I definitely recommend visiting Sayulita, Nayarit Mexico if you ever happen to be on the Mexican Pacific Coast. For a town this size (tiny), there is a lot happenin' over here and it is easily accessible from Puerto Vallarta (which has an international airport). Buses go to Sayulita and its neighboring beach towns (Bucerias, San Francisco/Pancho, y más) for less than $3 and leave directly from the airport (which is good because Vallarta is la mierda of Mexico as far as I'm concerned).
The beach isn’t the most beautiful I have ever seen, but with the jungles surrounding it, it has its charm (Go to Tulum, Quintana Roo if you want to see beautiful beaches). It is popular, crowded in some parts, but the farther you walk away from the Plaza area, the less people you run in to. The beach vendors aren’t too pushy, but there are a lot of them on the right break. The tamales ladies and the macaroon man were the only people I ever bought from and let me tell you, they sell some TASTY merchandise. Definitely treat yourself to their goodies at least once (you’ll be back for more…).
To get away from the hubbub, and if you are willing to do an easy rock scramble or take a 15 minute jungle hike towards San Pancho (with trails), you can get to a part of the beach where you may be the only person there (past the left break). Past the right break and a few gringo hotels, walk through the arches into a cemetery and you will find yet another beach, Playa de Los Muertos, on the other side. It has good swimming and a more laid back feel to it. (Beautiful for nighttime star gazing). On the main beach, you can rent surf and body boards hourly from one of the many stands. Shop around to find the best deal. If you want, you can pay for an hour of surf lessons, but don’t pay more than 250 pesos and make sure they show you how to maneuver your board ect on land first. The right break is good for beginners, the left generally has bigger waves and rocky shores so leave that for when and if you are more experienced, though it makes for good body boarding.
I recommend spending at least an afternoon in San Pancho, another beach town next door to Sayulita. Its really cute and less commercial than Sayulita. On Saturdays at 5pm you can get all gussied up and watch a couple of games of horse polo on plush white couches at the San Pancho Polo Club. Entry is free, but you are expected to buy at least a drink. Dinner is available after the games accompanied by live music. Table reservations are advised during high season.
Some basic should be covered. The only hostel in town is Hostel Venado Azul and is located just one block behind the plaza. I didn’t stay there, but I stopped in one night to check it out. The receptionist “dude” was very friendly and interesting and they have nightly backyard bon fires. If you are into camping, there are two campgrounds right on the beach, Camaron being the cheaper and more fun of the two, as well as a trailer park (BYOT: bring your own trailer). You can also cruise the classifieds on to find fancier, pricier houses to rent. It’s a good place to start with if you feel like splurging, but it does not, by far, have every place listed. Walk around town for 20 minutes and I guarantee you will find something that matches your needs. The cheapest ATM (the only one with fees that wouldn’t be considered extortion) is located next to Choco Banana (best coffee in town) underneath El Tigre. Currently, a 7.25 peso surcharge as opposed to 30. The best place to get produce is DEFINITELY Celia’s Fruteria (y Más!). She is STOCKED and has a lot of herbs and spices and good cheese. Everything I bought from her was fresh and tasty. Celia’s is closed on Thursdays. You can find it on the main road in to town before you go over the bridge. It is bright pink. Can’t miss it. Keep in mind “Nayarit time” is an hour behind Puerto Vallarta. Your cell phone and computer will tell you Vallarta time. It can throw a gal off occasionally. Another housekeeping tip, Sayulita stops selling alcohol in the convenience stores at 9pm until 9am so plan accordingly.
Speaking of food, I have some suggestions! Though I cooked a lot on my trip, I definitely partook in some dining out.
Hands down, Rollies is the most wholesome feel good and DELICIOUS place to get breakfast. It is easy to stuff yourself to the gills. Rollie himself, an old kindly ex principle from the states, comes around to all the tables to make sure we all love it. He might even buy you a round of pancakes “for dessert” if you clean your plate, and they are yummy my friends, make room if he offers!
Its hard to find good pizza in Mexico, but Don Pedro’s has it! They have a wood oven and their specialty pizza is shrimp and bacon. I feel like I don’t have to say any more to convince the hungry reader to go there. Salsa nights with a Cuban house band happen on Wednesdays.
