choosing a place to stay in Yelapa

UPDATED January 9, 2009.
Yelapa offers a wide variety of places to stay.

Things to know:

• Due to its tropical location, almost every building in Yelapa is open-air for maximum ventilation, either a palapa (palm hut with partial walls) or a casita (small house with open windows). Glass windows and traditional doors are extremely rare. In the more central and densely populated locations (beach area and in the village), you may hear people or the sound of the waves. In the more secluded palapas, you may hear birds. Occasionally, little geckos and hummingbirds or other small and harmless animal visitors may take a shortcut through a palapa, but fences and good sense keep larger animals away. (Read the FAQ for advice on avoiding scorpions and helping them avoid you.)
• Given the lack of doors and windows, most rentals feature a locked closet/bodega where you can store your valuables while you’re out. But the only thieves we’ve heard of in Yelapa are tejones (also known as coatis, raccoon-like creatures), who will have no qualms about stealing your food if you leave it out. Put it in the refrigerator!
• Yelapa is very popular in the peak season, with many regular visitors reserving the same rentals every year, so the best places fill up fast, even a year or more in advance. In fact, some places are already booked for February 2010. That’s one reason why we’re sending notice so far in advance, to allow those who plan to attend plenty of time to choose and reserve a place to stay.

  Update: We have toured many of the places to stay in Yelapa, and met many of the proprietors, so we now have a good sense of what’s available and what certain places look like. If you’re ready to reserve a place and would like to know what it’s like, we may very well have toured it and would be happy to share our assessment with you.

• Unlike hotels, most rentals in Yelapa are private homes that can be reserved only with a deposit, so we are not able to reserve a large block of rooms the way one could at a hotel. We are doing our best to claim a few prime spots so they’ll be available for our guests, but to assure the fullest range of choices, we strongly suggest reserving a place as early as you can.
• If your friends or family members are also going, we highly recommend sharing a larger place with them.

Here are some questions you can use to guide you toward the locations and types of spaces that will work best for you:

• Do you want to team up and share a larger space with friends or family who’ll be attending the wedding? Many rentals in Yelapa are large, sometimes with more than one building on the grounds, and can easily accommodate two or more small households (6-8 people) or one large one. If you coordinate with others in your circle of friends or family, you can get a really good deal on a larger site.
• Would you prefer a more central location, closer to restaurants and the beach? Or somewhere a little bit farther away that’s larger, and perhaps quieter and more private?

  The beach (playa) and village (pueblo) are more central, and most of Yelapa’s restaurants are in those areas, but the rental spaces tend to be smaller, with little if any outdoor space, and not as quiet. Upriver, you’ll find large and very private residences tucked into the jungle, but you’ll be walking further, especially if you’re on the north (playa) side of the river.

  NOTE: The wedding ceremony and the dinner the evening before will take place on the south (village) side of the river. If you’re staying on the north (beach) side of the river, you may end up either walking on sand (and possibly wading or jumping across the mouth of the river, depending on the water level) OR walking an extra 10-15 minutes upriver to the bridge and then 10-15 minutes back downriver to get to any restaurants or events in the village.

  The Point is very private, with some lovely views of the cove, but if you decide to stay in that area, factor in a good 10 minutes of walking to get to restaurants in the village, 15-20 minutes to wedding-related events and gatherings, and perhaps up to 30 minutes to the beach (depending on the water level and your willingness to wade and/or walk on sand).

  Check out the maps page and the accommodations page on yelapa.info and Jeff’s Yelapa map for a sense of where things are in relation to each other.

• Would you like to have a full house with a kitchen, or just a bedroom to sleep in?
• If your top priorities are the use of a pool, daily housekeeping, and a restaurant on site, the Hotel Lagunita is your place. But take a look at the picture of the pool to make sure it’s what you have in mind.
• NOTE: the wedding venue we have reserved includes some very basic accommodations (small, no view), and we would love to offer these at no charge to guests who are aiming to save money. If your budget is tight and you would be interested in staying in a very simple room, our treat, let us know as soon as possible–supply is limited; first come, first served.
• Once you know the answers to the questions above, please get in touch with us–we may have recommendations for you–and we may even have reserved a place that would be perfect for you. In the meantime, browse through the descriptions on the yelapa.info accommodations page and palapainyelapa.com to get a better idea of what places look like.

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