There has been updates to the Webcam on Puertovallarta.net, your source of news of Puerto Vallarta. It now loads faster and shows larger. Feel free to visit and see what’s new.

Puerto Vallarta recently welcomed its newest star, the Garza Blanca Preserve, Resort & Spa, a collection of 42 lavish rooms, suites and penthouses perched above a pristine beach, with stunning views of the destination’s famous ocean arches and the emerald jungles of the Sierra Madre.

Developed in harmony with nature on an 85-acre tropical wilderness preserve and one of Vallarta’s most beautiful beaches—home to the resort’s namesake white herons—Garza Blanca offers guests six categories of guest rooms and suites including the resort’s highlight, 2,769-square-foot penthouses, all with expansive terraces that blur the lines between indoor living and out. The architectural design is sleek and modern, emphasizing horizontal and vertical lines to form enormous windows that serve to frame Mexico’s vivid natural displays.

If you’re the kind of Oakland Raiders fan who would go to Hong Kong or The Philippines just so you could fly on the Raiders-themed AirAsia airplane, a group of ex-Raiders is offering something a little bit closer to home.

The Oakland Raiders have announced the scheduling of the first Raidercruise, a seven-day Mexican cruise where Raider Nation takes over a luxury boat liner along with ex-Raiders and the Raider-Ettes, while making stops at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. Jack Tatum, Ken Stabler, Tim Brown, and a host of other Raiders legends are already on board to join the cruise scheduled to depart May 2.

Sure, the blogs are having a few laughs at the idea of a Raiders-themed luxury ocean cruise. “Will real pirates make an appearance?” Eric Sondheimer writes in the LA Times. NFL humor blog Kissing Suzy Kolber chimes in with “The formal dinner on Saturday is black jersey and silver face paint only.”

You might call this the anti-spring break. Fun, sun and beaches galore—yes. College kids getting crazy—no. Or at least “Caribbean Jim” has tried his best to steer you clear of these shenanigans and point you to his favorite destinations and resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico where you can relax with friends and family.

The 99-hour “Not Your Usual Spring Break” sale ends Friday at 9 p.m. PST . The first 99 reservations get an extra discount when they use the promo codes on CheapCaribbean.com. So grab your friend or loved one and pick out a beach getaway, Flight + hotel vacation packages to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Riviera Maya, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Aruba and more start at $399 per person, pretax.

With the People’s Theater “Ali Chumacero” completely packed, and as part of National Fair of the Mexicanidad Bicentennial Edition, was successfully developed the Contest of the Queen of Mexicana, for only four days after the grand opening of one of the best fairs in the country, the event was brilliant.

12 beautiful participated representatives of 12 municipalities: Acaponeta Amatlán Canas, Ahucatlán, Compostela, Huajicori, tinder, Rosamorada, San Blas, Santiago Ixcuintla, Santa Maria del Oro, Tepic and Xalisco.

In the end, it was announced the big winner, with Jennifer Ochoa, of Tepic, who is the representative of the National Fair of the Mexican, Bicentennial Edition, the second place went to Odalis Arellano, Acaponeta and the third for Almond Vivanco of Xalisco.

Why Mexico, why 2010?

Unlike buses, two national anniversaries rarely come along at the same time. However, 2010 marks both the bicentenary of Mexico’s independence from Spain and the centenary of its revolution. Year-long celebrations have been planned across the length and breadth of this huge country, focusing attention on the sheer variety of holiday choices it offers.

Throughout the year, in an echo of the Olympics, a bicentennial flame will be carried though Mexico’s 31 states, most of which will be bringing their own ideas to the party. These include Nayarit’s beach volleyball championship and a graffiti competition in Chiapas, while Tamaulipas is hosting a potato festival. More lasting contributions will come in the form of a port for cruise ships being built in Manzanillo on the Pacific coast and the inauguration of a new, bicentennial metro line in Mexico City.

Melissa Rycroft and Tye Strickland are enjoying a belated honeymoon at the St. Regis — Punta Mita in Mexico — and for Melissa, it is a working vacation.

The ET special correspondent and her businessman honey were doing double duty at the romantic locale — enjoying their honeymoon, but also shooting a photo spread for In Touch Weekly and answering questions for ET!

Our Lady of Guadalupe church could not have a more congenial setting. It’s about three blocks away from the Bahia de Banderas in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. Strolling along the coast on the malecón—a broad sidewalk with restaurants, cantinas and shopping—I was a bit conflicted about going to church. Hmm, cocktails or church? How about cocktails, then church? After all, I’m on vacation. But my better side got control, and I made the noon service without a cocktail.

The church, while not big by modern standards, must have been an incredible undertaking when it was built starting in 1903. It’s less impressive from the outside, basically a brick cathedral, but it’s got this really cool crown on top of the bell tower, which, if my Lonely Planet guidebook serves me, was modeled after the crown of Empress Carlotta, who at one time administered Mexico with Emperor Maximilian.

State Government Promotes Economic Development

Through the efforts of people and government in Nayarit economic matters have been climbing the ladder, governor Ney González said during the ceremony that he gave resources for productive projects.

Accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Chero Mejia, explained the process: “I see the economy this way, saying a few days ago when we launched the program of the fair-mentioned-these years
we have been on the stairs, for many years we did not know where the stairs were, Nayarit was way down, we found the stairs, and we’re going up”.

He reported that there are now 50 percent more irrigation canals, which he had before he was Governor, “and in operating rooms, we almost double the number it had when I became governor, that there were 14, are right now almost 28 and soon to be 32 “, he mentioned.

“Here we go up the stairs, he said, from a step, sometimes with a longer stride, sometimes two, three steps, we’re goin up the stairs,” he said.

“We still haven’t taken Nayarit to the next floor, where other states are more developed in the Republic, but has already managed Nayarit to come up, and we realized what is on the other side,” said the Governor Ney Gonzalez.

A Mexican resort designed by San Antonio’s Overland Partners Architects is slated to open later this month.

Imanta Punta de Mita was built on a 250-acre private reserve that is located less than an hour from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The property overlooks a cliff and Overland designed the resort with its natural jungle setting in mind.

“There was no preconceived notion for what Imanta would look like,” says Bob Shemwell, lead architect for Overland Partners. “Instead, we looked at the site and the land to see what it would yield.”