Up north, San Pancho way

March 18, 2007 | Tags: San Pancho, Sayulita, Out of town | Leave a Comment

Just north of Banderas Bay, in Nayarit state are the nearby towns of Sayulita (about 25km north of PV, locate Sayulita on map) and San Francisco (about 30km north of PV, locate San Pancho on map). San Fransisco is much more commonly known as San Pancho, Pancho being a common nickname for Francisco and just overall a much better name fit for such a laid back place.

Sayulita has basically a surfter vibe, lots of inexpensive accomodations and young people. San Pancho a quiter vibe and a mix of people enjoy the place. On the high end, it’s got some small but very luxury resorts and some beautiful private villas.

Just another option in the area, perhaps they both have features which would remind some people of PV thirty years ago.

The Boston Globe ran an article entitled today entitled Her birthday bunch happy she picked 60 and is a quick and dirty little write-up of some area attractions. The people in the article stayed at San Pancho’s luxury Costa Azul (locate Costa Azul on map).

I myself spent 3 nights in San Pancho a few years ago and quite enjoyed the quiet.

Mar

13

Starting a trip from Puerto Vallarta

March 13, 2007 | Tags: Trip reports, Open jaw, Guadalajara, Monarch butterfly, Out of town | Leave a Comment

Carpet of Monarchs at the Sierra Chincua sanctuary, Michoacan by Steve Bridger

Alejandro Colunga’s Lounge of the Magicians public sculpture in Guadalajara. Nightime photo by Doug Dosdall.

I love a good beach, don’t get me wrong. But that doesn’t mean there are other things I like too. And many people who visit Puerto Vallarta aren’t aware of what the other options are that are not too far away.

One of my favorite vacation strategies is to book an open jaw ticket, i.e. flying into one city and departing from another (read the linked article for details on how this works). So one could fly into Puerto Vallarta and depart from Guadalajara for example, thereby combining time at the beach with time in the wonderful vibrant city of Guadalajara. If you like there are many places to explore along the way too, whether you rent a car and take your time between the two points or go by the excellent Mexican bus system and pick a few stops along the way.

For example, The North Shore News recently published an article entitled Mexican Adventure in which the author drove from Puerto Vallarta to Sayulita, Tepic, Tequilla, Guadalajara, Morelia and the Monarch Butterfly sanctuaries near Angangueo. It would be easy enough to return your rental car and fly home from Morelia or Guadalajara.

I did a much longer open jaw a few years ago to explore Mexico for several months. I flew into El Paso, Texas and then went on to explore the Copper Canyon, Mazatlan, San Pancho (just north of Sayulita), Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico City and finally Puebla where I flew home. Phew. Needless to say you need to have a few months free to do that.

The trick here is to find an airline which services both Puerto Vallarta and your end point. Continental Airlines services an amazing amount of points in Mexico including Puerto Vallarta, Morelia and Guadalajara. And Alaska Airlines last year added service to Guadalajara to complement their longstanding excellent service to Puerto Vallarta.

Plan your trip: click on Travelocity Flight Search then click Multi-Destination to search for an open jaw.

Jan

30

Getting away to Yelapa

January 30, 2007 | Tags: Hotels, Yelapa, Out of town | Leave a Comment

One of the things I love to do on a trip to Puerto Vallarta and always highly recommend to friends is to break up the trip with a few nights in the middle of the trip in Yelapa. The pace of life couldn’t be more different—no discos await you, just a few tranquil days to unwind from the excitement and activity of PV.

Book two midweek nights at one of Yelapa’s hotels, leave the bulk of your luggage stored at your PV hotel and take the bus to Boca del Tomatlán where you’ll find lanchas to take you on the 45 minute boat journey to Yelapa.

Boat is the only way to get there other than a long hike through jungle trails and there are no cars when you arrive. The pace of Yelapa couldn’t be more different than PV’s. Last time I was there we stayed at Hotel Lagunita, a reasonably priced but beautifully appointed hotel right on the beach with a lagoon-like pool which fit right into the ambience. We did nothing but sit in the well-shaded hammocks reading, eating the delicious meals at one of the beachfront restaurant choices and playing with the Tucan (a pet of one of the beach hotels) who came up and ate mango from your hand. For a different cultural experience you can take a short walk up the hill to the village of Yelapa which is a collection of small houses, stores and a few restaurants lining the footpaths which cling to the cliff.

Another accommodation option has recently presented itself in Yelapa: luxury spa hotel Verana where 8 guesthouses dot the 5 acre property carved out of the hillside jungle. I haven’t had an opportunity to try it yet, but the description and photos look enchanting.

Jan

13

Bucerias is a “Diamond in the Rough”

January 13, 2007 | Tags: Trip reports, Out of town | Leave a Comment

Vancouver writer Sheryl Shalloum reports from her trip to Bucerias in this well written travel piece from the Vancouver Sun.

We discovered what one part-time resident describes as “a mix of the modern and the primitive.” Large, attractive villas with lush vegetation and brilliantly coloured bougainvillea spilling over high fences sit next to ramshackle structures in overgrown yards.

Dogs laze, outstretched on the dusty roads. Bananas ready for plucking hang from small palms growing beside the sidewalks. Huichol Indians in traditional attire stroll through town, selling their wares. A magnificent, sandy beach runs parallel to Bucerias and stretches for kilometres both north and south of the community.

Read the whole article: The Vancouver Sun: Mexican village of Bucerias is a diamond in the rough.

Locate it: Show Bucerias on the Satellite Map.

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