May 2019 · a long weekend · my 30th birthday
For my 30th birthday I wanted four things. Good weather, minimal planning, mezcal, and a beach where I could actually relax. Sayulita gave me all four, which is not something I can say about most trips.
A note before the recommendations: this was six and a half years ago. The town is the same. Some of the restaurants may not be. I've flagged what to double-check.
Getting There
From the West Coast this is about as easy as Mexico gets. Direct flight into Puerto Vallarta, then a 45 minute cab north along the coast highway. That's the whole plan.
No connections, no pre-dawn transfer, nothing to arrange in advance beyond the flight. If you're the kind of person who arrives on vacation already tired from the logistics of getting there, this is the trip for you.
Renting a House Instead of a Room
We booked a home rental rather than a hotel and it set the tone for everything after. Hand-painted talavera tile, an open-air kitchen that caught the breeze, the kind of detail that comes from a host who actually cares what the place feels like to be in.
I've worked in hospitality, so I'm difficult about where I stay. But a good rental in a town like this does something a hotel can't. You're living there for a few days instead of passing through it.
Casa Dos Chicos - Incredible 4 bedroom house up the hill with views of the ocean and town below. Pool on the ground floor and outdoor kitchen on the top with everything you would need. Can be booked via Boutique Homes or Airbnb.
A Town You Can Walk
Sayulita is built into a hillside, streets running down toward the beach past painted storefronts and flowering vines. It's smaller and scrappier than Puerto Vallarta, which is the point.
Everything is walkable. Surf shops with boards stacked out front, galleries selling Huichol beadwork, restaurants where the menu is whatever came in that morning. I spend most of my working life thinking about how people move through things and where they give up, which is probably why I love a town where discovery costs nothing. You follow the smell of grilling fish. You end up at a palapa bar at sunset because you heard music and walked toward it.
The Beach, and the Ones Past It
The main beach curves in a long arc with palms behind it and surfers in the water most hours of the day. It isn't precious. It has the worn-in quality of a beach locals actually use, which I prefer to the alternative.
Surf lesson in the morning, book and a michelada by noon, feet in the sand at sunset. Vendors walk the beach selling beer, so you don't have to get up. We also did a short hike past the main beach to a couple of quieter ones, which is worth doing at least once.
Mezcal
If I'm not drinking wine I want to be drinking mezcal, and there's plenty of it here. Sayulita Wines & Co. has both a great selection of Mexican wines and mezcal to take back to your house or to the beach, they also offer tastings of both!
Bar Le Zouave - cozy, bohemian yet elevated ambiance. Great selection of mezcals and cocktails.
CAVA - Great spot to taste a mix of high end mezcals.
BOA - listening bar and great late night vibes.
The Short Version
Stay · Casa Dos Chicos Eat · ceviche from the beach vendors, fish tacos from Mary’s Tacos, plus La Rustica, Drink · CAVA, BOA, Bar Le Zouave Do · surf lesson, the hike to the beaches past the main one, the side streets When · high season runs December to April. Book early if you go then. Getting there · fly to Puerto Vallarta, cab or uber 45 minutes north Getting around · walking, and only walking
What made this trip wasn't any single thing. It was that none of it took effort. Wake up, coffee, beach, eat, wander, repeat. No agenda to keep to and no anxiety about missing whatever everyone says you have to see.
It's the trip I'd send someone on who's overscheduled and under-rested. Close enough for a long weekend, small enough to feel manageable, good enough that you'll want to go back.
Planning something similar? Book with me.
