La Lancha Surfing Beach

After traveling most weekends all the way over to my favorite beach at Careyeros, I decided to check out the beach at La Lancha.  I had noticed in passing there were always about a dozen cars parked along the Punta Mita Highway at this location.  Wondering where these surfers were going and why had always intrigued me.  So yesterday I made the stop and explored the area myself.  There is severely restricted access to this beach as you have to sign in with a private security guard and you cannot gain access without a surf or boogie board.  I am thinking why is this so restricted, except that this must be private property along the highway.  But all beaches in Mexico are accessible to the public, so the property owners must just be trying to make things as difficult as possible?  We were we also informed that umbrellas, coolers, and chairs are not allowed!  What??
Since we already had our arms loaded with the beach equipment, he was kind enough to allow us to gain access with of it.  Then the walk is about 500 meters to beach along a dirt road, not difficult but a bit long.  We arrive at the beach and quickly see there a numerous surfers here and looking out into the water you could see what this beach is a favorite!   The waves roll out pretty far and allow you to ride the waves almost to shore.  But these seemed to surfer waves and I could never really catch a good boogie board wave, so unless you paddle way out I would not recommend it.
The beach is accessible  to the left quite a distance down until you end up into the area of another private home development and they seemed to have made things difficult for you to walk any further.   Great place to surf and watch surfers, but probably not a great beach to hang out and drink beers all day!

Semana Santa (Easter Week)

This is the 2nd year that I am now living through the craziness of Puerto Vallarta during Semana Santa oaka Easter Week.  I quickly forget the madness of so many Mexicans heading to the coast mainly from Guadalajara to enjoy the beach for a few days.  This is the major spring holiday for most Mexicans and you can count on Government offices, banks, and some business being closed Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday.  Make sure you have done all your business earlier in the week!
What makes this week so interesting is the amount of traffic, since most vacationers have arrived via cars causing congestion on these crowded streets, especially in the areas near the beaches.  But the every vigilant police departments are keeping thing under control!
It is acutally the slowest time of the year for most upscale restaurants, hotels, and condos as Mexicans cannot afford the higher prices of these places.  The beaches, however, are packed and you will hard pressed to find any space to call your own.  The beach vendors, taco stands, and reasonably priced hotels and restaurants do very well this week.  I just tend to stay away from the beaches and hang out at home for a few days as by Monday things will return to normal as we head into the summer months and the impeding change in the weather!

El Chivero Restaurant Bucerias

My favorite beachside restaurant has to be El Chivero located on Avenida Pacifico #9 just north of the small Malecon on the beach side of Bucerias near the Main Plaza.  I have been there countless times and have always enjoyed the ambiance, service, and food.  It always has a place to park in front and just walking a few steps through the restaurant you are on the wide open Bucerias beach that runs for miles in either direction.  They have nice palapas with dining tables and chairs as well as reclining lounge chairs situated on the beach in front.  So you can enjoy your day there as there is no rental charge for anything as long as you purchase food and beverages from them.
The menu provides a wide range of food from appetizers to full blown dinners at reasonable prices.  So order your 2x1 all day drink specials or a bucket of Cerveza and enjoy a wonderful day on the beach in Bucerias at El Chivero!

Gemelas Beach

Another great beach that I have been to many times is called Playa Gemelas (The Twins), located just past Punta Negra Beach on Carr Barre de Navidad 200 between 2 condo complexes, the Playa Gemelas Condominios and the Intercontinental Hotel complex.  It is a little tricky to find as there is minimal signage with a gate and a staircase it is the only public access.  The beach is on a time schedule opening around 9am and closing at 8pm, so do not get caught down below as I once did and had to climb over a condo complex wall to get back up the main highway!
Parking is just along the main highway wherever you can find a space and not get towed away.  The walk down to the beach is about 100 steps in a zigzag pattern in fairly good shape, but due to storms and heavy rains there are sections that require a bigger jump to continue on the path, especially at the bottom to the beach there is a 2-3 foot drop.   There are no services here, so have to bring your own food and beverages, however, I often see food vendors on this beach.  The beach is lifeguard patroled as well.
What makes this beach so special and worth the walk down? It  must be the small size, the great soft yellowish sand, and of course the beautiful crystal clear waters!  There are some large shade trees against the wall to the condo complex, so there is shade all throughout the day if you do not have an umbrella.  On Sundays it is quite busy as it is a favorite beach for the Mexican locals as well.  Just enjoy it and I have been there through a fantastic sunset as well!

