FAQ

Whether you’re an “adventure traveler,” in search of high-impact outdoor activities, or you’re more comfortable lounging on a beach with a fruity-drink and a magazine, Yelapa has plenty to offer.

Isabel Beach is a one minute down the path from El Jardin and is always available for a swim. The snorkeling is amazing at our own front door! El Jardin also has kayaks available if you’d like to go for a paddle. If you want to be more social, you might want to walk the half mile along the scenic footpath through the pueblo to the main beach.

The main beach is very pleasant, with several restaurants conveniently located and more than willing to place a cool drink in your hand and bring you a plate of chips and fresh guacamole.

Yelapa is a fishing village with a sizable art community. There are a few galleries, and if you inquire, you can find a number of local artists who will be glad to show you their work.

If you are into fishing, half-day or day-long fishing trips can be arranged.  Or, if you’d simply like to explore the area a bit, boat trips to surrounding areas can be arranged. One popular excursion is to the Marietas Islands, where you can see a number of types of birds, including the blue-footed boobies, whose only other habit is located in the Galapagos Islands. Whale watching trips can also be arranged, or just a jaunt down the coast a bit to secluded beaches.

If you like to hike, Yelapa has numerous opportunities for getting out and experiencing the countryside. For starters, a pleasant walk through town and a short way upriver, south of the pueblo, you come to the base of a stunning waterfall, which begins its descent approximately 200-feet above you. Depending on the time of year, the base of the waterfall is a large-but-shallow pool. Having one’s picture taken beneath the falls is a time-honored Yelapa tradition! There is a lovely cafe at the base of the falls, where you can get a margarita and some chips and guacamole and enjoy the scene.

For those who seek a more adventurous hike with a spectacular payoff, there is the hour-and-a-half hike up river to the “big waterfall”. Plan on making a day of hiking to this fall and back, but definitely plan on making it a part of your visit, it’s worth it!. There are many other hiking opportunities in the surrounding area.

For the the truly adventurous, para-sailing behind a boat or a para-glide off the top of the mountain might be more your style.

After a hard day spent in paradise, you could have a massage from the capable and loving hands of our local masseuses,while literally watching the dazzling ocean under coconut palms

El Jardin features a spacious, comfortable common area, where guests can mingle, relax, read, dine, lay in a hammock or play one of the many games we provided.

We have a full equiped kitchen with filtered water plus a bbq area and we also offer complementry coffee and tea.

Whether it’s morning coffee or afternoon cocktails, the front courtyard is the best spot to sit and gaze at the ocean or enjoy the gardens surrounding you.

We have 2 Paddleboards, 1 Kayak and snorkling sets.

We understand that many folks want to stay “connected” so WiFi is available throughout the property.

Communal area :

• Full kitchen, bbq area, dining and living room, garden/yard oceanfront
• Snorkeling equipment
• 2 Paddleboards
• Hammocks
• Long chairs
• Books & magasine
• Ping-pong table
• Board games
• Filtered water
• Wifi

Back-pack, Duffle bag or Suitcase?

I would pack as light as possible and use a backpack or duffel bag instead of luggage with wheels (best compromise is a duffel bag with wheels), since you will be in and out of boats and up uneven stone stairs.

Utility items:

• Flashlight !!! (Bring one small flashlight per person, trails are dark at night.)
• Hat
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Bug spray
• Water shoes
• Sandals or thongs
• Shoes (preferably something that is waterproof and good on trails.)
• Rain gear  (June to October)
• Small back-pack for daytime adventures
• ….and do not forget cash!!!

Most importantly, bring your sense of adventure. Yelapa is an experience not unlike deluxe camping. Even though our palapas are fully-equipped, the experience is still a bit rustic. Yelapa has only experienced the wonders of electricity for around 15 years, and it still goes out for an hour or two every once in awhile.

There are no banks or ATM’s in Yelapa or Boca de Tomatlan, so make sure you bring whatever money you will need. Very few businesses accept credit or debit cards. Plan to spend about 300-800 pesos or more per day depending on your lifestyle. The best way to acquire pesos, in my opinion, is to simply use the ATM at the airport or in Vallarta. Each casa does have it’s own safe for you to put things in.

The Point is one of the quieter areas in Yelapa and many of our neighbors and guests come here to enjoy the tranquility. Please respect the people of the point by keeping noise levels within reasonable limits. Our neighborhood sound policy is that music and sound be kept at low volume and low bass so that it can not be heard by guests in neighboring casas.  We ask that there’s no amplified music after 11:00 pm, unless with permission.  We do have a speaker system that can be connected to your computer or ipod.

Our running water comes from a spring. It is not filtered or purified but works great for showering and washing dishes.

We provide purified water for drinking for your convenience, in a big 5 gallon bottle or through a water filter straight out of our sink. It is recommended that you soak fruits and vegetables that you cannot peel in a microbial solution such as Microdyn (available at the local markets) for 10 minutes in the tap water. You can use tap water for cooking if it will be boiled, but use filtered water in the coffee maker.

Since our tap water comes from a spring, it tends to start running dry at the end of the dry season (April-June). Please help us conserve water year-round so it can last the whole season! Thanks!
Plumbing is sensitive, since it is run on a septic system. Please take care not to flush any paper, and please explain this to any children in your group.

Please remember that Yelapa is like an island in that all materials are boated in and all trash is boated out. Trash removal is once a week (if we are lucky) which gives the raccoons plenty of time to pillage and plunder.  As an Eco Resort, we are dedicated to reducing the amount of trash and garbage.  Please help us minimize garbage problems by keeping trash at a minimum.

• compost
• rinse plastic containers well
• Use returnable cans for beer
• separate metal and glass
• please follow directions for kitchen clean up posted in kitchen area

Yelapa is part of the Costa Dorada of Mexico, on Banderas Bay. On the same latitude as the Hawaiian Islands, Yelapa enjoys a sub-tropical climate — pleasant and temperate most of the year. Surrounded by jungle, Yelapa receives its rain primarily in the summer, September being the rainiest month. The weather is nearly ideal November through May. During the long dry season, daytime temperatures are in the mid 70s to high 80’s F (24-31 C), while nighttime temperatures can cool down to 60-65C.

Though rainy and hot, don’t overlook the summer months as a time to visit. Temperatures may reach 90 degrees F (32 C) but rates are considerably cheaper. If you are a wildlife lover you will enjoy the many species of birds that migrate here during this time. If solitude is what you desire you will nearly have the village to yourself. Typically the mornings are clear and bright, with the rain coming in the afternoon. When it rains, the storms can be quite beautiful, with the rain moving gently across the hills while lightning illuminates the sky. What could be more romantic on a summer evening by the sea than the sound of rain falling on a palapa roof?

Porter: Basic luggage delivery from beach varies with quantity and weight of luggage: $4-10usd (50-100 pesos)

Maid and Ground Crew service: average $3-$6 per day or service (40-70pesos/day)

Concierge service: case specific, think about how many services and extra needs your host booked for you and the length of your stay. $25-60(250-600pesos) is average for a 5-7 night stay.