There is no question that Puerto Vallarta is a great destination for a family vacation, but a stay in a Puerto Vallarta villa rental can be an incredibly rewarding experience for a party of adults, too. A nice feature of playing in the company of other, so-called ?grown-ups? is the chance to enjoy some of the advantages of advancing age away from the prying eyes of youngsters who never miss a thing.

Ain?t It Great to be All Grown Up?
Among the pleasures of adult-hood is the opportunity to partake of grown-up libations on occasion, and who says that a late afternoon spent around the private pool of your Puerto Vallarta villa rental isn?t an occasion? You only need ask, and you?ll find someone among the staff who can help you build a perfect drink. If you want to go traditional Mexico, you?ll probably find yourself sipping something that includes tequila, the national drink of Mexico, in the mix.

Ah, but what if you prefer to savor the liquid taste of Mexico in a more public setting? Any number of restaurants, bars and nightclubs can mix a drink for you and your friends. Before you start ordering, it might not be a bad idea to understand what?s in that drink, though. To mix a margarita, your bartender will mix tequila, cointreau, and fresh lemon juice, poured into a frosted glass rimmed with salt.

Depending on how far you trust other drinkers? opinions, you can partake of what is said to be the Best Margarita in Puerto Vallarta. Folks who responded to the local Reader?s Choice awards survey anointed Daiquiri Dick?s at Los Altas 314 in El Centro as the margarita champ. El Arrayan, also in El Centro at Allende 344, came in as runner-up. According to an unscientific and unofficial survey, a remarkably good margarita can be had at Steve?s Sports Bar at Basilio Badillo 286, as well.

What Did You Call that Drink?
Mexico has made another contribution to the imbibers of the world ? Kahlua. When you choose drinks made with this smooth coffee-flavored liqueur, be careful ? these yummy concoctions go down way to easily. Those who are determined to en joy only those things in Mexico that originate in Mexico might try a sip of the unfortunately-named Cockroach: 1

What do you look for in a dream vacation? Are you an adventure traveler who wants an opportunity to experience new thrills? Do you love to soak up new and exotic cultural experiences? Can you picture yourself relaxing by the water, moving only to retrieve a cold beverage? If you answered “yes” to any one of these questions, consider a visit to Puerto Vallarta.

Puerto Vallarta is one of the friendliest and most diverse resort destinations in the world. Great food, scenic beauty, warm ocean breezes – it’s all here. This lovely city on the Bay of Banderas on Mexico’s Pacific coast offers you a chance to write your own vacation story against a backdrop of warm people, fascinating sights, and sandy beaches.

Naturally, you are going to need a place to stay, a place that reflects the natural beauty and vibrant life of the area. In this regard, you’re in luck. Puerto Vallarta is known for its many lovely and luxurious vacation villas — fully staffed, private accommodations located in the city’s finest neighborhoods.

Villa Encantada is one of the finest vacation villa Puerto Vallarta. Close to the city’s perfect beaches and lively nightlife, Villa Encantada is set in lush tropical surroundings above the hustle and bustle of town. Here, you can relax beside your own private pool, enjoy meals prepared by a private chef, and enjoy all that the city has to offer.

The expansive villa offers guests five bedroom suites, so there is ample room for the entire family or a group of friends. On the other hand, the environment positively breathes romance, so the two of you may not want to share the space at all! Dine al fresco beside the pool in the glow of warm lights and let the rest of the world slip away.

The combination is nearly irresistible – a visit to Puerto Vallarta coupled with a stay at a gorgeous vacation villa like Villa Encantada. The climate is gorgeous year-round, the entertainment never ends, and your stay in this magnificent villa will create a lasting impression. As the city becomes ever more popular as a get-away destination, it makes sense to reserve your time at Villa Encantada well in advance.

As you settle in to your beautifully furnished home away from home and watch the sun set over the bay for the first time, you’ll discover that you were cut out for life in a Villa Rental Puerto Vallarta!

Among the most moving and jubilant holidays around the world are those that celebrate great moments in a nation?s history. Book a Mexico Vacation Villa Rental in Puerto Vallarta in mid-September and you will have an opportunity to take part in a series of special events that commemorate Mexico?s successful bid for independence from Spain in 1810. Their victory was a hard one, and they recognize it with gusto.

