What had been known as Nuevo Vallarta is now being called the Riviera Nayarit. It had been Vallarta Nayarit and then Playas de Nayarit since the territory extends well beyond Punta de Mita and Banderas Bay, past Litibú, going all the way to Lo de Marcos, which has nothing to do with the subcomandante. Those opposed to the Playas or Riviera phrase argue that few foreigners ever have heard of Nayarit, and will not know where it is. Foreigners are what developers hope to attract to these beaches. Also, there may be some confusion with the Riviera Mexicana, which includes the Riviera Nayarit, but we can let somebody else worry about that.
This new riviera can be compared to the Maya Riviera or Acapulco Diamante, places where long stretches of new hotel/timeshare developments are planned to substantially expand the original resort areas. Nayarit authorities are particularly eyeing timeshare sales, since, having been purchased in advance, timeshares seldom are unoccupied. Higher occupancy means higher employment, and higher employment is what the authorities of Nayarit seek.
Does this mean you would be interested in a Nayarit timeshare? Or perhaps simply a vacation along the Nayarit shore?
“The beaches are better over here,” says Richard Zarkin, who left his native Mexico City hoping to bask beneath the palms. As a promoter for Vallarta-Nayarit, Zarkin finds himself too busy to do much basking. “The waters over here remain shallow for quite a distance, which makes the beach safer for children,” he declares. “And everything built out this way is newer and more modern. Of the seven golf courses in the area, four are on the Nayarit side of the bay.”
Puerto Vallarta does have its flaws. Traffic crowds its narrow, cobbled streets, and that traffic gets worse on weekends now that new highways have brought the town within a few hours’ drive from Guadalajara. More conservative vacationers are dismayed by the way the Puerto Vallarta has become such a favorite with homosexuals, supposedly the most “gay-friendly” destination in Mexico.
Still, Puerto Vallarta is Puerto Vallarta, charming and picturesque, with some of the best gastronomy and art galleries in the republic. In Nayarit, timeshare salespeople declare the Vallarta malecon is no further from the Flamingos golf course than Colonia del Valle is from Paseo de la Reforma, but not everyone is satisfied with that argument.
“We have resorts both in Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta,” says Carlos Aquino, corporate director of the fast-growing Villa Group. “We provide what our customers want.”
Puerto Vallarta appeals to the young and those who wish they were young. It is the place to “ligar.” The Riviera Nayarit attracts to the “post-ligar” crowd, families with young children. Adolescents probably will be happier if their parents opt for accommodations in Puerto Vallarta.
“But that is changing,” Zarkin, the Vallarta-Nayarit promoter insists. He compares the little town of Bucerias to the Puerto Vallarta of the 1970s, which might be something of an exaggeration. “And we will be putting in our own malecon, ten meters wide, at least three kilometers long,” he says. The malecon, he promises, will be equal or better than that of Puerto Vallarta. “It will be the address of bistros, boutiques and the best art galleries,” he says.
Beyond Bucerias, the Banderas Bay shoreline extends about 30 kilometers out to Punta de Mita, where the Four Seasons is expanding and a St. Regis will be the next opulent resort. In neighboring Litibú, two kilometers distant, the Nayarit government last summer announced that, with the help of Fonatur,167 hectares is being prepared for the construction of ten resort hotels, nearly 1,000 vacation residences and a 72-hole golf course to be designed by Greg Norman. When I went to take a look a month ago, it appeared that little has been done thus far, but the state development plan extends until 2011, so there remains plenty of time.
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