The delightful event A Taste of La Cruz was hosted at the
main plaza in the town of La Cruz de
Huanacaxtle (Benito Juarez plaza) a couple of weeks ago.

 It was a gathering of
local restaurants and many local artisans that are fond favorites of shoppers
at the local craft fairs and farmer’s markets in the bay.

As the Sunday morning market at la Marina La Cruz has come
to an end for the season (although it is set to begin again in November) it was
a great chance to get to see all the well loved participants and stock up on
their goodies before they disappear for the summer. Well known participants
such as Chantel Mann and her Vintage Spoon Jewelry were there among
the restaurants offering excellent food and wine tasting.

The special highlight of the event was the Wine & Food Section offering wine/ food pairing offered by
select restaurants, which was a great success. 

The main plaza, which has been recently renovated, was a
perfect setting to showcase the delights the up and coming area of la Cruz has
to offer its locals and visitors.

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Vallarta.

Photo source: cangomexico.com

As a Londoner myself it is an exciting time of year for me…The
City of London for the London 2012
Olympics could not have hosted the event without being able to showcase its
historical landmarks and city sites. Spectators from all across the globe will
be able to combine their favorite sporting events with sightseeing in one of
the world’s greatest cities.

Beach Volleyball at
the Horse Guard’s Parade. So what can you not like about this sport?
Scantily clad athletic mean and women diving about in a man-made oversized sand
pit (actually 50,000 tons of sand has been imported specially for the event)
against the historical back drop of the location for the changing of the
guards.

Marathon Swimming and
Triathon in the Royal Hyde Park’s Serpentine. Hyde Park will be open to the
public during the events so plenty of spectators are expected to make their way
in and view the athletes competing. The royal park will also be hosting music,
theatre, film and cultural events during the Games.

So as well as the famous names competing  for medals, viewers all around the world will
be able to experience parts of historic London! Coverage is on the free TV
channels here in Mexico and will be running at all hours of the day, giving as
much air time to the events as possible.

There is certainly some hype for the upcoming Olympic Games London 2012 that begin
this week on July 27^th and most of it justified…  what makes London 2012 so different from
other previous Olympic hosts is that the whole city is being used for Olympic Venues. 

It is said that no
spectator will ever be more than 30 minutes away from an Olympic venue. London
has some iconic landmarks too that will make the backdrop for the world’s most
anticipated sporting event.  

Most
importantly for the city is the newly built Olympic Park at Stratford that was,
until work began 7 years ago, a derelict, desolate and deserted part of East
London. Thanks to billions of GB pounds investment and the mantra of sustainability, the park was completed
ahead of schedule and looks to be a lasting legacy for the city. 

Permanent
venues around the edge of the river and its waterways include the fabulous Olympic Stadium, the modern Velodrome and state of the art Aquatics Center were many eagerly
awaited competitive events such as swimming  (where exciting appearances from Michael
Phelps and his teammate Ryan Lochte) will take place.

The Olympic Stadium, home
for many events and the Opening (July 27^th)
and Closing (August 12^th) Ceremony, has a capacity for 80,000
spectators and although not quite as visually spectacular as the Bird’s Nest in
Beijing 2008, the structure is made from only using a quarter of the steel than
in Beijing and low carbon concrete, it is billed as the most sustainable sports
arena ever built. After the games the top layer of stadium seating can be
removed making a capacity of 60,000. Bids from Premier league football teams
are in the pipeline for the post-Olympics period and I am sure the stadium will
not be long without an owner behind it once the games are over.

The legacy of the whole Olympic Park is substantial. It is
the largest urban park created in Europe for over 150 years. While the
permanent structures are up for grabs to be used for public and private
sporting events, a University will be founded in the area along with the
conversion of the Olympic Village into 3,600 new apartments for the city.

The direction of world sporting events is changing and
London 2012 is taking it on full steam ahead.

According to our Multi List System (MLS) stats, the real
estate market here in Puerto Vallarta has considerably improved since 2011. 

It is
important to note that our downturn occurred several months after the initial
problems began in the US housing market, and even took almost a year to filter
down to us here in Mexico, meaning that 2009 wasn’t a bad year for us but 2010
was when the prices stopped climbing and the market turned to a “buyers’
market”. 

