There are so many things to do in Melaque and Barra De Navidad that your stay will never be boring. Not including tours to various local towns, this area has a wonderful amount of recreational activities for you to partake in. These include snorkelling, swimming, surfing, bike rides, shopping, golf, camping, deep sea fishing, boat rides, aquasize and kayaking. We are able to arrange participation, equipment hire and ticket purchases for a host of activities in Melaque and Barra De Navidad, and arrange tours to various local towns and cities. On your arrival we will be happy to assist you.
Description For those of you who would like to keep in shape, or simply burn off some of those calories from the wonderful Mexican food, there are aquasize classes held in Melaque bay at the western end (known as Chicken Beach). It is a very calm end of the bay, and is very gently sloped. The classes are held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30am throughout the season. The lady who instructs it also does a later class in Barra de Navidad. The location changes from year to year, we will post this seasons location soon. Donations are accepted.
Description
There are a number of local fishermen/guides that will be glad to take you out fishing. They usually charge for the boat by the hour at $600 pesos per hour. They allow between 4 - 6 people in the boat, so the price can be split by those people, making it very cheap deep sea fishing. The Costalegre is one of the finest fishing areas around on the Pacific. You can catch a variety of fish including Blue & Striped Marlin, Sailfish, Dorado (mahi mahi), Red Snapper, Blue & Yellowfin Tuna, Rock Cod, Barteletti, and many more varieties. The fishermen can usually arrange cooking of any fish that you catch for you.
Location There are boats for hire in Melaque and also in Barra de Navidad. The fishermen's co-op is a good place to contact these fishermen, or ask the management at the place you are staying.
Description Barra De Navidad
The closest golf course is located at The Grand Bay Hotel on Isla De Navidad. This luxury hotel and marina is one of the nicest along the Pacific Coast, and it has a 27 hole championship golf course. They have a large club house that includes a pro shop and a wonderful restaurant which is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The green fees vary between $150 - $200 USD depending on the time of year. I'm sure that they include golf & tennis if you are staying at the hotel.
Location You can take a water taxi from Barra De Navidad asking to go to the golf course. From there you can walk a short distance to the club house, or catch a shuttle from the hotel. It is also possible to drive around by way of the Highway 200 to Cihuatlan. Take the right hand turn off to Isla De Navidad about 10km from the turn off to Barra, and then drive another 6 km to the gate for the Grand Bay Hotel.
Tamarindo Golf Course
The next closest would be Tamarindo Golf and Country Resort. This golf courses front nine runs through a jungle preserve (one of the many in the area,) and the back nine runs along the side of, and overlooks the gorgeous Pacific Ocean and the resorts own private bay. They have a club house and cabaña's and villas for rent and condo's for sale. The green fees are the same as at The Grand Bay.
Location Located 20km north of Melaque on Highway 200 towards Puerta Vallarta.
Manzanillo
The next closest course would be on the way to Manzanillo located at the Las Haddias Hotel which is shared with the Karmina Palace Hotel grounds. It is a nice 18 hole course but not as spectacular as the two courses listed above. Green fees are more reasonable, starting at $75.00 - $125.00 USD. Both hotels have wonderful restaurants overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Location Head towards Manzanillo and the golf course can be clearly seen on your right hand side.
Description Snorkelling is one of the activities that a lot of people seem to enjoy while they are visiting the area. One of the closest places to snorkel along the coral is the beachside community of Tenacatita. The turn off for Tenacatita is located 30km north of Melaque on Highway 200 towards Puerta Vallarta.
At Tenacatita there is a wonderful protected bay that has coral running along both sides of a little bay that the locals refer to as 'Aquarium'. There are some really nice coral reefs and valleys along the left side of this bay, where you will find valleys with an average depth between 6 and 20 feet. Snorkelling is best at high tide, usually in the morning. You will see a number of different types of fish depending on the time of year that you visit.
In Cuastacomates you can find coral along the western edge of the bay, about half the way out along the rock point on the left side, and you can also find natural oyster beds along the right side of the bay about 200 meters out. Equipment is available for rent at a number of the restaurant palapa's and at the Los Amigos Hotel. The companies that run tours three or four times a week can also supply snorkelling equipment, or you can just bring your own. Usually the rental is about $60 pesos per day. Some of the establishments that rent rooms & bungalows are including a free trip to Tenacatita or La Huerta when you stay with them.
There is also snorkelling behind the rock point in Melaque bay.
We advise that you respect the coral whilst snorkelling as it can inflict some bad scrapes. These scrapes can cause infections that may require medical attention. We do not want to put you off snorkelling, but you need to keep a safe distance so that the waves won't wash you up against it.
It is estimated that about 60% of the world’s coral reefs are at risk due to destructive, human-related activities. Molesting or removing the coral can kill it forever. We hope that you will respect these wonderful structures so that they can be enjoyed for generations to come.
Description
Kayaking is a wonderful way to see the coastline, and maybe if your lucky you may see a whale passing by, or be accompanied by a pod of porpoises or dolphins. There are a number of different types of kayak tours available, from hourly and day trips, to overnight adventures and snorkel tours.
