This was an unconventional trip for me, so a bit of backstory is probably necessary.
Before planning this year’s Coachella weekend with friends, I got the idea firmly planted in my head that I wanted to have a beach holiday for the week following the festival. No plans, no activities, no sightseeing. I wanted upwards of a week to relax, recover, and, quite frankly, do as little as possible. Mexico was the obvious choice, so I started researching places that were within a short flight of San Francisco. Funny enough, my barber – a Mexican-American who owns a small salon in the Mission with his wife – has told me (on numerous occasions) about a touristy beach town called Sayulita. He’s never been there himself, but has always heard wonderful things about the place. I found their tourism website, watched a YouTube video with beautiful drone footage, and was immediately convinced that I should go.
After a fun-filled and therapeutic three days at Coachella, I hopped on a Southwest flight headed for Puerto Vallarta. Upon going through immigration and exchanging money, I walked across the pedestrian bridge that passes over the highway and leads to a bus stop on the other side. As I waited patiently for the right bus, I mentally practiced my Spanish by trying to read all the signs around me, quadruple-checked the instructions from my Airbnb host on my phone, and tried to look as casual as possible for a 6’2″ gringo traveling solo in Mexico.
Before too long, the bus stop attendant cried out “Sayulita!” and a green-and-white bus rolled up. The ride was a bit longer than an hour, with lots of annoying stops in the first 30 minutes or so, but it’s tough to complain about the cost (42 pesos, about USD $2.20), and even came with aircon and a mediocre Vin Diesel movie playing on the TV. Before too long, I had arrived at my destination and was making my way to my Airbnb.
Sayulita was just as promised. Small cobblestone streets were lined with palm trees, boutique shops, small bars, family restaurants, street vendors, and many tourists, as colorful flags overhead flapped in the gentle breeze. The sea was home to all the usual marine activities: swimming, surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, whale-watching, boating, and fishing. The beach was occupied by the usual mix of sunbathers, vendors with coconuts or ice cream, waiters with cold beer and Mexican snacks, kids playing in the sand or kicking a soccer ball, and everyone else napping or reading or drinking margaritas or watching the sunset.
The main beach is definitely where all the action is, but a short walk takes you to Playa De Los Muertos (“Beach of the Dead”), appropriately named since the road to the beach passes through a cemetery. Contrary to how it sounds, it’s not morbid in any way and the beach is small, lovely, and quiet. I found myself coming here a lot.
Due to the hills leading away from the beach, some people opt for motorized transport – mostly golf carts, motorbikes, ATVs, and pickup trucks – but the town is small enough that everything you need is an easy walk away. Plus, it’s a great way to mingle with all the other inhabitants: American and Mexican tourists, couples, families, friendly dogs, and – in the evenings – roving bands who accompany dance or fire poi shows.
All in all, it’s exactly everything you expect from a tropical beach destination.
So what did I do while I was there? As promised, as little as possible.
In my first 48 hours in Mexico, I spent exactly one-half of that time sleeping in bed. After those first two days, my asleep-to-conscious ratio got much better than 50-50 and I spent more time wandering the town, laying on the beach, reading books in the hammock on the patio, eating amazing Mexican seafood dishes, or finally tackling some nagging Internet tasks on my laptop. I promised my coworkers that I would stay caught up on emails and messages, but I wasn’t doing any “real” work, so my working time was easily less than an hour a day, and required very little brain power at that.
In the spirit of having something of a “detox” vacation, I ate as cleanly as possible and didn’t even drink that much, making me the first person in history who goes on a Mexican beach holiday to be healthy and not drink margaritas. Not surprisingly, I felt incredibly nourished after a steady 5-day diet of (almost exclusively) rice and beans, vegetables, fresh fish, fresh fruit, yogurt, coconut, and black coffee.
Fish tacos are of course everywhere and are fantastic, but my favorite discoveries were the seafood burritos. Restaurants across town had fillings ranging from barracuda to octopus to yellowfin tuna. I became temporarily obsessed with marlin burritos; I think I ate four of them in four days at four different restaurants. Every meal I ate in Sayulita was fantastic, but here are some honorable mentions:
- Barracuda: great location for people-watching and phenomenal fish tacos
- Burrito Revolution: the marlin burrito is my favorite, but they’re all great
- Emilianos: everything they cook is excellent (I came here three times)
- Orangy: obligatory hippie juice bar that makes top-notch smoothies
- Palmar Trapiche: legit craft beers and small bites in a garden setting
Palmar Trapiche gets an extra-special mention for having some amazing dishes (I had the fish chicharrón and octopus), an excellent lineup of slightly tropical craft beers, and a tiny puppy named Daisy who likes to fall asleep in your arms.
That same evening, I struck up a conversation with a couple who sat next to me at the bar. Not only were they from San Francisco, but we quickly realized that we have mutual friends! And not just any friends, but two of my closest friends in San Francisco! It was a great “small world” moment that led to a couple nights of drinks and fun conversation and some travel companions for the taxi ride back to Puerto Vallarta on Sunday.
All in all, this was a weird trip for me because I felt like I didn’t “do anything”. And yet, because of exactly that, this was the most restorative, energizing vacation I’ve ever had. I actually feel rested and refreshed and eager to tackle some things I’ve been putting off for a while.
Sayulita is such a great getaway and definitely has something for everyone. It seems most suited for families or couples, but groups of friends or even solo travelers can find plenty to love about it. My suggestion is to visit as quickly as you can, because I don’t think this place will stay a secret for very long!