Luisa Martinez Has Been Selling Luisa’s Designer Clothing in Puerto Vallarta Since 1991
Luisa’s 100% Cotton Designs in Puerto Vallarta are Made From Natural Raw Manta Cotton That Breaths Well in Humid Climates
Luisa Hand Paints Dresses, Blouses and Shirts and Tailors as Well
Puerto Vallarta News and More
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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.
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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, Puerto Vallarta’s Oldest Restaurant on the famous Los Muertos Beach, and The El Dorado Restaurant and Beach Club right next door so you can enjoy that fantastic view of the Los Muertos Pier all lit up at night in beautiful colors, or during the day in its grand splendor for breakfast, lunch or dinner, seated with your toes in the sand right at the water’s edge. It’s so romantic, it’s so, Puerto Vallarta my friends.
This week we are going to the center of Vallarta, to a cute clothing store named Luisa’s, and we will be talking with the owner of this 30 year old establishment, Luisa Martinez, but before we get to Luisa, let’s see what’s happening in Puerto Vallarta, this week, the 31st of December, 2020. Happy New Year Everyone!
Contact Information for Luisa’s 100% Cotton Clothing Designs in Puerto Vallarta
- Address: Juarez #144 Zona Centro Puerto Vallarta
- Phone: 52-322-222-5042
- Email: luivallarta@gmail.com
It’s Cold in Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is cold according to my buddy Salvador. A winter chill complete with lots of cold rain fell just yesterday catching everyone by surprise. Remember last year we had a lot of rain just after the new year but not cold like this. Anyway, if you are heading down to Vallarta take some extra wrappage.
Vallarta Still Under Partial Lockdown
Vallarta is still under a partial lockdown order till the 10th of January which takes us past the 6th of January: Three Kings Day, and currently in El Tuito, they are celebrating the Fiestas de Enero which go all the way through the 12th if January. Three Kings Day or
(Dia de Los Tres Reyes Magos)is generally the last day of celebrations that traditionally take place every year. Some Mexicans expect Santa Claus on the 6th of January, but they won’t get to dance at a club, or drink at a bar unless that bar is also considered a restaurant, and those are the current restrictions to battle the spread of the covid till January 10th, 2021 in Puerto Vallarta.
Fredy’s Tucan is Remodeled in Town
When I was in Vallarta in November I noticed that Fredy’s Tucan was all closed up and they were doing a big remodeling job inside. You know I mentioned their new location in
Fluvial, a big beautiful restaurant up there, and my friends Tony and Stella told me they are all open and looking great, so I will get some pictures of the new, and the remodeled Fredy’s when I get down there next month and share them with you soon.
Ready For My 3rd To Puerto Vallarta During The Pandemic
Now as for this planned third trip down since the reopening of tourism in Mexico after the pandemic, I’ve only gotten one notice of a change in my flight plans and it was just an adjustment of my departure time coming home they cut my trip short by 40 minutes guys. I’m so mad.
That is it. Now in case you are wondering what I paid for the tickets, Los Angels to Puerto Vallarta round trip was $270 on Delta Airlines. They are still offering the middle seat open meaning you don’t have another person all cuddled up next to you. Masks all the time in the planes and in the terminals.
So, the flight was $270 and this time I got really lucky finding an Airbnb. I was using the map tool in the Airbnb app and I included the option for the possibility the place could be a hotel or a boutique bed and breakfast, and I was intrigued by the location of one of these places and low and behold, they were offering a room at the Hotel La Siesta for just $32 a night. So, including taxes and fees, it came to just under $40 a night for a room at the La Siesta or just $394, for 10 nights lodging overlooking the town. Sweet! Now I did stay at the La Siesta back last October in 2019, and that was off season and it was $55 a night. The La Siesta is where the restaurant El Panorama is. The building was for sale last year for a cool $10,000,000 US, but the owners took it off the market before I could buy it. The place doesn’t have air conditioning so it was a little rough in October but should be perfect for this time of year. The internet as I remember sucked, but the view was spectacular and it’s halfway up to the Cross so I’ll be taking morning hikes to la cruz while I’m in paradise…so the grand total for flight and lodging is $664 dollars US. Just $64 dollars shy of what Uncle Sam will be sending me in a couple of days. Food, drink and transportation as well as gifts to buy and bring home not included in the price of course.
