Sayulita, Definitely on the Map

Sayulita used to be a beach bum’s destination, a funky, low-rent, peaceful alternative to Puerto Vallarta, 45 minutes to the south. A surfer’s hangout. The winter retreat of the savvy migratory Canuck. Today this idyllic little town on its own lovely bay an ever-increasing fan base.

To put it mildly, Sayulita is hot.

Surrounded by jungle that surges up into hills behind town and headlands overlooking the sea, Sayulita is still a small and unassuming, but being groomed for success. And getting sleeker every day. The price of land and homes has skyrocketed.

The centro is still small, with restaurants, internet cafes and notary publics surrounding the plain plaza. Short streets lead to the main beach, where a half dozen businesses rent surfboards and Boogies and sell Sex Wax and rubber sandals. Barefoot touts on the beach nonchalantly organize surfing and fishing expeditions; the pangas are pulled right up on the sand. You want to go, or no? Either way, no worries. Aquí todo es tranquilo.

Around Sayulita:    Guayabitos    La Cruz de Huanacaxtle    Mascota    Puerto Vallarta    San Blas    San Pancho    San Sebastian    Talpa    Yelapa

Right off the main beach is a small but consistent swell that’s great for beginning surfers and long boarders. On the south side of the bay near the graveyard, Playa Los Muertos is studded with rocks and boulders. It is suitable for swimming. Other beaches north and south of town await those with transportation or the wisdom to hike there during the coolest hours of early morning.

Supported by an ever-increasing ex-pat population and a rising tide of tourists are a range of restaurants in all price categories. Veterans like casual Chocobanana and Si Hay Olitas are as popular as ever. Don Pedros’s has many years as the town’s premier full-service, fine-dining spot on the beach. Rollie’s is known for excellent coffee and amazing breakfast treats, and most recently, dinner, too, from a second-story aerie a few blocks from the town square. It’s closed in low season, when many retirees head home, chased off by biting bugs and humidity or simply the desire to see family or discover new vistas.

On a recent stop in Sayulita, I saw a family of four gabachos looking about as lost as a pod of whales at a square dance. They were dressed to the nines, the ladies with hats matching their Sunday-go-to-meeting frocks. I don’t pretend to know why they were in the tiny town plaza, but they kept looking around as if expecting to get “Punk’d,” or abducted by aliens. They definitely looked lost, or perhaps misled by the ever-increasing hype. Like the rest of The Riviera Nayarit---the coastline between San Blas and Nuevo Vallarta---Sayulita is nowhere near as glamorous as tourist folks and developers make it out to be.

Sayulita is casual, sandy, sunny, beachy, beautiful: yes. But not for everyone. Although increasingly sophisticated in services and food, thank goddess it still has some rough edges.