Smart Meetings

Whitewashed bougainvillea-draped buildings house art galleries, boutiques and restaurants on cobblestone streets by the sea. Bistros and clubs line the Rio Cuale as the tree-lined river flows through the old town, providing an oasis of calm. An international meeting place for art and food connoisseurs alike, the town has lured travelers since the filming of John Huston’s Night of the Iguana, complete with its off-camera romance between Liz and Richard, put this patch of paradise on the map in 1964.

This year Wagons Lits Corporation named Puerto Vallarta the fifth-preferred destination in the world. Four million visitors came in 2005, and for 2006 the numbers are already up 16 percent, according to Oscar Rivero, president, Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board (puertovallarta.net) and president of the Puerto Vallarta Hotel Association.

As its popularity has grown, so its boundaries have expanded north and south. The main hotel zone extends north from town to Marina Vallarta, home to the cruise ship terminal, which is currently being expanded, as well as an 18-hole golf course, 355-slip marina and resorts like Marriott Casa Magna (marriott.com) and the Westin (starwoodhotels.com/westin), which court meetings with their excellent facilities.

With the emerging high-end destinations of Nuevo Vallarta, just 25 minutes north of the airport, and Punta Mita, 20 minutes beyond that, the overall picture is evolving.

Vallarta Adventures specializes in excursions for team-building and incentive groups, with boat charters, adventure tours and events at Las Caletas, a private cove south of the bay that was once John Huston’s private getaway. Now the company’s exclusive facility, they’ve planted gardens and converted Huston’s old house into low-impact, open-air restaurants, for events by torchlight and candlelight.

The first phase of the new convention center will be completed by end of this year. It will offer 54,000 sq. ft. of convention space. A total of $10 million dollars are being invested in this project.

PGA announced Puerto Vallarta will once again be the site for its second annual Blue Agave Classic Golf Championship. The first International Champions Tour was held in spring, 2006 at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Vista Vallarta Golf Club.

A major renovation and expansion program is underway at the Mexican Riviera’s most popular cruise port, which welcomed 259 cruise ships in 2005. With completion of two new docking positions, the port will be able to simultaneously accommodate three full-size cruise ships up to 1,000 feet long. Services and amenities offered at the Maritime Terminal are also being enhanced.

Puerto Vallarta’s famed Malecón, the seaside walkway where pedestrians congregate to watch the sunset, enjoy art installations and meet and greet locals and visitors alike, has been extended to connect downtown with the town’s popular south side. The extension includes a new bridge, built across the Rio (River) Cuale.

Getting There

Gustava Diaz Ordaz International Airport  Served by: Aeroméxico, Aerotron, Azteca, AeroCalifornia, Aeromar, Aviacsa, Alaska, America West, American, Canadian, Continental, Frontier and Mexicana.

Not To Be Missed

- Boat excursion to Yelapa.

- Gallery hop some of the town's 27 beautiful art galleries.

- Survey sculptures along the seaside Malecon at sunset.

- Visit private homes open for fund-raising tours November through April.

- Take a tour to the land of the Huichol Indians.