An affordable vacation at the beach should include the things we like the most. For us this would start with a slow comfortable daily pace amid luxury accommodations; cooking and good restaurants for us foodies; occasional half-day excursions nearby; and just enough swimming and beach walking to town to keep us limbered up.

Our duplex Casita at the Playa del Sol Grand resort, just south of Bucerias Mexico, es perfecto. If we choose to put down our beach books to explore, then many attractive diversions are only a walk, a bus ride, or a taxi ride away.

La Casita Corvinus Beach Retreat

The following pages provide essential guidance to fullyenjoy your vacation at La Casita. Please read on.

La Casita Detailed View28 Pages

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La Casita Beach Retreat

Our Mexican retreat on the Pacific, is just a short beach walk south of Bucerias (Boo-sir-E-us, Place of the Divers) on Bahia Bandaras (Bay of Flags) in the state of Nayarit, Mexico. La Casita, is at Playa del Sol Grand, a 4 to 5 star resort where we have a 2 bedroom, 2bath, 2 kitchen, ocean view duplex that can be occupied as either one combined, or two separate, living units.

La Casita

By taxi (~260 pesos & 20 minutes), from the Puerto Vallarta aeropuerto, direct your driver north on Route 200 to the Flamingos Beach area, and then on to Playa del Sol Grand Resort.

La Casita Outside & Inside ( one-half of duplex )

La Casita @ Playa del Sol Grand Resort

Infinity Pool & JacuzziSpa Massage & GymBeach Aqua Bar & Grill Italian Gourmet RestaurantKid’s Club & Pool, Mini- Market & Gift ShopConcierge & 24 Hour Security On Premises Separate & Common Duplex EntrancesFull Duplex Sleeps 4 & 2 = 6 PersonsFull Kitchens & Daily Maid ServiceKing & Queen Beds, Living Area Sofa BedsOcean View Balconies & Ceiling FansInternet Access & Direct Dial Telephones Satellite TV & Room Safe Deposit Boxes

Studio

Suite

Duplex

La Casita Gardens

La Casita & Bucerias Beach Photos

Kite Surfers & Playa Senoras

Surf Kites

Beach Jacuzzi & Palapas

Pelican Amigo

Bahia de Banderas Sunset

Fishing Excursion Beach Departure

You may never want to leave the charming coastalbeach town of Bucerias with its warm hospitality and soothing atmosphere. Bucerias is an easy 20 to 40 minute walk on the beach from La Casita. Our daily exercise routine combines swimming & a walkto Bucerias for groceries, e-mail, shopping or dining.

This quaint little town runs parallel along the beachfront for a number of miles north and south of the town center. The ocean’s warm waters (think Hawaii) and lapping surf are only a few blocks away from any point within the town.

Bucerias has one of the most private, prettiest, soft sand beaches in the area. The beach runs along cobblestone and bougainvillea lined streets, and is perfect for a day of relaxing or siesta del sol,napping in the sun.

Recreation includes beachcombing, kite surfing,snorkeling, parasailing, surfing and kayaking. Fishing is popular in Bucerias, both surf casting and deep-sea charters. Visitors can enjoy watching fishermen with their nets as well as oyster divers.

Bucerias features several fine restaurants that offer a wide array of excellent menus. Small grocery stores are only a short walk away, and many conveniences like rentalcars, currency exchange, phone-internet, and tour booking are nearby. Vacation costs day-to-day are about half that of Hawaii.

La Casita @ Playa del Sol Grand Resort

Flamingos Golf Course

Bucerias

Grand

Bucerias Mexico Beach Photos

Horseback Beach Transport Beach Parasailing

Off-Beach Shopping StallsKayaks, Surf & Boogie Boards

Sailing CatamaransBeach Chairs & Umbrellas

Weather/Water – The weather is best from November to May when it cools down and there is less rain. Average air temperature ranges from 61 to 89 F and the water temperature is from 74 to 84 F. It is similar to Hawaii at the same latitude. Fall pacific hurricanes sometimes track as far northeast as Cabo San Lucas, 300 miles away, but they have come East directly to Bucerias only once. A cool daily sea breeze blows onshore at the Casita every afternoon and the sunsets are incredible. Pack lightly for the tropics.

