I miss the sun! In the winter that is... So last January, for 2 weeks, in the very coldest of winter, Ted and I got away to Mexico. The year before we had visited Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and while waiting at the Denver Airport a fellow traveler casually mentioned that she was going to Rincon de Guayabitos which translates freely to “little corner of the little guayaba trees”. That airport-waiting-area-conversation stuck in my head and when planning last years winter trip, we decided to give it a try.
Rincon de Guayabitos is about a hour north by bus or taxi from the Puerto Vallarta Airport. The cab fare was about $50 US and very worth the money. Here is something I learned about arriving at the Puerto Vallarta Airport: After you clear customs and are exiting the airport, walk pass the “timeshare” representatives. They will offer you transportation, but want to book you for a timeshare sales presentation…Unless you want to look at timeshares, as the song goes “walk on by”. The airport taxis are more expensive than the local taxis. Those “in the know”, exit the airport building and walk up the ramp to the walking bridge, pulling their rolling luggage, over the highway to the less-expensive local taxis waiting below.
Rincon de Guayabitos is a small town (about 3000 population) built about 30 years ago. It is a resort where Mexican families come play in the sun and from what we saw and read, in the winter it is home to about 3000 to 4000 mostly Canadian tourist.
The town is built along the curve of the beach. Bungalows, and restaurants line the beach for I think, about 2 miles or 3 miles. On the street side of the buildings is a cobblestone street with more places to eat and stay. The street behind that is the main street with little shops and more restaurants. Fruit markets are common. Fresh baked rolls were delivered everyday at the little store, a few steps away. Restaurant prices are so reasonable I never cooked, but I did enjoy coffee and rolls and fruit on our little patio.
Many come and stay for 2 or 3 months. We stayed 2 weeks, we casually asked: “Where is this and where is that?” The most common reply was: “Are you from the US? How did you hear about this place?” The other thing we quickly learned is that these “snow birds” return year after year. We met a couple that has been coming to Rincon de Guayabitos for 25 years. They have mostly stayed at the same bungalows where we stayed.
I had diligently searched on the internet for accommodations and found Bungalows Palmeiras. Rincon de Guayabitos has many hotels called bungalows. They have bedrooms, baths and little kitchens. I visited their website, and took a successful leap of faith and booked our stay. We really enjoyed the charm and quiet of this small garden setting hotel with a common balcony that sits on the beach. I will admit to not wanting to share the location for this gem. I do hope when we return next year that we will be able to stay in the same place.
This is the common patio of Bungalows Palmeiras. We sat on this patio and watched and relaxed.
There is something calming about watching the sea and the world that it attracts.
Rincon de Guayabitos sits right next to another little town. If you walk down this beach, and we did, you will reach a little river outlet and during low tide you can walk across the river. You are then in La Peñita, the main town. The area has only one bank. We learned from experienced tourists that the bank does not change dollars to pesos. Get that done at one of several ATMs. I changed dollars to pesos right at the airport ATM. It was easy. One Canadian tourist told me he changes dollars to pesos at his bank before traveling. Another tourist suggested upping your ATM daily withdrawal limit. This was all new to us, so for a few days we walked to the ATM, after our daily morning walk to breakfast and withdrew some pesos. It was all fun and part of our adventure. Everything is walking distance. Very affordable cabs are everywhere. We felt very safe walking the cobblestone streets, eating great food and finding a couple restaurants that offered music and dancing to the “oldies but goodies” music. Those Canadians like to dance! But then we do too! For more information, I found this online article.
Rincon de Guayabitos is about a hour north by bus or taxi from the Puerto Vallarta Airport. The cab fare was about $50 US and very worth the money. Here is something I learned about arriving at the Puerto Vallarta Airport: After you clear customs and are exiting the airport, walk pass the “timeshare” representatives. They will offer you transportation, but want to book you for a timeshare sales presentation…Unless you want to look at timeshares, as the song goes “walk on by”. The airport taxis are more expensive than the local taxis. Those “in the know”, exit the airport building and walk up the ramp to the walking bridge, pulling their rolling luggage, over the highway to the less-expensive local taxis waiting below.
Rincon de Guayabitos is a small town (about 3000 population) built about 30 years ago. It is a resort where Mexican families come play in the sun and from what we saw and read, in the winter it is home to about 3000 to 4000 mostly Canadian tourist.
The town is built along the curve of the beach. Bungalows, and restaurants line the beach for I think, about 2 miles or 3 miles. On the street side of the buildings is a cobblestone street with more places to eat and stay. The street behind that is the main street with little shops and more restaurants. Fruit markets are common. Fresh baked rolls were delivered everyday at the little store, a few steps away. Restaurant prices are so reasonable I never cooked, but I did enjoy coffee and rolls and fruit on our little patio.
Many come and stay for 2 or 3 months. We stayed 2 weeks, we casually asked: “Where is this and where is that?” The most common reply was: “Are you from the US? How did you hear about this place?” The other thing we quickly learned is that these “snow birds” return year after year. We met a couple that has been coming to Rincon de Guayabitos for 25 years. They have mostly stayed at the same bungalows where we stayed.
I had diligently searched on the internet for accommodations and found Bungalows Palmeiras. Rincon de Guayabitos has many hotels called bungalows. They have bedrooms, baths and little kitchens. I visited their website, and took a successful leap of faith and booked our stay. We really enjoyed the charm and quiet of this small garden setting hotel with a common balcony that sits on the beach. I will admit to not wanting to share the location for this gem. I do hope when we return next year that we will be able to stay in the same place.
This is the common patio of Bungalows Palmeiras. We sat on this patio and watched and relaxed.
There is something calming about watching the sea and the world that it attracts.
Rincon de Guayabitos sits right next to another little town. If you walk down this beach, and we did, you will reach a little river outlet and during low tide you can walk across the river. You are then in La Peñita, the main town. The area has only one bank. We learned from experienced tourists that the bank does not change dollars to pesos. Get that done at one of several ATMs. I changed dollars to pesos right at the airport ATM. It was easy. One Canadian tourist told me he changes dollars to pesos at his bank before traveling. Another tourist suggested upping your ATM daily withdrawal limit. This was all new to us, so for a few days we walked to the ATM, after our daily morning walk to breakfast and withdrew some pesos. It was all fun and part of our adventure. Everything is walking distance. Very affordable cabs are everywhere. We felt very safe walking the cobblestone streets, eating great food and finding a couple restaurants that offered music and dancing to the “oldies but goodies” music. Those Canadians like to dance! But then we do too! For more information, I found this online article.
Ooh it looks gorgeous Gloria - I can see myself becoming a 'snow bird'! I love that phrase!!!
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