Ever Expanding Sayulita

Trip date: October 2018

Girl's trip to Sayulita!

We were also down to experience Dia de los Muertos which you can read about here. The girls and I had a 4-hour direct flight on Alaska Airlines in Premium class where we enjoyed complimentary drinks. As it was a morning flight, I ordered my prosecco two at time when the flight attendant told me she only had 6 mini bottles for the entire flight! Lackluster inventory skills! Angela was the lucky recipient of a complimentary First Class upgrade so at least Gail and I didn't have to compete with her for prosecco! ha!

Our Airbnb offered to send a car to pick us up from the airport, which we happily accepted. Somehow we missed that they were charging us $150. That is entirely too much! We pulled cash from the ATM at the airport and had our driver stop at the big Mega shop to load up on groceries for the week.

When we got to our house, Casa Kukana, they were having problems with the electricity and nothing was working. The manager went about trying to get everything fixed and lent us flashlights as it was getting dark. The house was beautiful; a very large 3 bedroom/ 3 bathroom home with an amazing garden area, balcony, and a nice, albeit small, pool. It sits high on the hill that looks out over the bay so there are views in a few directions. Also being up high on the hill and on a dirt road which was very dark and muddy, we ended up taking a taxi home from town most nights.

The big thing that was different on this trip, from our trip the year before, was all of the construction going on around town. Sayulita is going through big, loud, growing pains. The Amor Hotel, which our house looked at the back of across the road, was adding more rooms and the construction noise was non stop. Gail even went and spoke with the crew to see if they could start later and wrap up sooner.

There was also a lot of construction going on all the way down the hill into town, sometimes creating traffic jams as the road was being congested with heavy equipment. And we found the same in the main part of town, roads being dug up for what I could only hope was new sewage lines to deal with the additional constraints of tourism.

In the mornings I worked with a coffee, a mimosa, and the pretty views from the big deck. In the afternoon we would swim in our pool or escape the noise of the construction at the beach. Coco's is still the best place to rent a lounger with an umbrella, listen to music, order Micheladas or beers, and swim in the ocean.

Of course we went back to the Turtle Rescue! We went at sunset as we had done in the past, and Erick was working at his fab little margarita bar, as he had in the past. The only difference is that the turtles are released at night now, giving them a better chance against the diving hungry seabirds.

So we sat and had a few drinks, chatted about turtles, and kept the resident cat company. The drinks are great and the sunset was gorgeous! And we still got to watch the squirrely newly hatched turtles as they collected them into the release bins.

We had dinner at Mary's Traditional Mexican twice this time, stopped for street tacos at Ivan's, which is doing roasted mushroom options for vegetarians now, and had the delicious fried cheese taco at El Itacate.

We went back to Barracuda once for lunch and once for dinner, happy to see the place that had just opened when we were there last still going strong and the fish tacos still great. We also had an ok lunch at Don Pancho's and a good dinner at Yeikame one night. Sadly our beloved empanada lady's spot is now a French themed cafe. I heard she sometimes sells at the Friday market but we didn't get there.

One day we took a taxi to Puerto Vallarta for about $40. We headed to the big pretty church but had to be satisfied with views from the outside as there was a wedding going on. We popped into a few art galleries but many more were closed for siesta.

We then wandered down the maleçon and checked out the large sculptures left over from Dia de los Muertos. It was super hot and muggy so we finally decided to grab a seat in some shade and get cool drinks. La Palapa had been recommended and we were very happy to have a table with a view of the beach and a little breeze.

Unfortunately that was the only thing we were happy with. The drinks were ok and the atmosphere was fun, but the food was actively bad and expensive.

We decided to hang out a bit until The Iguana bar at Casa Kimberly opened. We all wanted to check out the former residence of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and the now-hotel is beautiful. We had drinks in the gorgeous bar and watched as a HUGE rainstorm passed through forcing the waitstaff to hurriedly clear the outside tables and shut all the windows!

Sayulita still has its charms, and experiencing Dia de los Muertos there was amazing, but with the pull of tourism getting stronger, and the construction everywhere, I don't know if I'll be heading back again. Luckily the town sent us off with an amazing sunset on our last night.

And Gail and I were upgraded to First Class on our way home! Thanks Alaska Airlines!

All photos from Sayulita here.

Other posts from this trip:
Dia de los Muertos in Sayulita

Dia de los Muertos in Sayulita

Trip date: October 2018

My friend Gail and I had such a great time in Sayulita the year before, we decided to go again! This time we also invited our friend Angela and booked the trip over Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. The festive Mexican holiday celebrates and honors the dead and is something I had wanted to witness for a long time. I was excited!

