Many Americans and Canadians Have Chosen Puerto Vallarta Mexico, as an Affordable and Safe Place to Retire. This Week I Interview Barbara Ann Renee who Moved to Puerto Vallarta 3 Years Ago From California. Barbara Ann Tells us How She Keeps Busy Retired in Paradise.

Plus, Puerto Vallarta’s Historic Center Declared A Cultural Heritage Protected Area of The State of Jalisco.

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Hello fellow travelers, welcome this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel show. I am your host Barry Kessler and I am just so happy to be introducing you to my favorite vacation destination, and maybe even yours, Puerto Vallarta Mexico.

That music you were just listening to is performed by Alberto Perez, the owner of the La Palapa Group of Restaurants. Those are La Palapa,  and the El Dorado Beach Club.  And now a special announcement from Grupo La Palapa, and I will read from their website..

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So, at La Palapa and El Dorado, you can enjoy that same view of the Los Muertos Pier all day long for breakfast, lunch or dinner, seated with our toes in the sand right at the water’s edge. It’s so romantic, it’s so, Puerto Vallarta my friends.

This week I have a very special guest for you, her name is Barbara Ann Renee, and she is from Santa Barbara, she is a single lady and retired and has been living full time in Puerto Vallarta for 3 years now, but first, let’s see what’s happening this week in Puerto Vallarta this week, August 16, 2018.

From our friends at The Puerto Vallarta Board of Tourism we have this article which sounds like good news for those of us who would like to see Vallarta preserved as a Mexican town… it reads…

PUERTO VALLARTA’S HISTORIC CENTER DECLARED PROTECTED AS

A CULTURAL HERITAGE ZONE OF THE STATE OF JALISCO

August 8, 2018, Puerto Vallarta – Puerto Vallarta’s Historic Center is now a protected Cultural Heritage of the Mexican State of Jalisco. The declaration

was made by the state’s Department of Culture on July 21 via the official journal of Jalisco and makes the center of the city a protected area, with all the rights and privileges of a heritage protected by state and federal laws.

The recognition includes the area from the beginning of the Malecon — where the oldest hotel in Puerto Vallarta, the hotel Rosita, stands — and continues to the cobblestoned Romantic Zone and up to the historic Conchas Chinas neighborhoods. Each area is of special historical significance to Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco and Mexico, as well as the essence of the port city, which is in the midst of celebrating its centennial.

According to the State of Jalisco, this proclamation is a step to further preserve the architectural elements of patrimonial value and image and essential characteristics of the typical town on the seashore, one of the unique qualities of Puerto Vallarta, known as the “most Mexican” beach destination.

“Puerto Vallarta’s historic center is the heart of our city and a major attraction to our visitors and, like all world heritage sites, it must be recognized as an irreplaceable part of our legacy,” said Javier Aranda Pedrero, Director of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board. “We applaud the actions taken by Jalisco’s Department of Culture and welcome everyone to enjoy this iconic part of the city.”

It goes on to read….

The center of Puerto Vallarta is much loved by the people of Vallarta and appreciated by visitors, as it retains authentic characteristics of a traditional Mexican town, in its cobblestone streets and colonial architecture. Of particular interest is the Church of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the city’s central plaza, Los Muertos Pier and colonial homes that date back hundreds of years. Puerto Vallarta’s historic center is a place full of life where neighbors coexist and mix with tourists who enjoy strolls along a boardwalk lined with sculptures, paintings and other works of art.

At dusk, the center is full of locals out for a stroll, heading for church services or dinner. Mixing with them, visitors can soak in the most beautiful sunsets on the Pacific; gaze at bobbing sailboats and the emblematic Marigalante pirate ship; and dig into roasted corn, mangoes with chili, cakes, tuba water and many other appetizers and desserts. All these attractions are located on the boardwalk and neighboring downtown streets, which for many reasons already was — official proclamation or not — a cultural heritage jewel of Jalisco.