Before You Go – Have a valid passport, Puerto Vallarta round trip plane tickets (Alaska or American Air), about 2,000 pesos immediate travel cash (see check-in $ also), medicines (see health & water) as needed, Playa del Sol Grand reservation confirmation, and an airport rental car reservation confirmation (try Hertz) if a car is planned.Time – The local time at the Casita, in the state of Nayarit, is USA mountain standard time. Several kilometers away, the local time at the aero puerto, in the state of Jalisco, is USA central standard time, one hour later.Language – Both English & Spanish are spoken widely. Polite Spanish is appreciated by the locals, even when they speak perfect English.

La Casita Beach Retreat

1 Decameron Hotel2 Ecole le Fort Restaurant3 El Oasis # 2 Best Lunch

25 minute walk from La Casita4 Expressions Cafe’ & Internet5 IXTA Restaurant6 Mini-Mart yogurt stop 7 Garden & Nursery Shop8 Karen’s Beach Restaurant #19 Small Grocery Market

10 Internet # 1 Best 11 Laundry12 Mark’s Restaurant $ Gourmet13 Sandrina’s Restaurant Ok ++14 Roots Vegetarian Restaurant15 Red Apple Restaurant16 La Peque Groceries17 Gringo Books # 1 Best 18 Meson Bay Ok Beach Bar 19 Bamboo #1 Best Breakfast

40 minute walk from La Casita20 Open Air Market 21 Fish-Grocery Markets #1 Best22 Hardware Store & Post Office23 Bus Stop24 Church

Flamingos Golf Course

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Beach Walk From La Casita

Foot Bridge to the Open Air Market

Avenida Fiba view from the

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Bucerias Beach View South

Bucerias Beach View CentralLa Casita Gardens

Bucerias Beach View North

Bucerias Mexico Beach Photos CatamaransKayaks & Boogie Boards

Kite Surfers

Banderas Bay

Every Day – Our número uno daily outing is a 2 to 3 kilometer beach walk into Bucerias for groceries, internet, lunch, and shopping in themarketplace. Bucerias prices are about one halfthose of Puerto Vallarta. If we buy too much toeasily carry back to the Casita we take a taxi for 70 pesos. The beach café’s are busiest on Sunday when the locals arrive for the weekend.

For Foodies – Our número dos outing is not done every day but is for selected evenings. Puerto Vallarta has fantastic gourmet food and an international festival in November. Our top restaurant pick is El Arrayan at 334 Allende & Miramar, PV. We have tried the following PV restaurants and found them all to be excellent: La Palapa, Daiquiri Dick’s, River Café & Kaiser Maximillian.

Shopping - Open air markets and adjacent shops are found near the plaza, el centro. The best peso prices are negotiated. Bucerias is like Puerto Vallarta 25 years ago. Sayulita, a ~10 peso bus ride up the coast, is like Puerto Vallarta 45 years ago. The relative prices and selections reflect this. Do all your bargain hunting accordingly.

Excursions – Vallarta Adventures is a day tour group that organizes a variety of well done half or whole day trips. We have taken their ocean excursion to Yalapa and loved it. Their “Dolphin” and “Rhythms of the Night”trips are reported to be equally great.

Dining in Bucerias

#1 Brunch

#1 Dinner#2 Dinner

BUCERIAS - from writer Nick GalloThe string of open-air food stands clustered along the dusty highway appeared as little more than a rest stop, a south of the border version of the Baghdad Cafe for travelers on Mexico’s highway 200, but when we turned off the road and headed toward the bay, a town appeared. In a narrow stretch of land between the highway and beach, there was a zocalo -a town square- and it was humming with small town life.

