Puerto Vallarta News & Events

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When traveling to Mexico there are important considerations to keep in mind. In order to make your trip as relaxing and stress-free as possible it is wise to acquaint yourself with local requirements, rules, and customs to avoid any unnecessary delays or problems while on vacation.

The following is a list of things to help you plan a trip to Mexico.

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Virgin Airlines adds PVR as destination

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One of the top Airlines – Virgin Atlantic Airlines known for their philosophy of luxurious essentials is adding Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to their list of destinations. They will be flying out of San Francisco, California, on, July 26, a spokeswoman for Virgin told us that service to Puerto Vallarta could begin in early December 2011.

Virgin Atlantic Airlines has made a name for offering luxury at value prices and the public are showing their appreciation. The current trend in our leaner economy is a more value focused market. So it comes as not surprise that Puerto Vallarta and Virgin Airlines make a good partnership. Even though Puerto Vallarta is a world class destination with luxury resorts such as the Four Seasons Punta Mita, the St. Regis plus being known for gourmet restaurants and shopping. It is still an amazing good value, especially when you consider the popularity of another trend – private vacation rental villas. Many travelers are coming to appreciate that value of renting a private home for their vacation. From beachfront Condominiums to Luxurious 12 bedroom villas there is a range of options to suit all budgets. There are vacation rental options with a rate per bedroom per night as low as $50 USD in the Value season. When you consider you get the space of a condominium or villa and the privacy which any travelor staying in hotel knows – privacy is a luxury. So check out options on Beston Properties website.

Virgnin Airlines spokesperson advised - “We filed with the Department of Transportation to seek rights to fly to Puerto Vallarta – but still do not have approval or a firm start date. That said, we are targeting December 2nd of this year as a likely launch date for this – our newest Mexico route,” said Abby Lunardini Vice President of Corporate Communications for Virgin America.

As previously reported, a recent survey by community marketing has found that Puerto Vallarta narrowly beat out all the cities in Canada for being the most popular gay vacation destination in the Americas.

If you haven’t flown Virgin America, you are in for a treat. All the airline's new, state of the art jets have personal entertainment screens where you can watch your choice of television channels or its expansive 3000 MP3 library for free or opt to pay to watch a newly released movie.

You can also order your meal or a drink right from your seat. Like the legacy airlines, soft drinks are free. Virgin also has an outlet where you can plug in your laptop (no special adapter required) and for a fee, WiFi. But be advised that WiFi does not operate 100 miles south of the border.

Virgin America is also very gay-friendly.

Said Lunardini, “As the only airline headquartered in San Francisco and as a proud annual sponsor of SF Pride, we have a deep connection with GLBT travelers – on both the customer and community level. We look forward to expanding our stylish and low-fare service to more exciting travel destinations as we continue to grow as an airline.”

Right now, the only airlines that fly nonstop to Puerto Vallarta from San Francisco are Alaska and United. Virgin has set the bar high, which will ultimately benefit the consumer in lower fares and hopefully, better service.

Virgin America has been around since 2007. Right now it flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Cabos, Cancun and Chicago.

The addition of Puerto Vallarta makes a lot of sense, according to airline execs.

“We’ve seen a strong demand for travel to our Mexican destinations and we’re looking forward to giving our flyers another world-class leisure option,” said Virgin America President and CEO David Cush. “We’re proud to be growing and offering travelers a very unique flight experience at a time when most airlines are shrinking their schedules and reducing the amenities provided to flyers.”

Ed Walsh is an Examiner from San Francisco. He has written regularly for the LGBT press since 1998. His travels have taken him from Australia to Iceland and just about everywhere in between. You can read more of Ed's articles on his examiner.com page.