Vallarta has come of age in so many aspects recently that chosing topics for this annual Best Of Section is becoming both more challenging and more rewarding.

The area’s astounding growth means an increasing number of options in all categories, so our editorial team has selected things that remind us there is so much to be discovered here. And vibrant living is the thread tying them together, whether it be our youthful entertainment scene, culture in its many guises, or seniors to whom age is merely a number.

So we invite you to learn about those people, places and things that have really bowled us over this year. Simply click on the corresponding link to go to the article.

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.

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 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 Place to Get Branded: Cooper Tattoo More and more visitors are discovering the advantage of getting a tattoo during their Puerto Vallarta vacation, namely significant savings when compared to prices up North.

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 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 Budding Filmmakers: The Vía Team Can you picture a world in which technology dissolves all frontiers between its inhabitants? Local college students Sandra Briones, Alejandro Félix and Jesús Aguirre asked themselves that very same question when they heard of a world-wide short film competition offered by Microsoft last year.

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 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 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.

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 Musical Makeover: Los Bambinos From travelling troubadours to overnight sensation, one of Puerto Vallarta's favorite musical groups, goes through a makeover.

Best Responsive Marketing: Pie in the Sky Recognizing an opportunity when they see it, the owners of this 18-year-old bakery are maximizing their landslide win in the most recent virtualvallarta.com Readers’ Choice poll.

Best After Hours Club: The Zoo If you are a night owl, the Zoo is the place for you. With a 4 to 6 am curfew and an unbelievable atmosphere, the party just never seems to end. The Zoo is Puerto Vallarta’s favorite after-hours club, and on Saturday nights it is packed with both tourists and locals.

Best Place to Buy (and Enjoy): Cigars Demi Moore, Bill Clinton and Sadam Hussein would all feel at home here, enjoying Puerto Vallarta’s incredible selection.

Best Commercial Makeover: Plaza Caracol You’re in for a big surprise on your next visit to this popular 17-year-old plaza in Puerto Vallarta’s northern Hotel Zone, an incredible number of exciting recent changes and additions making it Banderas Bay’s most comprehensive plaza by far.

Best Enduring Recognition: That Given to Sculptor Ramiz Barquet It’s quite a tribute when the governments of two countries — Mexico, the country of his birth, and Lebanon, where his parents were born — honor a man beloved by all who know him.

Best New Dance Craze: Tango Whether you speak English, Spanish, Swahili or all three is irrelevant when it comes to learning tango, the hot, sensuous dance that originated in 19th-century Buenos Aires and has taken PV by storm since tango instructors Barbara and Al Garvey moved to town two years ago.

Best Looking Female Impersonator: Ida Slapter We met because of a tin-foil tiara. I was wearing it while celebrating something or other at the Red Cabbage five years ago, when in sauntered Shane Clabaugh with his entourage.

Best Options for Learning Spanish: Warren Hardy & Solexico Vallarta not only promises fun in the sun and just about any outdoor adventure imaginable, but also is an ideal destination for learning or perfecting Spanish, while enjoying spectacular sunsets, world-class dining and art galleries galore.

Best Place for Free Mariachi Music: Tequila’s Cafe By day, Tequila’s Café on the Malecon offers a panoramic view of Banderas Bay, complete with the spectacle of humpback whales cavorting in the crystalline waters during the winter months.

Best Place for Free Entertainment: Around the Main Square Vallarta offers an abundance of free concerts, plays, movies, dance performances and much more all around the bay.

Best Time to Try New Restaurants: Restaurant Week While any time is a good time to enjoy our thriving and super-varied world-class dining scene (No, folks back home, we are not subsisting on beans and tortillas here!) everyone gets to try some of the best restaurants at low fixed prices during Vallarta Lifestyles’ Restaurant Week, May 15 – 31 every year.