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Tara A. Spears
≈Whoop! Whoop! It’s spring break in Mexico, let’s head to the beach! Everyone looks forward to holidays because it offers respite, a change of pace, and gives us a chance to unwind and take a break from our normal day-to-day lives. There’s nothing like a vacation to relax the mind/ body and make memories.
Better yet, a vacation at a beautiful Mexican beach- to watch the tide come in and relax with family and friends- is a dream come true for many. Because of its amenities and lovely shores, Coastal Nayarit is one of the most visited destinations during Holy Week/semana santa.
The government estimates that more than 1.6 million visitors will arrive in the coastal towns from Nuevo Vallarta to San Blas during this two-week holiday period. When it comes to celebrating, Mexico does it best!
I think everyone should experience the explosion of tourists at least once because the Semana Santa social phenomenon is so unique. You don’t know if it’s for you unless you try it with an open mind. Most of the national visitors, are coming from a landlocked place to explore a different environment, to appreciate the outstanding natural beauty and perfect weather that defines Jaltemba Bay.
When I lived in Puerto Vallarta, I HATED Semana Santa because it is a meca for underaged international teenagers who come solely to get drunk and high, puking and passing out on the streets. The difference here is that it is predominantly multigenerational family groups, and while there is much ceberza and music all night, there are still some boundaries to the partying because grandma and mom are here. Let’s look at what attracts so many visitors to our slice of paradise.
All schools, public and private, primary through university level, are closed until classes resume Monday, April 28. While the Federal holiday is officially a four – day weekend, many people use their personal days to round it up to a week. All federal holidays close government offices, banks, schools and many non-emergency businesses, hence creating the opportunity for travel.
≈Ten years ago, JB hotels and bungalows were reasonably priced (compared to Vallarta and Cancun) therefore, this community would be overbooked for this 2-week period. However, there have been several new large hotels built since then so I doubt that is still the case. There literally were no room vacancies for any price. Any last-minute arrivals sometimes tried to sleep on the beach if they couldn’t hook up with someone who had a room. It’s important to note that in our tourist driven economy, the income from these two weeks makes or breaks a family owned business to survive the low season financially.
Typically, the weather is absolutely perfect for any outdoor activity which is often a big temperature change from the interior mountain towns. The bay is so beautiful! Who doesn’t like to sit and watch the waves roll in? The strolling musicians enliven the afternoons, often creating impromptu dancing on the sand while the kids giggle at mom and dad. The breeze carries the overlapping sound of several bands playing simultaneously. Such a happy, joyful scene.
Yes, there are some issues with such a massive swell of humanity to one place: this influx of people creates a tremendous amount of trash; the internet and WIFI service is strained due to the increased demand; ATMs run out of money and aren’t promptly refilled because employees are on vacation; the traffic is unbelievable, making it triple time to get from point A to B due to volume; there are empty shelves for popular items. If one needs propane, ha ha ha, it won’t happen unless you go pick up the cylinder yourself. The disgusting professional robbers come by bus to swoop into town for a few hours, therefore the ‘snatch and grab’ robberies increase.
I’ve been impressed the last few years because the Guayabitos Hotel Association, in tandem with the Nayarit state government, have pre-planned to help ensure that visitors and residents enjoy a safe holiday. Firstly, there are incleased trash collection throughout the area. Secondly, according to Regalador Lulu Nunez: At the start of the 2025 April holiday operation, an increased number of first responders are assigned to step up availability.
Local Tourist Police will patrol and increase surveillance tours in the towns and on the beaches of Peñita de Jaltemba, Rincón de Guayabitos and Los Ayalas. In addition, the National Guard, State and Municipal Police, arrived Friday to guarantee the safety of the vacationers. Several additional ambulances, jet ski patrol, many squad cars arrived Friday morning to the whoop of sirens as they drove through the towns. It is the increased police and military presence that helps deter the bad guy, the increased paramedics, lifeguards, and ambulances help save lives.
The best advice I have for any resident as to how to cope with their first- time spring break/semana santa, is this: simply relax and go with the flow…join in the fun.
