OUR WRITER discovers a slice of authentic Mexico along the golden beaches of Puerto Vallarta…

For a long time, Cancun has been the hottest spot in Mexico for tourists, a party town with four million visitors a year. But while Cancun might be loud (and proud of it), I prefer a bit more sophistication from my holiday. So is there somewhere I’ve been missing in Mexico?

A more refined spot to marvel at the luscious landscape and feast on glorious food?

The answer is yes. More specifically, Puerto Vallarta. This resort town on the Pacific coast offers all the beachfront and swaying palm charm of Mexico’s mass tourism hub, but with a far more relaxed, traditional flavour. The former fishing village is the kind of place where locals saunter the streets barefoot and couples are forever swooning over romantic sunsets.

I met one of the resort’s most imposing residents while strolling along the Malecon, or seafront promenade – an enormous pelican. These impressive birds are a daily sight here, swarming around fishermen’s boats and swooping elegantly over the ocean’s glassy surface.

Until recently, this authentic slice of Mexican life was all but inaccessible for Britons. A lack of direct flights resulted in routes with marathon stopovers. But now, with the aid of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, you can reach Puerto Vallarta in 12 hours from London or Manchester.

These new flights launched only in May, which means there’s still chance to soak up Puerto Vallarta’s calming charm before everyone else discovers it. With a prime location on Banderas Bay, the verdant backdrop of the Sierra Madre mountains, and its collection of whitewashed houses, you should really visit this town while it remains relatively unspoilt.

I began my trip with a lesson in what lies at the heart of Mexican culture – food. El Arrayan, a charming little restaurant a few minutes’ walk from the Malecon, specialises in cooking courses for tourists and seems to be on a quest to teach foreigners about real Mexican cuisine (not the American-made Tex-Mex fare we’re used to – ask for a fajita here and you can expect a disapproving look).

It was hard and hot work in the kitchen, particularly as I pummelled peppers, tomatillos, coriander, onions and garlic into a salsa using only a pestle and mortar, though the result was far fresher than anything you can buy in a jar.

As I worked, I braved a snack of dried crickets, a key ingredient in the restaurant’s roasted, crispy cricket tacos. They tasted grassy with a hint of vinegar.

On Sundays, you’ll see locals of all ages dancing to traditional music in the Plaza Principal, the main square by the Malecon. This beautiful spectacle is a large part of Puerto Vallarta’s lure. The town has a designated “romantic zone” with a wealth of torchlit seafront restaurants where diners can listen to live jazz.

La Palapa is easily one of the most enchanting establishments and gets extra points for its “sexy coffee” – the myriad liqueurs in the coffee being set alight in a daring tableside show. Another cultural quirk of dinner in Mexico is that ladies will be brought a stand-like contraption for their handbags – Mexicans believe it is bad luck to leave them on the floor.

Puerto Vallarta also has bucketloads of natural beauty. One night, I cruised over to Las Caletas cove for Vallarta Adventures’ Rhythms Of The Night show, landing on a private beach hideaway once owned by the Hollywood film director, John Huston (father to Anjelica).

Huston filmed The Night Of The Iguana here with Ava Gardner and Richard Burton in 1964 (a certain Ms Elizabeth Taylor accompanied them) and fell in love with its wild good looks – the tangled jungle, deserted beaches and crashing waves make you feel you’ve been stranded on a particularly exquisite desert island.

Now, it’s host to Vallarta Adventures’ outdoor dance extravaganza, complete with theatrical costumes, dazzling pyrotechnics and tales from Mexican lore. Afterwards, you’re treated to a candlelit buffet dinner under the stars. In fact, there’s so much to see and do in the area that you’ll struggle to fit it all in. Between December and March you can watch humpback whales breaching the Pacific’s waters, while turtle-nesting season is from July to September.

There are tequila distillery tours, petroglyphs (ancient rock engravings) to admire, and micheladas to sample. A michelada is a type of Mexican Bloody Mary consisting of tomato juice, hot sauce, lime juice, beer and Worcestershire sauce, which Mexicans call “English sauce” and love so much they even put it on pizza.

But don’t try to cram too much in – Puerto Vallarta is also the perfect place in which to completely unwind. So be sure to lie back and enjoy that michelada in style.

Ten things you must do in Vallarta

1. Dine at La Palapa (www.lapalapapv.com) in the “romantic zone”. Enjoy the ocean view, listen to live jazz, order fresh tuna and finish off with a fiery “sexy coffee”.

2. Sign up to a morning cookery class at El Arrayan (www.elarrayan.com.mx) and learn how to make everything from salsa to sopes (fried cornflour cakes).

3. Take a stroll along the Malecon at sunset and look at the local art displayed along the way.

4. Book a Hidden Mexico tour with Vallarta Adventures (vallarta-adventures.com) and discover traditional villages, cheese factories and tequila distilleries.

