Banderas Bay, the beautiful Pacific waters surrounding Puerto Vallarta, offers some of the most exciting big game fishing in the world and the summer months of June through November is when sport fishing here is at its best.

Starting in June, Banderas Bay sees the arrival of huge trophy fish including marlin, tuna, snapper, sailfish and roosterfish.

Because the bay is so large (the second largest in North America) expect to charter a boat for 8 to 12 hours to get out to the best fishing grounds like La Corbeteña and El Banco where you will find the best action on larger species.

Captain Luis Blanco of Vallarta Sportsman Fishing Charters, who won the Puerto Vallarta International Marlin and Sailfish Tournament in 2011 and 2012, says “This is really the best time of year for great fishing. We try to use good conservation practices for our clients so we recommend catch and release when possible. And for clients that want to bring the fish in but can’t necessarily keep the entire thing, we offer to fillet it and donate it to a locate shelter for girls, so it’s a win for everyone.”

So whether you’re an experienced angler or a first-time fisherman, take advantage of the sport fishing summer season when you’re visiting Puerto Vallarta.

To read more about Puerto Vallarta, visit: http://visitpuertovallarta.com/

Click here to read more about Costa Sur Resort & Spa.

Summer has almost arrived in Puerto Vallarta and savvy travellers know that it is one of the best times to visit our city. Late afternoon rain showers ensure that our jungle surroundings are at their most lush and beautiful and visitors can take advantage of all the city has to offer without the crowds… Often with great off-season discounts! Here are some fun summer activities to enjoy around Puerto Vallarta in the summer season:

• Galerias Plaza: Check out this upscale shopping center that features high end retailers, restaurants and a multiplex.

• Explore the Sierra Madre: Cool mountain temperatures and charming authentic Mexican lifestyle are found in the little villages of San Sebastian and Mascota, less than 2 hours from Puerto Vallarta.

• Sport Fishing: June through November is the best season for trophy fish in Banderas Bay including marlin, tuna, roosterfish and sailfish.

• Adventure Tours: Puerto Vallarta is an adventure travellers dream! Try activities like ATV tours, zip-lining, dolphin swims and parasailing and enjoy small, off-season groups.

Puerto Vallarta is a year-round destination so take advantage of the summer months to get out and explore the city and surrounding region when it is truly at its most spectacular.

To read more about Puerto Vallarta, visit: http://visitpuertovallarta.com/

Click here to read more about Costa Sur Resort & Spa.

The iconic Malecon is the heart of Puerto Vallarta, where visitors and residents can enjoy strolling the beautiful walkway with the blue waters of Banderas Bay on one side and some of the best shopping, dining and entertainment in the city on the other. And the Puerto Vallarta Malecon is also an impressive public art space, exhibiting sculptures from some of the most famous artists in Mexico.

More than 15 sculptures are found along the Malecon including pieces by Ramiz Barquet, Sergio Bustamante and Alejandro Colunga. Many of the sculptures, such as Isidro El Pescador and Los Bailarines de Puerto Vallarta, reflect on the cultural foundations of life in Puerto Vallarta, while other sculptures like Lorena Ochoa and Ignacio L. Vallarta pay homage to people, both past and current, who have made important contributions to Puerto Vallarta’s history and culture.

Some of the larger sculptures like En Busca de la Razón and La Rotonda del Mar are popular spots in Puerto Vallarta for great vacation photos because visitors can climb and sit on the sculptures and become part of the art.

Sculptures on the Puerto Vallarta Malecon are just another great reason to get out and enjoy this amazing walkway in the city.

To read more about Puerto Vallarta, visit: http://visitpuertovallarta.com/

Click here to read more about Costa Sur Resort & Spa.

What’s better in warm weather than a cool, creamy treat? Not much, and that’s why you will find some amazingly delicious frozen yogurt and ice cream shops around Puerto Vallarta.

In Marina Vallarta, visitors flock to MoYo, a fun and funky little frozen yogurt place located in the Nima Bay shops beside Starbucks. MoYo is also known as having one of the cutest pet rest areas in Puerto Vallarta, so bring your furry friend with you.

