SAYULITA TRAVEL GUIDE

Where to Eat - Click here for price key

Biciclette ($$$$, one block north of Hotel Diamonte, north side of river, tel. 329/291-3634) bakes fresh bread on the premises every day. They advertise fresh fish, salads and other recipes favoring French and Mexican cuisine. They have a full bar and small art gallery, and serve dinner nightly except Sunday. Closed in low season, July through October.

Calypso ($$$--$$$$, Calle Revolución 44, tel 329/291-3704) overlooks the plaza from the large second-story dining room under a big palapa. The have yummy salads and appetizers as well as a full range of fish and seafood dishes, and Mexican plates. Closed Sunday.

The perennially popular Choco Banana ($--$$, Calle Revolución at Calle Delfin, tel. 329/291-3051) is open for breakfast, lunch and early dinner. They have smoothies, egg dishes, burgers, enchiladas, and lots of other things on the menu, including its namesake chocolate-covered bananas. Great for early risers, it's open daily between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m, except Sunday, when it closes at 2 in the afternoon.

For fine dining overlooking the beach, the venerable Don Pedro's ($$$$, Calle Marlin 2, tel. 329/291-3090, www.donpedros.com) has been serving good Mediterranean-inspired food since the early 1990s.

Locals recommend Pizzas Ron ($--$$, tel. 329/291-3149) for yummy pizza pie. It's on the north side of the river by the beach. Their specialty is shrimp pizza, and it's good! Call ahead for take-out.

Where to Stay - Click here for price key

Petit Hotel d'Hafa ($$, Calle Revolución 55, tel. 329/291-3806, www.sayulitalife.com/hafa) is a cozy new construction a few blocks from the plaza and the beach. Low brick ceilings, poured cement sinks, open showers, and lots of nice touches. Very pretty and clean, with fan and fridge in every room

Sayulita Trailer Park & Bungalows ($, Calle Miramar s/n, tel 329/290-2750) is a wonderful RV park right on the beach, with clean and bright bungalows as well.

Villa Amor ($$$, Playa Sayulita, tel. 329/291-3010, www.villaamor.com) has simple but beautiful rooms, those at the top of the stairs (lots of stairs!) have nice views of the bay. On the opposite side of the bay from the main beach, it's closer to Los Muertos Beach, named for the adjacent graveyard.

How to Get There

By Bus:

Public buses run about every half hour between Sayulita and Puerta Vallarta's main bus terminal, across from the international airport. (Regular city buses connect downtown Puerto Vallarta with the bus station for under 6 pesos.) Take the green and white 'Compostela' bus (make sure 'Sayulita' is written on the windshield), which at this writing costs 20 pesos. The journey is only about 40 km (25 miles) but, with stops at the new Mega grocery store, Bucerías, and a few other places, takes about an hour and a half. The Sayulita bus station is located at the baseball field just off the main highway. In addition to the Compostela buses, Vallarta Plus is a first-class bus service that makes a pit stop in Sayulita en route from Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara and vice versa.

Tours Bahía de Sayulita (Calle Caracol 3, tel. 329/291-3011 or 329/291-2002) offers airport pick-up and drop-off service in addition to private tours.