Barcelona Tapas Has a New Website
Barcelona Tapas has a new website and it’s lovely. I have a link to it in the shownotes. I can’t wait to get back and spend a few evenings at the Barcelounge when I get back. Live music with a view, and drinks, and not far from where I’ll be staying. Check out the website, check out Barcelona Tapas.
The Puerto Vallarta Travel Show Starts Year 5 and Good-Bye to 2020
So we are finally at the end of this really crappy year. It was the 4th year of the podcast. I thought really long and hard about giving up this podcast. About staying at home and giving it a rest. And to be perfectly honest, I’ve paid dearly for deciding to go forward and continue promoting Vallarta, through the pandemic. I’ve had listeners send me nasty…really mean emails travel shaming me. I’ve had listeners accuse me of being of a certain political party. I’m not. I’ve had people hope that I get the rona, or my family gets the rona and dies…I’ve been accused of being a covid denier…which is…I don’t even know what that means. I’m not one of those either. Anyway it’s been a real rough year for me emotionally. Monetarily it’s been a fantastic year thank goodness. I’ve sold a lot of houses even during…especially during the pandemic. I’m in 4 escrows currently and people are still buying homes in California even though we’ve been locked down for 9 months. In fact the only restaurants I’ve been in since March have been in Puerto Vallarta. Still plenty of people are still buying homes here. Oh, they are selling just as fast and I guess that’s why business is booming for me, but I feel bad for so many who are forced out of work, and my college kid, the athlete on a volleyball scholarship in Wisconsin and all his schoolmates are being turned into test rats so that’s not so great.
But the silver lining is I’ve gotten support from so many of you listeners, many of you and I appreciate that. And the people I have interviewed and spoken with on the ground, especially the Mexicans I’ve spoken with in Vallarta have been so very grateful and thankful and supportive of my efforts to inform the listeners about what’s going on, and that they are waiting with open arms and a fist bump and a facemask for you to come back…and that’s why I keep doing what I’m doing.
So, as we begin our 5th year of the podcast, I want to thank all of you for listening. I want to thank you for supporting JR, John Russell at Vallartainfo.com and buying your tours through him right from his website. Thanks for remembering him and referring your friends visiting who are visiting Vallarta to JR and Vallartainfo.com. Thanks to my friends and family at La Palapa and the La Palapa Group of Restaurants and properties. Thanks Alberto Perez for allowing me to use your music for the theme song of the show. I’m forever grateful for that. I’ll be at La Palapa in just a few days and I can’t wait.
I just want to say that whether or not we agree or disagree about stuff I talk about…let’s start the year being more tolerant and civil towards one another. I love doing this show and most of all, I love all of you. So remember to solw down and be kind, and Thanks for listening and let’s start the new year with a hope and a prayer that we can all get through this together and once again enjoy paradise real soon if you haven’t already. Thanks guys!
Canadians Need a Negative Test to Come Home
Now if you are from Canadia, that may be more difficult because new restrictions have been put on you Canadians…Sorry but here it is from Travel Pulse Canada…..
The government of Canada will begin requiring visitors arriving by air to provide a negative COVID-19 test.
Multiple news sites, including Canadian Press, say that the Liberal government in Ottawa made the move official on Wednesday morning.
Senior government officials in the Justin Trudeau government said all passengers on flights coming into Canada will have to present a negative PCR test taken within three days of their arrival.
The move could come into effect in a few days, Global News said.
