UAL FF Mileage Flights Available

I looks like you're in luck if you can travel on the 16th and return on the 22.
Saver Award rate is 35K miles. Not sure what the standard is.  Probably 50K, so if you have a plethora of FF miles, you can pull it off!

Casa de los Sueños is nearly full!

Here is a list of other accommodations.  

http://yelapa.info/accomnf.html

There are all types of accommodations, but don't expect air conditioning or even windows (most have wooden shutters).  

 Casa de los Sueños is #59 on the map. #50 is Yelapa Oaisis

 and is directly across the path from

Sueños, so it's the closest "hotel".  I haven't stayed there but the rooms look nice from the outside, and its set in a flat meadow near the river.  The one downside is that there is an outdoor restaurant/club so it may be noisy, but things tend to close early there.  Dinner stops at 10PM, and the bar shuts at 1AM, but I've never seen it go that late.  Most of the rooms are NOT adjacent to the bar/restaurant, but are a short walk behind the main building which may block most of the noise. 

Naranjos  is a few minutes walk up the path, then a short walk up the hill.  It's a park-like setting, very quiet with beautiful gardens.  They have a few palapas and also campsites.

Passion Flower Gardens is the hangout for hippies and expats.  It's kind of funky, and I wouldn't expect much beyond basics in the rooms, but the owners, April and Jose, are very nice and April runs the restaurant which features good Italian and American comfort food.  

Casa Arriba is next door.  I haven't been there but it looks very nice in the photos, and the location is great.

Casas Garcia  is in a great location just above the beach and on the edge of the village.  I haven't seen the rooms, but they have the most properties in the village. 

Casa Kimi and Lolita  are set in a beautiful garden and share a swimming pool.  I've heard it's quite nice.

At the other end of the main beach is Hotel Lagunita 

I love this place!  It's right on the edge of the beach, has a beautiful pool built into the rocks, and it's the beach resort where we often go for breakfast and stake out a palapa and chaises to spend the day.  The Palapas are very nice, many with semi-outdoor showers, and it's very romantic!  It's more expensive than some places ($90-130) but still a deal.  And they supply their part of the beach with free WiFi, a dubious gift when you're on vaca, but at least you can upload your photos to facebook or flickr!  

Most of the casitas right on the main beach are right behind the beach front restaurants and can be pretty funky.  

The places on "the Point" are beautiful, with spectacular views, especially Casa Coco, but to get to most of the casas you need to hike a fairly rugged seaside trail 10-15 minutes beyond the village, then climb a bunch of stairs.  It's quite an adventure late at night after a few margaritas, and if you didn't bring a flashlight, you probably won't make it home intact.  Just sayin'  

Keep in mind that most places on the map, with the exception of the places on The Point, are all within a 10-15 minute walk, so don't be afraid of being too far from party central.  The village has spotty Telcel mobile reception, but you may not want to make calls except in emergencies.  I sent a few texts, but I haven't seen my bill yet.  I-phone and other smart phone users:  Remember to shut off 'Data Roaming' or you could get a shock when your bill comes.  WiFi shouldn't affect your charges.  The electric plugs are the same as in CA, so you can recharge phones and cameras easily.  

Hasta en Yelapa!

Alaska Airline Wedding Travel Discounts

Who wants to be my bride, or groom, or broom, or gride?

I'll call Alaska Tuesday Morning and get a discount code for the March event, and I'll publish it here, and there.  Ditto with American.  Requested a discount code#.

From Expert Emily:

For group discounts on Alaska and American airlines, contact their group/meeting sales dept. or see

http://www.alaskaair.com/as/www2/flights/groups/Wedding-Travel.asp
or
http://www.aa.com/i18n/businessPrograms/groupsMeetings/main.jsp?anchorEvent=false&from=Nav

Discounts we got were 10% for Alaska and 5% for American.  Contacted all the other domestic airlines serving PVR but all the others had more restrictive policies (business groups only, deposit required, prepaid tickets required, etc. etc.). 