At one end of the plaza, tanned taxi drivers in short-sleeved shirts stood together and gossiped. Nearby, market stall vendors hawked tropical fruits and vegetables, department-store clothes and house wares. Kids rode bikes and played basketball, or, if they were older ducked in doorways to smooch with their sweethearts.

My wife and I were in the town of Bucerias, looking for paradise. "This must be it", I said to Laurie. The sky was watermelon pink. A honey-colored light hung in the hills. A buoyant tropical breeze was blowing in from Banderas Bay. More to the point, we were searching for a quiet vacation spot, an out-of-the-way place to enjoy if not Old Mexico, then at least some remnant of the sleepy beach that used to lure Americans southward.

The plan was simple, fly to Puerto Vallarta, drive north along the coast, and hope that my high-school Spanish, rusty as a 57 Chevy, would spring to life when needed. So, we hopped into a rented VW "Bug" - the generic rent-a-wreck car of Mexico - and struck out for parts unknown.

The first stop was Bucerias, about 30 kilometers north of Vallarta. Once an outpost to collect shellfish - the town name is derived from bucer, to dive. Bucerias now is a bustling little town of more than 700 expatriates, most of them Americans, who live in white villas and bungalows scattered along the beach.Hunting for the address of a friend of a friend, we drove through one of the towns dirt streets - there were no street lights and no sidewalks - and gaped at the natural beauty of the area. Rich, bright green vegetation draped down from the hill surrounding town. Palm trees lined the beach. Thick, hand-sized red and purple hibiscus and bougainvillea blossoms cascaded over every wall. "Look at this garden", Laurie gasped when we located the house two blocks from the beach. The yard overflowed with graceful coconut palms and leafy banana trees, a lemon tree, a papaya tree, row upon row of bougainvilleas. We strolled past a thatched-roof "palapa" hut, used as a large umbrella for sitting outdoors, and entered an open, airy two-story house with all the nice Mexican touches: handmade tiles, intricate brickwork and a mirador - a rooftop balcony - to view the bay.

Our host was a 47-year-old, likable,gregarious American who owned a folk art shop in Oakland before moving toBucerias. "Bucerias is like Vallarta 25years ago", Lee told us as we watched a crimson & gold sunset from his porch."Its very quiet, very residential. There are a few hotels, a few good restaurants, andzero nightlife. Here, you just relax on thebeach".

The next morning, we made a dash for the beach, 5 miles of blissful, powdery white sand. For two hours, Laurie and I lay on the blanket of sand, baking two weeks of Seattle rain out of our skin. For the next few days, we did little else, content to take dips in the warm water and listen to the surf. It didn't take long to slide into a routine: Stake out a sunbathing spot, sink into a book, & exchange pleasantries with the handful of locals or tourists who walked by. If Puerto Vallarta is young, sporty and hormonal, Bucerias is as comfortable as a pair of huaraches. In Puerto Vallarta, you might drink and dance through the night; in Bucerias, you collect beach shells, grill a piece of fresh fish at your condo and sip tequila in the dark on the balcony. Occasionally, we

mustered energy to ride bicyclesaround town. Each trip ended witha guilty pleasure at Pie in the Sky, alocal bakery that created out-of-this-world treats: chocolate fudgebrownies, pecan tarts, grand marniercheesecake. These were desserts ofthe gods, made by a couple of ex-San Francisco hippies. It didn’t takelong to realize that Bucerias wasn’t"Old Mexico", but it was congenialand it was full of small kindnesses. - NG

Pesca - Fishing

The Bay of Banderas is a world class fishing destination. The size and quantity of the fish available in Bahia Bandaras rivals anything available anywhere in Mexico. All year round the pacific fish are abundant. The best fishing from a boat is between June & November. Enormous yellow fin tuna are your best bet for a hookup. Surfcasting from the beach is what we like, and is best in May and June.

