Are you ready for some food and fun? This year’s Festival Gourmet International is nearly here and Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit, & Tepic are ready to eat! This exciting culinary event began back in 1995 when local chefs Thierry Blouet and Heinz Reize created the Festival Gourmet International in order to promote local restaurants and the Puerto Vallarta food scene. They invited internationally recognized chefs to attend the festival, and the Festival Gourmet International has grown over the years to become a huge success.

Festival Gourmet International

Originally, the first Festival Gourmet International was comprised of just six local hotels and six independent restaurants. Today, the general format remains the same in that each local restaurant or hotel invites a chef to host their event. The 2018 Festival Gourmet International will feature twenty-eight hotels and restaurants and more than half a million people have attended the festivals over the years. In addition to event attendees, almost six hundred celebrity chefs have participated in the festival over the years. The Festival Gourmet International is an important event for Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit and has played a part in elevating the local food scene to an international level.

Delicious Tasting Menus

The 2018 Festival Gourmet International will start with a bang on Friday, Nov. 23rd at the Hilton Hotel’s Jalisco Hall. This first event offers guests the opportunity to personally meet the guest chefs and taste a variety of exquisite cuisine. The event will run through Sunday, Dec. 2nd and each of the participating restaurants and hotels will host special events where invited chefs will prepare and share their culinary creations with attendees. Depending on the particular event they attend, festival attendees will be treated to either delicious tasting menu or a gourmet a la carte dinner. In addition to enjoying amazing food, festival attendees will be served a premium selection of wines, tequilas and beers.

Premium Local Restaurants

The best restaurants in the region are included in this year’s festival. Premiere participating restaurants include La Casona, Bocados STK, Cafe des Artistes and many others. La Casona will feature a Mediterranean menu created by head Chef Leonardo Castro. La Casona is situated in the upscale Villa La Estancia in the Nuevo Vallarta neighborhood of Riviera Nayarit. Chef Castro uses international-level techniques that are a fusion of French, Italian,Thai, Asian, Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine. La Casona’s invited Chef’s are Penny Davidi & Luciano Mier Santoro who will be on hand to offer their culinary expertise. Villa La Estancia’s La Casona restaurant is best known for preparing specialty and fine choices of meat like Kobe and New York cuts.

Top Events And Chefs

Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa will also host an event at Bocados STK Mixology and Grill restaurant. Head Chef Álvaro Cortez will head up the event, and Cortez was formerly the head chef at Villa del Palmar in Cancun. This year, Chef Cortez will be joined by invited guest chef Andrés García González who is now working as the Executive Chef at the Villa del Palmar Cancun resort. In October 2010, García González represented Mexico abroad when he participated in the “Passion in Paris” Trophy contest in France.

Mole and Mariachi

Nothing is more Mexican than mole and mariachi! This year’s Festival Gourmet International will also feature an exciting Night of Mole and Mariachi at the renowned Cafe des Artistes on Nov. 28th at 8pm. Mole is one of Mexico’s most delicious and traditional dishes, and Mariachi music is so passionate and impressive, it is sure to be a magical evening that you must not miss. Did you know that Cafe des Artistes is a world renowned fine dining restaurant is in a class of its own? They are one of the top restaurants in the region and have been serving up incredible and unique dishes for over 27 years. Cafe des Artistes Head chef and founder Thierry Blouet has been the driving force in elevating the Puerto Vallarta food scene to an internationally competitive level cuisine.

Make sure to get your tickets for this year’s 2018 Festival Gourmet International in Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit & Tepic. It is guaranteed to be the culinary event of the year!

See more: 5 Romantic Reasons to Honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta

Are you a current timeshare owner and you have been thinking about canceling your membership? If you have, then you will want to make sure you read the information provided in this blog. We have provided all of the important information that you need to know if you are wanting to cancel your timeshare membership. There could be possible repercussions that you will have to face if you cancel your membership, so continue to read below to learn more.

Can I Cancel My Timeshare or Not?

The first thing that you should know about timeshare membership contracts are that they are legally binding agreements that can’t be cancelled if the cooling off period has expired. It really doesn’t matter what reasons you have on why you want to cancel your membership, it is very important that you understand that the contract that you have signed is legal and breaking it will come with repercussions. Once you have recognized that you can’t legally cancel your vacation ownership membership, you should make the most of your investment and start enjoying the best vacations. You can avoid all stress and worry when you avoid becoming a victim of a potential timeshare cancellation company scam that will try to convince you that you can cancel your membership, but realistically you are not able to.

Cooling Off Period – How Long Is it?

