Vallarta Lifestyles

Best Cultural Ambassadors: Xiutla Folkloric Dance Troupe: It’s been 13 years since Puerto Vallarta’s Xiutla Folkloric Dance Troupe was founded. In that time, approximately one million people have enjoyed their performances locally, throughout Mexico and around the world; Xiutla de facto becoming Puerto Vallarta’s most important cultural ambassadors.

Best Parking Idea: Downtown Valet Parking: If you’ve been having misgivings about enjoying a night on the town due to Puerto Vallarta’s increasing traffic, we have good news for you: Puerto Vallarta’s El Centro area may very well be the first in the whole country to offer its own valet parking.

Best New Boating Guide: Vallarta Nautica: Designed to make the cruising lifestyle a lot more fun and interesting on Banderas Bay, since being featured in the Seven Seas Cruising Association’s Commodore’s Newsletter, “Vallarta nautica” is being sought by folks the world over who want to get their hands on this helpful annual glossy!

Best Business with Least Open Hours: Taqueria in La Cruz: At six o’ clock sharp, the smell of delicious roasting meat becomes noticeable and people are anxiously waiting in line for Tacos on the Street to open. This singular La Cruz de Huanacaxtle restaurant has been operated for the past 12 years by the husband and wife team of Jorge Armando Díaz and Raquel Gómez.

Best Promising Tennis Player: Thais Romero: Sharp and experienced, two words that perfectly define young Thais Romero, one of the most promising players in the international tennis world. Thais came to Puerto Vallarta when she was six years old, the age when she started playing tennis.

Best Way to Get Sand in Your Shoes Without Going to the Beach: Azul 96: Hedonistic avant-gardism awaits all who venture atop this cutting edge new restaurant. The open-air Sky Sushi Bar’s design concept nothing less than brilliant – a retractable roof letting you enjoy the place all year long – absolutely every detail reiterates the ultra chic venue’s oh-so-desirable resort setting.

Best New Reason to Take a Cruise: Maritime Terminal Expansion: It’s been a long time in the making but the completion of Puerto Vallarta’s Maritime Terminal expansion to accommodate three full-size cruise ships at a time is nothing but breathtaking.

Best New Use for an Old Building: Maritime Museum: When in downtown Puerto Vallarta, you can visit Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, stroll the Malecon and enjoy a beautiful sunset. And now you also can visit the Maritime Museum, which is sponsored by the Mexican Navy and opened its doors to the public last year.

Best New Reason to Fly: Airport Expansion: Recent upgrades at Puerto Vallarta’s international airport, named for former Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz (1964-1970), have greatly improved the quality of service offered to national and international travelers arriving to our paradise.

Best Reason to Explore the Bay: New Docks: Let’s face it: Getting on or off a small motorboat (or panga, as we call them) without the use of a dock is not for the faint hearted, particularly on a windy day. And yet, we’ve seen people using them regularly to explore Puerto Vallarta’s South Shore.

Best New Promising Event: Vallarta Wine Fest: The culture of good wines, their history and manufacturing process were the main topics of the Vallarta Wine Fest, Jalisco and Nayarit. This is the latest festival to reach our shores and a new option for promoting Banderas Bay worldwide.

Best New Excuse to Walk Around Puerto Vallarta: Malecon Extension: Long a destination in itself, the Malecon meanders along the edge of Banderas Bay. And now it’s possible to stroll this “boardwalk” from the historic Hotel Rosita at the north end of town past the Los Muertos pier and farther south – all without having to shake sand out of shoes.

Best Storyteller: Lee “Lencho” Chapmpman: Oral and written storytelling traditions are well and good, but painting blueprints for the imagination in his folkloric “Lencho” style is the one that comes most naturally to this teller of tales.

Best New Canine Congregation: Daiquiri Dick’s Pet Picnic: Dogs ruled in December at PV’s first-ever charity picnic designed just for them, canines big and small and some 60 devoted owners sharing good times and delicious doggie bag lunches on the beach. The brainchild of videographer Laura Gelezunas and restaurant owners Peter and Tari Bowman, it shows that working out sparks great ideas.