Similar requirements have been brought in by countries around the world.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the presence of Canada Border Service Agency agents will also be increased at border crossings and airports to ensure Canadians understand the newly tightened rules, Global reported.
“We strongly advise against travel unless absolutely necessary,” Blair said at a news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday. “If you must travel, understand that upon your return, you must follow guidelines and quarantine for 14 days. It’s not just the right thing to do — it’s the law. And if you don’t, it can result in serious consequences.”
Canadian aviation expert Robert Kokonis panned Ottawa’s plan.
“My expectation, shared with many people in the industry in Canada, is that testing on arrival is good,” he said in an email. “At the same time, I believe, as do others, that a requirement for advance Covid testing should be implemented only in conjunction with a reduced quarantine period.”
“The requirement now for travelers entering Canada (who are largely Canadian citizens and residents) to get an advance negative Covid test, and still quarantine for 14 days upon arrival will deter even more passengers from travelling,” Kokonis said. “Already brutally weak load factors on international routes could be reduced to table scraps, forcing our airlines to make additional route and capacity reductions. This will translate directly into addition lost airline jobs. Rippling those job losses across the broader aviation and tourism food chain, and we could be setting up our industry for catastrophic losses”
The National Airlines Council of Canada also questioned the announcement.
“We strongly believe it must also be utilized in conjunction with measures to reduce quarantine levels, as is being done in countries all around the world,” said NACC chief Mike McNaney.
“The implementation of the new testing requirement must be used as a springboard to a more coordinated approach to mitigate risk, and implement science-based policy with respect to quarantine measures,” he said. “While industry will do all it can to implement the new requirements, and ensure passengers are aware of their obligations, given the lack of detail and prior consultation this is going to be a very challenging exercise, the complexity of which the government must not underestimate.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has recently jousted with the federal government on the issue of rapid testing for arriving passengers. Ford last week said Ontario would go ahead with rapid testing at Toronto Pearson, with or without the federal government’s help.
The National Post on Wednesday reported that the “Ontario and federal governments are preparing to unveil a joint COVID-19 rapid testing program at the province’s biggest airport as early as next week, as both sides seek to deflect blame for a growing number of travel-related cases entering Canada.”
A spokesperson for Ontario Premier Doug Ford said a new pilot program to test international travellers entering Canada through YYZ would be unveiled “in the early new year.”
The Post said the plan could test around 315,000 travellers over a three-month period.
And I have a link to that story in the article from Travel Pulse Canada, in the shownotes.
So if you are Canadian, and have some questions about how to go about getting tested…don’t get me started…
Pam Thompson from writes…
Before hundreds tag me with questions, anyone that needs this test, you are welcome to contact me. What is required is the PCR swab test, nothing else will do. We have a location for the test for people with NO symptoms and one for people WITH symptoms, so people are not “mixed”. Email only please and include complete legal name that matches your passport, date of birth, phone contact and exact date required to coordinate with the requirements. This test is 4500 pesos and please no comment on the price. They are expensive to purchase and the quick test, antibody tests are much cheaper but also less accurate. Thank you. pamela@healthcareresourcespv.com
Puerto Vallarta ArtWalk is Happening Wednesdays From 6-10 PM
And if you are in town, the ArtWalk is happening Wednesday nights from 6 pm till 10 pm. until further notice.
Participating Galleries
Collectika, Only One, Corsica Gallery I, Corsica II Gallery, Posters International, Atelier 2020, Red Bird Gallery, Browne Gallery, Natural Design, MannMade Mexico, Pacific Gallery, Gallery One LOD, The Loft Gallery and Pots Gallery.
All of the participating galleries are following proper health protocols and are ready to welcome you into their businesses for some art, and isn’t that what makes life so incredibly special? Beautiful art.
I have a link to their website and that list and a map in the shownotes.
