Trip date: November 2017
I just spent a week in the sun, sand, and sea in Sayulita, Mexico. It was my first visit to the charming yoga/surfer town and it was exactly what I had imagined. I'd wanted to go for years, many of my Seattle friends hop down during the winter to grab a little vitamin D, so my friend Gail and I decided to use one of my Alaska companion fares and flew down on Thanksgiving for a week.
She found us this amazing Airbnb, Casa los Arcos, that has 4 units and shares a common pool. Ours was the penthouse; 2 bedrooms/2 baths with a big kitchen, living room, and patio that looked out over the bay. It was fantastic!
We had arranged a car service through our Airbnb also so when we landed our driver was waiting for us. We grabbed some cash from the airport ATM (there are ATMs in town but no banks) while the driver loaded our bags. Then he gave us icy cold Coronitas which we enjoyed on our 45-minute drive north from the Puerto Vajarta airport.
It was dark when we arrived, the house manager Antonio was waiting and took our bags up to our apartment. When I asked if the road we drove down, 5 minutes from the town center, was the best way to walk in for dinner he replied that it was the only road! Perfect!
Our first night we started at Don Juan's which is right on the beach and was recommended to us by a few folks. We sat with our feet in the sand and ordered our first margaritas while looking at the menu. It was all pasta and pizza. Ugh. Not what I came to a small fishing village for. We were one and done on the drink (which wasn't very good) and found The Real Fish Taco on the next street over. Here we were given hibiscus (which is a thing down here) margaritas, some delicious guacamole, very serious hot sauce, and delicious shrimp and fish tacos. That's what I came here for!
We hung out on our patio after dinner, enjoying the warm night, gorgeous views of the stars, and some nice wine we had brought from home!
We were so excited the next morning to wake up and see what everything looked like in broad daylight! And we were not disappointed! Our penthouse had even better views than we imagined. Both our bedrooms looked out back onto the private beach and the patio was a dream!
Gail led us in a yoga practice right there, and then we made an easy breakfast. The house manager had arranged groceries to be delivered before we arrived. This was great for basics (coffee, milk, oj, cava, eggs, avocado, bread) but we had also ordered some chips, salsa, etc that went to waste as there were much better options in town.
We spent every day either at our pool, at our private beach, at one of Sayulita's public beaches, or a combo of them!
Our pool was awesome, with gorgeous views of the bay and a good number of lounge chairs. We shared this space with the other renters and had a good time meeting a couple from Oregon and a musician from Wyoming. As with many hot weather locations, the pool wasn't heated but it was super refreshing!
Behind Casa los Arcos there is a private beach with two little coves. We accessed it through a locked gate and then descended about 2 levels of stairs. It was beautiful! There were some locals who we'd see fishing on the large rocks and sometimes bathers from nearby Playa los Muertos would scamper over the rocks to explore it, but mostly it was just tranquil and perfect.
A less than 5-minute walk behind our house was the popular Playa los Muertos. This beach is accessed by walking through the town cemetery which has some very large and brightly colored tombs.
The entrance to the beach itself is a bit dirty but once you get down to the sand it is excellent. And the swimming is the best in the area (besides in the pool)!
The public beach in Sayulita is quite long and divided into a few areas. We walked the entire beach one morning, ending right before the most northeastern edge, it was about 2 or 3 miles. It's pretty, with great sand and little to no pollution that we saw.
We spent a couple of days at the beach, the main area is shared by surfers, swimmers, and lots of beach vendors. The most popular vendor seemed to be a man carrying a large tray of donuts! Just what you want while you're in your bikini!
There are chairs, tables, umbrellas, and loungers available. You either rent the ones close to the surf from individual folks and then the restaurants come down and serve you, or you can choose a restaurant that has loungers and you'll only be expected to order throughout the day.
We did both and I'd say the later is the way to go. We had a great time hanging out at Cocos Locos and had possibly the best waiter ever. He was forever sweeping sand from our towels, adjusting our umbrella, and even sprayed sunscreen on my back for me! A bucket of beer, a few magazines, swimming in the warm Pacific, snacking on some fish ceviche & guacamole; ahhhhhhh... vacation!!!
All Sayulita photos here.
Other posts from this trip:
Turtle Time!
Sayulita Day Trips
A Taco a Day
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