Careyeros Beach near Punta Mita

Yesterday I finally made it back to my favorite beach in the Puerto Vallarta, called Playa Careyeros.  I found it many years ago when I was looking for some boogie boarding waves and there were none in Punta Mita.   It is located on the back side of Punta Mita and is accessed along some dirt roads on the back road to Sayulita.  Surprisingly it is located below some very nice houses and villas along the coast and since it is outside the Bay of Banderas, it provides some larger but rolling waves.   Access is provided via staircase next to a B&B called Casa las Brisas.
Now what makes this beach my favorite?  It must the Caribbean-like sand, the crystal clear waters, and shallow depths.......what else makes a beach great!  Sundays are fairly busy as many of the Mexicans in the know go here and since there are no restaurants or public facilities, you really have to prepare.  By prepare I mean bring you own towels, chairs, food, beverages, etc. to make your day complete.  On occasion I have seen a few food vendors strolling the beach, but I would not rely on it as a source of a meal or beverages.
Even on the busier days, the beach goes for at least a mile toward Punta Mita and there is plenty of space to get away from the other beach goers.  It also happens to be a great place for collecting sea shells. There must be a coral reef not too far out as I always see pieces of white coral laying on the beach, sometimes very large ones.  Since it is a a small bay, there is an abundance of fish and I have even seen divers go near the rocks and pull out some very large oysters.
I have seen blowfish washed up on the beach as well as a small group of stingrays in the water, so I would caution swimming later in the afternoon or evenings.  Some say that the small sharks do come out later in the day, but I have never seen any and have been there through sunset and dusk hours.
It is a great beach in a secluded location and if you want to venture out of the ordinary, Careyeros Beach is the place to go!

Driving to Mayto Beach

The next day after a great breakfast at El Jardin Del Tuito, we were off mid morning to take the only road to Mayto Beach area.  It is partially paved and mostly still dirt, but it has greatly improved from the first 2 times I ventured out that way over the past few years!  I am sure someday it will be finally paved all the way to Mayto.
You drive past a few small farming towns going up and down the small hills and finally only downhill toward sea level.  Remember El Tuito is a high altitude desert town!  The last 5 miles are actually nicely paved and the drive is great.  We arrived at Mayto Beach, but I wanted to explore a little bit of the other beaches as I had only briefly stopped at the small fishing village of Tehuamixtle the last time I was out there.  I had only done the overlook, but decided to go down to the village itself today.  It has several restaurants and is a oyster fishing village with oysters served as the specialty in the restaurants.  For some reason a large stuffed shark was right at the edge of the pier and I am not sure why?
After leaving Tehaumixtle I saw a sign straight ahead for a restaurant and thought it might be a place to have dinner later.  So we followed the dirt road around the hillside of rocks and found overselves over on the other side of a very long beach we could see in the distance fromTehuamixtle.  Located there was a resort of bungalows for rent on the hillside.  It was a simple place with basic amenities, but a nice pool and restaurant was available.  It was quite a view from there to miles of beaches with nothing and no one on them!
Back to Mayto Beach where our Mayto Hotel was prearranged for the night.  This is a 12 room hotel that was fully equipped including AC, Sat TV, nice towels, full baths, and a great pool right on the Mayto Beach.  They had their own restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner with palapas and lounge chairs on the beach.  The also provide massage services for an extra charge, full bar, and usually ATV rental eventhough they were out for repair.
It is just a wonderful beach with very few people and the ability to walk for miles and not see anyone!  There is a government run Turtle sanctuary on Mayto Beach with usage during the breeding season.  All of this will probably change one day as a large developer is beginning to sell lots for a rather large development just inland from the beach........so we will see how quickly that all changes!
If you are looking for unspoiled beaches miles long this is the place to go!