The first day of the celebration, October 31st, is also called All Hallows Eve. During the day we walked through the main square and saw all of the preparations going on. Families were building incredible alters, using dried beans, flowers, grains, etc to create intricate murals on the ground which reminded me of rangoli and are called tapete de arena. The square and surrounding streets had been decorated with hanging fiesta flags (called papel picado), fish caricature cutouts, and all sorts of sea creatures were fashioned out of plastic waste. Brilliant and a not so vague nod to the problems of plastic in our oceans!

That evening there was a parade through the streets. All Hallows Eve is a celebration for the spirits of dead children, or Angelitos. There was a large stage set up in front of the main square and song and dance performances went on late in the night. The spirits are believed to arrive at midnight so this was all to invite and welcome them.

It's not a mournful or scary event. It's quite upbeat, and a time for families to be together. Young and old had their faces painted, there were street food vendors, and constant music.

November 1st is All Saint's Day, when families invite the spirits of deceased adults to come visit. The main square was busy with families putting the finishing touches on their alters, or ofrendas. Children were painting and decorating pictures of the traditional skull, and the scent of marigolds was everywhere.

That night's festivities were on a much larger scale than the night before. As we walked from our Airbnb to the town center we noticed decorations on the beach, where the fishing boats are, completed tapete de arenas and ofrendas. There are a number of items that are considered to be required elements on the altars, so we were now seeing the full displays of photos of the deceased, candles, sugar skulls, marigolds, crosses, and offerings of bread, water, fruit, and salt.

There were a lot more people in costume (not to be confused with Halloween costumes), and the stage entertainment had more professional dancers, singers, and musicians. It seemed like the entire town was out!

At about 12:30am everyone formed a procession and a mariachi band led us through the streets of town. Many people held lit candles and sang along. Some people had torches to light the way and there were large paper maché puppets that were carried thru the streets (seemed dangerous!). As we walked more and more people joined.

At the beach where the fishing boats were, the progression stopped. The band kept playing and people danced and sang. It was quite a sight! After a bit we resumed along the path that leads to the cemetery and entered under the arch.

Inside, families had decorated the gravestones and tombs of their relatives and loved ones. Candles flickered from every grave. People had set up music, food, and drink and were celebrating with each other, and with the soul's of the departed as the belief is. It was an incredible sight and as one of the very few tourists witnessing it, I felt very lucky to be there.

The parties went on all night, literally until dawn!

The final day is All Souls Day and the celebration repeats itself. Back in the main square it was amazing to see all the altars completely undisturbed! Everything was still in place, although most of the sugar skulls were covered with bees!

We walked through the cemetery early to get a closer look at some of the decorated grave sites. Families were setting up for the last night of visiting with their deceased and each other. It was all very beautiful. We didn't attend the festivities and procession that night, but we could hear it all going on until dawn again!

Experiencing Dia de los Muertos in a small (but growing) fishing village was fantastic! It was awesome to witness such a traditional and local celebration without feeling like I was intruding. I highly recommend it!

All photos from Sayulita here.

A Taco a Day

Trip date: November 2017

I really did eat a taco every day in Sayulita. Well, not just tacos! We also conducted our own best margarita review. And of course, I ate other delicious things. Here's the full report...

These fresh fish and shrimp tacos were from our first night and we returned a few nights later to The Real Fish Taco which is on Delfines near the beach. Absolutely delicious with loads of fresh salsa and some incredibly hot sauces served on the table. We also had wonderful guacamole and fresh fried chips both times. The hibiscus margarita, while pretty, was a bit sour for my taste. But you gotta go here for the tacos!

The line was too long at our planned lunch place and another recommendation was closed. I was close to hangry so we sat at Mary's on Revolucion because they were open. We both ordered quesadillas and they were surprisingly great! They were stuffed with cheese, chicken, and a shredded salad of sorts. Excellent!

And it is just across the street from a location of Wakika. You know the paletas (Mexican popsicles) are good when the tiny town has two locations! There were so many beautiful flavors to choose from but I went with my beloved coconut.

So far we hadn't found a margarita in town that we really liked. We stopped next to our Casa at Hotel Amor on our way to dinner and asked for them to be made with a bit of Grand Mariner. Ahhh! Now we had a great cocktail, and the atmosphere wasn't too shabby either!

