The Quiet Side of Paradise
article
by Nick Gallo from the Sunday Vancouver Sun
Puerto Vallarta Alternative: Rincón
de Guayabito & Villasbuenavida
Cancun Alternative: Isla Mujeres
Los Cabos Alternative: Todos Santos
Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Alternative: Troncones
Nick Gallo is a Seattle writer with a special
fondness for Mexico.
Don't be put off by Mexico's big beach resorts.
Dive right into the tourist maelstrom and wade out to its palm-studded
fringes
Nick Gallo Citizen Special
Saturday, December 06, 2003
 Psst ... Here's an open secret: Mexico's major beach destinations
are getting big, crowded, and pricey -- $200-a-night chain hotels,
$400-a-week rental cars, eight bucks for a rum-and-Coke at the
swim-up bar.
Ay, caramba. So, what's a sunseeker supposed to do? Don't give
up on Mexico. There's still much magic in the land, but you have
to work harder to find it. One strategy: Dive right into the
tourist maelstrom and wade out to its palm-studded fringes. As mega-resorts such as Cancun and Puerto Vallarta
boom, development is spinning off into surrounding towns that
are now vacation destinations in their own right. These "seaside secrets" aren't
exactly undiscovered. In fact, many started out as popular spots
for day-trippers. Now, they've developed enough infrastructure
-- pleasant, small hotels; good, clean restaurants; ATM machines
-- to make even middle-class, middle-aged gringos feel comfortable. "Our town is friendly, safe, tranquil," says Karen
Hofstad, owner of Villas Buena Vida, a pretty hotel in Rincón
de Guayabitos, 90 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. "Everyone's
always telling us: 'You're like Puerto Vallarta 30 years ago.'" The "alternative" trend is growing, says Patti Kilpatrick,
manager of Solsierra Destinations, a U.S. wholesale travel company. "People
find a cheap air fare into a major resort area, then go straight
to some quiet hideaway." But the smaller enclaves aren't for everyone,
she cautions. While they're fun, they don't rock. Forget nightlife,
action, or la vida loca; this is la buena vida -- life as sweet
and simple as the popsicles at town zócalos. Here's a look at a few top choices:
Cancun Alternative:
Isla Mujeres (www.isla-mujeres.net) 
 A
hippie outpost in pre-Cancun days, Isla Mujeres isn't new, and
boatloads of Cancun daytrippers descend on this seven-kilometre-long
sliver of an island every day. But once the party boats return
to the glitzy highrises in late afternoon, Isla re-claims its
original role as a laid-back beach town in enchanting surroundings.
The Island of Women, or Isle of Topless German
Girls, as some wags call it, is popular with Europeans, moderate-budget
travellers, and easygoing visitors who enjoy "kinder, gentler" vacations.
Its small downtown has a cosy, contagious energy radiating from
colourful buildings and bougainvillea-lined streets, good for
strolling and poking around small shops that sell jewelry, clothing
and folk art. Isla is touristic, but the hustle is low key,
amiable and as easy to handle as the mo-peds and golf carts that
transport travellers around the island. (There are very few cars.)
In the evening, travellers linger over leisurely dinners at outdoor
cafés
along Avenida Hidalgo. What to do: Get out on the water. This is the Caribbean where
the sand is sugar-soft and the hues of blue-turquoise, sapphire
and azure will strain your Crayola-box vocabulary. Take a dip
in Playa Norte's gentle, shallow waters. Snorkel at Garrafon
National Park, though you can avoid crowds by hiring a boatman
near the ferry dock to visit more remote spots. At Dolphin Discovery,
you can swim with dolphins. Don't miss: Isla Contoy. Practically uninhabited, this neighbouring
island and national bird sanctuary welcomes you to a pristine
beach and 100 species of birds -- herons, pelicans, frigates. Where to stay: Two posh hotels -- the elegant Hotel Villa Rolandi
(www.villarolandi.com)
and the ultra-romantic Hotel Secreto (www.hotelsecreto.com)
-- service the five-star crowd. Old standby Na Balam Hotel (www.nabalam.com)
saves you a few pesos and offers casual luxury amid 31 beach
cottages and lush gardens. Its popular restaurant, Zazil-Ha,
serves Mayan and vegetarian cuisine. How to get there: A 15-minute taxi ride takes
you from the Cancun airport to Puerto Juaréz, where express
ferries shuttle you to Isla Mujeres. They depart frequently and
cost about $3.50 (all prices in U.S. dollars).
