Yelapa was the perfect place for us to start our trip. Scott and his daughters had been here before and loved it. He knew the vibe would be low-keyed and primitive; a perfect pace for us after four months of home renovations, open houses, garage sales, wrapping up work commitments, packing and saying goodbye to family and friends. We were beyond exhausted so he knew our first destination needed to be low energy.

We arrived on December 10th — our house closing date — and settled right in. The people there were sweet and helpful. The food was amazing. And good espresso drinks were one block from our Airbnb.

No cars, banks or ATMs. You must bring Pesos from Puerto Vallarta for everything from food to lodging. We were unprepared.

The roads there (I use that term loosely) are actually narrow cobblestone paths that wind up and down the hillside. An occasional 4-wheel ATV or donkey passes by delivering supplies, but otherwise, everyone walks.

Our Yelapa ‘apartment’ was a three-sided structure (in the US these are known as covered patios). Most rentals there are open air. We had mosquito netting over our bed which sufficed as privacy. It was basically a tree house in the jungle — a shocking $98 per night for only three walls, but who needs a fourth wall when the weather is beach-perfect.

The bay view through the palm trees was beyond beautiful and the sound of the waves was calming. And lucky us, there was a full moon. Priceless and perfect for the first stop on our journey.

Our typical day

I enjoyed sleeping until 9am almost every morning. This was a first for me. Ever. Having been in the landscape industry for 25 years, I was accustomed to a 5am alarm and work by 7.

Scott brought me a latte in the mornings from Cafe Pacifico (big surprise that they had almond milk), and then we eventually headed towards the beach for a late breakfast; a little granola with yogurt and fruit, and then we were set for the morning.

A late lunch always includes a beer (cuz beer is basically water around here) and a taco or two. A nap (mandatory). A walk on the beach in late afternoon, and then on to dinner. One day we hiked to the waterfall, but even that was a little too taxing.

One day we booked a massage at Casa Isabel - $100 per hour (they are accustom to US travelers, obviously), and found a great yoga class at Casa Isabel for a $10 donation.

Chilin’ at the beach (Iguana rental = $1)

Yelapa was recently been hit with a tropical storm just two months prior to our arrival. There were remnants of debris and sand bags still visible. Tourism was low, but expected to pick up over the Christmas holidays. Local feedback is that no one was killed and most families had recovered their homes and reopened their businesses.

ADDITIONAL TRIP NOTES

Weather….80s during the day, 70s at night. Perfect.

Our favorite restaurants…

Coffee and banana bread at Café Pacifico
Lunch at Cafe Bahia, Tacos y Mas, Eclipse
Los Abuelos! Great dinners with a view. Went there several times and loved their fish. Ray’s and Pollo Bollo for great BBQ chicken and meats.

What didn’t go right?

This otherwise very quiet bay town was invaded one night by yacht full of partiers. They arrived around 9pm and anchored in the bay. Their DJ played loud dance music until 4am as the ‘coke heads’ danced until the sun came up. The locals said it doesn’t happen often but that the Puerto Vallarta Mafia does whatever they want with no repercussions.

What we didn’t do that we thought we would…

I thought we would swim everyday. The bay was filled with small fishing and commuter boats near the docks that polluted the water with diesel fumes. Along the beach the strong surf crashed close to the shore, making swimming more of a challenge than I cared for. On our first trip to the beach I was pummeled by a wave that had me on my butt in a split second; and picking embedded sand out of my hip for the remainder of the evening. That said, it was very relaxing just listening to the waves and enjoying the breezes.

How long was our stay…8 days; just about right.

When we weren’t being travelers we…slept, read, and Scott researched future destinations.

People we met along the way…

Mesa - our sweet yoga instructor at Casa Isabel. We met her on the boat over from Puerto Vallarta on our first day. She shared her favorite restaurant recommendations and told us where to find a great massage.

News from back home…

Scott found out that the final house closing calculations didn’t include the staging fee — Yikes!

What’s next…

We’ll take the boat back to Puerto Vallarta to spend the night near the airport, and catch an early morning flight the next day to Leon, Mexico. From there, we’ll take a bus to San Miguel de Allende.