Exploring Coastal Mexican Towns on a Time Crunch
There are tons of restaurants, bars and boutiques just an hour from Puerto Vallarta, in beachside San Pancho and Sayulita.
A few days ago, I shared a bit about my recent stay in Puerto Vallarta here, but I forgot to mention it was during the week leading up to Semana Santa (Easter/Holy Week), which is taken super seriously in Mexico. There were some Uber restrictions I still don’t quite understand—we were able to get one from the hotel to dinner, but after dinner we were kind of stuck… luckily, the friend I traveled with lives in Mexico City and uses another ride share app called DiDi when Uber isn’t working so luckily we were able to use this to get back to the hotel (although the driver was like, “can someone sit in the front so I don’t get fined?”)
Another thing we noticed on this week is that lots of good restaurants were closed to observe the holiday. We were really excited about a taco spot called La Mucca by renowned chef Joel Ornelas, and we walked up and down the street probably seven times looking for it until we realized it was closed, too. That night, we ended up at an Argentinian restaurant in the vicinity. No complaints. But if you’re ever in PV on a regular week, consult this Eater list to find a rad place to eat. Paola Briseño-Gonzalez, a writer originally from PV who now lives in Long Beach (CA), wrote it. She actually also writes a recipe newsletter called “Fresca” here:
Moving on to a fun little day trip we took from PV that could’ve honestly been at LEAST a weekend long trip…
San Pancho & Sayulita
I took lots of pics in these towns and here’s what I have to say. Go without a list. I know nothing about the hotels, but a quick google search turned up Agua de Luna in San Pancho and Amor Boutique Hotel in Sayulita. Something tells me they’re all this cute and quaint.
Not sure if these are already hip/happening spots, but both towns felt to me like Tulum (when it was cool) and Croatia (Dubrovnik, maybe) had a baby.
In the AM, we were picked up by a driver at our hotel. He took us to a tequila tasting first thing at Mama Lucia. Fun way to start the day and socialize with strangers. One of the things I love about Mexican distilleries is that you’ll often find a little chapel inside.
Then we were off to San Pancho. We didn’t get much time to explore here so we kind of just had to speed walk through town, popping into stores along the way. I’ve never been on a cruise, but would imagine this is what it feels like to be dropped off at a port with a time limit. Annoying. We definitely would’ve found a way to stay entertained here all day long. Lots of little shops, bars and restaurants that looked incredible.
Our last stop was Sayulita, which I would also be down to explore for at least a day or two. Fortunately, we had a few hours here to eat, drink, walk around, go to the beach, etc. without having to rush. I love that both of these towns are WALKABLE and don’t require a car—unlike many of the resort towns where you are mostly confined to your hotel.
I can’t even tell you where we ate lunch in Sayulita because we just wandered and found a spot and then paid in cash. My photos are geotagged, but for some reason names aren’t showing up on the map. It was outdoors, across the way from Evoke (more on the boutique below) and I had a delicious watermelon margarita there. If you find out the name, LMK. Then we ended up at a little rooftop (also couldn’t tell you the name). This one felt a bit more touristy, but had a beautiful mural leading up the stairwell to the bar. I’m a sucker for pretty things.
SAYULITA SHOPPING
Boutiques I do remember the names of because I took pictures and grabbed cards whenever possible. These are musts (but there were many more): Evoke the Spirit, Pacha Mama, Sayulita Wine Shop, and Manyana.
Just stroll through town with no agenda and no time limit and you’ll find all the coolest/cutest spots. Pics for inspo below <3