Puerto Vallarta Alternative:
Rincón de Guayabitos (www.villasbuenavida.com)
 North
of Puerto Vallarta, a strand of sparkling beach towns -- Bucerias,
Sayulita, San Pedro -- dot the Pacific coast. But the nicest
mix of beach-idyll elements -- stunning sand, cheap prices,
don't-worry-be-happy attitude -- is a little farther north in
Rincón de Guayabitos,
nestled on the small Bay of Jaltemba, about an hour north of
Vallarta's airport. Shielded from the Pacific, Guayabitos is
blessed with a sweet bay -- gentle but zippy enough for boogie
boards -- and a two-kilometre stretch of blissful sand.
Formerly grassland, the town was built about
30 years ago to be a beach resort for middle-class Mexicans.
Developers put up bungalows equipped with kitchens to feed families,
but the resort idea fizzled. "For more than two decades, this town slept
like a baby," says Jorge Castuera, the local pharmacist. "Then
a few years ago, it woke up." Now, the long, lovely beach hosts a few, new
hotels (nothing more than four storeys high) and vacation-recreation
bustle (parasailing, banana boat rides), but Guayabitos still
moves at a slow, uncomplicated pace. Vendors bring you freshly
grilled fish on a stick. Kids romp in the surf. Tourists from
Guadalajara fill the air with Spanish. Neighbouring La Peñita,
a congenial, working-class town, adds markets, bakeries and another
slice of Mexican life. What to do: Wiggle your toes in the sand. When you've stopped
pondering the truly important questions in life -- are the best
margaritas blended or on the rocks? -- then consider snorkelling
(Isla Islote), whale watching (December to March) or ... searching
for another beach. More than a half-dozen empty, unspoiled beaches
lie within a 15-minute drive of Guayabitos. Don't miss: La Tobara. It requires a two-hour drive to San Blas,
but the payoff is this natural freshwater spring, reached via
a boat trip through jungle and mangrove canals. The area teems
with birds, iguanas and turtles. Where to stay: Of several new hotels on the beach, the most
charming is the gleaming-white Villas Buena Vida, (www.villasbuenavida.com),
which has 45 airy, oceanfront rooms with cooking facilities --
most less than $100 per night -- a small pool and a cheerful
atmosphere. How to get there: First-class buses run from
Vallarta's bus terminal near the airport to La Peñita,
where you can grab a taxi to Guayabitos.
Los Cabos Alternative:
Todos Santos (www.todossantos-baja.com)
Hardly a secret, Todos Santos is the darling of the travel media,
popular with the Hollywood set, and even famous in rock 'n' roll
folklore. (The Hotel California here foists itself off as the
improbable inspiration for The Eagles' 1977 hit by the same name.)
