Many of the nicest Puerto Vallarta villas feature fine art as part of the décor, and much of that artwork is created by local and Mexican artists. Some of the nicest work is created from clay – that’s right, pottery.
You’ll see all sorts of pottery as you comb the galleries and shops in town – the unique pleasing shapes and distinctive colorful glazes help to identify where each piece was made. Some pottery can be relatively inexpensive. If you are purchasing pottery as an investment in art, however, consider spending a bit more and look at some of the work that comes from the town of Mata Ortiz.
In Puerto Vallarta, you’ll find only one or two shops that sell the genuine article, including the Mata Ortiz Art Gallery at Lázaro Cárdenas 268-A. The Galeria de Ollas at Corona 176 also deals in work from Mata Ortiz. Take your time in selecting a piece; keep looking until you find one that touches you in a special way.
Mata Ortiz pottery is enjoying a rebirth in popularity in the United States; collectors prize the hand-coiled pots for their modern designs derived from centuries old cultural traditions and processes. That combination of ancient and contemporary adds just the right touch to many lovely Puerto Vallarta villas, and it’s a touch that you can find for your own home.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Marina Vallarta or Maritime Terminal?
If you chose well, you can see Banderas Bay from your Puerto Vallarta villa rental. You can watch the water change from black to gray to golden at sunrise and reverse the process at day’s end. You can see the sails of tall ships and pirate ships from your patio. When your curiosity gets the best of you, it’s time to get yourself down to the water’s edge and check it out.
Marina Vallarta is a bit of a different world than El Centro in the city. Okay, it’s not that different – you can shop for treasures, dine on everything from ceviche to Italian gourmet dishes, get a massage or a manicure. It’s a quiet, lovely residential area on the north end of town.
When you’re looking for a bit of quality outdoor time, space to walk and talk, Marina Vallarta is the place to come. You might find that the relative quiet of the beaches north of the golf course is more your speed than the party at Los Muertos Beach. Or you may just want to test the sand at the Marina Vallarta Golf Club.
FYI, the facility known as the Maritime Terminal is different than Marina Vallarta. The large watercraft (yachts, ships) are mostly to be found at the maritime terminal. So if you’ve booked an evening away from your Puerton Vallarta villa rental, spent in the company of pirates or on a guided bay cruise, head for the terminal.
Marina Vallarta is a bit of a different world than El Centro in the city. Okay, it’s not that different – you can shop for treasures, dine on everything from ceviche to Italian gourmet dishes, get a massage or a manicure. It’s a quiet, lovely residential area on the north end of town.
When you’re looking for a bit of quality outdoor time, space to walk and talk, Marina Vallarta is the place to come. You might find that the relative quiet of the beaches north of the golf course is more your speed than the party at Los Muertos Beach. Or you may just want to test the sand at the Marina Vallarta Golf Club.
FYI, the facility known as the Maritime Terminal is different than Marina Vallarta. The large watercraft (yachts, ships) are mostly to be found at the maritime terminal. So if you’ve booked an evening away from your Puerton Vallarta villa rental, spent in the company of pirates or on a guided bay cruise, head for the terminal.
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Bus Goes Everywhere in Puerto Vallarta
Did you know you can get along just fine without a car while you’re staying in a villa rental Puerto Vallarta? It’s true – the busses can take you just about any place you want to go. It’s a great way to get around: you don’t have to wonder where you’ll park the car and you’ll get to see the city while someone else does the driving.
Ah, you say, but I want to spend a day in _____ (you fill in this blank). It’s pretty hard to name a place in the region that doesn’t have bus service. Whether you’re headed north to Sayulita for some surfing or south past Conchas Chinas, you can hop on a bus that’s going that direction.
They probably don’t stop directly in front of your villa rental Puerto Vallarta, but busses run along the city’s major routes; stops are clearly marked by square blue signs. If you want to get to the downtown area, catch a bus marked “El Centro.” To get to the beaches on the south end of town, take a bus marked “Tunel,” just know that your route will take around the restaurants and shops in town.
