, the window of opportunity is small at best, and often reduced further by a family’s limited financial resources. Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the seemingly impossible is realized daily, in order to engender fragile lives with a sense of hope and joy.