VallartaBlog

Puerto Vallarta Pictures on Flickr

Puerto Vallarta Pictures on Flickr
On Flickr, I have posted numerous Puerto Vallarta pictures. You'll see some that you'll recognize from my posts on VallartaBlog and many others that haven't appeared.

     Go to http://flickr.com/vallartablog to see all of the photos.

Join the VallartaBlog Flickr Photo Group
I have also opened a Flickr photo group for anyone who would like to post their favorite pictures of Puerto Vallarta.

     Go to http://flickr.com/groups/vallartablog/ to join the group and post your photos.

Light Tower - Nuevo Vallarta

This photo is part of the series - Pictures Around Puerto Vallarta - shots that show the beauty, energy, and warmth of our little corner of paradise.

Light Tower - Nuevo Vallarta 2008

More from the Pictures Around Puerto Vallarta Series:
Sunset on Banderas Bay

Homes on the Hillside - Gringo Gulch

Puerto Vallarta Deals and Discounts

As a service to Vallartablog readers, we will be posting a listing of deals and discounts offered by local businesses. Take advantage of the deals and show your support for local businesses. I know how tough it is to run a business in Puerto Vallarta and I like to help promote them when I can.

The latest addition to our list is Artisan Bakery - Downtown

Mention Vallartablog and receive 50% off any sourdough, whole wheat or rye bread (baguette, round or batard) OR 30% off any size specialty bread. Alternatively, receive a free cup of coffee with a purchase of any pastry/muffin.  Offer available until May 17. Offer is one per person.

Carnes del Mundo - Bucerias

Kyle and Irma from Carnes del Mundo are offering 15% off the purchase of any of their meat products. The offer is valid from May 1 to May 15, 2008. It's not valid with any other offer or coupon. To receive your 15% discount just mention VallartaBlog.

The Coffee Cup - Marina Vallarta and Olas Altas

Order any breakast sandwich and you will receive a free small houseblend coffee. The offer is valid from May 1 to May 15, 2008. It's not valid with any other offer or coupon. To your receive your free coffee just mention VallartaBlog.

****If you have a local business and would like to offer VallartaBlog readers a special discount or promotion, please me know and I will try to post them all.

Send your deal to administrator@vallartablog.com.

Be sure to include the name of the business, what the promotion is and for how long the offer is valid.

Roadtrip to Mascota and Talpa, Jalisco - Abandoned Adobe House

--This is the third post of many highlighting our recent road trip to Mascota and Talpa, Jalisco taken with a group of long-time friends. The first of the two towns we visited was Mascota which is about sixty five miles inland from the Puerto Vallarta Airport. Mascota makes a great side trip from Puerto Vallarta--

Most of the homes in downtown Mascota are traditional homes made of adobe. Many have been fully restored to their former beauty.

The house in the pictures is waiting for the right person to restore it. I told my wife that we might be the right people for the job. She made it quite clear that we were absolutely NOT the right people.

Even though this house hasn't been restored I thought it was quite beautiful. If you look at the way the adobe is peeling off the wall, it forms a question mark with the door.

Looking at this house I see a historic treasure my wife sees a decrepit building. Like there are dog people and cat people there are old house people and new house people. I am old house people.

Previous road-trip posts:
The Ice Cream Shop

Rancho la Esmeralda

How to Fly Mexico's Budget-Friendly Skies

I came across an article in the San Francisco Chronicle that gives a great overview of Mexico's budget airlines and where you can go flying with them. The list of airlines is complete. Two airlines I have never even heard of and I'm always looking for less expensive ways to travel.

Here is an excerpt from the article from the SF Chronicle:

While U.S. airlines have been dropping like flies (or at least grounding their planes and filing for bankruptcy), Mexico's discount airlines have been steadily adding new destinations.

These new airlines crisscross Mexico, landing and taking off from more than 50 cities. Some of these destinations are border cities and industrial centers of no interest to most U.S. travelers; others are popular tourist spots already served by U.S. airlines. It's the middle ground that's really worth a look — intriguing destinations that used to be hard to reach without putting in some serious road time, as well as some likable cities that offer reasonable alternatives to busier airports. Read the full article.