One of the nicest things about riding the bus – the price. You can get to almost any destination for just a few pesos.
Ah, you say, but I want to spend a day in _____ (you fill in this blank). It’s pretty hard to name a place in the region that doesn’t have bus service. Whether you’re headed north to Sayulita for some surfing or south past Conchas Chinas, you can hop on a bus that’s going that direction.
They probably don’t stop directly in front of your villa rental Puerto Vallarta, but busses run along the city’s major routes; stops are clearly marked by square blue signs. If you want to get to the downtown area, catch a bus marked “El Centro.” To get to the beaches on the south end of town, take a bus marked “Tunel,” just know that your route will take around the restaurants and shops in town.
One of the nicest things about riding the bus – the price. You can get to almost any destination for just a few pesos.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Laptop Lovers Find a Place in Puerto Vallarta
It seems a shame that you thought you needed your computer with you on holiday. It’s not a problem, though, because folks who stay in vacation rentals in Puerto Vallarta have access to a variety of internet connections around town.
No one will ever understand how you can sit and stare into that screen when Banderas Bay is just a stone’s throw away. It’s your call though, and if that’s what it takes to make you a happy camper, go for it. There are a couple of wifi hot spots in town, not far from the vacation rentals in Puerto Vallarta; you might find them comfortable as your home away from home.
No one will ever understand how you can sit and stare into that screen when Banderas Bay is just a stone’s throw away. It’s your call though, and if that’s what it takes to make you a happy camper, go for it. There are a couple of wifi hot spots in town, not far from the vacation rentals in Puerto Vallarta; you might find them comfortable as your home away from home.
- You can surf the web and enjoy the occasional adult beverage when you might visit one of the local bars that offers an internet connection. Que Pasa (Aquiles Sedan 625) and PV Café.com (Olas Altos 250) can both get you set up; all you need to do is purchase a beer or margarita.
- Early risers who want a cup of coffee with their internet can stop in at Dee’s Coffee Co. (Rodolfo Gomez 120 in the Zona Romantica); visitors recommend the cinnamon rolls, too. And if you must, you can visit Starbucks in the Peninsula Plaza.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Gringo Gulch's Interesting Past - and Present
Stay in one of the vacation rentals in Puerto Vallarta and eventually you’ll start to hear some buzz about Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and their love nest in a part of town known as Gringo Gulch. In days gone by, in this neighborhood, wealthy folks from north of the border built their villas and started a little colony of gringos.
The Zaragosa neighborhood (the real name for Gringo Gulch) has transformed into a family community. It features traditional-style homes built of adobe, and most of them boast covered patios that lure people outside to enjoy Puerto Vallarta’s wonderful evening breezes. Today, this is a place where real people – and their children and relatives and pets – live real lives.
Zaragosa is a lively place, and tourists continue to drop by to get a feel for how the upper crust once spent their days and nights. In fact, a number of vacation rentals in Puerto Vallarta are located here, which is nice, because the area is close to a couple of popular restaurants, the Café Roma at Encino 287 and Club Roxy at Ignacio L. Vallarta 217. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by for a beverage, a meal and some conversation.
The Zaragosa neighborhood (the real name for Gringo Gulch) has transformed into a family community. It features traditional-style homes built of adobe, and most of them boast covered patios that lure people outside to enjoy Puerto Vallarta’s wonderful evening breezes. Today, this is a place where real people – and their children and relatives and pets – live real lives.
Zaragosa is a lively place, and tourists continue to drop by to get a feel for how the upper crust once spent their days and nights. In fact, a number of vacation rentals in Puerto Vallarta are located here, which is nice, because the area is close to a couple of popular restaurants, the Café Roma at Encino 287 and Club Roxy at Ignacio L. Vallarta 217. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by for a beverage, a meal and some conversation.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Independence Day in Puerto Vallarta
You have great timing if you’ve planned your Mexican vacation for the middle of September, because the 15th and 16th of that month is the festival known as El Grito de Dolores. You might think of it as Mexico’s Independence Day, so get checked into your villa rental Puerto Vallarta and get ready to join in the festivities.
