January 2011 brought signs of growth, an improved economy and more visitors to Puerto Vallarta and other Mexican destinations such as Cancun and the Riviera Nayarit. The interest in Mexico has been increasing in the last few months and most impressively is originating from some very prestigious sources.

For example Travel & Leisure magazine has listed San Miguel de Allende, Mexico as one of the hottest travel destinations of 2011 along with Tibet, Australia and Zambia are listed among the year's must-see spots.

The other big Travel Mogul - Condè Nast Traveler has chosen Puerto Vallarta's own Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa as winner of 2011 Awards for Excellence by Condé Nast Johansens, the international luxury travel guide. This very prestigious award is awarded by a very discerning group made up of hotel guests, inspection teams and readers and presented to only the best of the best - Puerto Vallarta's Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa was named "The Most Excellent Resort in México and Central America."

Another positive sign is the growth of new businesses in the downtown historical center and Romantic Zone. A very charming new attraction is the new Riviera Molina building in the heart of downtown with a large plaza in front of the building, which has recently blossomed with several new and very intriguing businesses.

There is the French Riviera Bakery and Bistro with another location in Los Cabos. This charming sidewalk café is open from 8 am to 11 pm daily with a full bar. Next to this is a charming smaller Artesanal Bakery called Panino's with full Espresso bar and Panini sandwiches. They currently do not have a liquor license and are only open 8 am to 6 pm, but will soon have a full bar as well. They were happy to tell me all about their great selection of Artesanal Breads with a sourdough that had a 100 year ancestry and was originally from Europe.

Just around the corner from the Plaza, behind the offices of Timothy Real Estate Group, is a great new state of the art gym "The Fitness Club" with day passes or by the week for visitors.

As well there is a new high-end residential property being developed in the heart of the Romantic Zone. It is called V399 - the address on I. Vallarta Street just a short block off of Basilio Badillo. It is a low level condominium residence with only 6 floors, but includes all the amenities a luxury market expects such as underground parking - a very important detail in this zone.

V399 recently had a fabulous street party to celebrate the ground breaking of the new condominium building, which is a great example of the most efficient use of space in a high demand location and the trend so successful in so many other destinations of responsible development, it is a low density building with a roof top pool and a good portion of the units are studios.

The Loft phenomenon has been huge in northern urban centers where savvy real estate shoppers realize that if they are choosing to live in the heart of the action they probably will not be at home all the time, so a more compact life style is logical and appealing.

This is a perfect trend for a destination where the climate promotes spending most of your time outside. A lifestyle the Mexicans have long promoted. The Mexican Culture is very social and people tend to sit on the sidewalk in front of their homes and chat and visit with neighbors and passers-by in the evenings.

In some new model residences in the US and Canada there is a return to this example with small front yards and porches to invite socializing by proximity, so obviously the Mexicans have the right idea.

The Mexican culture has always put more of an emphasis on people then schedules and will always return a greeting or stop and chat with strangers not to mention friends. The new technology of texting is just another option, but given a choice most Mexicans prefer a personal conversation.

The friendliness of the local people has long been a strong attraction for visitors, and Puerto Vallarta was voted "The Friendliest City in the World" by Conde Nast Traveler.

There is no better way to forget the stress and hustle and bustle of everyday life than through escaping to a private villa or well appointed condo in Puerto Vallarta or Riviera Nayarit. So call Beston Properties at (213) 291-1594 from the US, send an email to info(at)bestonproperties.com or visit BestonProperties.com TODAY and let them help you plan your perfect vacation.

Click HERE to learn more about Beston Properties