A friend had suggested Sayulita Cafe which is also known as Casa del Chile Relleno. Hey if the place is named after the dish, I'm ordering it. Yowza! It was fantastic! I could barely eat 1/2 of what was on my plate. Get the fish ceviche too!

Another place everyone talks about is Choco Banana for breakfast, so after working up an appetite during a big beach walk we grabbed a table and I ordered chilaquiles. Disappointing. I wouldn't recommend as there are better places. In fact, I'd take the quick taxi to Maria's as their's are excellent!

Thinking about our plan to spend the day at our private beach we walked over to La Empanaderia on Calle Jose Mariscal. OMG! for something like $1 I bought a huge empanada stuffed with four kinds of cheese still warm from the oven. Even after toting it around in my beach bag it didn't fall apart. The crust was sturdy yet flaky and sooooooo delicious. We made a few more visits and I even bought a blackberry and cream cheese one for the flight home!

The Saturday that we were there was also Election Weekend in which no alcohol is served. Strangely I encountered this same thing many years ago on a trip to Mazatlan! But we were told that Don Pedros had a special license since they were on the beach.

We had been disappointed in our margaritas here the first night but times were tough and we didn't have a lot of options. We asked them to make ours with Grand Mariner; lovely and problem solved!

A new restaurant had opened just a few weeks earlier on Delfines called Barracuda so we decided to stop in for lunch and try their shrimp tacos. Very, very good! When we were talking to some of the other folks staying at Casa los Arcos we all decided to meet up for dinner one night and Gail and I suggested going here since our lunch had been so good.

The dinner menu is different and doesn't have tacos!! They did have some lovely shrimp dishes and made very good margaritas, but if you want the fish and/or shrimp tacos you must go for lunch. Which we did. Twice.

A chef in Chicago had told me about El Itacate on Calle Jose Mariscal so I was keen to make it there. The first time we tried to go the wait was too long, the 2nd time some guys started buying us rounds of tequila shots while we were in line and we never ended up ordering, the 3rd time was the charm!

Their specialty is to fry cheese and use it in place of a tortilla. FRIED CHEESE! Gail had the Itacate vegetarian while I opted for a few tacos with fried cheese on them. A fellow diner passed that secret menu option on to me and I'm happy to pay it forward.

You can not go to Sayulita and not have a taco from Taco Ivan, unless you are vegetarian as they only do al pastor. He sets up at night right near the bridge in front of a meat market and it is quite a show watching him slice the meat into the tortilla, nick the pineapple, and fling it towards the taco, catching it deftly. Oh, and it's a damn delicious taco too!

On our last evening, we stopped into El Monchi, just off the square. Excellent margaritas! We had finally found our favorites! We disagreed on the order but Monchi's, Hotel Amor, and the Sunset Bar all did them best!

The worst? At Bubba Gump at the airport. But they did come with a very enthusiastic shake and song!

Sayulita was fantastic! It's beautiful, relaxing, small, easy to get around, and inexpensive. 

We had arranged our airport transfer back to Puerto Vallarta airport and were greeted with complimentary first class upgrades on our Alaska flight! A perfect ending to a great Thanksgiving vacation!

All Sayulita photos here.

Other posts from this trip: 
Sunny Sayulita
Turtle Time!
Sayulita Day Trips

Sayulita Day Trips

Trip date: November 2017

There's plenty to do on the Nayarit Coast but Gail and I really just wanted to relax in the warm sunshine during our Sayulita trip. But we also wanted to go snorkling so we decided to take a 1/2 day trip to the Marieta Islands with Punta Mita Expeditions.

Gail and I grabbed a taxi for 400 pesos to nearby Punta Mita to meet our guides. Our jet boat had a total of 10 guests on it and was very comfortable, not to mention it was an absolutely gorgeous morning on the water. 20 minutes and we were there!

The islands' only inhabitants are birds, mainly the brown and the blue-footed boobie. This is one of the only places outside of the Galapagos Islands where they nest and it was awesome to see them all on the shore!

The island is protected now and you must have one of 600 daily tickets to be in the water space. Additionally if you want to see the popular Hidden Beach you have to have one of only 100 or so tickets, be able to swim from the boat, under the arch, enter the beach area, and return after approx 30 minutes for your swim back to the boat. We just peeked at it from afar.

Our boat captain was such a great driver! He had us close enough to the rocks to spot crabs, birds, and even popped us into a cave. We drove around the islands a bit before going for a swim.

Our tour guide took a Go-Pro and didn't even charge us for any photos we wanted. We had a great time swimming, the water was choppy but clear, and there was a good selection of fish. I spotted a puffer fish and also a trumpet fish which I hadn't seen before.