5. Get an education in tequila. “Blanco” is white and for shots, “reposado” is aged a few months and is meant for mixing, while “añejo” is aged in oak for at least a year and is for sipping.

6. Make sure you go out on a whale-watching tour if visiting in season. Huge humpbacks regularly breach the ocean’s surface around Banderas Bay.

7. If you’re a confident swimmer, take a guided tour to the Marieta Islands. Here, swimming through a narrow cave will bring you to a secret crescent of sand known locally as Hidden Beach.

8. Cruise to Las Caletas cove with Vallarta Adventures and watch the Rhythms Of The Night dance show.

9. Ride a series of zip lines through the Sierra Madre mountains.

10. See turtles nesting on Puerto Vallarta’s beaches between July and September.

Way to go

[readon1 url="http://www.express.co.uk/travel/beach/489412/Puerto-Vallarta-Mexico-best-things-to-do"]Source:www.express.co.uk[/readon1]

Karen, is currently ranked in the Top 10 World Wide in Surfer Girls and Surf Racing. Karens goal is to be #1!

Over the last few years as Karen rose in the rankings, she has competed as a representative of Banderas Bay in many countries including Hawaii, Peru, Nicaragua, USA, All Around Mexico, Costa Rica and Brazil.

Surprisingly, Kim Kardashian Managed to Keep Her Latest Bikini Trip SFW

Kim Kardashian was back at the pool on Friday when she showed off her bikini body during a tanning session in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Friday. The reality star, who already flashed her "lady lumps" earlier in her trip on Instagram, is in the middle of a getaway with a group of friends and her daughter, North West.

Kim and Kanye West were down south of the border back in June when Kim's bikini swim took a NSFW turn as she got into her hotel pool in a sheer white blouse. While she has been relaxing in Mexico for the past few days, Kim hit two major milestones. First, she finally surpassed the 16 million mark for followers on Instagram. Despite this big achievement, she still isn't the most-followed person on the popular social app (that title goes to Justin Bieber), but she did recently break the record for the most Instagram "likes" on a single snap for her wedding photo with Kanye. Next, her mobile game, Kim Kardashian Hollywood, is reportedly on track to earn $200 million this year, mostly due to its highly addictive scenarios and in-app purchases.

[readon1 url="http://www.popsugar.com/Kim-Kardashian-Bikini-Puerto-Vallarta-July-2014-35275778#photo-35277258"]Source:www.popsugar.com[/readon1]

Guadalajara, Mexico, Jul 17 (EFE).- About 30 people with disabilities modeled clothing designed with their physical limitations in mind at the Feria Intermoda, a fashion show in the western Mexican city of Guadalajara.

The young models, whose disabilities range from blindness to motor problems, made their way down the runway, posing for photographers and interacting with the audience, which responded with applause.

Ana Gabriela Moreno, a 26-year-old paraplegic, told Efe that she had liked designing clothes from the time she was a girl but spent many years competing in various sports.

The young woman now hopes to get into modeling even though she uses a wheelchair to get around.

"I want to exercise more and I would love for them to talk to me about the next runway shows and photo sessions. This is a very good experience for those of us who have disabilities," Moreno said.

Moreno wore a jacket and slacks ensemble created by Maritza Peña, and she asked the Mexican designer to "make the sleeves tight" on the arms to keep them from being scuffed by the wheelchair's wheels.

The slacks feature zippers on the side to make it easier to change clothes, a task that "is very complicated" for paraplegics, Moreno said.

The models wore clothing created by seven designers from Mexican brands, such as Sara Bustani, Farenheit and Jancarla, on the runway.

Intermoda, which ends on Friday, is showcasing the work of 37 designers.

More than 950 exhibitors are at the fashion event and nearly 23,000 visitors are expected to attend the different shows.

[readon1 url="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/agencia-efe/140717/mexican-fashion-show-features-models-disabilities"]Source:www.globalpost.com[/readon1]

In order to promote the development of sport and healthy recreation among young Nayarit, the Government of the People selected will support the tournament "Street Soccer 2014" who from 26 to 29 August will participate in the sixth edition of this fair national sport in Plaza Valladolid in Morelia, Michoacán.

The Pico Rivera Sports Arena for the second time will host the Fair of Nayarit in California, 2014 Edition

The Government of the People held from 8 to 10 August, the California Fair of Nayarit in 2014, the main objectives are to promote international status, reporting macro projects that are being developed in the state and strengthen the links nayaritas exist with living in the United States and noted by the Minister of Tourism in the state, Raul Rodrigo Perez Hernandez.

He emphasized that in addition to helping nayaritas living in the United States with different procedures, Governor Roberto Sandoval will present their progress is in the company's projects like Centennial Canal, Port Costa Nayarit and Capomo.

