Casa Sonido Del Mar
- Sleeps 8
- Master bedroom and bunk room
- Two decks
- Satellite Wi-Fi
$200 / night · +$15 pp
See the bungalow →
Los Chonchos · Jalisco · Mexico
It's like your own private island.
Off-grid beach bungalows on a coast with no road.
Fall asleep to the sound of the ocean. Wake to a day nobody has scheduled for you. No road reaches this coast — no traffic, no vendors, no day boats, nothing for sale. A hideaway in the oldest sense of the word: one of the few places left where you can genuinely disappear.
0Roads in
3Beaches
6Bungalows
60Min by boat
You have been meaning to stop for a long time.
Most vacations hand you a different set of notifications. A resort still has a schedule, a line, a beach with four hundred other people on it and someone walking the sand selling bracelets.
This is an off-grid oceanfront hideaway inside an ecological preserve, reachable only by sea or jungle trail. Solar power, spring water from the mountain, hot showers, a kitchen of your own — and after about the third day, the feeling that nobody needs anything from you.
No roads. No motors. No crowds. The ocean is your front gate.
Why here
The Un-Resort
Where the grid ends, and so does your stress.
Seven in the morning. The only sound is the surf. This is what a hideaway is supposed to feel like, and almost nowhere that uses the word delivers it. Nobody has texted. There is no lobby, no buffet, no activities board and nothing to book. You make your own coffee, carry it out onto the deck, and the whole day is yours to waste however you like.
Most people who come here had been putting it off for years — waiting for the quarter to close, the project to ship, the right moment. It never quite arrives. You don't have to justify this to anyone, and nobody here will ask you to. Three nights is our minimum, and it is roughly how long it takes most people to stop reaching for their phone.
Five things that are hard to find together
Plenty of places have one of these. Some have two. The combination is what makes this coast difficult to substitute.
No road in
You arrive by boat or over the mountain. The seclusion is structural — no developer, no council and no new hotel can undo it.
A whole bungalow, not a room
Your own palapa — an open-sided, palm-thatch house — with your own kitchen. No shared lodge, no communal dinner table, no set mealtimes to organize your day around.
Warm water, every month
This stretch of Pacific stays swimmable all year. Most genuinely remote coastlines are too cold, too rough, or only work for one season.
Closer than it looks
Four and a half hours' direct flight from most major North American cities, thirty minutes by road, an hour by boat.
Mountain, ocean and jungle at once
The Sierra Madre comes right down to the water here, jungle covering it the whole way to the sand. Few remote places have all three while still being this easy to reach.
$200
a night — the whole bungalow
The surprising part
Not per person, and not per couple. Casa Huesos is $250. The handful of other places this far from a road start around $1,000 a night. The difference isn't the coastline — it's that you are not paying for a resort, because there isn't one.
The wildlife is not an excursion. It arrives.
A humpback breaches in the channel while you are still holding your coffee. Dolphins play past the point. Manta rays jump clear of the water. Schools of thousands of fish turn together in the shallows, and turtle hatchlings cross the sand. A hummingbird comes through the open wall; an iguana takes the warm end of the deck and stays the afternoon. Throw your vegetable scraps over the rail and the land crabs deal with them in front of you.
None of it is scheduled and none of it is staged, which is why it lands as exhilarating and calming at the same time — a combination most vacations never manage.
One guest said he could feel the stress leaving his body.
And then there is everything that isn't here
Almost anywhere else
Los Chonchos
A beach with four hundred people on it
Three secluded, unspoiled beaches, nothing built on them, often empty for the whole day
Traffic, motors, engines, horns
No road, so no cars. Surf, wind and birds, and that is the whole of it
A sound system going somewhere until two in the morning
Loud parties are not allowed at Los Chonchos. That is a rule, not a hope
Always connected, whether you want to be or not
Satellite Wi-Fi in four of the six bungalows, and none at all in the other two. You pick which
Concrete, exhaust, and a sky washed out by streetlight
Palm thatch and timber, jungle air, and stars you can actually see
Wildlife you book an excursion to go and look at
Humpbacks breaching, dolphins playing, manta rays jumping — from your own deck
Vendors working the sand all afternoon
Nothing is sold here. Nobody will approach you
A program to keep to, even at a retreat
We are not a retreat. No schedule, no program, nobody expecting you anywhere
You won't need a vacation from this vacation.