For most of the year inshore fishing from the beach is wonderful. In both May and June, sardines accumulate along the shore lines just before the first rains, and the rooster fish, sierra and pargo frenzy for a taste of their favorite sardine meal.

We practice the safe catch and release of all fish that we do not eat fresh that day. We try to bring the fish in quickly and with the least amount of trauma for at most a quick photo shoot. We do our best to preserve the fabulous wildlife. Release ALL roosterfish. They are a fabulous visual fighting species and high on the predatory chain. They are not found in great numbers.

Turtles - Costa Tortuga protects all turtles. A huge one crawled past our beach chairs one day to lay her eggs in the sand. Amazing.

Roosterfish

U-R-Here

Beach, Fishing & Kitesurf Seasons

“Shoulder” Seasons are May-June & October-November

BeachSeason

Fishing Color Guide

Fish Season

Fishing SeasonBeach Season Beach

Kitesurf

Kitesurfing Season (daily after 1 pm)

Logística - Essentials

The CONAPESCA office in the U.S. is located in San Diego. They will issue a fishing license and a permitby mail. This should be done well BEFORE you go to Mexico as the process is slow. You do not wantto find that you are waiting for a fishing license when you are already on vacation.

Call CONAPESCA for current pricing and they will fax you an application. Mail the application to them with a money order or cashiers' check and a self-addressed stamped envelope. They will send you your documents by mail.

Oficina de Pesca License Pricing:2550 Fifth Avenue Suite 15 (approximate)San Diego, CA 92103 One week: $25.80Telephone: 619.233.4324 One month: $37.00Fax: 619.233.0344 One year: $48.20http://www.conapescasandiego.org

Some Mexico Fishing Regulations:

There are no daily limits for Catch & Release.Surf casting is not allowed within 250 meters of swimmers.Each person may have only 1 rod with 1 line in the water.The total daily bag limit is 10 fish.Just one fish, of some species like roosterfish, count for as many as 5 fish toward the daily limit.

La Playa del Sol GRAND – Nearbyin Puerto Vallarta there is a resort named Playa del Sol. It is the same resort corporation, but it is in an older location. Be sure to emphasize Playa del Sol GRAND when talking to taxi drivers or you may be in for a mistaken ride to the wrong place. Remember, Playa del Sol GRAND.

Playa del Sol Grand Check-In – Have your written reservation confirmation; a valid credit card, request extra mattress padding if the standard firm mattress is not desired; request an extra door key for backup; request a room connection for internet (~400 pesos per week) for computer use, OR INSTEAD use any one of five Internet-cafes located in Bucerias. Maid service will be at 9 am each day unless you request otherwise.Remember to put a yes-no door knob sign out. Gratuities for the housekeepers (~38 pesos/day) are appreciated and can be pre-arranged at check-in. Request a business card to show to taxi drivers for simple directions to return to the Casita.

With the same tropical beach climate, Mexico is about half the vacation cost of Hawaii, but NOT if you ignore the following money saving advice:

Pesos – The least expensive way to pay for everything is with cash, in Pesos. Pesos also allow you more flexibility when negotiating price. When dining out be sure your meal check is in pesos, not in $US. The best exchange rates, $USto Pesos, are at the airport when you arrive. The worst exchange rates, Pesos to $US, are at the airport when you depart. Save your extra pesos for the next vacation trip or instead use them to pay your airport exit fee (~275 pesos) if itis not already included in your air ticket price.

Logística - Essentials

ATM’s - Away from the airport, withdraw pesos from your bankaccount at ATM machines with your US bank ATM card to get the best daily exchange rate. Your PIN at Mexico ATM’s can beno more than 4 digits. If you purchase anything on your US Visa Card or Master Card instead of paying cash in pesos, you will get a good daily exchange rate BUT you will pay a 5 - 12 % card cash fee PLUS a 1- 3 % international clearing fee. 15% more.

