Since Carlos is between jobs and I am without one, we decided to take advance of our freedom and get out of town for a day or so.
Carlos has never been to Tehuamixtle nor Mayto, so I decided we should go there before Mayto becomes built up. (more later)
The road from Vallarta to el Tuito (HWY200) is as we expected it to be, littered with potholes making the drive a little dodgey at times, especially when one of the Boca buses decides to venture into uncoming traffic to miss a tire-shredding pothole. Yeah, don't worry about hitting someone head on you big-green jackasses! but worry about your stinking tires.
I digress- the ride was fine once we cleared Boca and we saw only a few cars. Once into Tuito, we went to the square, took a left at the end and made our way for the next 41 kilometers on a mostly dirt road. For the most part the road was OK but it was slow going and a lot of it was like a washboard due to the rains with a few deeper gullies that the truck handled fine but my car would have lost the muffler, an axel and a couple of ball-joints within the first eight kilometers.
At Los Conejos, the road is paved and remains so until just before Mayto. It's an odd stretch of raod to pave in the middle of nowhere but my kidneys were thankful to whomever had that bright idea. I think one may have been jarred loose when Carlos hit a trench after a sharp curve.
Mayto is amazingly beautiful. A gorgeous cove with a long deserted stretch of beach. Clear blue water, golden coarse sand, a few rock outcroppings on the left side of the cove, one small little hotel and the UNV. GDL turtle preservation camp. Other than that...simple beauty.
Carlos loved the hotel but they were full- or at least they were waiting on one last couple to arrive for their reservation. It is now 4:00 PM but this is Mexico and they can arrive anytime up until 9:00 PM without losing their room. I told the reception lady that we were going to Tehua to eat and we'd check back.
Tehuamixtle is about five kilometers to the south of Mayto, so back on the road, which is a bit paved and mostly not.
Driving over the hill and seeing the cove offers another breathtaking view, especially to the left which again is mainly deserted beach and mountains. Tehua itself is not so pretty and I am not fond of it but it is a place worth going to from Mayto as it is close and they have some killer seafood.
I have only eaten at Cande's which is to the far right, on the pier where the locals fish and dive. It's well known for seafood, mainly fresh oysters which they keep in a net bag on the pier- so they are cold and fresh as you'll ever find here. Or you may get lucky when they first arrive from the pangas....super fresh!
I am not a fan of them unless they are breaded and fried so we decided on huachinango and shrimp. Both portions were huge, 120 pesos for shrimp, 110 for the fish. Came with homemade tortillas, rice, a tomato salsa and a salad (not a real salad but more like lettuce and a slice of avocado for adding to your tortilla)
Anyway, the place is nothing to look at but the people watching is great and they have improved the bathrooms. I rarely order shrimp or seafood in July, August or September here but I know they always have the freshest seafood.
As we were finishing up and hunting down someone to pay, a storm was brewing so we decided to check out some rooms (cuartos) in Tehua versus trying to drive all the way back to Vallarta. The first was a room that is a part of Cande's restaurant.
It was hot! The only window was the patio door, glass only, on the road and no way to keep it open at night. One ceiling fan and a little musty. It was also decorated much like a cross between a child's dollhouse and a whorehouse. Bright polyester linens and some weird plastic flowers all over. It looked clean but a little well...freaky...plus we'd be steamed like lobsters come morning. At 400 Pesos a night, I would rather sleep with the beach dogs. A flea dip is only a few bucks.
The next stop was across the street at another restaurant trimmed in orange. The first room was facing the ocea but again, HOT! and this time musty. It was decorated better with at least some natural fibers involved but right above us was the jukebox which was cranked at full blast with banda music. Considering it was a Saturday night, I knew we'd be deaf by morning.
At 350 Pesos a night and not enough cottonballs for my ears, I said no way Jose and we bailed.
I was ready to go home even if it mean trying to get back through a mudslide or floating the truck down the mountain but I did want to stop back in Mayto to see if there was one room left at the Inn. I also prayed for 4.9 Kilometers to every saint, sinner and Doris Day that no one showed to claim the room. I think the Virgin of Guadalupe heard me and we were in like Flynn.
Room #6 at the Hotel Mayto was open and ours. The rooms here vary, with some bigger (more beds, Mexican family style) and some are on the ocean and some are not but they are always 400 pesos a night PER adult and 200 Pesos a night per child. They will try to put couples in a matrimonial room and families in a larger room.
We got a matrimonial room with one bed (I think it was a full size as Carlos seemed closer than on our queen) a big bathroom, lots of windows with an ocean view, a table with four chairs, flat screen Sony TV with Sky and a mini-split A/C.
The bed was pretty comfy, was clean, fresh linens (no musty smell) and the room was spotless.
They have beautiful manicured grounds, (nice grass!) a beautiful pool with a kids pool, nice bathrooms with showers, a restaurant (reasonable but limited) and a bar. They have palaps around with nice loungers and palapas on the beach, also with nice loungers. All in all, much like a mini-oasis.
We slept good, had a small but decent breakfast (only chiliquilles and eggs how you wanted) for 40 Pesos each and then headed back to Vallarta.
From our place to Mayto is about 86 Kilometers and takes a little over 2 hours.