El Grito de Dolores
It took the Spanish Crown nearly three centuries, but by the early 1800s, it had managed to put together a record of human relations that was remarkable for its failures. On 16 September 1810, in response to Spanish mistreatment of indigenous people and those of mixed blood, the parish priest in the village of Dolores in central Mexico rang his church bells and called his followers to revolt. His cry (grito), ?Mexicanos, viva Mexico!? (?Mexicans, long live Mexico!?) became the movement?s rallying call.

The story of the Mexican revolution isn?t pretty, and history tells us that Father Hidalgo soon regretted his role in it. Nonetheless, the priest was and is recognized as a leader and hero of the revolution. The Mexican patriots continued their fight for more than a decade under the banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a native patron saint depicted as a woman of color, and Father Hidalgo?s ?Cry of Dolores? before they won their cause.

Celebration in the Streets
Cinco de Mayo has become something of a national holiday in the southwestern United States, much like St. Patrick?s Day in the Northeast. That date isn?t nearly as important in Mexico as Las Fiestas Patrias, Mexican Independence Days, which fall on 15 and 16 September. Every year at 11:00 p.m. on 15 September, the President of Mexico leads his countrymen in Father Hidalgos? cry, ?Mexicanos, viva Mexico!? The next day is a day of official ceremonies and military parades, bullfights, rodeos and dancing in the streets.

In Puerto Vallarta, the celebration starts on the 15th in the Plaza Principal and along the Malec

A beautiful woman meets the handsome man of her dreams in a chance encounter 10,000 miles from home.

Perhaps you can’t afford to live in Malibu, but if you can afford to drive a Malibu, read on; you are about to be introduced to a lifestyle in Paradise equal to or better than Malibu at a fraction of the cost!

In 1997 we purchased a beautiful, newly constructed villa located in the Sierra Madres overlooking Banderas Bay and El Centro, the downtown area of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. During the first four years of living in PV, we doubled the size of the villa bringing it to nearly 20,000 square feet of construction. It has been featured in a number of architectural books and real estate magazines and was shown many times on the nationally syndicated TV program, “Famous Homes and Hideaways”.

That being said, a very unusual incident recently occurred when we received a phone call from a film studio in Mexico City requesting an opportunity to preview our villa with a group of executives from the Disney Company in Los Angeles. They were searching for the ideal set for filming a new project titled “South of the Border” which is to be released in 2008. It is cute story about a Beverly Hills socialite that lost her chihuahua while visiting a spa in Mexico. The story was actually taken from the true story about Paris Hilton and the pup that she thought was stolen but was left with her grandmother. The folks from Disney toured the villa, loved what they saw, but rejected it as a possible movie set. The story is to take place in Beverly Hills and they said that although the villa is furnished like the finest mansions in Beverly Hills, the location was too much like Malibu. Since our villa is not going to be the movie set for “South of the Border”, as a consolation, we’ll just have to continue living in an area just like Malibu!

Recently, we had a realtor friend from Santa Cruz, California visit us. After touring our villa, she informed us what she estimated the selling price would be if we were in Malibu. We are absolutely flabbergasted every time that we’re told that our villa would sell for three or four times as much if it were in California. In all probability, we couldn’t afford to live there! Located on the Mexican Riviera, our view in Vallarta is equal to or better than Malibu and the weather is substantially better during the seven month “high season” of November through May.

In Vallarta there are thousands of new houses and tens of thousands of new condos, all having sweeping views of Banderas Bay, El Centro or downtown, and the Sierra Madres. Palm trees, flowering amapa trees, orchids, bougainvilleas, and other tropical vegetation abound. Multi-colored parrots and tropical birds are routinely seen as they live in the neighborhoods of Vallarta.

The climate has to be one of the finest on the planet with an average daily temperature of 73°F, highs of 83°F and lows of 64°F, during the “high season”. There is normally one wet day per month during that period with an average of .6 inch of rain, which if it occurs, will do so in the evening.

The houses and condos in PV include all the amenities found in any houses or condos in the States, however, their costs are approximately half of what they are in Florida and a third of what they are in California. Malibu, forget it! Property taxes are .1% of the selling price. During the ten years that we’ve lived here, there have been no property tax hikes and no property revaluations, even though values have tripled.