So what do you think guys? Do you think this will slow down the building on the South-side and in Downtown?

Time will tell. You know, I think it was listener Ray D’Ascenzi from Chicago who said, and rightly so, that Puerto Vallarta is Real Mexico. Not cookie cutter Americanized Mexico like you find in Cabo, and Cancun. So, I hope that this proclamation means something besides flowery rhetoric.

Illustrative Drawing Event at The Hive Gallery in Puerto Vallarta August 24, 2018

The Hive Gallery is having an event August 24^th, and I want to give you a heads up, let me read from their flyer…

We invite you to an event of works in formats, Illustrative drawing, more than 30 local artists from Puerto Vallarta will be at The Hive Gallery in the 5^th of December Neighborhood at Calle San Salvador # 370. Come and mingle with the artists with an evening of art, drinks and catering By Allegora Food Collective. This exhibition of art is for the whole family (Drawing and Illustration are a basic component for essential elaboration in a work of art, the reason for putting together the exhibition, is to create the collective unification of sharing the work of each artist expressed in an illustrative idea.)

So, if you are in town on the 24^th, you need to go and support these local artists. Visit with Misael Lopez, and if you haven’t heard the conversation I had with Misael, it was just a couple of weeks ago so check that out. He and many of these artists are affiliated with the adopt a mural project. And I have a link to that in the show notes as well as a link to the episode with Misael.

Contact the Adopt a Mural Project in Puerto Vallarta

Subscribe to the Corazon de Nina Newsletter

Last week I talked about Corazon de Nina and their back to school drive to get sponsors for each child at $300 per child for a year of medical

insurance, school tuition and supplies, food and so forth. I thought I had a link to the newsletter with pictures and profiles of the children, but it didn’t work for me, so I wanted to take this time to suggest you contact Jane Jewel and sign up for the newsletter. Get involved with this fine charity. And talking about charities, sometime in the coming weeks I will have Jorge from Andale’s and we will be talking about that famous place, and about the work he does along with the Rotary Club in Puerto Vallarta.

That’s going to be fun because that interview with Jorge was done over a 3 day period, so I’m going to have to do a ton of editing, but boy, that man is a very interesting guy, and you will like him for sure.

Contact Corazon de Nina For Their Newsletter

Another 5 Star Review on iTunes!

I got a 5 star review in iTunes, thank you very much and it reads…

Never miss an episode

 in iTunes by Tofu666 from USA on August 7, 2018

Thanks Barry for such an informative podcast. We retired and moved to Puerto Vallarta almost a year ago , and each week enjoy learning about the latest goings on around town and hearing the stories of the various people and interviews. Even to those of us who are lucky enough to “live” here full time, the information is invaluable. Thank you! David & Charlie

Thank you David and Charlie! I so appreciate these reviews and I love it when I run into locals that listen. I do this for you too. Maybe one day, I’ll be one of you. Maybe.

I got an email from listener and frequent contributor Skip from Minnisocold and Skip writes…

Barry,

Great job on your recent podcast in Bucerias. I have not yet been to Karen’s Place but it is now on my list for my month in Bucerias in February.

Way back in Episode 6 you had interviewed Gary Beck who said about Bucerias, “to me it has the greatest restaurants after Puerto Vallarta. If I didn’t live here I would live in Bucerias”

I confess to you that Bucerias is my favorite place in the Banderas Bay area. To me it has all the advantages of old town with great food, friendly locals, and good shopping but is much quieter and less crowded.

I have a favorite hole in the wall in Bucerias that I would like to share with you. “Bruno’s Pizza and more..” is in el Centro Bucerias. It is best recognized by a large domed wood fired oven in front. We have ordered pizza from Bruno’s and it is delicious. They offer pizza delivery to Nuevo Vallarta and La Cruz de Huanacaxtle as well as Bucerias. They even sell pizza by the slice.

Our favorite meal there is the Shrimp Scampi. My wife says it is the best she has ever tried, and I agree. The price- $145 pesos or $8.00 US.

