Last week Cameron and I had the pleasure of attending our friend’s destination wedding in Sayulita, Nayarit Mexico. I have to admit, upon doing absolutely no research I assumed it would be just another beach wedding. Don’t get me wrong, I knew it was going to be beautiful and a much needed romantic vacation from Cam and I. What I was not expecting was how charming, and different Sayulita was from any other beach I had been to in Mexico. I truly believe this little surf town is a hidden gem and a MUST add to your travel bucket list.
The Vibe
Sayulita is an hour cab ride away (about $60 USD) from the Puerto Vallarta airport. It is the perfect combination of mountains and beach. Once you have a place to stay (we stayed at an Airbnb) everything you need for an excellent vacation is within walking distance. This is one of the main perks of visiting Sayulita.
The colors of the city are so vibrant! There are photo ops for days!
All around the town you will see papel picado strung. I never got tired of seeing it waving in the breeze.
The Beach
Cam and I spent a few dedicated days at the beach and enjoyed watching surfers catch waves. I will warn you that there are a lot of beach vendors selling everything from candy, to temporary tattoos, braids, to seasoned crickets!
There are a lot of activities you can get into on the beach. Sayulita is known for surfing. There were many surf instructors and shops where you can rent gear, right on the beach. Whale watching and boating are also really popular activities. Cameron and I opted to just chill, however, they did offer full body massages on the beach for $25 USD!
The Market
The shopping was probably my favorite part of the trip! Sayulita is known for their hand made pom-poms. They are everywhere and are beautiful to see strung across balconies throughout the town. The center of the city has so many shops and restaurants but a little off the beaten path is a tented market with vendors hand making items right at their booths.
The Food
You can not do Sayulita without getting tacos al pastor! There are several restaurants and street vendors slicing meat and adding them into corn tortillas with fresh avocados and salsa. Along with tacos, we had our fill of made-on-the-spot churros, and Mexican coffee.
Here’s a tip: Stick to the places to eat where you see locals. We found that the bill was significantly less and the food was better!
Coming from the market we stumbled upon the BEST snow cone stand! All of the juice used was natural and fresh. We visited Raspados y Buena Vibra 3 out of our 5 days! You’ve got to check them out.
Y Mas
There are many golf cart businesses around town if you are not into all the walking. This could be really helpful if you are traveling with small kids or are hauling bags after a day of shopping.
We saved a lot of money by staying in an Airbnb. No matter your budget you can find amazing places to stay. Since we were in town for a wedding, many of our friends stayed in hotels on the beach closer to the venue of the wedding. Our Airbnb was about an 8 minute walk to the beach where all the beach-line hotels were. We liked that our Airbnb was away from the town because it was a lot quieter at night.
Cam and I both found Sayulita to be safe. We walked around at night and the town was still alive well after midnight. The locals were friendly and eager for us to know about the town. I would definitely recommend Sayulita for a vacation with your partner and I think it would be THE BEST girl’s trip!
