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Gay men love to shop, especially while on vacation in a new and exotic place like Puerto Vallarta. This area of Mexico is known, among other things, for its ceramics and beautiful hand blown colored glass. Talavera pottery is still locally made using the centuries old techniques of the Spanish. Excellent leather goods from the city of Leon are available at a third of the cost in the States. The Huichol Indians of Nayarit are among the great artisans of Mexico, producing intricate yarn paintings and beaded masks, animals and prayer bowls. The yarn paintings by such masters as Jose Benitez Sanchez and Jose Bautista are extraordinary and collected by museums around the world. Quite a few of the galleries and stores in town carry work by the Huichols and other native tribes like the Cora. Beautiful black pottery from Oaxaca or simple Mexican leather sandals (huaraches) can be had for a song. Many interesting stores and boutiques in Vallarta are filled with quality pottery, stained and etched glass, women's clothing and accessories, beach wear, Cuban cigars, native artifacts, home furnishings, colorful blankets (sarapes), gold jewelry and hand-made items of just about every imaginable design. Mexico is among the world's leading producers of silver, and dozens of stores in town sell high quality sterling silver items. Prices in Vallarta's retail stores are marked in pesos and are fixed. There are three general areas you might want to take a walk around in to look and shop: Downtown, Cuale River Island and the South Side. Downtown The street along the sea wall or malecon, Paseo Diaz Ordaz, has many designer stores that generally sell goods at high prices. It's perhaps better to shop instead along Juarez and Morelos streets, which run parallel to the malecon, and the cross streets in between. Prices are more reasonable and many small stores and fashionable boutiques and quite a number of fine art galleries are in the area. Farther south on Insurgentes street along the Cuale River is the large municipal market or flea market (9am-8pm), with its many of stalls on two levels where you can bargain before buying just about anything under the sun, including thirty dozen or more different types of T-shirts. Many good shops are nearby. Cuale River Island Puerto Vallarta is divided by the Cuale River, which runs from high in the Sierra Madre mountains into Banderas Bay. In the middle of the river is an long and narrow island that has several very good restaurants on it including the well known Le Bistro, Oscar's, and The River Cafe. One can feel the tropical energy of Mexico on this island as in no other part of town, with its botanical gardens, Anthropology Museum, Cultural Center and small stores and boutiques that sell fine clothing, tapestries, obsidian carvings and handicrafts. Many of these buildings are dwarfed by enormous, ancient trees, adding to the beauty and charm of the entire island. Take time to stroll through this lovely part of Vallarta.

South Side
It's enjoyable to do walking and looking around the cobblestone streets of the South Side (sometimes called the Zona Romantica) especially on the main streets Ignacio Vallarta. Olas Altas and Insurgentes. There are many stores filled with beautiful home furnishings and accessories, jewelry, handicrafts, women's clothing, colored glass and the ubiquitous beachwear and souvenirs. Lazaro Cardenas street has some interesting native art stores/galleries on it, as well as the gay bars La Noche and Frida. Quite a number of good restaurants are in this general area. "Restaurant Row" on Basilio Badillo street has more than eighteen eateries in six blocks, and a good number of interesting stores as well. Most of the gay-owned bars, restaurants and shops are within several blocks or a short walk of one another on the South Side.

Gay Owned Stores and Other Interesting Shops
Excellent quality goods from all over Mexico can be bought in Puerto Vallarta. Here are the gay-owned stores (**) that I know about, as well as some others that I consider to be unique or of special interest. There are hundreds of stores and boutiques in Vallarta, so what we have here is a very modest list.

AgroGourmet - North Side - Ave. Francisco Medina Ascencio 2820-A (across from the Marina Terminal).  Tel: 221-2656
Natural and organic fruits, grains, vegetables, herbs, fine cheeses, spices and products. Top quality gourmet products, imported as well as locally grown. Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm; Sat, 8am-4:30pm

Alfarería Tlaquepaque - Centro - 1100 Avenida Mexico.  Tel: 223-2121
One of Vallarta's oldest stores and an original source of ceramics and handicrafts for over 40 years. A wide variety of vases, ceramic pots, colored jars and glasses, talavera pottery, dishware, and blown glass by artisans from all over Mexico. Decent prices.  Mon-Sat, 9am-9pm; Sun, 9am-3pm.