The word “Grito” means cry or shout in Spanish, and Mexicans call their celebration “El Grito” in commemoration of the rallying cry of the parish priest in the village of Dolores who launched a movement to drive the Spanish out of Mexico in 1810. The violent revolution that followed lasted more than a decade, but when it was over, Mexico was in charge of its own fortunes.
The celebration of independence, or Las Fiestas Patrias, lasts for two days. It’s traditional for the president of Mexico to lead his countrymen in the patriot’s cry, “Mexicans, viva Mexico,” on the 15th at 11:00 p.m. You’ll have a chance to experience the “grito,” led by the city’s mayor, and you might be able to see the fireworks from the patio of your villa rental Puerto Vallarta.
The next day is marked by a variety of celebratory events, including rodeos, parades and street dances. The fiesta is so important that you’ll find many businesses closed on the 16th. Your best bet is to sit back and enjoy the party.
The word “Grito” means cry or shout in Spanish, and Mexicans call their celebration “El Grito” in commemoration of the rallying cry of the parish priest in the village of Dolores who launched a movement to drive the Spanish out of Mexico in 1810. The violent revolution that followed lasted more than a decade, but when it was over, Mexico was in charge of its own fortunes.
The celebration of independence, or Las Fiestas Patrias, lasts for two days. It’s traditional for the president of Mexico to lead his countrymen in the patriot’s cry, “Mexicans, viva Mexico,” on the 15th at 11:00 p.m. You’ll have a chance to experience the “grito,” led by the city’s mayor, and you might be able to see the fireworks from the patio of your villa rental Puerto Vallarta.
The next day is marked by a variety of celebratory events, including rodeos, parades and street dances. The fiesta is so important that you’ll find many businesses closed on the 16th. Your best bet is to sit back and enjoy the party.
Puerto Vallarta’s Good Burgers
You know what they say, you can lead a person to stay in a luxury villa rental Puerto Vallarta, but you can’t make him give up his taste for ground meat. Or something like that. Anyway, if you absolutely must take a break from local cuisine, you’ll be happy to learn that there are a number of places to get a good burger in Puerto Vallarta.
Three restaurants, in particular, come pretty highly recommended. Dick’s Halfway Inn Bar and Grill at Basilio Badillo 287 has a large selection of burgers that will clog your arteries and satisfy your cravings. Mama Dolores Diner in the Zona Romantica at Olas Altas 534B serves a mean traditional burger. And Steve’s Sports Bar and Grill (Basilio Badillo 286) will serve up the NFL and NASCAR with that burger. Just be careful, in case they take your picture.
You might also ask the chef at your luxury villa rental Puerto Vallarta if it’s possible to get a burger and fries, although that seems a terrible waste of a good chef. Still, if that’s what you want, they’re here to see to it that you get it. Remember, the love handles that go along with that meal are your own alone.
Three restaurants, in particular, come pretty highly recommended. Dick’s Halfway Inn Bar and Grill at Basilio Badillo 287 has a large selection of burgers that will clog your arteries and satisfy your cravings. Mama Dolores Diner in the Zona Romantica at Olas Altas 534B serves a mean traditional burger. And Steve’s Sports Bar and Grill (Basilio Badillo 286) will serve up the NFL and NASCAR with that burger. Just be careful, in case they take your picture.
You might also ask the chef at your luxury villa rental Puerto Vallarta if it’s possible to get a burger and fries, although that seems a terrible waste of a good chef. Still, if that’s what you want, they’re here to see to it that you get it. Remember, the love handles that go along with that meal are your own alone.
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