Discounts covered all travel on their airline to a particular destination airport during a two-week window.   They ask you to assure them that at least 10 people will fly to your event on their airline, but they don't follow up on the #s.  I think we had more than 10 people get the Alaska discount for the wedding, but pretty sure we didn't have 10 on American but guests got the discount anyway. 

We just signed up on the airline websites and within a few days had a discount code that guests could use when buying tickets.  I think the code only worked for online ticket sales. 

E

Found a photo of the pool at Yelapa Hotel Lagunita.  So nice! yelapa in sunset mag

Have you made your reservations yet?  Please do ASAP.  See the contact info for the Hotel de los Sueños and the list of other great places to stay on the previous blog page.  Let me know what's up.  

Both United and Alaska fly directly with current prices running in the $350-400 R/T range, but that could change!  Also, if 10 people book on the same Alaska flight there are group discounts available.

Might still be UAL mileage flights.  I just flew down for 35K miles.  Deal!



 

This bears repeating!!

I promised Shannon at Sueños that I'd have the hotelito fairly reserved within a couple weeks, so PLEASE MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS ASAP!   


Contact Shannon and David at: suenos@yatesinyelapa.com

or Telephone: 011 52 322 209 5151 (from USA and Canada) 209-5151 from Puerto Vallarta. Please leave a message and a telephone number for a prompt return call. 


They will give you advice on which casitas are still available, and what would best suit your needs.  Figure $100 +or- for lodging for all 3 nights, per person.  


Be sure to check out the resources on Emily's list of other accoms and activities available.  She researched until her eyes bled and was generous enough to share the fruit of her labors with me. http://www.singingphoenix.com/wedding/stay/

I've reserved Casa de los Sueños for the nights of March 17-19, 2011. Sueños is a small hotel with 6 casitas which will accommodate 2 to 8 people depending on the casita.  Accommodations are very comfortable and each casita has a private bath, hot water, luxurious beds, local artisanal furniture and tile work, and views of the tropical surroundings and the bay. 

Rooms vary in price but on average the cost is $30-50 per person.  Please look at the website for information about the various casitas and contact Sueños as soon as possible with your reservations, and please choose a casita that is appropriate to your party so we can maximize the number of people staying.  The hosts have extended us a generous 20% discount from the normal seasonal rates. 

Since we will probably overflow Sueños, there is a list below of other accommodations in Yelapa.  They will vary in price and amenities, but almost everything is within a 15-20 minute walk of everything else.  No matter where you sleep, you will fall in love with Yelapa. 

Some of our snaps of Yelapa so you'll know what to expect, only expect even better. Add to this scene perfect warm air, the sounds of the sea, squaking and singing birds, a chorus of frogs at night, and nary the sound of a motor or honking horn.  Did I mention the sky full of stars at night?  

 Casa Coco.  The view is amazing, but it's a bit of a hike from the village.  Photo: Emily Hoyer

 Our Casa Coco mascot Jacaranda hosted so many birds.  Tropical birds were designed by the same guy who designed tropical fish, apparently.
Photo: Emily Hoyer

 Ms. Hoyer tucks into a fresh passion fruit margarita.  Or two.  Best cocktail ever, probably designed by the tropical birds guy.

 Bonnie and Emily on the path from Casa Coco to the village.  If you were there you'd hear the waves. And the birds.

 The main beach with restaurants that feature chaises as well as tables.  No shoes, no shirt, no problem.  Just bring a few pesos and a good book.  And a swimsuit, of course.

 Crafts party at Cafe Bahia.  I made a jellyfish ornament for the Xmas tree.  Had to try it on first.  Don we now our gay apparel. Photo: Emily Hoyer

 That's Hotel Lagunitas in the background.  Our 2nd favorite breakfast and our favorite beach hangout.  Grab a palapa and spend the day. Bring your i-pad...free WiFi.  

Emily could give you the name of this exotic beast, but I'll just call him mr. woodpecker, sir.  
Photo: Emily Hoyer

Follow that Blog

You'll get updated on the haps if you sign up to follow the blog, I think.

Una Cosa Mas!