Food and Drink - The resort’s gourmet restaurant, Cardinallis is excellent and it is also expensive. All food and drinks at the resort, including those at Shipwreck Kelly’s Bar, have a 15% value added tax that does NOT also include a 15% gratuity to your server, so plan to add about 30% to the menu price for everything, OR, DO WHAT WE DO:

Cooking and Dining Out - If you dine out locally in Bucerias and also get fresh foods (like the wonderful fish) in the marketto prepare in your own kitchen at the Casita, you will eat very well and save a real bundle. This is a big part of the most fun we have. Yum. If you go fishing and catch a nice big one, some of the restaurants will cook and serve your fish at your table for about 80 pesos or so, plus they will add rice or potatoes with vegetables to the meal. They will keep your extra fish.

Health and Safety – Pack or wear, to take with you: sunglasses,a hat, sun block, water bottle and wide flat sandals for the cobblestones. Always have at least 300 pesos for a taxi to get you back to the Casita from anywhere around Bandaras Bay.

Local PV Bus – La Casita is the last stop from Puerto Vallarta for the bus. It is slow but it costs 15+5 pesos for the 2 buses to PV.

Logística - Essentials

Water – Drink bottled water, not tap water, and avoid drinks with ice cubes made from tap water. Alcoholic and carbonated fluids from sealed containers arefine. Purified water is used extensively in hotels & restaurantsso the only risk to you is overindulgence (we have been guilty of this). Raw vegetables washed in tap water may not be completely clean so rewash foods in your own kitchen. The local Mexicans make up solutions of fresh lime juice and hot peppers to use for cleaning veggies. If you try this be careful not to get any of it near your eyes. We prepare our own salad vegetables with a spray of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution followed by a spray of wine vinegar dressing. Our salad dressings are always vinaigrettes so there is absolutely zero peroxide after taste.

Traveler’s Diarrhea – The Mexicans do not get this because their GI tract has the right mix of bacteria for their location.With no adjustments at all, it will take a few weeks for you to fully adjust your GI tract to the Mexican environment. YouNEED NOT WAIT for weeks. To supply your own GI tract with the missing local bacteria, pronto, be pro-biotic. Eat yogurt containing active live cultures of desirable natural bifido bacteria at least once every day. Yogurt will help to grow the missing local Mexican bacteria. Just in case you are slow to acquire the new bugs you need, pack some Pepto Bismol with you for a backup. Most importantly, DO NOT overindulge on the fantastic Mexican food during your first days on vacation. For the first day eat lightly and enjoy a siesta in the shade. Your GI tract will adjust nicely thanking you for your patience while it grows some new friendly local bacteria.

Logística - Essentials

Logística - Essentials

Bucerias - Rt. #200

Bucerias Mexico from 5 Kilometer Altitude

Puerto VallartaAero Puerto (PVR)

to La Casita

~ 20 Minutes~ 260 Pesos

By Taxi

Bucerias

Rt. #200Airport

Sayulita

ProtectedBeach Dunes

ProtectedBeach Dunes

Bucerias

Rt. #200Airport

La Casita @ Playa del Sol Grand

Bucerias Mexico from 4 Kilometer Altitude

Logística - Essentials

WATCHING ANTS - from writer Linda Shaw

We sit in La Lomita, a cafe in a brick courtyard under a canopy of trees. It's 8:30 pmand my husband and I linger over coffee.We were the first of a handful of customerson this Wednesday evening. Now, we are the last. Our waiter nods south toward the lights of the resort town of Puerto Vallarta in the distance andstates the obvious: "The noise," he says, "is over there. Here it is quiet." The staff looks up to say goodnight as we walk to thedoor.We have the cobblestone street in this small beach town to ourselves. Just before we reach our rented casita, we stop to watch a band of ants carrying leaves across the street. There ismore to do in Bucerias at night than watch ants cross the street, but not much.

