Yelapa - Remote Beach Town in Mexico

Yelapa is a tiny town located on the south western end of the Bay of Flags (Bahia de Banderas), about a 45 minute water taxi ride from Puerto Vallarta. A one-way water taxi ride to Yelapa is about $10 US. Water taxis leave from PV in the AM from Playa de los Muertos.

In Yelapa, there are a few restaurants and one hotel, Hotel Lagunita, right on the beach, and the rest of the town is situated on the cliffs just above the beach. Yelapa is very, very quiet. It gained some notoriety because Bob Dylan apparently had a house there once upon a time. But, there's really not much to do at all except sit on the beach and read. 2 days there was perfect. 4-5 might be a little long. It's a great place to stay if you really don't want to do anything. The food was good at Hotel Lagunita and we found this fabulous little restaurant, La Galeria, that only serves dinner, has just 5 tables, serves great salads and bread and 2 entrees each night.

The beach front rooms at Hotel Lagunita are rustic, but comfortable and cost between $60-100/night. Almost all rooms are stand-alone bungalows.

August is the month for mosquitoes and jellyfish. The only other downside of Yelapa is the day-trippers from Puerto Vallarta who come on the party boats between noon and four. Because Yelapa's beach is so small, they are easily seen and heard, though the Hotel Lagunita beach is a little distance from them.

All in all, this is a little gem of a town, a great escape from the typical resort towns of Mexico.