Surfer wannabes like me who can get up on a board, but not consistently, have to choose surfing destinations carefully. We need waves that novices can manage without boring teenage boys whose prefrontal cortexes send them seeking some major curls.
That spot: Punta Mita, a fishing village about 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. It's got authenticity: Fishermen head out to sea in their brightly colored pangas every morning from the village port, dogs nap on the edges of cobblestone streets and the calls of local vendors selling fish and other staples to local housewives echo through the streets. It's got just the right amount of polish, with restaurants like Margarita's, my favorite not just for its great margaritas but also for its excellent seafood (the coconut shrimp was my favorite) and perfect on-the-beach location. It's got the Mictlan surf shop (www.mictlansurf.com), where you can rent boards or take lessons.
And it's got some star power; my 17-year-old and I spent an afternoon on stand-up paddleboards trying to get close-up views of a luxury yacht rumored to be carrying Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. (It wasn't; we had missed them by a week.) And, for some serious polish, there's always the Four Seasons Punta Mita.
But we like the village itself and our beachfront condo (www.vacationrentals.com/vacation-rentals/4983.html) with views of Punta Mita's reliable, manageable and perfectly shaped waves. That, according to avid surfer and travel entrepreneur Tom Ogg, a Punta Mita partisan (www.puntamitacondorentals.com), is because the beach at Punta Mita is at exactly the right angle, catching swells almost year round. The "breaks" that these swells hit along Punta Mita create long, steep waves that are fun to ride. And rounding them out perfectly is the third factor in determining the quality of a wave, a reliable offshore wind.
There are several offshore breaks, as well, just right for the thrill-seeking teenage boys in our group. At day's end, their panga driver would drop them off in front of our condo so they could paddle in for a little beach and pool time before dinner.
And of course, there was the beauty of Banderas Bay itself from our condo's balcony. We started off our days with beautiful dawns and rounded them off with perfect sunsets.