Since I've reserved the whole hotel for the 17th-20th, be sure to let David and Shannon know that you're part of my Casa de los Sueños birthday weekend.    

A list of other accommodations can be found here: http://www.yelapa.info/accom.html

On  the map, Casa de los Sueños is #59 in the "Up River" list.  Directly across the path is Yelapa Oaisis, the nearest other hotel.  Oaisis has recently had some nice updates to their rooms and is situated in a meadow near the river.  The downside is that there is an outdoor restaurant/night club, so it's probably not the best choice if you want to get to sleep at nine.  I'm planning on a welcome event there Thursday evening.  Wear your dancing Keens.

Another favorite is the Hotel Lagunita  which is at the opposite end of the main beach, but still only a 10 minute walk to Sueños.  When I want quality beach time, I head for Lagunita. There are beach palapas with chaises, hammocks, or tables, an outdoor bar/restaurant and the servers will bring food and drink to your palapa. So civilized!  The pie lady also sweeps through at least once a day.  Must eat coconut pie!  And free WiFi on the beach (a dubious gift, of sorts) so you can upload vacation photos to your Facebook page while you lounge in the shade, or tweet about the mango margarita you're sipping. 

Built into a rocky outcropping, the Lagunita pool is all boulders and fantasy.  The hotel "rooms" are very nice, and all are a few feet from the waters edge.   

Simple instructions: 

•  Book a flight from SFO (or where ever you happen to be) to Puerto Vallarta.  The flight from San Francisco takes about 3 hours, and both United and Alaska have daily flights.

• If you’re going directly to Yelapa (rather than spending time in Puerto Vallarta), grab a cab from PVR directly to “Los Muertos” pier.  The water taxi to Yelapa leaves from the beach next to the pier.  Here are step-by-step instructions courtesy of Bonnie and Emily. 

• To get to Sueños, disembark at the city pier, and someone will be there to meet you and guide you to the hotel if we know when you’re arriving.  If you don’t see a familiar face, walk forward to Café Bahia and ask for directions.  It’s a short walk once you find the main path.  Cafe Bahia is a gem. More about that later.

• Let me know where you are staying and someone will meet your taxi and give you directions.  The water taxis stop at 3 different locations in the bay and it’s good to know which is most convenient to your hotel. 

• RESERVE YOUR ROOM NOW!  You'll get the best rooms for the best rates.  March is popular in Yelapa and many hotels sell out.  Call or e-mail me if you need info.

•  DITTO for your airline reservations.  There may still be United mileage flights available.  I recently flew using 35K FF miles. 

• Please let me know your plans so we can make the most of the weekend!  There will be a Thursday evening welcome event (plan to sing and dance!) and a Saturday evening dinner/birthday party.  The rest of the time is yours to relax, swim, snorkel, hike, and birdwatch.  

Yelapa is surprising in many ways.  It feels natural and remote, but it’s a 40 minute water taxi ride from busy Puerto Vallarta.  It has been discovered by tourists, but the locals are friendly, helpful, and sincere.  There is almost no crime, and since there are no cars (or roads) local and tourist children safely roam the paths and often strike up impromptu soccer games in a plaza.  There is a good population of American ex-pats, artists, and musicians, many who have lived full-or-part time in Yelapa for decades.  The beach is clean and just delicious!  There are umbrellas and palapas for shade, and you can spend the day in a chaise or hammock for the price of a couple cervezas. If you see the "pie lady", be sure to grab a slice.  I love the coconut.

There are hikes and walks that will take you to two different waterfalls, a quirky vegetarian restaurant a couple miles upriver from town, or along a rugged seaside trail that takes you to a luxury spa where you can get a Thai Peppermint Body Scrub or an Aloe and Green Tea Wrap, among other things.  There are a couple yoga studios on the hillside above the town that offer spectacular views that will certainly distract you from your downward dog.

The village is a maze of stone-paved “streets” lined with houses, small restaurants and cafes, and other small stores.  There is no Starbucks or any other chain store, in fact there are very few tourist-oriented shops besides a handful of good local restaurants.