Princesa Yelapa

[fivefoot4]

Has anyone been on this cruise offered by Vallartaonline? It seems very inexpensive compared to others offered to Yelapa so I was hoping for some first hand knowledge.:D My partner and I would like to do some snorkeling and maybe walk to the waterful and just relax and take in the lovely scenery.

[tickles]

We will also be going to Yelapa during our cruise in November we have not yet made up our mind if we will go on the pricessa yelapa tour or take a bus to boca de tomatlan and a water taxi from there. If we go that route we can leave when we are ready and get the next one back and still have time to spend in port. It sounds like a really nice place to visit and we are really looking forward to it. When is your cruise? If you go before we do please let us know how it was and I will do the same.;)

[gottago2mexico]

We've done the Princess Yelapa tour - I'll try to give you an idea.

 

The boat is definitely not the best (older and smells like diesel in the bathrooms), but the guides try hard and we had a good time. You'll want to sit on the top deck, where you have a great view of the Puerto Vallarta coastline to take photos, and also spot whales or dolphins, manta rays, and sea turtles. A continental breakfast is served, consisting of pastries, melons, and coffee. The guide tells you over the intercom a bit about Puerto Vallarta, Los Arcos, Mismaloya, and shows you the set of "Night of the Iguana" and Kevin Costner's house as you pass by. The guides come around and serve you booze from the get-go, and there is a bar too. Make sure not to sit downwind from the exhaust pipes though, when the boat first starts up, they can blow soot on you. The rest of the time, it's not a problem though, just a tip for initial engine startup.

 

The first stop is Majahuitas for snorkeling. The snorkeling is decent, better visibility in the summer months than in the winter. Not the Caribbean, but still fun I thought. The next stop is Yelapa, where they've reserved chairs and tables on the beach for you. You can do beach activities, including parasailing, riding horses to the waterfall, kayaking, etc. You can also order appetizers and drinks from the beach restaurant, take your photo with iguanas or parrots, and just relax in the sun.

 

The guide then takes those who want to go over to the village of Yelapa in a water taxi, and gives a walking tour of the village, up to the waterfall, and through the town. You get quite a bit of time to enjoy Yelapa, before loading back on the boat to eat lunch (we had chicken), and go back to Puerto Vallarta. They try to make it fun, passing out snacks and booze, doing contests and karaoke - the boat is big, but since it doesn't get sold by cruise ships, it is often not that full.

 

If this tour was on a better boat, it could be one of the best in Puerto Vallarta, but as it is, I still think it's a good value for the price (7-8 hours of booze, food, sightseeing, and snorkeling for about $50) and a nice, easy way to explore the coastline and Yelapa and get some snorkeling in. In essence, our opinion is: Boat bad, tour good.

[fivefoot4]

Thanks Joann and Sandra was that very helpful and informative review. I thought the boat looked a bit old in the picture on the site. I have been a bit concerned that the water temperature in late November when we are going will be quite cold so I will have to look into that as well.

 

Tickles - We are on the same cruise as you on 26 November :)

[gottago2mexico]

The water temperature isn't really anything to worry about, I think. While not bathtub warm like in the summer, it's still in the low to mid 70s that time of year. That's far from cold.

 

Here's some photos of our trip:

On the boat, they served us drinks and snacks (that's not us by the way!)

Snorkeling at Majahuitas

Indulging for a photo with the Iguana.

There's a restaurant at the waterfall. It was dry season when we were there, so it wasn't running very much. Should be running better in November.

The beach restaurant.

 

Hope this helps - have a great time!

[tickles]

Thank you so much Johann & Sandra for the wonderful pictures and the review, we are definitely going to visit Yelapa one of the reasons is for some research for maybe a small land vacation, at least it is a possibility. My husban is from Mexico and we usually go every other year to visit his family and I would love to stop and spend a few days here with the kids, so that is my main objective to visiting Yelapa. I am researching other options of getting there, but haven't made up my mind yet. Fivefoot do you think you will be doing this one also? I am sooo excited about the cruise, my daughter and I will be going for her 15th birthday and it is our first cruise. There is just so much to choose from that it is hard to make up our minds on excursions. Still 60 days to go but hopefully the time will pass soon and before we know it we will be there.:D

[h20lvr]

:mad: Beware when you get off the tour boat at Yelapa. You are hustled from the time you step on land. Make sure you negotiate prices for drinks before you order and ask if there is going to a be charged to sit in the chairs. Pay as you go...don't let them run a tab. We went fours years ago and loved Yelapa and could not wait to return. Went back on a tour last year and we were very disappointed. If you want to relax and enjoy your day, I recommend the tour to Las Caletas.:D

[gottago2mexico]

Hi h20lvr, which tour did you go on? Which restaurant did you sit at? I wonder because it sounds like there is one people should definitely know about, and that sounds very much different than the Princess Yelapa that we did in March.

 

When we got off the boat, they showed us the reserved area where we could use the chairs, and showed us the "official" restaurant of the tour.