Because of overuse before the visitation rules changed,  a lot of the coral has died. They are "replanting" it though which is great to see. They also try to regulate that you only apply sunscreen and lotion that is environmentally safe. You're not allowed to apply once at the islands so lotion up before you head out!

Originally the plan was to SUP after snorkeling but seeing how choppy it was, no one was really up for it. We cruised around the islands some more, checking out the awesome rock formations, cliffs, and caves, it was great!

We left in search of whales as it was the very beginning of the season. We hadn't been searching too long when our captain changed course and soon we were watching 2 humpback whales right in front of our boat! There were two males fighting over a female and a curious dolphin splashing amongst them! All very cool!

It was just a beautiful way to spend a morning, I highly recommend the group we went with. When we returned to Punta Mita we originally thought we'd have lunch but the 2 street town (save for the big resorts on the outskirts) had few options so we grabbed a taxi and headed back to Sayulita.

Another day we decided to take a taxi to the tiny town of San Pancho (also called San Francisco), just about 10 minutes north of Sayulita. We arrived in time for breakfast at Maria's which was excellent! The food and the service were both wonderful and we devoured it all!

After breakfast we took a walk through town which took all of about 20 minutes. It is very small! We zigzagged up and down the mainly dirt and brick streets, stopping into a few shops, and admiring the pretty houses. On one sidewalk we came upon two baby chickens who had escaped their fence. One found his way back but the other was a bit frantic, not being able to find the gap. I finally opened it up and saved the day! That chicken will be much tastier when it's bigger! :)

At the main square there was a little tourist market going on with local crafts but even that was quiet. We finished up our walk at the beach, grabbed a table with an umbrella at the only restaurant on the sand and ordered a few beers. Unlike the beach in Sayulita, this one didn't have loud music playing. It was quiet and peaceful, with few surfers or swimmers as the red flag was posted.

We had the restaurant call us a taxi since we didn't see any kind of obvious queue, and for 150 pesos he returned us to the now seemingly bustling Sayulita.

I thought this little town was wonderful. We only came across one boutique hotel and I read there are only about 3000 people who live there year around. I suspect it is what Sayulita use to be like. Go visit before they build a Four Seasons!


All Sayulita photos here.

Other posts from this trip: 
Sunny Sayulita
Turtle Time!
A Taco a Day

Turtle Time!

Trip date: November 2017

There's a man named Erick in Sayulita who runs a Turtle Camp on the beach. Each day during egg laying season (June to February) he and his team of volunteers scout the beach for turtle nests. They collect the eggs and relocate them to the farm where they are protected until they hatch. Eggs left on the beach are frequently poached by humans, dug up and eaten by birds, or are destroyed by horseback or quad riding on the sand (please keep that in mind when you are choosing your beach activities in areas that have turtles).

Each day there is a sign posted out front letting people know if there were hatchlings that day, then at 6pm the baby turtles are released into the ocean just hours or sometimes minutes after being born! They are adorable! The volunteers mark each nest with date and number of eggs found so they can track the approximate date of hatching. The release is free to anyone who wants to help, you just show up and they give you a plastic bowl with turtles in it! We went twice!

The first time we went we got there a bit late so we missed the part where they tell you not to handle the turtles. It's a precaution against lotions/germs/etc. harming them. So we both held a turtle, but I am now educated and would tell you not to.

They rope off a section of the beach and the turtles are released, making their way into the ocean. By doing it at sunset they avoid a lot of bid activity; the birds love to snack on baby turtles. Only 1% of turtles survive to return to lay eggs each year and if they hatch on their own very few even make it to the water. Erick's Turtle Camp raises the odds for the hatchlings as 100% make it into the sea.

Besides helping to release them you can adopt a nest for about $26USD. We did this on our 2nd visit, they only have room for 5 sponsors a night. This gives money right to the camp and for your donation, you are invited to arrive early to learn about the turtles, explore the camp exhibits, and then take your hatchlings to a more private area of the beach to release them.

Erick has a margarita bar on the beach and he makes a damn fine drink! He also serves shots of racilla. So you can talk turtles, drink agave, and do something good.

This was one of the most special things I have had the chance to do! I hope that if you visit Sayulita you'll visit the camp, help some little turtles make it to the sea, consider adopting a nest, and enjoy the sunset at Erick's bar. Follow them on Instagram here!

All Sayulita photos here.

Other posts from this trip: 
Sunny Sayulita
Sayulita Day Trips
A Taco a Day