It’s difficult to imagine what the property taxes on our villa would be if it were located in Malibu. As another note of interest, you pay no capital gains tax on the sale of property in PV if you can show that it was your primary residence for more than five years. On the downside, mortgages are somewhat difficult to obtain and therefore, most properties are paid for in full upon purchase. Also, when living on the Mexican Riviera, foreigners do not receive title and deed to their property. Instead, the property is held in a 50 year trust where we have the exclusive right to usage. Unfortunately, we’ll probably not survive the 50 year period, however if we do, it will be automatically renewed for another 50 year period. Upon death, our heirs receive the trust and can renew it for another 50 years. Upon sale, the buyer sets up a new 50 year trust. The trust is as safe as holding title and deed and is virtually untouchable by any entity.

Perhaps we can’t afford to live in Malibu but maybe, just maybe, we have something here in the Paradise known as Vallarta that is a little nicer than anything in Malibu!

By now, you’ve undoubtedly heard about Casa Kimberly, the villa on Calle Zaragoza in Puerto Vallarta that Richard Burton purchased for Elizabeth Taylor in the 1960s. It’s probably not far from your Puerto Vallarta Vacation Rental, and it’s well worth a visit, just to see how the rich and famous lived back in the day.

You may not know, however, that Casa Kimberly is part of a neighborhood called Gringo Gulch (polite folks may refer to it as the Zaragoza neighborhood). In this part of town, overlooking the Rio Cuale, other members of the leisured classes from the United States chose to build villas of their own so they could enjoy the many special treats that the city had to offer.

A Neighborhood with Real Roosters
Many of the homes in the neighborhood were designed by Guillermo Wulff, the guy who designed the sets for Night of the Iguana (another Hollywood connection). They are largely built in the Mexican fashion, constructed of adobe blocks and covered with stucco, and cool breezes bring residents out on their patios and porches in the evening. Gringo Gulch is not so much an exclusive landing place for wealthy Americans these days; instead, it is a real residential neighborhood, with everything that entails – laughing children, barking dogs, loud celebrations and roosters announcing the new day.

The neighborhood continues to attract visitors who have a bit of a curious bone. The quaint cobblestone streets may be a menace for bicyclists, but if you take it cautiously, they shouldn’t be too much of a deterrent to a nice little walking tour of the area. There is a payoff for taking on the challenge of the steep streets: Gringo Gulch is pretty close to downtown and to the Zona Romantica, so you can finish your tour at one of the popular spots.

Café Roma at Encino 287 gets rave reviews from everyone who stops in for a pizza or a cold beverage. The staff is very nice, the prices are reasonable, and food is reportedly great. Club Roxy in the Zona Romantica at Ignacio L. Vallarta 217 is a popular nightclub that makes music for fans of all ages. There is no cover charge and devoted fans report that the house band is great.

Your Puerto Vallarta Vacation Rental, with its patio and hot tub, may seem light years away from the lively street life of Gringo Gulch. It’s all Mexico, though, and it’s all good.

By: Jim Scherrer

Some historians trace the sport of golf back to the Roman game of paganica, in which participants used a bent stick to hit a stuffed leather ball; however, according to the most widely accepted account, the modern game originated in Scotland around the 12th century with shepherds knocking stones into rabbit holes on the current site of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. The actual sport became officially recognized in 1754 when the Scots formed the organization known as the Society of St Andrews Golfers.

Since then, the game has grown in popularity to the point where there are currently more than 32,000 courses worldwide, of which approximately 17,000 are in the United States. Golf is now rapidly gaining popularity in the newly developing countries like China where there are currently less than 300 courses, however hundreds more are under contract; either in the design phase or under construction.

Since golf courses have 18 holes, the 32,000 courses would have a total of 576,000 holes; so let’s assume there are 600,000 golf holes in the world. Each hole may have as many as five or more tee boxes (women, geezers, regular men, championship, pro, etc) but most have only one green. Therefore, we can assume there are at least 600,000 golf greens in the world.

Almost all of these greens are merely an extension of the fairway where the grass is mowed very short and the cup is placed. There are probably less than 1,000 of these 600,000 greens that are islands. In fact, most of these “island” greens are actually manmade peninsulas with a narrow walking path to the green. They are surrounded by water but are still connected to the course by the walking path. It is estimated that there exists only a few hundred greens in the world that are true islands, surrounded by water on all sides and connected to land by a bridge.

