Bahia Banderas is a beautiful Bay on the pacific coast where I spend around a week and a half exploring different Villages and Waves. The first eight days I volunteered at a hostel in Bucerias, a sleepy town in the middle of the bay and went to La Cruz De Huanacaxtle for a few days after taking the bus up and down the bay on a daily basis.
Bucerias
In early October when I arrived to Bucerias it was super quite on the streets and in the hostel. Only few tourists come were present in the dreamy coastal town, which gave me the rich opportunity to get to know the local life and people more abundantly. Bahia Banderas is very well connected through busses, and it was there for easy enough to explore the bay. More than anywhere is the area between La Cruz and Punta de Mita is made up of stunning little beaches with the jungle reaching down to the sand.
Especially for surfing this area has much to offer though most spots are a little hard to find. “La Lancha” is one of the more popular beaches, 20 minutes from bus ride from Punta de Mita, easy to map and marked by a surf shop up on the road. Maybe 5 minutes before you can find “Burros” a more hidden spot accessible by the small road to the left of “Grand Palladium Vallarta” from the small parking lot at the end of the road it’s a five-minute hike through the jungle, passing an abandoned villa to find a breath-taking beach “Los Burros”. The morning is spent here with my local friend we were sharing the two peaks with few other surfers and there was sun, waves and good vibes for everyone.
I had a truly wonderful time in Bucerias even with spending a few hours a day taking care of the hostel. I felt like this was a quite belonging feeling I had towards this place. One afternoon I came over from La Cruz to meet a friend and we ended up going to the county league football game happening in town and it was lovely to see the people and place again. Other than surfing there are various activities possible in Bucerias. Markets are happening regularly some bars and restaurants offer nice atmosphere and entertainment. Also, horse riding and daytrips around the area, for example to the Marietta Islands, Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita or Mascota, can be arranged.
La Cruz
Only a few kilometres from Bucerias there is the little fishing village La Cruz De Huanacaxtle (to this day I could not manage to pronounce the second half of the name). The residents here seem to be mostly expands from the UK and Canada. The majority of the Village is in their best years, and it reflects in the calm beauty of the place.
Amazing is also the fish market, which is overflowing with fresh and delicious Seafood for a very cheap price. A big portion of shrimp for my dinner only cost me 2 € straight from the fishermen. Other than enjoying the quiet, small town and harbour there is not a lot to do La Cruz and therefore the perfect place for retirement I guess.
Punta De Mita
Major attraction to Punta De Mita are the two great surf spots right in front of the town, which itself is worth a little wonder around. Especially on the weekends Punta De Mita gets quite busy with loads of people from the area coming on daytrips. Beginners should maybe rather take their board out on weekdays or sit a on the far site unless the board can be controlled in crowded waters. “El Enchlote” west of the town is a little more secluded from the gentrification taking over with high class hotels and restaurants which can be felt presently up in town. I mainly came here for the surf and spend many free hours in the breaks and with sunset most of the town seems to shut down.
Puerto Vallarta
Situated at the very other end of Bahia Banderas hotels, gift shops and big Restaurants have taken over. By now it’s a very popular tourist destination but for the vibe I was in right now an afternoon wondering through the centre and along the oceanfront was sufficient. A sanctuary in the lively town is the little island in the river, walking past many merchant stands there comes a café with hammocks and little tables under the surrounding trees and the sound of the stream taking over.