Timeshare providers and members are equally protected by the cooling off period. Timeshare members will have several days to go over their membership contract commitment, and the providers will be protected from customers that are just wishy washy. The cooling off period is usually five to fourteen days once the timeshare contract has been signed. You should always check the contract thoroughly to verify the specific cooling off period time frame that is in your contract. Once the cooling off period has expired, timeshare members are not able to cancel their membership and the timeshare providers are now able to process the sale and to pay their sales agents any commissions that they have earned.

Cooling Off Period Has Expired – What Can You Do Now?

Were you going through your timeshare contract and you have learned that your cooling off period has already expired and you are wondering what you can do now, because you were wanting to cancel your membership? As you know now that you are unable to cancel your timeshare membership, why not start planning a vacation so you can get the most out of your investment and your membership. If you purchased your membership from the Villa Group, rest assured it is a reputable timeshare company that operates some of the most luxurious resorts throughout Mexico. The Villa Group has resort properties in Loreto, Riviera Nayarit, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, and Cancun. Not ready to vacation yet/ You have another option, which is you can bank your timeshare points and use them for future vacations. However, the maintenance fees will still need to be paid, but you can keep banking your timeshare points and let them accumulate until you are ready to have an amazing vacation at one of the top and luxurious resorts within the Villa Group family.

Never Contact a Timeshare Cancellation Company

There are fraudulent timeshare cancellation companies out there that try to scam and convince existing owners that they can cancel their membership contract legally for them. We know that it is not possible for them to cancel your membership contract, and they will only take your money, bring stress, and waste your time. All of the timeshare cancellation companies are scammers and frauds and will only bring added stress to your life. Avoid them completely!

Are you still asking yourself “Can I cancel my timeshare or not” after reading this important information? Remember, once the cooling off period has expired you are not able to cancel your membership. Instead, you should make the most out of your investment and start using it and enjoying it as soon as possible. The Villa Group provides the best destinations and resorts for their valued members, and you will have the ability to enjoy these resorts for many, many years.

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When Should you Avoid the Villa Group Timeshare?

You may have heard about fractional properties and you thought they are basically the same as a traditional timeshare. While both traditional timeshares and fractional timeshares are great investments, you should also know that there are major differences between the two. Fractional timeshares and traditional timeshares have many differences and you can learn more about their differences by reading below.

• Yearly Use and Ownership Numbers

Approximately fifty-two owners share one unit with a traditional timeshare, and this is designed so that each timeshare owner can have one or two weeks at the property each year. Approximately four to sixteen owners share a unit with a fractional property. With a fractional timeshare membership, you will get to use the unit more times each year than a traditional timeshare. Typically, the fractional owners can spend anywhere from three to twelve weeks each year at the property for their vacations. If you feel like you don’t get enough vacations in a year, then a fractional ownership could be a great investment for you.

• Maintenance and Wear and Tear

One important difference that exists between fractional ownership and timeshare ownership is the wear and tear that occurs at the property. It is important to know that with a traditional timeshare ownership there can be up to fifty-two owners for one single unit. There will be a new family arriving each and every week at the property, which means the traditional timeshare will receive a lot of traffic. The traditional timeshare property will have a lot of wear and tear due to the sheer volume of visitors it receives, which means that the property will likely become older more quickly. Due to the large amount of traffic the property receives each week, that usually results in more damages, too. Fractional properties have less owners and there isn’t a big turnover either. The staff knows all of the guests and each vacation experience for fractional owners is a great one. Fractional properties have well-built construction for each unit and the décor is upgraded. Only high end fixtures are used at the fractional properties and you can expect to have more amenities and the best services when compared to traditional timeshare properties.

• Required Income

The required income needed to qualify to be an owner with the fractional ownership versus the traditional timeshare is a noteworthy difference. To be qualified for a traditional timeshare ownership, the minimum income required will start off at $75,000. To be qualified for a fractional ownership, you will have to make at least $150,000. With the large income discrepancy required for a traditional timeshare ownership and fractional ownership means that the clientele will tend to be at a higher level for fractional owners. Fractional owners are used to living a higher standard and they expect the best amenities and service from the staff, too.

• Second Home Connection

Usually, traditional timeshare developments are very large and they often have hundreds of units. Fractional properties are much smaller and there are usually only fifty units, which provides a more exclusive environment that some people are looking for when it comes to selecting their vacation destination. Traditional timeshare owners are not as connected to their unit and property because they only spend seven days at the property each year. For a fractional property owners, they often consider their unit and property as their second home. One similarity between traditional timeshare ownership and fractional ownership properties is the ability of spend your vacation time at another property that is within the network of the resort. Fractional property owners can use their weeks at another resort property just like the traditional timeshare owners do as long as the resort is within the resort group’s exchange network.

There are many differences between fractional timeshares and traditional timeshare ownerships. Knowing the differences between them will allow you to know which one is best for you. Do you want to invest in a traditional timeshare ownership or a fractional timeshare ownership?