Now, for the really interesting fact; there is only one “natural island” green out of the 600,000 greens in the world. It is the third hole at the beautiful Pacifico Course at the Four Seasons Resort in Punta Mita, Mexico, located about 25 miles from Puerto Vallarta. This world class course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, meanders along the Banderas Bay and the Pacific Ocean with incredible views on almost every hole. It is such a magnificent tract that in 2008 it was named the top resort course in the world by Conde Nast magazine.

The third hole at the Pacifico course actually has two greens, #3a and #3b; the first is a normal green while the second is the natural island green. The island is a lava rock formation about 200 yards from the mainland that has access only when the tide is out. When the tide is in and the special amphibian cart is unavailable, the golfers play to the #3a green. When the tide is out and you have sufficient skill and an adequate supply of balls, the #3b green provides one of the most challenging and memorable par three holes in the world. This hole is commonly referred to as “The Tail of the Whale”.

For those of us that have been golfing for many years and have played hundreds of courses, there are only a few holes that leave memorable impressions that we’ll never forget. Most often these are very special holes that we’ve seen the pros play on television or holes that absolutely take your breath away as you stand on the tee box. These are generally the longer par 4 or par 5 holes with exaggerated elevation changes, beautiful mountain scenes, or over water tee shots. Very few par 3 holes leave such a memory, however #3b at the Pacifico course is definitely one of them; it’s a sight that you’ll never forget.

One of the most intimidating shots in golf is the approach shot to an island green surrounded by water; it leaves very little room for error! Now, try a 200 yard shot to an island green nestled in a lava rock formation that resembles a catcher’s glove out in the Pacific Ocean. If that’s not enough challenge, throw in a gentle breeze off the Sierra Madres or a nice gust of wind off the ocean and you’ll have your hands full; bring plenty of balls! (The tide was in and the amphibian cart was unavailable the day we played this hole; so after hitting the green with our tee shots, we merely gave each other the putts for birdies, left the balls on the green, and proceeded to the fourth hole!)

The scenic Pacifico course at Punta Mita will soon be joined by the almost completed Bahia course, also designed by Jack Nicklaus and also having incredible Pacific Ocean and Banderas Bay views with the city and the Sierra Madres as a back drop. Another brand new course located in Litibu, only a couple miles north along this stretch of the Mexican Riviera, is the brand new Litibu Golf Club course that was designed by Greg Norman.

These three beautiful courses located along the Riviera Nayarit, combined with the other six fine courses in Puerto Vallarta, make the region a true golfing destination. There are also a number of new courses in the planning stages that will, in all probability, bring the total to more than a dozen resort courses for visitors to play in Greater Vallarta within three years.

Ten years ago, you would seldom see golf bags arriving at the small international airport in Puerto Vallarta; this is no longer the case, with the baggage carrousels at the huge modern new airport terminal delivering golf bags all day every day, as the golfing tourists flock to this golfing Paradise south of the border.

So, if you golfers want to have the time of your life, bring your sticks to PV where you’ll find seven months of monotonous winter weather, from November through May, when the average daily temperature is 73*F with virtually no rain. You’ll have nine incredible courses to play and if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to include the unforgettable #3b hole at Pacifico; the hole with the world’s only natural island green.

During the first part of the 19th century in Mexico, at the mouth of the Cuale River, inhabited mostly by crocodiles and practically no human dwellers, lay a hidden gem.

Puerto Vallarta. Isolated from the rest of the world by the ocean, rugged sierra and American river. With silver mines and salt in the towns of Cuale, San Sebastian and Mascota, Puerto Vallarta was a secret hideaway waiting to be discovered.

From a quaint little fishing village in the 1920s with barely 2,000 inhabitants, Puerto Vallarta real estate was not the booming market we know today.

There was one road that connected Vallarta to the outside world and this dirt track was abandoned during the rainy season.

By: Jim Scherrer

Creative juices by definition are the motivating, inspiring, or enabling forces that represent the expressive side of one’s imagination; a precursor to creative thought and the corresponding ability to create something new. It only seems logical that in order to maximize the flow of one’s creative juices, he or she will be most productive when located in an area with a perfect climate and beautiful surroundings. The creator should be stress free and have plenty of leisure time; obviously, a good night’s sleep can’t hurt!

