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by Fodor“s
Bucerķas
and environs. Twelve kilometers (7 mi) north of Nuevo Vallarta is
the substantial town of Bucerķas, where a loyal flock of snowbirds has
encouraged the establishment of small hotels and good restaurants.
The
beach here is endless: you could easily walk along its soft sands all
the way to Nuevo Vallarta. The surf is gentle enough for swimming, but
also has body-surfable waves.
Punta de Mita/El Anclote. About 40 km (25 mi) north of Puerto
Vallarta is Punta de Mita, home to the posh Four Seasons and the boutique
resort Casa Las Brisas, with more developments on the way. Just a few
minutes beyond the Four Seasons, the popular beach at El Anclote has half a
dozen simple restaurants, including El Dorado and Tino's.
This is a primo
spot for viewing a sunset. Artificially calmed by several rock jetties and
shallow for quite a ways out, it's also a good spot for children and average
to not-strong swimmers to paddle and play. Under an improvised palm-thatch
shelter, jewelry and sarape sellers play cards with fishermen as both wait
patiently for customers.
Sayulita and San Francisco. The increasingly popular town of Sayulita
is above El Anclote beach and about 45 minutes north of PV on Carretera 200.
Some say it's like PV was 40 years ago, but the sound of building now rings
through the sandy streets. It's growing fast, as jaded gringos and
speculators snatch up available properties in town and out. In addition to
hotels and restaurants, Sayulita has heavenly beaches.
Long waves make the
waters here good for learning to surf. Fifteen minutes farther north is San
Francisco, unofficially known as San Pancho, with modest rental bungalows
and eateries, a 1½-km-long (1-mi-long) barely developed stretch of sand, and
more great surfing spots.
Yelapa. The secluded fishing village and half-kilometer-long
(¼-mi-long) beach of Yelapa is about an hour southeast of downtown. It has a
town attached to it, and several seafood enramadas (the local word
for palapas or thatch-roof huts) edge its fine, clean sand. Parasailors
float high above it all ($35 for a 10-minute ride).
From here you can hike
20 minutes into the jungle to see the small Cascada Cola del Caballo (Horse's
Tail Waterfall), though note that these falls are often dry in winter. A
more ambitious expedition of several hours will bring you to less-visited
Cascada del Catedral (Cathedral Falls).
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