Best Infrastructure Development #2: New Bridges: Building bridges is not every politician’s forte, but during the last administration, bridges came up in spades. Two very crucial ones provide smoother entrance into the city by adding lateral lanes to cross El Salado and the Pitillal River in the Hotel Zone.

Best New Excuse to Walk Around Puerto Vallarta: Malecon Extension: Long a destination in itself, the Malecon meanders along the edge of Banderas Bay. And now it’s possible to stroll this “boardwalk” from the historic Hotel Rosita at the north end of town past the Los Muertos pier and farther south – all without having to shake sand out of shoes.

Best Way to Get Sand in Your Shoes Without Going to the Beach: Azul 96: Hedonistic avant-gardism awaits all who venture atop this cutting edge new restaurant. The open-air Sky Sushi Bar’s design concept nothing less than brilliant – a retractable roof letting you enjoy the place all year long – absolutely every detail reiterates the ultra chic venue’s oh-so-desirable resort setting.

Best Baguette: Comercial Mexicana: Just above the bin of bolillos at Comercial Mexicana lie the baguettes, fragrant bayonets of bread with crispy crusts. At just $8 pesos each, this bread goes fast — especially on weekends because only 56 are baked each day in each of the two stores in Puerto Vallarta.

Best Business with Least Open Hours: Taqueria in La Cruz: At six o’ clock sharp, the smell of delicious roasting meat becomes noticeable and people are anxiously waiting in line for Tacos on the Street to open. This singular La Cruz de Huanacaxtle restaurant has been operated for the past 12 years by the husband and wife team of Jorge Armando Díaz and Raquel Gómez.

Best New Shopping Experience to Look Forward To: Liverpool: Red alert for all shopaholics! A new shopping center will open its doors in October, promising to be a menace to our credit cards but also a delight. One of Mexico’s most popular department stores, Liverpool, will feature two floors with more than 73,000 square feet of shopping space each.

Best Infrastructure Development #1: La Cruz-Bucerias Malecon: Since everyone heads toward the malecon, it stands to reason that you can create another one. This is just what the government of Nayarit decided to do in bringing together two of their most flavorful towns along the bay, Bucerias and La Cruz de Huanacaxtle.

Thais Romero: Sharp and experienced, two words that perfectly define young Thais Romero, one of the most promising players in the international tennis world. Thais came to Puerto Vallarta when she was six years old, the age when she started playing tennis.

Best Reason to Toast and Celebrate: Exotic Drinks All Over Puerto Vallarta: Two issues ago we began inviting restaurants around Vallarta to produce signature cocktails as a new, ongoing recipe feature. La Palapa and Vitea stood up to the challenge in our Fall-Winter 2006 issue with Lapahlua and Cocktail Vitea, two delicious Kahlua-based cocktails.

Best New Promising Event: Vallarta Wine Fest: The culture of good wines, their history and manufacturing process were the main topics of the Vallarta Wine Fest, Jalisco and Nayarit. This is the latest festival to reach our shores and a new option for promoting Banderas Bay worldwide.

Worst of Puerto Vallarta: Molino de Agua And The Loss Of A City “Dress Code”: To quote Johnny Mercer’s lyrics, we’ve always been inclined to “accentuate the positive.” However, the following instance touched our souls so deeply that we simply could not remain silent.