Mexico Galleries

Melaque 2006 : We're here for January and February, staying at Casita Berenice of Villas Camino del Mar (first place to look for the best lodging in Melaque). See other galleries for photos taken in earlier years. I'm including here photos of Melaque and environs (Barra de Navidad, etc.)

Melaque 2006

We're here for January and February, staying at Casita Berenice of Vil ...

Updated: Mar 06, 2006 9:54am PST

El Tecuan 2006 : See also El Tecuan 2004 gallery. I'm posting quite a few photos here to show the deteriorating condition of this once fabulous hotel. According to the Costalegre Travel Guide, the hotel had 38 rooms. The guide says "El Tecuan was the setting for most of the action in the movie 'I Still Know What You Did Last Summer'," in which it was called the Tower Bay. Here's more from www.mexicanpacific.com: "The skeletal remains of a hotel developed by General Garcia Barragan, Mexico's Secretary of Defense in the 50's, sit on a parcel of land overlooking the ocean. The property was given to him by Mexican ex-President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz for his service to the country. The general built the hotel, swimming pool, tennis court and even a private landing strip but died before he could complete the plans. The hotel was leased out by family for several years but fell into disrepair and has since been looted, raided and stripped of anything of value." We have been told that el Tecuan and its landing strip were built with drug money, and it was closed down by the government. But that may be just tourist talk. Playa el Tecuan is designated as protected habitat for turtles, and the area is identified as a sanctuary. How much is included beyond the beach and lagoon, I don't know. Rooms at the hotel are said to have rented for $40-65 US per night.

El Tecuan 2006

See also El Tecuan 2004 gallery. I'm posting quite a few photos here t ...

Updated: Feb 11, 2006 10:25am PST

Barra de Navidad : About 120 miles south of Puerto Vallarta. We prefer Melaque, just up the beach a mile, since it's less gringo-ized. But Barra's well worth visiting. Check out Lalo at the Piper ("Peeper") Pub in the evenings.

Barra de Navidad

About 120 miles south of Puerto Vallarta. We prefer Melaque, just up t ...

Updated: Jan 07, 2006 6:22pm PST

Melaque 2004 :

Melaque 2004

Updated: Jan 07, 2006 6:09pm PST

Los Ayala, Nayarit : 2006 photos at top. Los Ayala got pavers on what should be the main drag since we were here last. There are also more mini-markets and small bar-restaurants, as well as more Gringos. This is a great place, much less congested than other places. The beach is cleaner than it has been in the past, and the ocean water is clearer than around the bend in Rincon de Guayabitos. You can walk from here to Guayabitos, but do it in the cool of the morning or evening - or you can get a taxi-minibus. If you want a busier beach town with readier access to the restaurants, you might prefer staying in Guayabitos. Just up a mile or so from Guayabitos is La Peñita, where you'll need to go for a bank or ATM or a post office. Don't stay there, though. 2004 - We spent most of February here. When I refer to north and south here, it's really closer to west and east due to the shape of the coastline. That said, Los Ayala is a small beach town about 40 miles north of Puerto Vallarta and just south of the larger and better known town of Rincon de Guayabitos. Most of the vacationers here are relatively affluent Mexicans,. Last year we saw only a few Americans and Canadians, in contrast with their abundance in Guayabitos. But this year was a different story - sadly, but who are we to complain about that?

Los Ayala, Nayarit

2006 photos at top. Los Ayala got pavers on what should be the main dr ...

Updated: Jan 07, 2006 12:15pm PST

Cabo 2005 : This place sucks, actually. I don't recommend it at all. You might as well go to San Francisco or San Diego. Go instead to a real Mexican town on the Pacific coast, Melaque/ San Petrucio/Barra de Navidad or Los Ayala or Rincon de Guayabitos, or Puerto Vallarta if you insist on touristismo. If you do go to Cabo, drive over to San Jose, but even that is marginal.

Cabo 2005

This place sucks, actually. I don't recommend it at all. You might as ...

Updated: Oct 07, 2005 8:11am PST

Comala-Colima :

Comala-Colima

Updated: Apr 12, 2004 12:32pm PST

El Tecuan 2004 :

El Tecuan 2004

Updated: Apr 09, 2004 2:02pm PST

Polo : North of Melaque about 30 miles. Free admission. Can't recall much else, except that the guys who do this are wealthy rancheros and whatnot from mexico and other Latin American countries.

Polo

North of Melaque about 30 miles. Free admission. Can't recall much els ...

Updated: Jun 03, 2003 6:07pm PST

Melaque 2002 :

Melaque 2002

Updated: Jun 02, 2003 3:51pm PST