If You Go -- Planning A Trip To Bucerias Area

The best weather in the Puerto Vallarta area is from mid-November until mid-April, although that's also the time when prices are higher and reservations are harder to get.

The off-season is hotter and is the rainy season. But the temperature still never gets much above 90 degrees. Even in winter, it can be so hot that you won't want to stay too long in the midday sun.

U.S. citizens don't need a passport to visit Mexico, but they need a certified birth certificate and photo ID. Children, if not traveling with parents, need written permission of the non-accompanying parent or parents to be allowed into Mexico.

Lodging

In Bucerias

Many Seattle-area travel agents can help you find lodging in Bucerias, and you can also make arrangements directly with a number of Bucerias businesses and individuals:

-- Las Palmas Travel Agency, Lazaro Cardenas #27, Apdo. Postal #73, Bucerias, Nayarit, c.p. 63732. Phone: 011-52-329-80060. Fax: 011-52-329-80061.

Las Palmas specializes in beach homes and probably has the widest selection of lodging available - from $40 a day for a one-room place with a kitchen in the high season (November-April), to a compound with one five-bedroom house and one two-bedroom house for $700 a day. Many houses rent for $100-$200 a day in the high season. We rented a small house with two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen and small eating area for $75 a day.

-- The Jack Tar Village at the south end of town has 117 rooms, two pools, tennis courts, a fitness center and a variety of daily activities. Double rooms with an ocean view go for $120 per person from late January through April 9, $95 in the off-season, and $140 from from Dec. 21 to Dec. 31. Prices include meals. U.S. reservation number: 1-800-999-9182.

-- La Lomita Restaurant also rents several apartments a few blocks from the beach, starting at $350 a month for a studio. Write Agustin Melgar, #22, Apdo. Postal #117, Bucerias, Nayarit, c.p. 63732, or call 011-52-329-80097.

In Sayulita and San Pancho

Las Palmas also books some rental houses in Sayulita. Other contacts: Kimberly Keefe in St. Louis, (314) 367-7375, also rents one two-bedroom house ($600 a week) and three studios ($300-$400 a week). There's also a bed and breakfast in town, Tia Adriana's, U.S. reservation number: (619) 942-9640.

In San Francisco (San Pancho), the Costa Azul Adventure Resort has rooms and suites with kitchens. Room-only rates range from $65 to $96 a night. The resort also offers a variety of packages. U.S. reservation number: (800) 365-7613.

Dar Peters and Angela Lopez, who own Los Arcos Restaurant in town, also can arrange rentals, including two open-air apartments. ($45 a night for one bedroom to $65 for two) U.S. address: 3928 Siempre Viva Road, Suite 078-253, San Diego, CA 92173. Fax: 011-52-327-50111.

Transportation:

From Puerto Vallarta's airport, you can take a taxi to Bucerias for about U.S. $10, or you can cross the highway and catch a "combi," a van shared with several passengers.

You can also take the bus and save even more, although it (and the combi) will drop you off on the main highway. Las Palmas Travel Agency also offers an airport-pickup service.

Las Palmas rents Volkswagen Beetles for $35 (U.S.) a day. Premier Rent a Car, working out of Jack Tar Village, rents a variety of vehicles, starting at $50 (U.S.) a day.

Buses and combis also run frequently between Bucerias and Puerto Vallarta, and often to Sayulita and to the bus stop on the highway about a half-mile outside San Pancho.

It's also possible (and cheaper than renting a car) to hire a taxi for several hours.

Activities:

Within the Bucerias area, you can take day-long tours to the nearby Marietas Islands, a national wildlife preserve, in a 23-foot zodiac boat or a 68-foot schooner. The trips can include snorkeling and whale-watching. (Contact Las Palmas.) You also can approach local fishermen in almost any of the coastal towns and negotiate a price for a trip on their boats to the same area.

Horseback-riding tours also are available nearby, and surfing spots include Sayulita. The Costa Azul Adventure Resort in San Pancho rents horses, bikes, kayaks, snorkeling, surfing and other sports equipment.