I'll post photos later.
Carlos has never been to Tehuamixtle nor Mayto, so I decided we should go there before Mayto becomes built up. (more later)
The road from Vallarta to el Tuito (HWY200) is as we expected it to be, littered with potholes making the drive a little dodgey at times, especially when one of the Boca buses decides to venture into uncoming traffic to miss a tire-shredding pothole. Yeah, don't worry about hitting someone head on you big-green jackasses! but worry about your stinking tires.
I digress- the ride was fine once we cleared Boca and we saw only a few cars. Once into Tuito, we went to the square, took a left at the end and made our way for the next 41 kilometers on a mostly dirt road. For the most part the road was OK but it was slow going and a lot of it was like a washboard due to the rains with a few deeper gullies that the truck handled fine but my car would have lost the muffler, an axel and a couple of ball-joints within the first eight kilometers.
At Los Conejos, the road is paved and remains so until just before Mayto. It's an odd stretch of raod to pave in the middle of nowhere but my kidneys were thankful to whomever had that bright idea. I think one may have been jarred loose when Carlos hit a trench after a sharp curve.
Mayto is amazingly beautiful. A gorgeous cove with a long deserted stretch of beach. Clear blue water, golden coarse sand, a few rock outcroppings on the left side of the cove, one small little hotel and the UNV. GDL turtle preservation camp. Other than that...simple beauty.
Carlos loved the hotel but they were full- or at least they were waiting on one last couple to arrive for their reservation. It is now 4:00 PM but this is Mexico and they can arrive anytime up until 9:00 PM without losing their room. I told the reception lady that we were going to Tehua to eat and we'd check back.
Tehuamixtle is about five kilometers to the south of Mayto, so back on the road, which is a bit paved and mostly not.
Driving over the hill and seeing the cove offers another breathtaking view, especially to the left which again is mainly deserted beach and mountains. Tehua itself is not so pretty and I am not fond of it but it is a place worth going to from Mayto as it is close and they have some killer seafood.
I have only eaten at Cande's which is to the far right, on the pier where the locals fish and dive. It's well known for seafood, mainly fresh oysters which they keep in a net bag on the pier- so they are cold and fresh as you'll ever find here. Or you may get lucky when they first arrive from the pangas....super fresh!
I am not a fan of them unless they are breaded and fried so we decided on huachinango and shrimp. Both portions were huge, 120 pesos for shrimp, 110 for the fish. Came with homemade tortillas, rice, a tomato salsa and a salad (not a real salad but more like lettuce and a slice of avocado for adding to your tortilla)
Anyway, the place is nothing to look at but the people watching is great and they have improved the bathrooms. I rarely order shrimp or seafood in July, August or September here but I know they always have the freshest seafood.
As we were finishing up and hunting down someone to pay, a storm was brewing so we decided to check out some rooms (cuartos) in Tehua versus trying to drive all the way back to Vallarta. The first was a room that is a part of Cande's restaurant.
It was hot! The only window was the patio door, glass only, on the road and no way to keep it open at night. One ceiling fan and a little musty. It was also decorated much like a cross between a child's dollhouse and a whorehouse. Bright polyester linens and some weird plastic flowers all over. It looked clean but a little well...freaky...plus we'd be steamed like lobsters come morning. At 400 Pesos a night, I would rather sleep with the beach dogs. A flea dip is only a few bucks.
The next stop was across the street at another restaurant trimmed in orange. The first room was facing the ocea but again, HOT! and this time musty. It was decorated better with at least some natural fibers involved but right above us was the jukebox which was cranked at full blast with banda music. Considering it was a Saturday night, I knew we'd be deaf by morning.
At 350 Pesos a night and not enough cottonballs for my ears, I said no way Jose and we bailed.
I was ready to go home even if it mean trying to get back through a mudslide or floating the truck down the mountain but I did want to stop back in Mayto to see if there was one room left at the Inn. I also prayed for 4.9 Kilometers to every saint, sinner and Doris Day that no one showed to claim the room. I think the Virgin of Guadalupe heard me and we were in like Flynn.
Room #6 at the Hotel Mayto was open and ours. The rooms here vary, with some bigger (more beds, Mexican family style) and some are on the ocean and some are not but they are always 400 pesos a night PER adult and 200 Pesos a night per child. They will try to put couples in a matrimonial room and families in a larger room.
We got a matrimonial room with one bed (I think it was a full size as Carlos seemed closer than on our queen) a big bathroom, lots of windows with an ocean view, a table with four chairs, flat screen Sony TV with Sky and a mini-split A/C.
The bed was pretty comfy, was clean, fresh linens (no musty smell) and the room was spotless.
They have beautiful manicured grounds, (nice grass!) a beautiful pool with a kids pool, nice bathrooms with showers, a restaurant (reasonable but limited) and a bar. They have palaps around with nice loungers and palapas on the beach, also with nice loungers. All in all, much like a mini-oasis.
We slept good, had a small but decent breakfast (only chiliquilles and eggs how you wanted) for 40 Pesos each and then headed back to Vallarta.
From our place to Mayto is about 86 Kilometers and takes a little over 2 hours.
I'll post photos later.