They have limited seating- a few tables on the sidewalk with a couple tables inside. If you enjoy a glass of wine with delicious Italian food I recommend that you bring it with you. Bruno’s does not sell alcohol, though the friendly bilingual waiter went across the street to Yoyomo’s for a group dining there during a recent visit.  If you bring wine they will supply glasses. Pretty darn good service for a restaurant whose most expensive entre is 8 Dollars.

I am emailing a picture of the menu Bruno’s sent with my pizza delivery.

We have more” hole in the wall “restaurants we have discovered in Bucerias that I hope to share with you in the future.

Thanks again for all the great podcasts. Keep it up!

Skip from Minnesota

Okay Skip, thanks for the suggestion. I’m going back up that way in October, so I will try out Bruno’s.

Gawd…I’m going to get so fat. I better look into a gym membership when I’m down in October.

By the way, as you know I do open mic events with JR at Kelly’s Pour Favor on Tuesdays at his meet and greets, and at least one at Cuates y

Cuetes, so if you are going to be in town between October 1-10, we are going to have Tuesday the 2^nd, and Tuesday the 9^th for the meet and greets, beginning at 5:30, and I’ll have to pick a date for Cuates y Cuetes, but stand by for those dates. I would love to meet you and have you on the show. I’ll bring T-shirts and all that jazz so come join us in the fun.

And as for you Skip, keep those recommendations coming. Tell us more about your favorite places in Bucerias. In fact, listener and frequent contributor as well, Cheryl wrote to tell me how happy she was to get info on Bucerias for her next trip, so good on you.

And thanks to listeners Mark and Steve, who sent me some ideas for interviews. Those will be coming up for you guys in the coming weeks.

Okay, let’s get on with the show and the interview.

An Interview in Puerto Vallarta with Barbara Ann Renee

In the first episode of the show I promised you that you would be meeting expats. People who chucked life in the States or Canada for life in Vallarta, Paradise, remember? Well, my guest this week is a woman by the name of Barbara Ann Renee, and I’ll let her tell you about herself in the interview. She moved from California to Vallarta 3 years ago. Now, I’ve been stalking Barbara Ann for about a year. Barbara is a moving target. She just doesn’t stand still for too long and she is like, always busy. We would constantly run into each other at events, but either I was busy interviewing someone, or she was tied up with all the things she is involved with, and we could never sync while I was in town. So, I just finally got a microphone to her, and I did a Google Hangout with her. And I’ve got to say, the audio is surprisingly good for LA to Vallarta. Now, Barbara is going to give you a ton of great information but never fear, I have all of them in the show-notes to this episode with links, pictures, maps and the whole 9 years, so put down the pen, and just listen. I took all your notes and you can find them at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com. So okay, how about we go right now to the 5^th of December neighborhood in Puerto Vallarta, and let’s meet my friend, and now

, Barbara Ann Renee, Barbara from Santa Barbara…

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Things Barbara Ann Talked About

• 5^th of December Group
• PV Catholic Community Group 
• R.I.S.E.  Orphanage in Puerto Vallarta

Favorite Places to Party and Eat

• Captain Don’s, Puerto Vallarta
• Que Pasa, Puerto Vallarta
• Nacho Daddy, Puerto Vallarta
• El Rio BBQ, Paso Ancho, Jalisco, Mexico
• Roxy’s Rockhouse – Because it has a pole on stage
• Jazz Foundation, Puerto Vallarta
• Cuates y Cuetes, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico-– for Jazz 

Places to Eat

• Sol de Luna on San Salvador, 5th of December Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• Fish Market at end of San Salvador Across from the Cemetery
• La Traviata atop Paloma Del Mar Hotel Wood Fire Pizza, Fillet, Fish, Chicken and full bar. Great view
• Layla’s, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• Warique, Puerto Vallarta
• Wild and Hungry Cougar for home cooking
• Sushi at Gallerias Kensao, Puerto Vallarta
• Sushi in House Versailles, Jalisco Mexico
• Teresa Deli, Puerto Vallarta
• Melissa’s Seafood, Puerto Vallarta