Digital Nomad Meet and Greet Monday the 11th at La Traviata Pizza Party
I generally have meet and greets at Kelly’s Pour Favor when I’m in town, I horn in on JR’s weekly get together every Tuesday but I’m doing something different this time, I’m meeting up with a group of Digital Nomads who live in Puerto Vallarta, and I’m going to find out what they do in paradise, how they make ends meet living in a foreign land. It should be a blast, and if you want to join us you are also invited. I’m buying the pizza, you buy the beer…It’s Monday January 11th at La Traviata restaurant, on top of the Hotel Paloma del Mar in the Cinco de Diciembre Neighborhood of Puerto Vallarta at Honduras 309. We will be there from 3 till 5 having pizza, and talking about what digital nomads do in Vallarta. Join us. Put it in your calendar. I’ll follow up next week and remind you about this and let you know if we have other meet and greets planned. Stay tuned for that and looking forward to meeting you if you are in fact, in paradise.
There really is more but let’s get to the interview shall we?
Luisa’s 100% Cotton Clothing Designs in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Last week I took you shopping for second had clothing at Deja New Consignment and this week we are going clothing shopping again but this time it’s new clothes.
One of the many perks to doing this podcast is the cool people you meet and become your friends and invite you places.
Contact Information for Luisa’s 100% Cotton Clothing Designs in Puerto Vallarta
- Address: Juarez #144 Zona Centro Puerto Vallarta
- Phone: 52-322-222-5042
- Email: luivallarta@gmail.com
One of these lovely people is my friend Sharon who’s been on the show before. And Sharon invited JR and me to have dinner with her and her husband Mr. Bill over at their condo at the Lindo Mar. She cooked us a home cooked meal and we laughed and talked
and watched the waves crashing against the rocks at the Lindo Mar. And Bill has this shirt on and it’s hand painted with bougainvillea leaves and flowers. It was a nice button up cotton shirt, and I asked him about it and Sharon says that she had Luisa paint it for him and asked me if I knew who she was, and I said no. Well, she’s been over on Juarez right in the middle of town for years. You really need to interview her Barry.
So I wandered down to see Luisa the next day and asked her if she would talk with me. She was a little nervous because of her accent, but she agreed and I made an appointment to see her the next afternoon. And I was on my way to interview her that
day I left my daypack with all my recording gear on a public bus, so I missed that interview, but managed to see her two days later at the shop. I apologized for missing my appointment, but she was just happy to see me.
Now all during the interview we were interrupted by clients coming in to pick up and drop off items for alterations or repair, so this lady is a remarkably busy lady. She spends lots of time in front on one of her several sewing machines, doing those repairs and alterations and if you look behind where she sits, there is a small mountain of finished garments waiting to be picked up. Like I said, she is busy.
Her shop is beautifully appointed with wonderful flowy styles much of it made from Manta Cotton. When I looked up the meaning is says What is Manta cotton? It is 100% natural unbleached cotton also known as “cotton crudo” or “wild cotton” or organic cotton. Typically it is used to make men’s shirts, called guayaberas. The cotton fiber is sturdier, more loosely woven and cool. And that makes sense in a humid tropical climate doesn’t it?
So let’s go right now to a sweet clothing store that bears the name of the owner herself, right in the middle of Puerto Vallarta, Juarez 144 in Zona Centro, and let’s meet one of the nicest ladies you may ever meet, Luisa Martinez of Luisa’s 100% Cotton Clothing, since 1991, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
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Okay…Thank you Luisa. She really is as nice as she sounds and her clothes are beautiful and perfect for Puerto Vallarta. I have one of her shirts now as a matter of fact and guys, you need one to add to your Vallarta wardrobe. And ladies…you have to go see Luísa.
I have pictures of her clothes and her shop and links and a map that will take you right to her front door of Luisa’s at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com.
Okay, that should do it for this week.
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.
Thank you so much to Luisa Martinez from Luisa’s 100% Cotton. Please stop in and buy yourself something nice…you deserve it. I have links and maps and pictures in the shownotes, and tell Luisa you heard about her on the podcast.
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!