Getting here
Accessible only by sea or jungle trail.
The journey is the reason the beach stays quiet — and it is still the most reachable of the far-away places. Puerto Vallarta takes direct flights from most major North American cities, where the equivalent in Costa Rica or Panama costs a connection and half a day.
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1
Fly to Puerto Vallarta
Direct from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Chicago, New York, Toronto and Vancouver, among others.
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2
Sleep in Puerto Vallarta, and shop
The water taxi leaves Boca de Tomatlán at 8am, so arriving and crossing on the same day rarely works. Spend the night and use it to buy your provisions. If you do land early enough and get the shopping done, a private boat — or a taxi or Uber to Chimo and the trail in — can still bring you over the same day.
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3
Thirty minutes to Boca de Tomatlán
A taxi south from downtown along the bay, to where the road ends.
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4
Sixty minutes by water taxi
Along a coastline with no road on it, ending with a wet landing on the sand. Bring shoes or sandals you don't mind soaking.
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5
Someone meets the boat
Your bungalow is ready, and someone is on the property through the day to help with arrival, departure and anything you need.
When the water is rough
Sometimes the swell is too high to land on the sand. The water taxi captain makes that call. When it happens the boat takes you to Chimo instead, and you come over the mountain on foot — about fifty minutes, with mules carrying the luggage.
Some guests walk in over the mountain by choice.
The bungalows
Six bungalows. One coastline. Each one standing on its own.
Every one of them stands alone under a palm roof, open to the air on the ocean side, on the sand or a two-minute walk from it. Every one has a private kitchen, hot shower, flush toilet, solar power, gravity-fed mountain spring water and a view of the ocean. What follows is only what makes each one different.
Taking the whole place
Families, friends and small teams book all six at once. Everyone still travels as individual guests and brings their own provisions, or arranges a cook for the group. If the water taxi schedule doesn't suit a larger party, we can put you in touch with a private boat captain — we don't run a boat of our own.
A day here
Nothing programmed. Nothing sold.
You cook, unless you'd rather not
Most guests provision in Puerto Vallarta the night before they cross, and cook what they bring. Nobody has to. Chimo, the next village along, has two restaurants — a meal can come over by boat, or you can take a boat there and sit down.
Some walk the trail over to Chimo for dinner. Some kayak. A local cook will also come to your bungalow with all the ingredients and cook in your kitchen while you do nothing at all.
Chimo also has two small shops for basics, and anything from there — groceries, ice, cold beer — can come over by boat and be delivered to your bungalow. The staff commute from Chimo every day, so if it is not urgent they will often just walk it in the next morning. Running out is an inconvenience, not a crisis.
Nothing is sold here. Everything can be brought.
The day sets its own shape
Swim before the heat. Read through the middle of it. Kayak to the next beach. Walk the mountain trail toward Chimo and turn back whenever you feel like it.
Three secluded, unspoiled beaches, used only by Chonchos owners and their guests — nothing built on them, no bar, no loungers for hire, no concession of any kind. Your bungalow is on the sand or two minutes from it. One dirt path that branches to the bungalows and the sand, and one mountain trail over to Chimo. That is all of it, and it is enough.
If you want to snorkel or fish, bring your own gear — there is nowhere here to rent or buy it.
People who come for three nights wish they had come for six.
The wild comes in
There is no wall for anything to cross.
A hummingbird through the room while you make coffee. An iguana asleep on the deck. Land crabs working through the scraps you drop over the rail. Humpback whales passing within sight of the hammock from October through March, and dolphins, manta rays, sea turtles and macaws the rest of the year.
Guests here often say they saw more animals than people. Everywhere else sells wildlife as an excursion. Here it arrives on its own schedule, at no charge.
Before you come
It isn't for everyone. Here's the honest version.
We would rather you knew exactly what this is before you book than discover it standing on the sand.