 Places in 5th of December Neighborhood

• The Hive Gallery, Puerto Vallarta
• Street Art Tour, Puerto Vallarta

 Day-Trips

• Rincon de Guayabitos
• Yelapa– climb up to the Waterfall, Take a Burro, Pie Lady
• Las Animas
• Casitas Mariaka
• Hotel on the beach in Guayabitos with the lady’s name?…Hotel Jaqueline, Guayabitos
• Panga from Guayabitos to Chalaca
• La Peñita de Jaltemba
• Ayala Thursday Market
• Lo de Marcos
• Sayulita
• San Pancho
• Ally Cat Sailing to Marietas Islands

Overnight and 3-day trips

• Mayto  
• Tehaumixtle
• Hotel Mayto, Rinconcito
• Talpa  Horse ride from PV to Talpa
• Mission Hotel in Talpa
• Mascota
• Tlaquepaque – Food Art Jugo en su Carne
• World Heritage Week People crawl on knees to church
• Tonala -Doors Night Market, Bread Pudding
• Guanajuato
• San Miguel Allende
• Queretaro

Advice for First time Visitor

• Leave your jewelry at home.
• Leave your expensive clothes at home, dress down, wear cross body purse strap.
• Men don’t wear black socks and/or sandals with shorts.
• It’s OK not to be able to Speak Spanish.
• There are no sharks in the bay but there are jellyfish.
• Beware of Rip Tides and look for red flags on the beach.
• Get some sand shoes for swimming in.

PV Arts and Entertainment Facebook Page

PV Rants and Raves FB page

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Now what did I tell you. Barbara Ann is great. So much fun, and a fount of information. So, Barbara Ann sent me pictures of the places we talked about and wow, they are gorgeous. You are going to want to take a daytrip or weekend trip, I’m talking about those of you who stay in Vallarta for months at a time, you know who you are. You are snowbirds that’s who, you will want to get out of Vallarta and take one of these 2 or 3-day trips for sure once you see these pictures. Again you can find them in the shownotes at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com.

Okay, that should do it for this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show.

Next week, stay tuned for more on the ground reports from Puerto Vallarta Mexico, with travel tips, great restaurant and excursion ideas and more.  Until then, remember, this is an interactive show where I depend on your questions and suggestions about all things Puerto Vallarta. If you think of something I should be talking about, please reach out to me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending us your message.

And remember, if you are considering booking any type of tour while you are in Puerto Vallarta, you must go to Vallartainfo.com, JR’s website and reserve your tour through him, right from his website. Remember the value for value proposition. His experience and on the ground knowledge of everything Puerto Vallarta in exchange for your making a purchase of a tour that you would do anyway, you’re just doing it through him as a way of saying thank you. It costs no more than if you were to use someone else so do it. Really. And when you do take one of these tours, email me about your experiences. Maybe you can come on-board and share with others what you liked or didn’t like about the tour. Again, contact me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending off a message. Don’t forget his maps, his DIY tours and his revitalized Happy Hour Board. I have links to all of those in the show notes.

 

And once again, if you like this podcast, please take the time and subscribe and give me a good review on iTunes if you would. That way we can get the word out to more and more people about the magic of this place. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Remember I made it easy for you to do just that with each episode I create. But if you haven’t been to my website, you really need to have a look there.  I have the links to the places we talk about, interesting pictures and the more all right there in my blog-posts and show-notes for each episode of the show so check them out for sure if you haven’t already all-right? All right.

And thank you so much Barbara Ann Renee, thanks for all that wonderful information. Thanks for helping us get a look into what it’s like to retire and keep really active in paradise. It’s pretty cool.

And thanks to all of you for listening all the way through this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show. This is Barry Kessler signing off with a wish for you all to slow down, be kind and live the Vallarta lifestyle. Nos Vemos amigos!