Alphonse Swimwear - South Side - 373 Pino Suarez C-17 Loma del Mar.  Tel: 222-7053  **
Uniquely styled swimsuits for men. "He uses his innate knowledge of the beauty of the male form to construct a contemporary style to enhance each man's natural attributes." By appointment only.  Mon-Sat 9am-11am and 3pm-6pm.

Best - South Side - 111 Rodolfo Gomez at the San Marino hotel.  Tel: 222-5128  **
Underwear and beachwear for men.  Daily, 10am-8pm

Blu by Len - South Side - 513 Olas Altas.  Tel: 223-9660  **
Salon with all types of hair services from cuts to colors for men and women. "Blu's emphasis is on fashion and glamour."  Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm

the BookStore - North Side - Plaza Caracol.  Tel: 224-1872
English language books, magazines and papers; special orders. Spanish titles as well as special orders. A nice selection of titles.  Mon-Sat, 9am-9pm and Sun, 10am-8pm

Casamia - South Side - 437 Insurgentes.  Tel: 222-9699, 222-9083  **
Interior and exterior design and decorations. Friendly service with owner Hector Sanchez.  Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm and 4pm-8m; Sat, 10am-2pm

Christopher Wynn - South Side - 146 Pulpito.  Tel: 222-9390  **
Fine home furnishings.  Mon-Fri, 11am-5pm

Colors - South Side - 116 Pulpito and also Calle Malecon, Local #7.  Tel: 222-7764  **
Beachwear, clothing, accessories and other boutique items; the Calle Malecon location is just next door to the Blue Chairs hotel, 10am-6pm.  Daily, 10am-9pm on Pulpito St.
 

Coral Surf Shop and Coral Skate Shop - 322-B Insurgentes - South Side.  Tel: 222-7785
All sorts of surf and beach wear, shirts, sandals, boardie shorts, skate boards and body boards.  Mon-Sat, 10am-2pm and 4:30pm-9pm

Eclectic Art - South Side - 250 Basilio Badillo.  Tel: 222-5712  **
Handmade home art, carpets, fine art, jewelry, clothing and metal sculptures in Patti Gallardo's store on Restaurant Row.  Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, 10am-2pm

Flowers To Go - South Side - 126 Rodolfo Gomez.  Tel : 223-5686  **
Flowers flowers flowers, nicely arranged and they can deliver. Official florist for the Gourmet Festival. Owners Bob Bruneau and Gerardo Lugo.  Mon-Sat, 10am-7pm.

Galeria Corsica - Central - 230 Leona Vicario, Tel: 223-1821 and 735 Guadalupe Sanchez, Tel: 222-9260  **
Contemporary Mexican fine art exclusively, with paintings, sculpture and art objects. Representing such artists as Ada Colorina, Jorge Marin, Paloma Torres, Rocio Caballero, Xavier Esqueda and Ulices Licea. Founded by Jean Pierre Renucci and Jose A. Villavicencio in 2001 and "dedicated to the promotion of contemporary Mexican artists." With galleries in San Jose del Cabo as well.  Mon-Sat, 11am-2pm and 5pm-11pm.

Galeria Omar Alonso - Central - 249 Leona Vicario.  Tel: 222-5587  **
This gay-owned gallery has mainly dedicated its space to antique and contemporary photography, engraving and sculpture. Photos and pieces have been displayed by artists such as Anderson & Low, Flor Garduño, Gabriel Figueroa, Ron Van Dongen, and Luis Gonzalez Palma from Guatemala, one of the most successful Latin American photographers today. Across the street from restaurant Cafe des Artistes.  Mon-Sat, 11am-10pm.