"The governor is eager to greet them, it is always good to see there are live but a few days, a very, very busy schedule, the governor will happy life and the Government of the People always willing to solve the problems of nayaritas there, but also to inform us what your family need here, "said Pérez Hernández.

He explained that the Fair of Nayarit in California will have dependencies Pavilion government, which is expected to serve thousands of Nayarit that require service or procedure.

"Transit State because licenses are demanded much nayaritas our brothers in the U.S., Secretary of Tourism to promote tourism brand there, and as overall coordination, Secretary General of Government to issue birth certificates paperwork having our countrymen Secretary of Education to unveil education projects, but also to issue educational certificates that require so much there to work and obviously SEDESOL productive projects. "

E l Pico Rivera Sports Arena for the second time will host the Fair of Nayarit in California, 2014 edition, during this event also promotes culture, art, cuisine and traditions of the institution.

Last weekend the singer/actress enjoyed the facilities of the Four Seasons Punta Mita Resort in celebration of her recent marriage to Eric Johnson.

On July 19th, the Riviera Nayarit’s Paradise Village Marina will welcome some 50 vessels coming in from the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The 8th annual International Banderas Bay Fishing Tournament will take place on July 19th, hosted by the Paradise Village Nuevo Vallarta in the Riviera Nayarit.

ST LOUIS (LALATE) – Are Vicki Gunvalson & Brooks Ayers still together? This month, Vicki Gunvalson & Brooks Ayers find love south of the OC. No, they don’t head to San Diego but Puerto Vallarta. And Vicki tell news that she is happy that she and Brooks Ayers were able to give dating advice to the Beadors. No word if Patti Stanger is set to be replaced by Vicki as the new Millionaire Matchmatcher.

Vicki tells news that she knows how not to fall out of love. In the case of Brooks, she just falls back and forth, in and out of love. And yes, Vicki Gunvalson and Brooks Ayers still dating and together. “I don’t claim to know everything about staying ‘happily married for a lifetime’ — but what I do know is what NOT to do.” Vicki adds “Sometimes it takes us to be removed from a relationship as I have been in order to see the mistakes that were done which caused the demise of the marriage. You can see more clearly what could have been done in order to save it.”

Vicki also admits that head to Puerto Vallarta, far from the RHOC, helped build romance for everyone. She tells BravoTV RHOC viewers “Tonight’s episode was the conclusion of our trip to Puerto Vallarta. It was fun for me to take our group to Paso Ancho where I have a lot of friends who live there. It’s a small village town outside of the town of Puerto Vallarta and I have known the owner of the horses for over 25 years.” Tonight Brooks confronts Tamra during another dinner party back in OC.

[readon1 url="http://news.lalate.com/2014/07/14/vicki-gunvalson-brooks-ayers-together-dating-with-horses-in-paso-acho/"]Source:news.lalate.com[/readon1]

St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, together with Punta Mita Expeditions and the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau, is preparing to celebrate this fun event that combines watersports with gastronomy from July 17-20, 2014.

Actor and comedian Chris Tucker visited the Mexican port of Puerto Vallarta this week while vacationing with his son and girlfriend Cynne Simpson a news host at Fox5 Atlanta.

The “Rush Hour” star stayed at Puerto Vallarta’s Casa Velas Resort and enjoyed dinner at some of the destination’s most popular restaurants including Café des Artistes. During the daytime, the trio enjoyed eco and water adventures across the Sierra Madre and Bay of Banderas with local tour operator Canopy River.

Puerto Vallarta has long been a Hollywood favorite, from its conception as an international tourism destination, with the arrival of A-list celebrities like Richard Burton, Ava Gardner who went to Puerto Vallarta to film John Huston’s“The Night of the Iguana” in Mismaloya, located in Vallarta’s southern coast, as well as then superstar Elizabeth Taylor and author Tennessee Williams. Since then, hundreds of stars have descended on Puerto Vallarta’s shores to enjoy this unique destination, most recently Sofia Vergara, Eva Langoria, as well as Academy Award Winners Kate Winslet and Bradley Cooper and nominee Ralph Prosper (War Witch).

As part of its Public Relations campaign in the US and Canada, the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board and its agency, LATITUDE, have worked on numerous activities with celebrities, including being a part of last year's Academy Award celebrations by giving out over 100 stays to television and film celebrities.

[readon1 url="http://www.visitpuertovallarta.com/blog/press/chris-tucker-vacations-in-puerto-vallarta/#.U8KWyfldXKB"]Source:www.visitpuertovallarta.com[/readon1]

The series Mi Vida En Sayulita (My Life in Sayulita) is now available to the thousands of Hispanic followers that are subscribed to this popular on-demand Internet streaming medium.