By: Jim Scherrer

Sea turtles are very intelligent creatures of nature; they continue coming to Puerto Vallarta regardless of the swine flu scare, the border town drug wars, or the global recession! They don’t visit Vallarta for its perfect climate, its eight beautiful golf courses, its world class deep sea fishing, its hundreds of fine restaurants, nightclubs and discotheques, its magnificent sunsets, or the colorful tropical flora and fauna in the surrounding Sierra Madre hillsides; they visit Vallarta strictly for its 35 miles of sandy beaches. However, the fact that they love the beaches around PV is only a small clue as to what makes the sea turtles so incredibly intelligent.

Sea turtles constitute a single radiation that was distinct from all other turtles during the Late Cretaceous Period, the “age of dinosaurs”, at least 100 million years ago. It’s hard to imagine that approximately 65 million years ago during the Cretaceous?Tertiary Extinction Event (KT Mass Extinction), the planet endured catastrophic events such as massive asteroid impacts and/or tremendous volcanic activity resulting in significant climate changes affecting all of the Earth’s plant and animal life. Sea turtles were among the few species to survive these traumatic events and related climate changes.

Today, there are only seven living species of sea turtles worldwide and members of five or six of these species manage to visit Vallarta annually. Six of the seven species have hard shells and only one has a soft shell; it’s the leatherback turtle, the largest of them all and a periodic visitor to Vallarta. The leatherbacks grow for 30 years, from hatchlings weighing about an ounce, to maturity weighing up to 1,300 pounds and measuring up to 7 feet long and 5 feet wide; they can live to be more than 80 years old.

Although sea turtles representing most of the species visit Vallarta, the majority of them are of the Olive Ridley species. They are much smaller than the leatherbacks, measuring less than 3 feet long and weighing just a little over 100 pounds with dark olive green heart shaped domed shells.

The Olive Ridley turtles hatch from their eggs weighing less than an ounce, crawl out of their buried nest clawing their way up to the surface of the sand, and then head directly to the water to begin life with approximately 100 siblings at their side. They are quite fortunate if they ever make it to the water; if certain predators (including thoughtless humans) don’t get them while they are still in the shell, many other predators such as crabs and birds are anxiously awaiting their journey across the beach to the water’s edge. Of course, as soon as these tiny delicious morsels hit the water, any fish in the area immediately welcome them as dinner! Consequently, a very small percentage of these infant sea turtles ever make it out to the open sea.

Of the few fortunate sea turtles that do survive their entrance into this cruel world, growing to maturity, which will take more than 15 years, is a formidable task. If certain fish do not get them during their first year of life, fishermen with long lines or nets are apt to accidentally catch them at any time during their maturing process, let alone at any time during their adult life. With the odds of survival stacked so heavily against the sea turtles, they are now considered to be either a threatened or an endangered species; the Olive Ridleys along the Mexican Pacific coastline are classified as an endangered species by the fisheries division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Okay, now that we know a little about these prehistoric air breathing reptiles, what is it that makes them so incredibly intelligent? Well, first you have to give them credit for surviving throughout history while almost all other forms of life didn’t! Second, they were perhaps the first creatures to have global positioning systems (GPS)! Yes, 100 million years before we mere mortals invented the GPS, the sea turtles, with their high sensitivity to the Earth’s magnetic field, always knew where they were relative to where they were born. Just imagine, these prehistoric creatures are able to swim a couple thousand miles out to sea, enjoy life floating and swimming around in the open water for up to 80 years while never losing their bearings, and still remember exactly where they were born!

Because of their incredible ability to always know their own location, upon reaching maturity at the age of 15 years or older, the females that are ready to lay their eggs always return to the sandy beach where they were born. Consequently, for about five months every year, the beaches of Puerto Vallarta are home to hundreds of female sea turtles that come ashore to nest. These are the same females that hatched on the same beautiful beaches from 15 to 50 years ago! Thus, with a lot of luck, and today with much assistance, a new generation of sea turtles begins.

In certain areas along the Pacific coastline of Mexico, the Olive Ridley sea turtles invade the shore in “arribadas” of 100 or more at a time, however in Puerto Vallarta they are generally either alone or in very small groups scattered thinly over the beach. Because of their scarcity, their homecoming to the local beaches has become a significant tourist attraction for visitors to Vallarta. More importantly, today there is a small group of volunteer conservationists, the Western Ecological Society, in Vallarta that does everything possible to protect these endangered animals. This group was first organized in 1993 and since then has done everything possible to see that the eggs and hatchlings are protected from all predators, thus giving the next generation of sea turtles a much better chance of survival. For those of you interested in knowing more about their activities, you can visit their website at