I have flown on three of the airlines on their list and the deals can be fantastic. Over Spring Break this year, on Viva Aerobus, we flew roundtrip from Puerto Vallarta to Monterrey for $750 pesos per person including all taxes.

Check the airlines websites often to see what they are offering. Viva Aerobus has the most aggresive promotions. If you book far enough in advance you can get a flight that costs $1 pesos plus applicable taxes which comes out to a little over $500 pesos.

It's getting much easier to use Puerto Vallarta as a jumping off point to explore Mexico.

Other related posts:
Travel Deals from Puerto Vallarta
Reducing Airfare Costs by Understanding Seasonal Airfare Fluctuations

Tribute Show for Sheila Devine - Los Mangos Library

On Friday, May 9 there will be a tribute to Sheila Devine, a well known Puerto Vallarta artist who recently passed away. The show begins at 8:00pm and is being held at the Los Mangos Public Library.

You can see some examples of Sheila's work here.

Artisan Bakery Downtown Puerto Vallarta

While I was having my morning coffee at The Coffee Cup in Marina Vallarta, a woman walked in with a huge basket of rustic style breads to deliver. I asked her what bakery she worked for and she told me, Artisan Bakery downtown.

I hadn't heard of them before and I asked how long they had been in business and she said that they had opened up in January of this year.

The woman I spoke with is Lorene Rivera. She opened the bakery with her husband Jaime Martinez who is a pastry chef trained at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.

They decided to move to Puerto Vallarta from the Bay Area in California and open their own shop. The bread the make is fantastic. They use a natural sourdough starter, that they brought from San Francisco, which gives their bread its distinct flavor.

Artisan Bakery is located at Morelos Street #875. It is directly behind the Lans department store. The telephone number is 322-222-4979.

Their breads are even better than they look in the pictures.

Click on the link below for Artisan Bakery's complete product list and locations around town where you can buy their breads.

How Much do Groceries Cost in Puerto Vallarta?

Have you ever wondered how much groceries cost in Puerto Vallarta? I'll give you an idea. I took a picture of everything I bought on a typical shopping trip.

The grand total is $438.25 Pesos which is approximately $41 Dollars. On the the next page, I have listed the price for every item I purchased. How do prices compare to those back home?

Click the link below to see the prices for every item purchased.

Roadtrip to Mascota and Talpa, Jalisco - The Ice Cream Shop

-This is the second post of many highlighting our recent road trip to Mascota and Talpa, Jalisco taken with a group of long-time friends. The first of the two towns we visited was Mascota which is about sixty five miles inland from the Puerto Vallarta Airport.-

After we checked into our hotel in Mascota, the first thing we did was go for ice cream. One of our friends who had already been to Mascota insisted we stop at her favorite ice cream shop, the Neveria Rosita, because the ice cream was so good.

We weren't really sure we wanted ice cream. It was evening. We had just arrived from Vallarta and wanted dinner. She continued to insist that we stop for ice cream first and that we would thank her if we went.

She was right about the ice cream. It was excellent - old fashioned ice cream, made on the premises.

Read the first Road Trip post - Rancho la Esmeralda

One of My Favorite Mexican Beers - Casta Dark

It's Saturday and we have friends coming over to visit which means we need to go and get some beer. No social event in Mexico is complete without sufficient quantities of beer to offer to guests.

Mexico produces many great tasting beers. Many of the lesser known beers are superior to the most commonly known ones, Corona and Tecate.

One of my favorite Mexican beers is Casta Dark a full bodied micro-brewery style beer. If you want a light refreshing beer to cool off by the pool, Casta isn't it. I call Casta a sipping beer. It's an evening beer to savor while socializing with friends.

The best place to find Casta in Puerto Vallarta is the OXXO mini-marts. Most of the supermarkets don't carry it. If you enjoy beer, I recommend you buy a few to share with friends. You won't be disappointed.

In another post, I'll tell you which is my favorite cooling-off-at-the-pool beer.