What happens if something goes wrong out here? +
One or two people work on the property from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday — they meet the boats, prepare the bungalows and help with arrival, departure and any requests. Cell signal comes and goes — you can usually find some, in some spots, but never count on it being there. The Wi-Fi is the dependable one: four of the six bungalows have satellite Wi-Fi, and guests describe it as fast. For anything serious, a boat reaches Boca de Tomatlán in an hour and Puerto Vallarta lies beyond that. It is remote. It is not unreachable.
What if the sea is too rough to land? +
Sometimes the swell is too high to land on the sand. The water taxi captain makes that call on the day — nobody can forecast it for you in advance. When it happens the boat runs to Chimo instead and you come over the mountain on foot, about fifty minutes, with mules carrying the luggage. Coming or going, leave room in your plans for it so a rough morning doesn't cost you a flight.
Do we have to cook every night? +
No. Most people cook some nights and not others. Chimo has two restaurants — a meal can come over by boat, or you can take a boat there and eat, or walk the trail, or kayak. A local cook will also come to your bungalow, bring everything, and cook in your kitchen. Arrange any of it through the staff, your host, or directly with the restaurant by message. Same day usually works; more notice is better.
There's no air conditioning. Will we be comfortable? +
The bungalows are open on the ocean side and the sea breeze runs straight through them. Palm thatch keeps heat out far better than a solid roof. Most people sleep better here than they do at home. If one of you truly cannot sleep without air conditioning, this is not the right place, and we would rather say so now.
Insects, and the jungle generally? +
This is jungle, so there are insects, and bark scorpions exist on this coast as they do all along it. In practice they are rarely seen — people have lived here for years without a single sting, and hunting for them at night with a black light usually turns up nothing. We mention them because we would rather be upfront than have you surprised. The usual habits apply: shake out shoes, clothing and towels, and keep a flashlight by the bed. A sting is painful but almost never dangerous.
Are the beaches private? +
No — there is no such thing as a private beach in Mexico, and we won't pretend otherwise. What is true is that these three beaches are secluded and unspoiled — nothing is built on them, there is no bar, no loungers for hire and no vendors — and that almost everyone on them lives here or is staying here. There is no pier, so yachts and day boats have nowhere to tie up and no reason to stop. No vendors, no hotel guests, no crowds. On a busy day there might be a dozen people spread across three beaches. There is no other kind of day.
What if we need to cancel? +
A full refund up to 72 hours before arrival, and 75% up to 24 hours before arrival, less credit card processing fees in both cases. Inside 24 hours of your arrival date there is no refund, whether you cancel late or not at all. Getting here is your responsibility — and there is always a way in: if the swell is too high for the water taxi to land, the boat runs to Chimo instead, or you can reach Chimo by road, about three hours from Puerto Vallarta, and walk in over the mountain trail with mules carrying the luggage.
From people who actually stayed
Every review here comes from a guest we emailed after they left. Nobody else can post one.
Los Chonchos is heaven on earth. Very secluded and private. Disconnect! No tv, no wifi and hardly any service. The views are endless and epic! We saw more animals than people. So many humpbacks we lost count, dolphins, bat rays, beautiful birds. The night sky was phenomenal. This place is a dream for the real beach lover. If you like nature, hiking, privacy — go to Los Chonchos.
It's a true delight to arrive at this beach, starting with the water taxi ride to Chonchos. The coastline is unique, the color of the sea is breathtaking, the breeze is delightful. The people are very welcoming.
Excellent place for vacations; if you love nature and are willing to spend time with others without social media, this is the perfect place.
Not for everyone, but a wonderful experience.
Stayed with us? We send every departing guest a private link so they can add their own.
Read all guest stories →
How to book
Pick the bungalow, then ask for your dates.
Every bungalow has its own calendar, so you can see what is already taken before you ask. Choose the one that suits you and send your dates from its page.
There is no instant booking here, on purpose. We reply within two days. Once the dates are agreed you pay in full by card, and we send you how to get here and everything worth knowing before you get on the boat.
Just have a question? Write to us instead — we answer those within two days too.
Availability is limited by geography, and always will be.