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 Travel & Outdoors | August 2006 
Best Mexico Beaches
 PVNN
| Okay, surfers, do you know where can you find the world's longest rideable wave according the Guinness Book of World Records? The answer: San Blas, long known as a Mexican surfing mecca.
 Click HERE for more about San Blas surfing. |
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is a popular destination for the true beach lover. With over 100 miles of coastline on Mexico's West Coast, the Banderas Bay region offers an unrivaled combination of simple pleasures and sophisticated charms.
Along this stretch of Mexico's Pacific Coast, you'll find everything from expensive resorts to hippie surf towns to quiet enclaves.
First, consider Nayarit's long, curving coastline. Decorated by small beachside jewels - Bucerias, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Punta de Mita, Sayulita, San Francisco, Rincón de Guayabitos, and La Peñita de Jaltemba - this area offers an exceptional opportunity to experience the hidden havens that lie just north of the Bay of Banderas.
This windswept coast was once a string of remote fishing villages nestled by hilly jungles. But it's now a playground for jet-setters and surfer dudes alike, all chasing the next big wave. Lodgings go for anywhere from $35 for a no-frills room in Cielo Rojo to $550 at the Four Seasons Punta Mita.
While you are there, check out the surf scene. Sayulita is only 25 miles northwest of Puerto Vallarta, yet it feels worlds away. In this drowsy little beach town, an easygoing attitude, clean waters and rolling waves draw surfers from around the world.
Take some lessons if you're a novice, and know that while there are high-quality waves November through April, they're stronger here than on the Puerto Vallarta end of the route. It may not be North Shore Hawaii, but for surfing check out Papa's Palapas in Sayulita.
While visiting Sayulita, be sure to eat at Don Pedro's or Sayulita Fish Taco, and stay in Villa Amor or the nearby Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, with a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course.
A little further north, San Pancho could become Mexico's next hot spot. Just 45 minutes from Puerto Vallarta and a world away from Mexico's more crowded tourist destinations, you'll find an eclectic crowd here – old hippies, yuppies and the ultra rich – enjoying the isolated innocence on an unspoiled Mexican beach.
Puerto Vallarta is a favorite vacation destination for beach lovers, with more than forty distinctly different beaches scattered around the city and its environs. The most popular beach, Playa de los Muertos, is located just south of the Malecon and the River Cuale.
Los Muertos beach is surrounded by the neighborhood of Olas Altas (a.k.a. Zona Romantica,) with it's indescribable variety of restaurants and shops. Lined with beachfront hotels and restaurants, it is usually bustling with activity, sun worshipers by day, the dining and nightlife crowd after dark.
South of town, you'll find numerous small coves and beaches. Playa de Mismaloya is a great place to relax on the beach for a day. This quiet, fairly remote cove is still a beautiful beach in spite of development.
Boca de Tomatlan, the last beach that is accessible by road, is more primitive with several small seafood restaurants and taco stands. It is a great swimming beach, very quite and peaceful. You can hire local pangas here to take you to Yepala, Las Animas or Quimixto.
An hour south of Puerto Vallarta, Hotelito Desconocido is a luxury hotel on a private beach that uses only solar energy and candlelight. It's tempting to do nothing but daydream here, but there is the prospect of lounging by the saltwater pool with a good book or, if you feel up to it, horseback riding along 64 km of virgin beach.
A bit further south, Costa Careyes is a flower-covered series of undulating cliffs between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo, interspersed with hidden beaches and exclusive hotels. Also known as the Costalegre, this remote and pristine paradise comprises a ninety-five kilometer stretch of coastline between Barra de Navidad and Playa Quemaro. |
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