My favorite street taco stand is actually off the street. Check out the lady by the bridge into town. Just look for the guy sitting on the bridge painting landscapes and look down past him- there she be! Tasty, fresh, filling, cheap (for Sayulita), a variety of meats to fill your tacos, and delicious horchata! The place has everything you could ask for in a taqueteria. And, I didn’t get the feeling I was going to have a colony of amoebas in my belly after eating there. A week later, thankfully, I still don’t have that colonial feeling.
Le Biciclett has an interesting, mouthwatering menu to offer. You may have guessed, it is run by French people. As MC put it most concisely, French people simply cannot allow themselves to serve bad food. They bring in some good bands sometimes too. And they have real absinthe if you’re into that, just sayin’.
There are probably close to 50 different places to eat in this tourist haven, so go out and explore! Just make sure the place looks clean and the food looks fresh. It is easy to get the runs in Mexico. A good indication of cleanliness and food safety is if there are a lot of people already eating there daily (seeing a lot of Mexican patrons there is an especially good sign. They know whats up).
I have found a variety of non-beach oriented things to keep myself busy. Like most Mexican cities and pueblos, the plaza is a good place to start. Around 7 or 8 there is usually some sort of entertainment going on there. There, I have seen “African” drummer groups (they are pretty dern good! They also moonlight on the beach in the afternoons at times)
, puppet shows, fire twirlers, a dancing horse (!!!!), and amazing people watching. As I mentioned above, Biciclett has some good live music. Its neighbor, Don Pato’s (This is Spanish for Mister Duck ya’ll!) has music en vivo as well. It seems to be almost exclusively reggae bands playing there, one of the 5 local reggae bands rotates to Don P’s frequently, though they do get some outside acts. It is a fun place with good vibes and definitely a decent place to go if you can’t think of anything else to do. Open mic nights are on Tuesdays.
El Dragon Rojo has “endless happy hour” and also hosts music acts. I go here when I want to drink but I want to stay under budget. The people who work there are really nice. I got to play a few rounds of Texas Hold Em with some of the employees last time I went there. They got 30 pesos out of me, but I enjoyed their company.
While I am on the subject of drinking, you really must stop by Tequila Bar around the back of the plaza. It is small, but maybe one of the most impressive shops in Sayulita. The owner boasts over 300 different kinds of tequila and that’s all he sells! It is a sight that gets me a little misty-eyed thinking of it. Thursdays from 5pm to 7 or 8, there is a special on their (nice) house tequila and fresh squeezed margaritas. A must if you drink…even if you don’t normally drink tequila. El Sabor de Sayulita, right by the footbridge, has a projector and a screen for 7pm movie nights. Check outside the place for flyers. They rotated Avatar and a UFO documentary for a solid week last week, but you could probably lend them a disk bought from the Pirateria stand along the river and get Laura and Mario to play it if you ask nicely. They have pool chairs to lounge in while you watch and they sell Jamaica Wine!
Wednesdays at 12:30 pm, the Daykeepers of Nayarit gather around a Mayan Calendar mat on the beach (near el Camaron for the time being) and discuss time through the eyes of the ancient Pre-Spanish Mexican indigenous peoples. It is pretty interesting, and a feel good hour or so weekly. If you didn’t get enough mysticism from the Time Keepers, at 9am every Sunday there is a meditation circle on the beach by the stack of boulders on the left break. Go ahead and vibe out.
That’s why God made towns like Sayulita. If you feel like you need a little structure in your lazy days, I hear the Sayulita Libreria has Spanish grammar and conversation classes at 4pm for only 50 pesos a session. Strictly Spanish is spoken in class, which is a good sign that the class has a good teacher. The Costa Verde school also has adult classes- Spanish and Yoga, maybe cooking? Might be fun…
One last piece of advice- everyone is extremely friendly here. You will have more fun and find truly unique things to see and do if you keep your eyes and mind open. Most of the fun stuff comes to me by word of mouth.
So I hope the blog isn’t TOO detailed... Just something meant to get a newby started. Leave a comment if you hear of any gems I missed. I WILL be back for more in the future.