Our family, with two children ages 4 and 7, did not want much more. We had no interest in hotels, discos or shopping in Puerto Vallarta. Each year, thousands of tourists land at the Puerto Vallarta airport and head south to that city. A few, like us, go north to little fishing towns with all of Vallarta's sun and none of its swagger.At first glance, these fishing villages look like little more than dusty streets and a few one-room stores. Hidden from view, however, their beaches shine. Bucerias is the first of about a half-dozen such towns within a one hour drive north of Puerto Vallarta.

After a few days in Bucerias, we asked people what to do, thinking we might have overlooked something. "Go to the beach” we heard. And that's what we do. The boys, coated with sunscreen, ride countless waves, play tag and hunt for coconuts. Weekdays we can nearly always count all of the beachgoers and the fishermen on our fingers.

With a change of scene, we walk tobuy corn tortillas or to the nearby grocery, stopping on the way to petPancho, a pet donkey who greets passers-by. We pass beach homeswith hand-painted tiles displaying their names, Casa Linda or Anita.

At Tortilleria Ivanez, Ken and Sean love to watch as beach-ball sized lumps of masa become cooked tortillas, ready to be weighed and sold. Eaten fresh, the tortillas are just like cake. In just a week's stay, storekeepers recognize and talk with us. In Bucerias, tourism is on a scale small enough to be personal.

On my first trip here two years ago, a visitor warned: "Please don't write about this place," as if Bucerias were a little known secret. But between 200 and 500 foreigners live full time in Bucerias. With so many expatriates, the town has the

most essential tourist comforts like pizza, cappuccinos and American football on TV. Yet foreigners in Bucerias are just part of what is clearly a Mexican town of modest means. Even in its very best sections, there are still vacant lots overgrown with bougainvillea. Some think Bucerias days as a backwater beach town are numbered. The locals cross their fingers and hope not. – LS

Privacy & Rental Policy

Data about you, the Renter, is used by the Owner only for the purpose of renting all or part of the resort Owner’s Suite and/or Studio at Playa del Sol Grand, PDSG.

The resort Suite-Studio Owner provides PDSG, with only the reservation name you, the Renter supply, the date(s) of occupancy you request, and the accommodation type you request through e-mail communications with the Owner. No other information about you is provided to PDSG.

Data collected about you is limited to e-mail correspondence with the Owner and Pay-Pal payments to the Owner. Such data is not provided to others unless required under law and by a specific court order.

Pay-Pal payment data is not stored on this web site.

E-mail correspondence data is not stored on this web site.

Data about you is retained for a period of one year and then it is destroyed.

At the time of check-in, PDSG will ask the Renter for the name on the reservation and ask for a credit card to be used for accumulating food and/or additional services charged to the studio-suite, should any be incurred. The Renter is responsible to provide this as a part of check-in.

Playa del Sol Grand, by contractual agreement, accepts and welcomes the Renter as the Family and/or Guest of the Owner.

The Owner occupies the Suite-Studio periodically and directly observes PDSG facilities and services as compared to 4 and 5 star resorts.

The Owner is VERY interested to know about the quality of the accommodations provided by PDSG for the Owner’s Family and Guests. The Owner welcomes related correspondence from Renters.

The Renter occupies the Suite and/or Studio of the Owner at the Renters sol risk. Playa del Sol Grand may (or may not) deliver all of the anticipated resort services to the Renter.

By agreement with the Owner, the Renter may occupy the resort Suite, Studio, or both (Duplex), for only the agreed period of the reservation. Any additional extended periods of occupancy must be negotiated directly with PDSG at current market rates.

Channel La Casita Satellite TV3 Cartoon Network5 HBO Home Box Office Plus6 CineMax8 Bloomberg Financial9 CNN, Cable News Network10 National Geographic12 Disney Channel14 ESPN16 FOX Sports18 FOX News19 Hallmark20 HBO Home Box Office21 HBO Home Box Office Family22 PRIMO Network

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