On the Puerto Vallarta Malecon, Yogen Fruz has two locations located near each end of the walkway, where you can stop for a cool treat after a hot stroll. Or stop by La Michoacana for traditional-style Mexican popsicle… Cheap and delicious!

And for the gourmet in the group, be sure to pay a visit to Lix, an ice cream shop recently opened by the owners of famous handmade chocolate shop, Xocodiva. Located on popular Basilio Badillo Street, Lix offers milkshakes, cones and their soon-to-be-famous stuffed banana which is a banana stuffed with Nutella, berries, peanut butter or caramel, then dipped in Xocodiva chocolate and rolled in nuts to make a decadent treat.

No matter where you are in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, make sure you make a stop to enjoy a cool treat while you’re visiting the city.

To read more about Puerto Vallarta, visit: http://visitpuertovallarta.com/

Click here to read more about Costa Sur Resort & Spa.

We’ve all seen it happen: An excited vacationer arrives in sunny Puerto Vallarta, spends the first day of his vacation by the pool or at the beach unprotected from the sun, and spends the rest of his Vallarta vacation with very red and painful sunburn. Don’t let carelessness put a damper on your vacation in Puerto Vallarta. Use just a few quick precautions and you can enjoy our year-round sunshine without worry!

• Always use a high SPF, water resistant sunscreen and reapply often, at least every 3 hours or after swimming or perspiring.

• Watch out for those “forgotten” places like the bottoms of feet, backs of knees or exposed areas of the scalp when you’re applying sun block.

• The sun in Puerto Vallarta is strongest between 11:00am and 3:00pm, so if you’re enjoying one of the many beautiful beaches around Banderas Bay or lounging at the hotel pool, try to get under an umbrella for some shade.

• Wide-brimmed hats not only keep you looking fashionable around the pool or beach, but they help protect your face, neck and chest from sun burn and skin damage due to sun exposure.

• Be careful with limes! Many people don’t know that lime juice on your skin can cause painful blisters when exposed to the sun.

With just a couple of quick, basic precautions you’ll be able to enjoy the gorgeous beaches and weather of beautiful Puerto Vallarta without risk of damaging your skin with overexposure to the sun.

To read more about Puerto Vallarta, visit: http://visitpuertovallarta.com/

Click here to read more about Costa Sur Resort & Spa.

Puerto Vallarta is a popular wedding destination with no surprise: Spectacular location with beautiful weather, experienced wedding planners, excellent florists and caterers, and lower costs, all make Vallarta the ultimate wedding destination.

Many couples planning a destination wedding in Puerto Vallarta first perform a civil ceremony in their home town, but it is absolutely to arrange a legal marriage in Mexico that will be recognized internationally, if you follow the requirements below:

• Both bride and groom must be over 18 years of age

• You must present your tourist visa and a copy of your passport

• You must declare if you will enter into your marriage with your pre-marriage goods and property as “community assets” or separate assets” (similar to a pre-nuptial agreement)

• If either person has been married previously, proof of a legal divorce or a death certificate, officially translated and recognized by the Mexican government (apostille), must be provided. One year must past after a previous divorce before you may legally be married in Mexico.

• 2 witnesses are required for your wedding. The witnesses may not be parents to the bride or groom and, if foreign, must have a tourist visa and valid passport.

• Bride and groom must attend a Pre-nuptial Class. The class is available in English only on Wednesday mornings at 9:00am.

• Bride and groom must have blood tests taken in Mexico, no more than 2 weeks prior to the ceremony.

• A legal wedding in Mexico may only be performed by a Justice of the Peace.

Please note that there are other requirements necessary if either the bride or groom is a Mexican citizen.

To read more about Puerto Vallarta, visit: http://visitpuertovallarta.com/

Click here to read more about Costa Sur Resort & Spa.

While you spend time on the beaches of Puerto Vallarta, you will observe a delicious food offered by vendors: The famous Envarasado-style fish, which is also sometimes referred to as Fish Embarazado.

Seafood and fish Envarasado is an ever more common sight on the beaches of Vallarta.

The name of this dish comes from its specific manner of preparation which involves inserting a sharp tipped rod into the mouth of the fish, which is covered in oil that has previously been prepared with the necessary ingredients.

