In Four Days You Could...
What follows is a list of possible excursions to be undertaken during the four-day weekend. All involve good scenery, fresh local food and cheap accommodations. In fact, with any luck, you could have the beach to yourself! "Do" them or save them for future "puentes."
Beginning with southern destinations and heading north, these are a few of my faves:
La Manzanilla (not to be confused with the bigger city of Manzanillo.) This seaside getaway is on the Bay of Tenacatita which is about as picturesque a bay as they get. It's about 3 hours south and offers good local seafood at very reasonable prices, lots of inexpensive accommodation and a Bohemian air. Thumbs up: Watch them feed chickens to the crocodiles or take a tour through their Mangrove swamp. Drive around the bay to the plethora of fish shacks for the cheapest and freshest of the days' catch.
Perula! This is one of my fave beachside getaways. It's about 2 hours south of here on another beautiful Bay called Chamela. You will be pleasantly surprised by the beauty of it and it's quite undeveloped which means good prices. Thumbs up: Cheap, very fresh fish and a long, long beach for "combers." Accommodation is a bit of a crap shoot, so check out what's available on the water and make your choice accordingly. You also have the option of camping, but beware of the high tide or you'll wake up with Little Nemo.
Any trip south should include lunch at Rancho Alta Mira which is about an hour south just past El Tuito. In fact, you can miss the turn-off if you don't keep your eyes peeled for the entrance on the left about a minute past El Tuito. Anyway, this hilltop spot is fresh, lovely and offers GOOD food at reasonable prices plus you can go horseback riding if the idea appeals to you. I really like this spot for the view, the cooler climate (it's about 1,000' higher than Vallarta) and the verdant hills surrounding the ranch. Thumbs up: The super friendly service.
El Tuito is worth a spin around for it's rancherito feel but the best trip is beyond! Drive into El Tuito's central plaza and ask for the dirt road to Tehuamixtla (better known as Tehua.) That's a road trip! The scenery is interesting but the final destination is truly worth the effort. Tehua is a gem of a bay with turquoise water, the freshest of seafood and friendly people. There is limited accommodation but close by is Maito which features quite a decent hotel. A Great palce to explore and "chillax" off the beaten path. Thumbs up: Diving in the bay over the ancient anchor left behind and if you time it properly, you could have a fantastic beach (Maito) to yourself. Bring a good novel.
East of Vallarta is San Sebastian del Oueste. This is also a gem of a place high in the mountains with a storybook feel. On the new highway, it only takes about an hour and the scenery is spectacular, perhaps even "white-knuckle" at times but take comfort in the notion that it's about 70% safer than it used to be! Once in San Sebas, get some home grown coffee, hike to La Buffa, or just kick back with the locals in the plaza. This place literally reeks with history and we always stay at the old silver mint which is now a hotel called "El Parador." The rooms are enormous but ask for a back room if you don't want the noise of the plaza. One note: watch out for the desrumbes! Thumbs Up: Breakfast at Dona Lupita's for her home cooked sabor and those hand patted tortillas.
Plane trip to Talpa. Check into flights to the mountain town of Talpa famous for it's Virgen and the "chicle" souvenirs. Very inexpensive accommodation and a real feel of a Mexican mountain town with all the charm and friendliness included. Thumbs up: flights are cheap and the rollo de Guyaba factory fills the air of the town with the sweet smell of fruit. Nice! Thumbs Up: taking home tiny, perfect decorative items made from the sticky chicle of the chicle tree. Excellent dust collectors!
More to come...
Beginning with southern destinations and heading north, these are a few of my faves:
La Manzanilla (not to be confused with the bigger city of Manzanillo.) This seaside getaway is on the Bay of Tenacatita which is about as picturesque a bay as they get. It's about 3 hours south and offers good local seafood at very reasonable prices, lots of inexpensive accommodation and a Bohemian air. Thumbs up: Watch them feed chickens to the crocodiles or take a tour through their Mangrove swamp. Drive around the bay to the plethora of fish shacks for the cheapest and freshest of the days' catch.
Perula! This is one of my fave beachside getaways. It's about 2 hours south of here on another beautiful Bay called Chamela. You will be pleasantly surprised by the beauty of it and it's quite undeveloped which means good prices. Thumbs up: Cheap, very fresh fish and a long, long beach for "combers." Accommodation is a bit of a crap shoot, so check out what's available on the water and make your choice accordingly. You also have the option of camping, but beware of the high tide or you'll wake up with Little Nemo.
Any trip south should include lunch at Rancho Alta Mira which is about an hour south just past El Tuito. In fact, you can miss the turn-off if you don't keep your eyes peeled for the entrance on the left about a minute past El Tuito. Anyway, this hilltop spot is fresh, lovely and offers GOOD food at reasonable prices plus you can go horseback riding if the idea appeals to you. I really like this spot for the view, the cooler climate (it's about 1,000' higher than Vallarta) and the verdant hills surrounding the ranch. Thumbs up: The super friendly service.
El Tuito is worth a spin around for it's rancherito feel but the best trip is beyond! Drive into El Tuito's central plaza and ask for the dirt road to Tehuamixtla (better known as Tehua.) That's a road trip! The scenery is interesting but the final destination is truly worth the effort. Tehua is a gem of a bay with turquoise water, the freshest of seafood and friendly people. There is limited accommodation but close by is Maito which features quite a decent hotel. A Great palce to explore and "chillax" off the beaten path. Thumbs up: Diving in the bay over the ancient anchor left behind and if you time it properly, you could have a fantastic beach (Maito) to yourself. Bring a good novel.
East of Vallarta is San Sebastian del Oueste. This is also a gem of a place high in the mountains with a storybook feel. On the new highway, it only takes about an hour and the scenery is spectacular, perhaps even "white-knuckle" at times but take comfort in the notion that it's about 70% safer than it used to be! Once in San Sebas, get some home grown coffee, hike to La Buffa, or just kick back with the locals in the plaza. This place literally reeks with history and we always stay at the old silver mint which is now a hotel called "El Parador." The rooms are enormous but ask for a back room if you don't want the noise of the plaza. One note: watch out for the desrumbes! Thumbs Up: Breakfast at Dona Lupita's for her home cooked sabor and those hand patted tortillas.
Plane trip to Talpa. Check into flights to the mountain town of Talpa famous for it's Virgen and the "chicle" souvenirs. Very inexpensive accommodation and a real feel of a Mexican mountain town with all the charm and friendliness included. Thumbs up: flights are cheap and the rollo de Guyaba factory fills the air of the town with the sweet smell of fruit. Nice! Thumbs Up: taking home tiny, perfect decorative items made from the sticky chicle of the chicle tree. Excellent dust collectors!
More to come...
posted by Andrea J. Carman @ 3:05 PM
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