Down the coast from the glittering lights of Vallarta lies the unspoiled hideaway of Bahía de Navidad. While the two towns on the bay, Melaque and Barra de Navidad, do feel a jolt of tourism during Mexican vacation periods, December and Semana Santa, for the most part they remain quiet fishing towns with nowhere to go except the beach. It’s a wonder more vacationers year-round don’t visit the bahía and its sheltered cove of powdery sand, shimmering water, and scenic, embracing cliffs. The empty beach bungalows and clubs scattered about the towns come alive again in December, but their presence during the low season is unobtrusive to the point they can be forgotten, as can the days and hours on the breezy streets and beaches of the bay. Melaque and Barra de Navidad lie 55km northwest of Manzanillo on Mex. 200, and 240km southwest of Guadalajara on Mex. 54. Melaque is the northernmost of the two. The two towns are well connected by municipal buses that shuttle between them. (20min., every 15min. 6am-8:30pm, 4 pesos). Taxis cost 50 pesos. If you are really pinching pesos, the walk along the beach takes 40min., but may be dangerous after dark as robberies have been reported.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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