Galeria Sol y Luna, Art for the Uninhibited - South Side - 230 Lazaro Cardenas, Tel: 222-1302  **
Featuring nudes in paintings, sculptures and photography with artists such as Ulises Gonzalez, Alfonso Guzman, Roger Minami, Rafael Miranda and Victor Vera among others. Cocktails every Fri, 6pm-10pm, October-April.  Mon-Sat, 10am-8pm and Fri, 10am-10pm

Galeria Sol y Luna, Fine Contemporary Art - Central - 155a Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, Tel: 113-0475 **
Paintings and sculptures by international artists such as Lena Bartula, Don Quade, Randy Cooper, Lorenzo Bruderer and Roberto Lopez Ramirez. Cocktails every Fri, 6pm-10pm, October-April.  Mon-Sat, 10am-8pm and Fri, 10am-10pm

Liquid Men - South Side - 245 Ignacio Vallarta and also Plaza Caracol, local 4-A.  Tel: 223-3165 and 293-4568  **
Fashionable clothes and accessories for the modern gay boy on the South Side and in the Plaza Caracol shopping center.  Daily, 10am-10pm

Lucy's Cucu Cabana - South Side - 295 Basilio Badillo.
Unique Mexican folk-art including items from Oaxaca and also talavera ceramics, which they often purchase on their journeys around Mexico during the summer. Co-owner Gil Gevins, Lucy's husband, is also the author of a hilarious book of Vallarta misadventures entitled, "Puerto Vallarta on Forty-Nine Brain Cells a Day", which you can purchase at the shop.  Mon-Sat, 10am-10pm

Mundo de Azulejos (World of Tiles) - South Side - 374 Venustiano Carranza.  Tel: 222-2675
The only talavera tile factory in town. Talavera and artistic tiles, pottery and home accessories, with thousands of hand painted items in stock. Their works are produced locally.  Mon-Sat, 9am-7pm

Rainbowland - South Side - 230 Lazaro Cardenas.  Tel: 223-8364  **
A miscellany of Pride gifts of all sorts from clothing and flags to jewelry and ornaments. A small Mexico City company come to Vallarta. Next door to Sol y Luna art gallery.  Mon-Sat, Noon-9m

Rainbow T-Shirts - South Side - 137 Pulpito.  Tel: 223-2868  **
Exclusively designed colorful and inexpensive t-shirts; across the street from the bar Garbo.  Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm

Salon blu - South Side - 513 Olas Altas.  Tel: 223-9660  **
Hair salon.  Tues-Sat, 10am-6pm

Safari Accents - South Side - 224 Olas Altas.  Tel: 223-2660  **
A wide selection of handsome home furnishings, colored glass and mexican religious art, to name a few items. Popular. Friendly service with Gerardo.  Daily, 10am-11pm.

Sea Me - South Side - 114-B Amapas.  Tel: 223-8043  **
Designer sunglasses such as Prada, Dolce & Garbana, Versace, Revo, Ray Ban.  Mon-Sat, 10am-7pm

Sergio Bustamante - Central - 275 Juarez, Tel: 222-1129 and 542 Paseo Diaz Ordaz, Tel: 222-5480
Modern sculpture and original jewelry. Life-size animals done in bronze, ceramic and paper mache.  Daily, 10am-9pm

Serendipity - South Side - 228 Ignacio Vallarta, Tel: 223-1828 and 472 Juarez, Tel: 222-6110  **
Selection of mexican handicrafts.  Mon-Sat, 10:30am-3:30pm and 5pm-8pm.

Sonido Rana - South Side - 325 and 331 Francisco Madero.  Tel: 222-4176
An extensive collection of cassettes and CDs, the largest in town as far as I know.  Everything from classical and new world music to salsa, jazz, traditional Mexican, disco, rock and international pop.  Daily, 9am-9pm

Suave Central Surf Shop - Central - 800 Morelos.
Specializing in surf wear, surf items and other beach wear.

White Icker - South Side - 415-A Olas Altas.  **
Underwear and swimwear for men.

Xocodiva - South Side - 111 Rodolfo Gomez at the Hotel San Marino.  Tel: 113-0352  **
Chocolates for those with a sweet tooth.  Daily, 10am-10pm

Yoga Vallarta - South Side - 325 Basilio Badillo near Insurgentes.  Tel: 116-5809
The largest yoga studio in Puerto Vallarta. Classes are taught by a team of bilingual teachers. All levels welcome. Hatha, Ashtanga, Mysore, Pilates, Vinyasa Flow, Kundalini and Mat Pilates group classes.
 

Note: The info on this and other pages was deemed accurate when posted, but can change without notice. You may want to call to confirm details directly with the business in question before planning your day out.

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