Todos Santos wins attention because it's trying to pull off the
difficult trick of blending a sleepy Mexican pueblo with sophisticated,
North American transplanted culture. Located on the Pacific side of the Baja, an hour's
drive north of Cabo San Lucas, Todos Santos may not wow you at
first. Downtown consists of just a half-dozen streets that can
be covered in 20 minutes -- and there isn't even any beach, never
mind "mirrors
on the ceiling" or "pink champagne on ice." Set about a kilometre inland, Todos Santos is an old town --
it dates back to 1724 as a Jesuit settlement and was once a major
sugar-cane producer -- with a cluster of brick, mid-1800s-era
buildings, now restored and containing businesses. During the
past decade, a sizable ex-pat community -- a vibrant art colony,
in particular -- has taken root and now makes up about 10 per
cent of the town's 5,000 residents. The newcomers add a splash
of creativity -- art galleries, coffeehouses, bookstores -- to
the native taco stands, mission church and farm economy. As might
be expected, real estate prices have gone wild, but sleepy Todos
Santos still hasn't exploded, probably because it doesn't border
the beach. What to do: On a dark desert highway, cool wind in your hair
... head downtown to see art. More than a dozen galleries show
contemporary work by regional artists. The Galeria de Todos Santos
can be counted on to present something interesting. You'll also find upscale boutiques, folk-art
shops, and the Casa de la Cultura, a humble museum with historic
artifacts. Make sure to have a meal at Café Santa Fe,
which serves excellent Italian food in a 150-year-old hacienda. Don't miss: Punta Lobos. A kilometre or two south of town, a
dirt road leads to this sandy cove where fishermen launch their
panga boats into the sea. Like most of the area's beaches, this
one is too rough for swimming, but it commands fantastic sunsets. Where to stay: Just outside town, Posada La Poza (www.lapoza.com)
wins the award for the most deluxe digs, seducing you with elegant
rooms, Jacuzzis, and a whale-watching deck. Centrally located
Todos Santos Inn (www.todossantosinn.com)
counters with Old World décor, brick archways, and a wine
bar surrounding a flower-filled courtyard. How to get there: From Cabo San Lucas, head up
Highway 19. Taxis from Los Cabos airport charge more than $100
for the 90-minute drive. Buses cost about $5 and depart from
San José del
Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.
Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Alternative:
Troncones (www.troncones.com.mx)
 A
decade ago, Troncones was simply an isolated beach 30 kilometres
north of Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo where ex-Seattleite named Dewey McMillin
ran a funky beach café called Burro Borracho. Today, the
Drunken Donkey is still there, but it's got company. A few dozen
B&Bs, guest inns and vacation homes have sprung up. They're
here for one reason: Mexico's holy trinity of sun, sand and sea.
Backed by jungle-covered foothills, Troncones boasts five kilometres
of beach that stretches to the village of Majahua. Just a bit
north, the open sea presents world-class breaks, attracting serious
surfers. Not surprisingly, Troncones exudes a beach-bum, watch-the-world-go-by-from-a-hammock
flavour. (Electricity arrived in town just four years ago.) While
you can check e-mail in town, many bungalows don't have pools
or TVs. Some don't accept credit cards. What to do: Bask in the sun, though swimmers
need to be careful of the Pacific's undertow. Playa Manzanillo
is the safest beach. There are other activities: Snorkelling,
kayaking, mountain biking, horseback riding on the beach. The
highlight of the day often is dinner at one of the "barefoot-beach" restaurants,
where the star is fresh-from-the-sea fish -- grilled huachinango
(red snapper) is a treat -- and sweeping vistas of the sea. Don't miss: Jaguar Tour company's jungle-adventure trip. A three-hour
tour (about $50), it includes a nature hike, cave exploring,
and a zipline canopy ride in the jungle. Where to stay: Small, upscale properties and luxurious houses
are popping up. Two good ones with rooms that cost less than
$100 a night are: Casa Ki (www.casa-ki.com),
set in a shady coconut grove with nicely furnished bungalows
steps from the ocean, and Eden Beach Hacienda (www.edenmex.com),
also with pleasant rooms, along with a respected chef and the
perfect angle for sunset dinners. How to get there: From the Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo airport, it's
a half-hour ride northwest on Highway 200. Take the turnoff for
Troncones and follow the road three kilometres to the beach.
A one-way taxi fare should cost about $45. Nick Gallo is a Seattle writer with a special fondness for Mexico.
Copyright © 2003 The Ottawa
Citizen http://www.canada.com
Copyright © 2004 CanWest Interactive, a division of http://www.canwestglobal.com
CanWest Global Communications Corp. All rights reserved.
Isla Mujeres, near Cancun.
CREDIT: Mexico Tourism Board
Posada La Poza in Todos Santos
Life is sweet when you venture away from the bustle of Ixtapa.
(A boat on the shore)
CREDIT: Mexico Tourism Board Guayabitos, Beach & Sunset
Troncones © 2004
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