Once the fish is on the rod it is placed on the grill fired with mahogany wood (although some use coal or other woods) and as it is roasting, you apply the secret sauce acts as a marinade and gives the fish a delicious taste after 20 or 30 minutes.

The types of fish that can be used to prepare Envarasado fish are snapper and catfish, among others.

There is no better way to enjoy a delicious grilled fish than on the beach in Puerto Vallarta, where sellers will add lemon, salt and Huichol sauce to your liking.

To read more about Puerto Vallarta, visit: http://visitpuertovallarta.com/

Click here to read more about Costa Sur Resort & Spa.

Many visitors who come to Puerto Vallarta enjoy its natural beauty and is one of the main reasons for their visit, but there are many other things such as such food and drinks like delicious coconut water found in Vallarta that will make your stay more enjoyable.

It has been shown that coconut water also helps to eliminate parasites and it is very nutritious and medicinal, featuring many of the compounds that breast milk provides.

Coconut water is a refreshing beverage that can be found in many parts of the city or restaurants in Vallarta, which makes for a nice accompaniment to a meal as mixing well with many kinds of alcohol like vodka, gin and tequila, which are very popular and decoratively served inside of the coconut itself.

Perhaps one of the most popular ways to enjoy this delicious drink while relaxing at the beach, watching the ocean waves and enjoying a fancy tropical drink or just enjoying the natural flavor of the coconut water on its own.

To read more about Puerto Vallarta, visit: http://visitpuertovallarta.com/

Click here to read more about Costa Sur Resort & Spa.

There is nothing more iconic in Puerto Vallarta than the city’s Malecon walkway along the beautiful waters of the Pacific Ocean’s Banderas Bay.

The Malecon was recently updated and reopened on 2012 to rave reviews. It’s where Vallarta locals and visitors mingle together as they stroll leisurely along the walkway, enjoying the view of the city and the water, shopping, enjoying free entertainment and dining on foods ranging from casual snacks purchased from traditional Mexican food stands to fine dining cuisine at high end restaurants.

Some highlights of activities to enjoy on the Puerto Vallarta Malecon include:

• Enjoying the beautiful sculptures lining the Malecon which make for excellent and interactive vacation photos.

• Check out the amazing sand sculptures created on the beach by professional sand artists.

• Watch the free music, dance, comedy and theatre shows that occur almost every evening at the Arches on the Malecon.

• Take a tandem bike or kayak and explore the Malecon on wheels or by sea.  The city of Puerto Vallarta offers free one hour equipment loans.

But perhaps the most popular activity on the Puerto Vallarta Malecon is simply to stroll along with family and friends and watch the people going by, the sun setting over the blue waters of Banderas Bay and the nightly fireworks  show that lights up the harbor.

To read more about Puerto Vallarta, visit: http://www.visitpuertovallarta.com/.

Click here to read more about Costa Sur Resort & Spa.

Is Mexico safe?  It’s one of the most commonly asked questions by people considering visiting this beautiful country. And many Americans are surprised to discover that popular Mexican resort destinations like Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan are not only incredibly safe for tourists, they are actually safer for Americans than many cities in the U.S.A.

The Huffington Post, the first commercially run American digital media enterprise to win a Pulitzer Prize, recently ran an article originally sourced from Lonely Planet, the world’s leading travel content provider, discussing just how safe American visitors really are in Mexico.

The article states that while some parts of Mexico can be dangerous most of the country is as safer as or statistically safer for Americans than popular tourism destinations in the U.S.A including Orlando, Florida and New Orleans, Louisiana.  Reports by the US State Department confirm this assessment of safety in Mexico, warning that only 4 of Mexico’s 31 states should be avoided by tourists and those states are located far from Mexican beach destinations like Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.

So is it safe to enjoy strolling the famous Puerto Vallarta Malecon or fishing off the beautiful coastline of Mazatlan?  Or to enjoy the beaches, cultural and adventure tours and culinary experiences available in these popular Mexican vacation destinations?  The answer according to Lonely Planet, the Huffington Post and millions of visitors to Mexico every year is a resounding “yes” and it’s all waiting here for you to experience.

To read the original article, visit this link:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lonely-planet/are-tourists-safe-in-mexico_b_1503288.html