The waiters brought out menus with prices and we ordered off the menu, drinks and an appetizer. The prices were not outrageous either, they seemed like what we'd expect. The chairs were open, and the guide told us we could sit on any of them, the waiter brought out the food and a "few" beers, as we relaxed, running a tab, and when the tour was over, I just told the waiter I was ready to pay, he told me how much it was (as a seasoned traveler, I always do the math to make sure it's true), it was the correct amount, we paid and got on the boat to go over to Yelapa town for our guided tour.

 

We didn't experience anything at all like what you're describing. We were there quite some time and never were hustled for anything at all, not even to buy beads or jewelry from beach vendors, surprisingly enough. We just sat in the sun, ate, drank, took pictures, and looked at the iguana, parrots, and paragliders. Very relaxing, actually.

 

At Las Caletas, on the other hand, we were hustled on the boat for massages, hustled for tips (more than once), hustled for DVDs, and also for things at the "store" that they have there. Not that we were really bothered by any of that, it is a tourist trap after all, which we knew going in, but I only mention it because you recommended it to avoid the hustling.

 

I'm sorry you had that experience, though - sounds like a real bummer. We really enjoyed our day in Yelapa.

[h20lvr]

Johann and Sandra:

 

Let me say that I am also a season traveler and have been all over Mexico and the Caribbean and have never had and experience like this....We actually met two other couples during our stay and decided to take a private tour. (I believe the gentlemen's name was Augustin) We had been on a tour before and just asked to be dropped off in Yelapa and arranged for a time to be picked back up. We arrived about an half an hour before the Princess Yelapa. When getting off the boat a young kid came up and tried to take my beach bag from me. I told him no and he drug me to some chairs in front of the first restaurant and told me to sit here. A waiter came out and told us he had the "coldest and cheapest beer", I asked him how much and he told me $2.50 a beer. It sounded good so we decided to stay. He brought the beer back and tried to sell us some pot and then asked if we didn't smoke and wanted something else. I told him no thanks and asked him to point me in the direction of the bathroom. He did and when I came out there was another guy there trying to sell me drugs. I declined and walked back to my chair. The Princess Yelapa arrived and two young girls that did not want to sit with their parents sat down. They asked for Diet Cokes and the waiter told them he could bring them beer if they wanted, which they declined and then he asked them if they wanted to buy some pot. They were quit persistant with these girls and they got up and went back to their parents, who's father (possilby their grandfather) came over and had some words with the waiters inside the restaurant. Then we ordered another round of beers and were told that when the Princess Yelapa was in the beers would now be $3.50 each or we could pay them $5.00 each to use the chairs and then they would give us $2.50 beers. We got up and moved down to Fannies as we decided we wanted to eat. We had eaten at Fannies before and my Husband wanted a whole red snapper. Our bill was ridiculous. There was no prices on the bill, just a total. They charged us $20.00 u.s. for the snapper. We had paid $18.00 the night before at El Dorado in PV which is four star. I questions this and was told "I guess they are catching up with us" Even with the fish being $20.00 the bill still did not add up. I told the waiter this was not correct and the arguing began. I asked him to bring me back the menu and told him the bill was off by $12.00. He just continued to argue and speaking in spanish with another waiter and laughing. Our boat had pulled back up and we had two other couples waiting on us. So, we chalked it up to lesson learned and gave him just the exact amount of the check. Let me say that our first experience in Yelapa was wonderul. My husband talked about that fish on the quite wonderful beach for three years....now all he has to say is we will never return! But, then again, I went to Las Caletas five years ago both during the day and at night and had a wonderful time, with no selling of anything, but a sign up sheet for massages. ...I guess things change!

[gottago2mexico]

h20lvr,

 

Wow! What a story! I'm sure happy our trip wasn't like that. Maybe we had the tour group "protecting" us or something.

 

I guess the moral would be to have a written price, and don't let kids help you with your bag - good advice, I think. Thanks for sharing the story, all information is good information!

 

Glad you had a much better trip at Las Caletas - hope your next time is great too, no matter where you end up. You might try Las Animas - probably the best beach in Vallarta.

 

PS Hope you don't think I meant anything by the "seasoned traveler" thing - I only meant that we've learned the hard way on that one, not anything toward you.

[h20lvr]

Renting a car and heading north of Puerto Vallarta is great and off the beaten path. We traveled to Bucerias, a small community about 45 minutes north of Vallarta on the Pacific Ocean. Bucerias is in the state of ****rit, and a great little place reminiscent of how Vallarta used to be. Small hotels and condos line the beach and a few streets back from the ocean, beachside restaurants and little cafes are abundant. We had the best fish tacos ever in this little town!:D

[fivefoot4]

Thanks Johann & Sandra and h20lvr for sharing your experiences as its always better to hear from someone who has been there.

 

Johann & Sandra I have just realised you have your own tours as well so I will look into those for Cabo and PV as well ;)