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The sun deck on the third floor of the Hotel Villa Mercedes is available to all guests. |
One of the hottest destinations on Mexico’s Pacific Coast continues to be Puerto Vallarta, and with increased air traffic, especially from the East Coast, this is a place that should continue to remain on the minds of travel agents as they pitch Mexico holidays to their sun-loving clients.
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Airlift Update
First and foremost, Aeromexico added new seasonal service this year between New York City and Puerto Vallarta. Additionally, new air service on scheduled and charter flights will increase routes to Puerto Vallarta International Airport from Lansing, St. Louis, Rockford, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Denver, Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. As a result, an estimated 105,000 new seats are expected to come online this year.
Hotel News
Earlier this year, Travel Agent was on location in Puerto Vallarta, where we checked out a newly renovated hotel right in the heart of the Romantic Zone—the Hotel Villa Mercedes. This 16-room boutique hotel (including studios, junior suites and penthouses) is connected with popular local restaurant Maia and just a few minutes walk from Playa Muertos, Puerto Vallarta’s Malecon boardwalk, as well as the famous gay district’s Blue Chairs. Amenities include a private sun deck and roof garden on the third floor, accessible to guests and also available for events.
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A suite at the Hotel Villa Mercedes |
We stayed in suite #108, which has a balcony, king-size bed, flat-screen TV, and a spacious bathroom.
Studios measure at approximately 350 square feet, while Junior Suites are 800-square-foot open loft units. But for something a little fancier, we suggest booking a Master unit, which can measure from 850 square feet to 1,100 square feet. Every unit is unique, with different details in their decoration. The units feature private balconies with ocean views, air conditioning, flat screen cable TV, Wi-Fi, bedroom with king-size bed and bathroom, living room, dining room and fully equipped kitchen.
We absolutely loved our stay at this quaint hotel, where we ended up on a first-name basis with management. Everyone on staff is friendly, attentive and willing to make your stay in Puerto Vallarta as homey and relaxing as possible. The location, just a short block and a half from the beach, is nothing to sneeze at, either.
Note: The minimum check-in age is 18, and Hotel Villa Mercedes is a top pick among gay travelers.
Agents can reach out to Veronica Garcia ([email protected]; 322-223-4543) with any questions.
Coming Soon: Scheduled to reopen in the fourth quarter this year, Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta includes 337 guest rooms and suites, all with ocean views. This AAA Four Diamond Resort is 40 minutes from Puerto Vallarta’s International Airport. Guests may enjoy a selection of à la carte restaurants, as well as an international buffet with chef cooking stations. Additional dining options include a pool side café and grill. There are lounges and bars for enjoyment and relaxation, as well as a swimming area with a separate adults-only pool. Additional all-inclusive services include a complimentary children’s club, activities throughout the day, and entertainment each evening.
Gay-Friendly
LGBT travelers are no doubt already familiar with Puerto Vallarta. For more than 60 years, this has been one of the top go-to destinations for LGBT travelers. The Zona Romantica is where the majority of the city’s gay hotels are located. It’s close to the gay beach, gay bars, and nightlife, restaurants and cafes.
Perhaps the best-known gay hotel in Puerto Vallarta is the 15-room/six-suite Casa Cupula. Originally opened as a safe haven for the LGBT community, Casa Cupula is one of the most progressive hotels in one of Puerto Vallarta’s trendiest neighborhoods. It also offers tours and activities for LGBT travelers, such as Go Gay’s Jungle Zip Line Adventure, a special guided tour of the city’s Botanical Gardens, and an Ada Sailboat Banderas Bay cruise.
Puerto Vallarta’s nightlife starts in the afternoon on the beach and keeps going until the wee hours. Some of the most popular LGBT clubs include Pace’s Ranch, La Niche, CC Slaughters, and Enter on Weekends.
Marketing
Puerto Vallarta has launched an updated website as part of its latest effort to take advantage of the trends in the digital world. Visitors to the new site will find that the new www.visitpuertovallarta.com sports a completely new layout designed to peruse while obtaining information, and using tools to help guide consumers to plan and book their vacations. The new site is also 100 percent smartphone friendly, Retina display ready, and offers the opportunity for content to be shared via all popular forms of social media.
Additionally, the Mexico Tourism Board launched a $10 million advertising campaign to promote the experiences offered in Puerto Vallarta and sister destination Riviera Nayarit. The initiative is not a rebranding; the joint campaign, named “Vallarta – Nayarit. Live it to Believe it!”, was created to increase the influx of tourism to both destinations. Each destination will continue to be branded individually, and the goal is to increase visitors to each of them in an effort to incur an annual influx of $100 million.
Rivera Nayarit’s destination profile got a boost in December with the opening of a major new resort property, Iberostar Playa Mita. It has 452 rooms and suites (including four that are handicap accessible), most with ocean views, Wi-Fi throughout, a spa, 18-hole golf course, four themed restaurants and an international buffet, a Splash Park, and separate kids’ pool, and Miniclub for children 4-12 and a Teenclub.