Located on Mexico’s Pacific coast are two beach ‘towns’ with very different personalities. Located only 40 km (25 miles) apart, you have your choice between small and quaint or large and developed. Here’s a short guide to the beaches of Sayulita and Puerto Vallarta so you can see which appeals to you more.
Sayulita
The trendy beach town of Sayulita is quickly gaining popularity. It first became recognized for its surf but recently, non-surfers took notice of its sandy beaches and started to visit. Located on the Nayarit Riviera Coast, the former fishing village is no longer a hidden gem, but is still much less busy than other Mexican beach towns.
The main beach, Playa Sayulita, is split in two by a rocky area. On both sides, the sand is soft and the water is quite gentle. It is only a few steps from the downtown core, making it the easy choice for most to spend their day. On one side of the rocks the sand is packed with sunbeds while the other is very quiet. It’s always funny to see how most people love to be where everyone else is and not seek out their own quiet spot.
This is the main surf spot too. The surf is said to be best From December to April. When we were there in May, there were only a few stragglers left and the surf wasn’t very high.
We are not like most people I guess because we prefer to get away from the crowds. Seeking out a more tranquil scene, we hiked over a point between Sayulita and Malpaso Beaches. To our surprise, we found not one, but three stunning, untouched beaches.
On the other side of Sayulita Beach we found the fishermen that still call this town home. Their boats are lined up on shore and fish gutting tables were filled with the day’s catch. This scene makes the town seem a bit less touristy.
On the edge of town is an easy to reach gem. Playa Los Muertos (Beach of the Dead) received its name because it’s just below the town cemetery. Despite its spooky neighbour, the beach is quite peaceful. Large boulders in the water giving it a unique personality. Since you have to walk a little to reach it, there weren’t as many people, but it isn’t completely isolated and still has a few services.
To get to an even more secluded beach you can walk up and over Sayulita Point to reach Carricitos Beach. It is a perfect, golden sand beach bookended by rocky points. Since there are no services and it’s a 15 min walk from town, most people don’t visit, which is fine with us.
In addition to the nice beaches, the town of Sayulita is very cute. For a few blocks extending out from the beach, the decorated streets are host to several beach wear shops, restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries and bars. It is definitely a tourist area but has managed to keep its chill, surf-town vibe.
Safety in Sayulita
Sayulita is very safe; both day and night. The main risk to your health is the tap water. Drinking tap water in Mexico is not considered safe, but in Sayulita it’s even worse. It is advised to not even brush your teeth with tap water. Most hotels have water coolers available for guests. Also, there used to be a problem with untreated waste water being dumped into the ocean. Apparently this is no longer the case, but we still advise you rinse your body after swimming in the ocean.
How to get to Sayulita
Located only 40 km from Puerta Vallarta, it is easy to reach Sayulita for a day trip or longer. You can easily drive, but there are also other options. Old public buses travel between the two cities every 15 min. You can catch them anywhere along the main road in Sayulita. Keep your ticket until you get off the bus as someone may come on board to check. Newer, more comfortable buses run between the bus stations of the two centres a few times a day. There are also direct buses to and from Guadalajara.
Where to stay in Sayulita
Everything in the town is within walking distance so where you stay will depend on your budget. There are a lot of apartments, hotels and luxury accommodations near the beach, but also realize that it is close to the bars and restaurants so will get quite noisy. We stayed within walking distance of the restaurants and had a nice, quiet place for sleeping at night. Also note that since it is a small town, many locals have roosters in their yard making it difficult to sleep in. If you have your own car, make sure your hotel has parking as there is not a lot of parking available in the downtown.
Where to eat in Sayulita
There is no shortage of great restaurants in Sayulita. We tried a few before we found our favourite, Mary’s. There’s a good reason why the outdoor tables are always full at this little spot. They serve quality traditional Mexican dishes and a few with a unique ingredient or two.
As with many places in Mexico, pastor is a favourite meat. It’s similar to shawarma and often used in tacos.
Punta de Mita
Seventeen kilometers southwest of Sayulita is the fishing village Punta Mita. Just off shore fishing boats bob in the water. They are used by both local fishermen and for deep-sea fishing trips.
Punta Mita is also the jumping off point for tours to Islas Marietas and its Hidden Beach. Tours to the island can be booked from Sayulita, Puerto Vallarta or Punta de Mita.
Even though Punta de Mita is a small fishing village, there is a strange mix of high end luxury resorts and modest local homes. The beaches are not that nice so most resorts must have their own pools.
Puerto Vallarta
Set on a large, open bay the popular beaches of Puerto Vallarta wrap around its curvy shore. At one end is the Zona Romantica (Romantic Zone) where international tourists head for sunbathing by day and partying by night. At the other end is Zona Hotelera (Hotel Zone) where a quieter international crowd spends their time. The beaches at both ends have golden sand and gentle waves, so where you spend your time will depend on what type of vacation you want.
A malecón (boardwalk) travels almost the full length of Romantic Zone where the sand is almost entirely covered in sunbeds. Each beach runs into the next in this long stretch of sand. It’s often difficult to know where one beach ends and the next begins. There are a lot of restaurants near the beach and along the malecón. As you would expect, they all charge a high rate and usually for mediocre food.
If you walk over the rocky points at the far end of Romantic Zone you can find a few nice, quiet coves that are almost empty of people. These coves are only a few minutes walk from the busy beaches of Romantic Zone, but the walk and the fact that there are no services seems to keep the hordes away.
There are fewer sunbeds in Hotel Zone. This is partly because a lot of the buildings have pools for their guests, but also because many of the buildings are condos rather than hotels.
Looking back toward the city from this area gives you a nice view of the mountain backdrop.
The beach in between these two zones is rather pebbly. It seems that without the big hotels, it isn’t regularly maintained and raked. But it is an area where you could take your own umbrella for a more private day at the water.
Old Town is set in the middle of two zones but doesn’t have many nice historical buildings as its name suggests. Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of the only ones worth seeing.
LGBTIQA+
Puerto Vallarta is well known for as a safe destination for LGBTIQA+. Los Muertos Beach in Zona Romantica is where most of the gay-friendly hotels, bars and restaurants are located.
Safety in Puerto Vallarta
The busy resort city is considered very safe; that is if you stay near the beaches. Normal precautions should be followed when going out at night or in busy shopping areas. There is an obvious police presence to ensure this valuable tourist destination remains safe.
Water safety is something else to consider in Mexico’s beaches. Many of the beaches in Puerto Vallarta’s large bay are designated as Blue Flag Beaches. This distinction means that the water quality is frequently monitored for contamination levels to ensure safety for both it visitors and the environment.
When to travel to Sayulita & Puerta Vallarta
High season runs from December to March when temperatures are in the high 20s C (low 80s F) and there is little rain. In May and June, temperatures increase to the mid to high 30s C (mid 90s F). July to September are the rainiest months.
How to get to Puerto Vallarta
As a major Mexican tourist destination Puerto Vallarta is very accessible by plane, bus or even cruise ship. The airport and bus station are located not far from Zona Hotelera, but an Uber ride to Romantic Zone shouldn’t set you back too much.
Where to stay in Puerta Vallarta
Where you stay will depend on your interests and your budget. For a social vacation with a lot of parties and a busy beach you will want to stay in the Romantic Zone. For a quieter, high end vacation you will want a resort in Zona Hotelera. Budget travellers can find a few places closer to Old Town.
About an hour south of Puerto Vallarta we passed by Mismaloya. This small resort town looked like a nice place to stay for a few quiet days. We wish we knew about it earlier.
To read more of our adventures in Mexico, click here.
Coming Next – Acapulco’s Cliff Divers
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