GETTING THERE, STAYING THERE, GETTING AROUND

From western cities in the United States, four airlines fly into Puerto Vallarta: American, Delta, Alaska, and Continental. For charter flights, contact a travel agent.

For suggestions about accommodations, consult "Puerto Vallarta Handbook" by Bruce Whipperman (Moon Publications, 1995) or Frommer's "Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Guadalajara," by Marita Adair (Macmillan Travel, 1996).

The one-hour water-taxi ride to Yelapa from Puerto Vallarta costs about $5 per person and leaves from the Los Muertos Pier at the end of Francisca Rodriguez Street several times a day, beginning in the morning.

Depending on the weather, it can be a bumpy trip. And you may have to exit by the rear of the boat as waves crash around your knees after the boat has backed onto the shore. Wear sandals or go barefoot.

For information about Hotel Lagunita de Yelapa, from the US call 011-52-329-8-05-12 in Puerto Vallarta, or contact the hotel's home office at 9297 Siempre Viva Road, Suite 78-441, San Diego, Calif., 92173.

To get to Bucerias from Puerto Vallarta, take any bus (they all are independently operated) that has "Bucerias" printed or painted on the front window. Bus stops are all over the central part of town, and the cost is around five pesos (about 70 cents).

Some of the buses are comfortable and clean; others are basic and rattling, but that's part of the fun. Ask the driver or the person sitting next to you when to get off. For information about accommodations in Bucerias, check the publications mentioned above.