Best of Vallarta 2004
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BEST Restoration Idea for 2005:
THE LAS PALOMAS MURAL

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the most faded of us all?" Age has caught up with just about all of the movers and shakers in the Las Palomas wall mural after 15 years’ exposure to humidity and eroding sea air.
A benefit will be held to raise the money to restore it to its original splendor, with the bulk of funds expected to come from those wanting to look their best alongside Liz Taylor, Richard Burton and the other luminaries and cool people gracing the walls of this oceanfront restaurant featured in "Puerto Vallarta Squeeze."



BEST Architectural Idea:
MILANO/MARGARITA'S
Hats off to Milano, the huge, modern sportswear store on Juarez where the authentically Mexican Las Margaritas shopping and dining complex used to be, for leaving the beautiful building’s typical colonial façade untouched. While the inside of the building has been changed dramatically to complement their trendy apparel, the outside, rich with typical brick arches and ornate grillwork, has been preserved for the enjoyment of all of us. This forward thinking “save” gives us hope that perhaps people are finally realizing this town’s best traditions are worth preserving.

BEST New Building:
ISLA CUALE CULTURAL CENTER
The local community needed a venue dedicated to all things cultural for a long time. And now, thanks to the initiative and follow through of María José Zorrilla, former secretary of culture for the city, we have this really nice, comfortable building in an absolutely ideal central location.
This is where people of all ages can learn to make culture part of their lives at accessible prices, experts in their fields teaching photography (there’s a dark room on site), painting, etching, lithography, sculpture, theatre, pantomime, acting, piano (there’s even a baby grand!), guitar, drums and Latin American instruments, with plans calling for a recording studio and courses to be given in elocution and video production.
As well as hosting musical and dance presentations, painting expositions and open air movies, there are theater productions every Saturday and Sunday in the air-conditioned auditorium seating 100, with a second outdoor stage and seating for 600 in the plaza.



MOST Unique Marketing Idea:
MARRIOTT TEQUILA
When it came time to replace its 500 decorative agave plants that had reached the end of their seven-year life cycle, clever staffers came up with a reason for not throwing away the cuttings.
The hearts were harvested, distilled and aged in oak barrels for a year. And then the resulting 100% proof, limited edition, blue agave añejo tequila was bottled with a distinctive Marriott private label and given to surprised VIPs as a very special gift.