Where to base yourself
Barra is small enough that no choice is truly wrong, but the feel shifts block to block, and the bigger decision is really Barra versus Melaque around the bay. Here is who each zone suits and what you trade off.
Barra town center (the sand spit)
The spit itself, along Avenida Veracruz and around the malecón, is the classic base. You are a couple of minutes’ walk from the seafood restaurants, the lagoon dock for the Colimilla boats, the open Pacific beach on one side and the calm lagoon on the other. Landmark reference points: the malecón seawall and the lancha dock. This is the pick for first-timers and anyone on a two- or three-day trip who wants to leave the car parked and do everything on foot. Lodging is small hotels, guesthouses and posadas rather than resorts; think tiled rooms, ceiling fans, maybe a small pool. Rough nightly range is around 800 to 1,800 MXN (approximate) for a comfortable double, less for a basic room off the water, more for the handful of nicer boutique places.
The lagoon side and marina point
A quieter stretch looking over the water toward the mangroves, anchored by the Grand Bay marina hotel on its own hillside across the lagoon. This suits people who want calm, sunset-over-the-water views and a bit more polish, and who do not mind a short walk or a quick lancha ride to reach the restaurants and the beach. The marina hotel is the splurge option in the area, running well above the town norm, roughly 2,500 MXN and up (approximate); the surrounding lagoon-side rentals are calmer and priced closer to the town center. Best for couples, honeymoon-ish quiet, and anyone who values a view over being in the thick of it.
Melaque (San Patricio Melaque)
The larger town a ten-minute hop around the bay, centered on its plaza and the long swimming beach at the bay’s calm end. Landmark points: the main plaza and the San Patricio church. Melaque has more long-stay snowbirds, cheaper monthly rentals, a broader and safer swimming beach than Barra’s surf side, and more everyday services, markets, pharmacies, laundries. This is the base for budget travelers, families who want gentle water, and anyone settling in for weeks rather than days. Rough nightly range is around 600 to 1,400 MXN (approximate), with monthly rentals dropping the per-night cost sharply. The trade-off: it feels like a workaday Mexican beach town, not the postcard sand-spit scene, and it is a taxi or local bus ride from Barra’s specific charm.
Quiet and remote
If you want to be truly away from both towns, the coves up the Costalegre such as Tenacatita and Boca de Iguanas have rustic beachside cabañas and small hotels. These suit self-sufficient travelers with a car who want empty beaches and calm snorkeling water. You give up walkable restaurants, nightlife and easy transport, so only choose this if solitude is the whole point.
Quick call
For a three-day trip, stay in Barra town center on the spit and walk everywhere. For a month on the coast, price out Melaque and negotiate a monthly rate. For a splurge with a view, the marina point. See things to do and where locals go to match your base to how you actually plan to spend the days, and the Jalisco hub for the wider coast.