Semana Santa, as it is called, most of Mexico City empties into the coastal areas and some upscale highland areas. Lots of people from Tepic will have come down the highway to Rincón de Guayabitos, San Francisco, Sayulita, Lo de Marcos, Bucerias... Chacala, which used to be a seriously remote place, fills with R.V.s

Many of these places were tiny towns when I used to spend time there - and are now tourist destinations with trailer parks, hotels, etc. Some of the original residents were displaced into the mountains so they could continue to farm and their old properties used for more lucrative reasons, or they lost their original livelihood and became laborers, gardeners, servanst or perhaps immigrated to the US to find a job. I suspect you won't find much in the way of tradition there, and "old timers" have only been there ten years.

I wish I could tell you the little tent city down the beach will be great, but camping is a relatively recent phenomenon in Mexico, so I suspect you will find tons of rubbish, people using the margins of the beach as, er, bathrooms, and possibly too much drinking and disorderliness.

In P.V. itself, it will be crowded, restaurants and other places will be pricier and more crowded, lots of waits. "Noisy firecrackers or all terrain vehicles in towns or on the roads or beaches" are indeed quite possible.

You may find services you want to use will be closed, and if you have maid or cook service, some days they may go missing on you. The airline may also be overbooked, so earlier rather than later to the airport, if you are returning just after Easter.

What you won't find is some of the religious fanaticism that you might see in the Philippines: nobody will be getting themselves flogged on Good Friday, much less nailed to crosses and the like.

Inquire locally - you will be told about any processions or observances that might be of interest to you, and probably invited. Much better - you then get to participate in local, family-friendly genuine observances. Your secluded home with a view sounds like it will be very nice for Semana Santa.

I think Nayarit (San Francisco is in the state of Nayarit, on Mountain Time Zone; Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco, Central Time Zone,) still maintains one hour time difference from Jalisco, but check so you don't get caught on the wrong side of the time zone for airport check-in, etc.