Location The tours are offered by Costalegre Kayaking Tour Company located in Cuastacomates, and Immersion Tours & Adventures located in La Manzanilla. There are also some kayaks available for rent from the Grand Bay Hotel in Isla De Navidad.
Description
The tianguis is a superb outdoor market that is held in Melaque every Wednesday, and in Barra De Navidad every Thursday. They set up tarps for shade and take over the whole street for about 10 blocks. The vendors sell everything you can imagine and some things that you can't. You can buy many things such as, handmade local arts and crafts, jewellry, kitchenware, cd's, dvd's and clothes.
With lots to see, and a lot of fun looking around, browsing through the fantastic assortment of items available whilst stopping off for a nice cold beer or a fresh fruit juice drink is a nice relaxing way to spend a morning.
It is best to arrive early, as by noon it gets pretty hot under the tarps, and it is finished by 2pm. Bartering is accepted at the tianguis and with beach vendors but is not really acceptable in the local stores. The tianguis is very popular with the local Mexican people and tourists alike.
Location In Melaque the tianguis is located in Villa Obregon. In Barra De Navidad it is located in front of the main square.
Description
If you would like to hire a mountain bike during your stay it would be a good idea to check with the hotel you are staying at first. Some hotels in the area include the use or hire of mountain bikes to guests.
There are also a number of places that rent bikes by the day, week or month. We advise that you ensure that you get a lock with the bike, and to always keep a close eye on it while you are out and about. Ultimately you are responsible for the cost of replacing it.
Description
Many people like to go for a walk in the mornings. One of the closest places for this, is to walk to Cuastacomates from Melaque. Going up over the hill to the next bay north is approximately a 4km return journey. You won't have to worry about being alone as many visitors and locals alike enjoy this start to their day. You could also turn off this road to the left before the start of the hill and walk up to the Mirador (look out point) and back. This point offers a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean, as well as the bay of Melaque & Barra, and is approximately a 3km return journey.
The other option is to take the bus to La Manzanilla (20 pesos return) and walk the beautiful flat beach that runs from there to Boca de Iguanas, this is approximately a 5km or 1hr 15min one way journey. Stop and have a rest, snack or beverage, then do the return walk and go for lunch at one of the many great beach or downtown restaurants in La Manzanilla. Buses leave Melaque at 9:40am, 11:40am, & 1:40pm returning at 1:30 pm, 3:30pm, & 5:30pm. There is usually a large group of north americans that do this every Thursday. You can get to meet some of the people that are visiting the area, and talk about a lot of other things that there is to do while visiting.
Description
In Melaque there is a botanero bar called Siboney that put on a fantastic burlesque type stage show twice a day Wed-Sat at 5pm & 7pm during the tourist season. For a rollicking fun time with buckets of beer and all the free food you can eat, drop by and check it out. There is nothing verbally or visually offensive in the show but you will need to leave your prudishness at the hotel. Come early to get your choice of good tables and for those brave at heart, take a table alongside the stage. After that, all you have to do is sit back, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.
Location Siboney botanero is located on Calle Alvaro Obregon, which is known locally as Butterfly Lane. This is the division street between San Patricio & Villa Obregon running from the ocean to the highway.
Description
The waterslide park is a great place to take the kids and adult friends to spend the day relaxing. There are a number of different slides and pools that will suit everyone from small children, larger children, and even the older child still left in all of us. They have a kids play area and lots of shaded picnic areas with tables. They allow picnic lunches to be taken in, and we advise you to take lots of water. The waterslide park also has a restaurant and snack bar on site, as well as the picnic area. Unfortunately there aren't any lifeguards on duty. For those driving to the park they have an inner secure parking area.
There is also a waterslide park on the Highway towards Manzanillo.
Location The waterslide park is located on the edge of Barra De Navidad on the main highway. If you take the bus into Barra, it is easily seen on the right hand side of the main road and you can get off right outside the waterslide park.
Price For the use of the pool and slide & picnic facility the charge is $30 pesos for adults and adolescents, and $20 pesos for children.
Opening Times
The park is open every day Tuesday to Sunday from 10am-6pm, and also on a Monday during long weekends and festival times.
Description
We can recommend Costalegre Travel & Service in Melaque, which is located on the main street, and also Dona Tours & Travel in Barra De Navidad which is located by the bus station. They are both travel agencies who can arrange airline tickets and airline ticket changes. They also run bus trips and tours to other areas in the surrounding areas of Melaque and Barra De Navidad.
Description
For those who would like to take in the sights by horseback there is a very nice Mexican man Sr. Daniel Rodriguez that will take you out riding. He has a number of different routes that he uses, depending on the requirements and ability of the clients. He goes through the surrounding plantations into the hills surrounding Melaque & Barra De Navidad, and also along the beach. He lives near the Plaza De Toros in San Patricio at #75 Calle Hidalgo. It's a nice way to spend a day, and get to see a lot of different scenery. He charges a $100 pesos per hour per person.
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