Now that we have reached the middle of 2012 the stats show there has been a
positive trend in the first 6 months of this year compared with all of 2011.

Things appear to be picking up across the border in the US, especially in
California and all along the west coast where a lot of our feedback comes from. 

The trickle-down effect is now taking root here too, slower to arrive in Mexico
but here none the less. The highest number of hits reported searching the
internet listings are from California, Texas and Washington in the US and from
Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver in Canada.

For the sellers it is good news, with the market picking up
the sale prices have stabilized and it now seems that sellers are receiving
offers closer to their asking price and can complete the closing in a shorter
period of time.

So what does this mean for the average buyer? Well, if these
trends continue it could mean an end to the current “buyer’s market” in
Vallarta, as the number of sales and the sales prices increase. It is perhaps
the time to buy here before the pace picks up again and we move into another
boom cycle.

If all these numbers are to be believed (no one can know for sure)
things are certainly looking good for the 2012-2013 high season in Vallarta,
let’s hope it stays that way.

Click here to find out more about Puerto Vallarta.

The UK Tourist agency Visit Britain, signed a Memorandum
of Interest with the Mexican Ministry of Tourism this summer. The agreement
focuses on increasing the amount of promotion given to Mexico in the UK and therefore its aim is to increase tourism numbers.

The signing, coming directly after the G20 summit was held in Los Cabos in June, is a huge indication that
the world leaders have officially recognized tourism as a means to create
sustainable employment and generate economic growth and are intending to act on
pledges made. International cooperation such as this one is crucial to building
tourism numbers and securing visitors to the region.

Visit
Britain chairman Christopher Rodrigues said at the press
conference: “Tourism is an industry
that can deliver growth and jobs to both Mexico and Britain, at a time when the
global economic environment looks challenging”.

Under the agreement,
the UK and Mexico will develop tourism initiatives with an emphasis on luxury
travel, adventure, nature, beach, sport and cultural tourism. As we know, Vallarta itself can offer all of these
and much more besides.  Tourism currently
ranks number 3 in Mexico as an income producer.

With more bilateral
agreements in the pipeline, petrol as a dying industry and the hope that
remittances from abroad could soon be a thing of the past… let’s hope it can
overcome these top two in the future! 

Click here to find more about Mexico and Puerto Vallarta.

The high flying British
entrepreneur and charismatic Virgin
Atlantic company owner, Sir Richard Branson, arrived yesterday at the
international airport of Cancun dressed to the nines in a mariachi outfit! This
marks the beginning of the newest direct flights from Europe direct to Mexico.
Virgin Atlantic has begun offering direct flights from London to Cancun and has seen interest levels spike.

Known for its
design-driven fun style and quality service the newest line in Virgin flights
will be a welcome addition to Mexico. 

Virgin America already offers a
direct service from San Francisco airport SFO& Los
Angles International LAX to Cancun CAN and San Jose del Cabo SJD and now we are connecting to the old
continent.

Virgin chief Branson
stated that according to the reservations already in place for this service,
the demand for travel to
Mexico has already increased by a whopping 800%. His team is estimating that each year the route
could bring up to 30,000 British tourists to Mexico. Virgin Atlantic will
travel direct

twice a week on
Tuesdays and Thursdays to Cancun using a Boeing 747 with a capacity to hold 400 travelers.

Personally, I hope
that direct flights to Puerto Vallarta
will begin soon… it would certainly be easier than connecting in Mexico
City or the US. Fingers crossed…

In the news again (aren’t they always) are the Kardashians. With the latest arrival to
the famous family being Kourtney
Kardashian’s second baby, a little girl, Penelope, born today in Los
Angeles.  Watch out World… we have
another Kardashian girl to contend with…

Maybe they will plan their first vacation here in
Mexico?  The same house where the
Kardashian family visited in the summer of 2011, Casa Aramara in Ranchos,
Punta Mita, is also due to be the stage for several of the film’s key
party scenes for the filming of I Break for Gringos, currently being
filmed here in Puerto Vallarta. There is good reason for it too. This beautiful
home, surrounded by the white sandy beach and private enclave is a perfect
retreat to escape the world’s media and prying eyes. Many of the celebrity
elite chose to vacation here in 2011: Charlie
Sheen & Lady Gaga spoke
publically about how much their enjoyed their stay here in the summer and both
chose to return to spend Christmas here too! 

Also in 2011 we saw Joan Rivers, Soleil Moon Frye (better known as Punky Brewster) who are also both
repeat visitors to the area, Jason Wu
the acclaimed clothes designer, actor Courtney
Cox, the French football player of Arsenal fame and later for the MLS, Thierry Henry, and notable others
included Kate Hudson & Felicity Huffman from Desperate Housewives.

So let’s hope the trend continues and this summer in 2012 we
see many more besides…

Photo source: http://www.rivieranayaritblog.com.mx

If the recent celebrity divorce announcement  between
the movie star Tom Cruise and his
wife of 5 years Katie Holmes hasn’t
put you off the idea of marriage altogether then maybe an idyllic destination
is the answer!

Puerto Vallarta is the location
chosen by a growing number of couples as the place to say their vows and
celebrate with family and friends. I can’t say I blame them with probably about
350 days of sun each year, excellent beaches, wonderful settings, sunsets and
some truly fabulous wedding planners
available, if you are set on doing it, then Vallarta is THE place to tie the knot.

Great venues, service,
food and drinks selections all help to make it a truly memorable experience and
the specially trained staff who cater for such events go a long way to help
couples relax and enjoy the big day.

Some of the planners
available include:

Vallarta wedds
planners

Eventful Moments (EM
Vallarta) 

Weddings by Barbara

Vallarta Adventures packages “Adventure Weddings” at Las Caletas

The Dazzling Details

Photo source: www.visitpuertovallarta.com

The global Hotel chain Hilton
Hotels is working hard to finish their newest Hotel right here in Puerto
Vallarta, Mexico. The Hotel Hilton
Puerto Vallarta is currently in the last stages of construction in the
Hotel Zone right next to the NH Hotel
Kristal and Icon by Philippe Starck.
The Hotel has an estimated investment of $40m USD, so this is great news for
Mexico and our local area. 

The project was presented at the Tiangis
Turistico held here in Puerto Vallarta in March this year. Along with
the recently inaugurated Secrets Hotel,
part of the Dreams Hotel chain (already on our south shore), this makes the
Hilton the newest hotel to be built in the area after years of stagnation. Designed
by renowned Elias Elias AR architects,
the Hotel Hilton Puerto Vallarta has
259 luxury rooms and modern suites and a state of the art conference centre to
help attract international business
travelers.  In addition, the hotel
will be fully equipped with gourmet dining offering several options: the “Sea fire”
international cuisine, “La Catrina” Mexican restaurant, “Cinque Terre” with
Italian specialties and “The Beach” and “O West Lounge”
offering selections of martinis, tapas and spectacular views of the bay.

With the inauguration due in the month of
July, does this mean that the celebrity icon Paris Hilton will be making a personal appearance in this area very
soon? 

We shall have to wait and see…

Looking for a big catch? Well, Vallarta has what you need.

From June
to November is when the warmer waters of the Pacific are a great place to head
for the big catch. All year round the waters of the Banderas Bay are home to
snapper, yellow fin tuna, mahi mahi, sailfish, marlin and sierra but during the
summer it is time for the big’ns!

The more proficient fishermen can head for
the high seas for a full day boat charter to track down the large yellow fin or
blue and black marlin out in El Banco or Corbeteña.  Or, if a half day charter is more your style,
stay inside the bay and you should get plenty of looks to catch mahi mahi and
the fun dancing sailfish that migrate through these waters in the summer.

 If
you’re not into deep sea fishing then you can even take a full day charter out
to the freshwater reservoir south of Vallarta at Cajon de Peña (2 hrs south),
nestled high in the Sierra Madre Mountains.

So, whatever your style or skill, Puerto Vallarta has something for you.

Want to find more things to do in Puerto Vallarta? Check out our past blog posts here.