Why Sayulita is the Perfect Destination For Relaxation

If you are looking for your next getaway, consider Sayulita in Nayarit Mexico. Sayulita is the ultimate spot for a relaxing budget friendly trip for solo travelers, groups or couples. Located on the Pacific Ocean, just over an hour northwest of Puerto Vallarta you’ll find a small but vibrant beach town.

Who should visit Sayulita?

Budget travelers
Solo travelers
Groups
Couples
Yogis
Everyone!

Why visit Sayulita?

Sayuita is the perfect destination if you want a relaxing beach trip without the crowds of other larger Mexican cities like Puerto Vallarta or Cancun, and a lot less expensive than Hawaii or the Caribbean.

Sayulita is also well known for health and wellness. You can find yoga classes throughout the city, or a hosted yoga retreat. There are also a number of spas and massage options throughout.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, this is also a popular surf spot with lots of lessons available in town.

** If you are like me and are very vision impaired with contacts I strongly recommend getting swim goggles. I’ve tried surfing twice, and each time have lost a contact lens crashing into the waves. It’s not a great experience trying to figure out your balance with only one good eye.

Do I even need to mention Mexican food? It should be a given, but you can enjoy all the street tacos you can eat so cheaply that it feels like they’re free.

How do I get to Sayulita?

Flying

To get to Sayulita you’ll fly into Puerto Vallarta (PV). There are a lot of daily direct flight options within the US and Canada. From Seattle it’s about a 4.5 hour flight to PV and 5.5 hour return flight, which is about the same amount of time from Seattle to Maui.

If you are flexible on when you travel you can get some relatively cheap flights to PV. In January I booked a last minute flight (about 10 days in advance) for around $350.
Also if you have multiple airlines flying from your hometown be sure to check all options. This year I went on a group trip to PV in June and it was over $100 cheaper for me to stay an extra night flying Delta than leaving with the group on Alaska. I found a hotel for around the same price as the flight difference and got a bonus day at the beach.

Once in Puerto Vallarta you’ll need to get to Sayulita. It is about an hour drive (via car) from the airport. Here are your transportation options:

Take a bus to Sayulita

This is the cheapest option costing about $3-4, and the buses can be found directly outside the airport. (I have not tried this option).

Get a taxi or a shuttle

You can expect to pay around $70 each way for a taxi. Be prepared to pay in cash. If you research online ahead of time you may be able to find and book a shuttle or taxi service at a set/negotiated price.

You can easily get a taxi at the airport. There are dozens of taxi drivers waiting just outside the terminal to get a fare.

Uber

There is Uber in Puerto Vallarta which is generally cheaper than using the white taxis. The pick up from the airport is a little sketchy as you have to find the rideshare zone near the main road/highway. We found they usually just pull up in the bus lane instead, so be ready to hop in.

** I only took Uber within PV during my last trip and not to Sayulita.

Renting a car

There are a few of the major car rental companies available. You will find the shuttle buses outside the entrance to take you to the rental office.

Unless you plan on exploring along the coast I strongly recommend that you DO NOT GET A RENTAL CAR.

I rented a car because the cost was the same or less than getting a round trip taxi, plus I felt like it would give me more freedom and flexibility. In the end I only benefitted from stopping at the Mega grocery store (like a Mexican Fred Meyer or Meijer) for drinks and snacks. I parked the car at my hotel and did not use it for the 3-4 days of my stay. Upon leaving to go to the airport it *barely* started. After my hour + drive back to PV I stopped to fill up the gas tank (as required) and then the car died and would not start again.

Let me tell you, my high school Spanish and Duolingo refresher did not prepare me for car mechanics. I was VERY lucky to have some locals help me (thanks to google translate and my free data plan) get the car started to return to the rental agency. If it were not for those wonderful people I would have missed my flight home and had a full blown meltdown. It really killed all my beach zen.

Where should I stay in Sayulita?

If you’re looking for more of the all inclusive resort experience, I’d recommend looking at Punta Mita just 30 minutes to the south. Sayulita however has incredible rental homes, perfect for groups, and wonderful smaller boutique style hotels.

I stayed at the Hotelito Los Sueños and was very happy with my stay.

My last minute booking was approx. $210 USD for 3 nights in a king room AND it included a full breakfast each morning.
I picked this hotel because it had a built-in open air yoga studio with discounts for travelers staying at the hotel. A 3-pack class cost me roughly $15 USD with the discount. They also had spa options such as massage available.
The only negative comment is the pools are fairly small and not in direct sun a lot of the day. This wasn’t a huge issue as I opted to go to the beach instead.

How do I pay for things?

Credit cards are not widely used in Sayulita. You’ll be able to use them for your hotel payment and certain establishments like most pharmacies, larger grocery stores and some shops (with minimum purchase).

Cash is the number one form of payment for street side food vendors, smaller bars and restaurants and any beach vendors (drinks, hats, blankets, sunglasses, etc.).

Where should I get cash?

You can easily get cash at an ATM and this will give you a better exchange rate. I recommend using an ATM that is affiliated with a specific bank vs. a generic one. For example in the US you would pick a Chase Bank ATM vs. a non-affiliate one you may find at a convenience store. You’ll usually get better pricing for the transaction fees this way.

How much cash do I need while visiting Sayulita?

It depends on what you plan to do and if you’re looking to buy anything to bring home. I took out $100 USD for 3 nights/4 days and still had money left over. If your hotel includes breakfast you can get away with only spending $10-$15 a day on food and drinks.

What is the exchange rate?

This typically hovers around 1 Peso to .05 USD. So if you have 100 pesos that is the equivalent of $5 US dollars. Your money can go a long way here.

What to do while visiting?

Enjoy the beach

Playa Sayulita is the largest beach and extends through most of the town with many access points. There won’t ever be an issue finding a place to lie out. The water can get rough if it’s windy. This is also the best spot in town to enjoy the sunset as it’s perfectly located facing west on Pacific. This is also a great beach for surfing!

Playa los Muertos was my favorite beach in town. Depending on where you are staying this was a solid 20ish minute walk that includes walking through a graveyard (which is why it is called beach of the dead). This beach is significantly smaller so it can feel more crowded. The rentable beach chairs and cabanas fill up quickly, so arrive early if you’re looking for a chair. But the major upside is that the beach is located in a cove which means it has much calmer waters for swimming. There is also a bar and food stand with beach side waiters.

Get a massage

While there are many spa options in town you can find something more unique. Sayulita has beach massages where you can get the ultimate relaxation of a massage while listening to the ocean waves crashing. A beach massage generally costs around $45 USD per hour.

If you plan on getting a massage do it at the beginning of your trip. I made the mistake of waiting until the end of my trip thinking I could get it right before I left to feel maximum relaxation. What I did not factor into that decision was spending hours on the beach in the sun. By the last day I was a little too sunburnt to have someone rubbing my skin for an hour.

Explore the town

Sayulita is a beautiful town featuring wonderful murals and scenic views from the hills above the main downtown. Walk through the artisan market featuring stalls with different products such as textiles, pottery, wood carvings.

There are many beautiful gift shops in town, just know that their prices will be higher than the artisan market or than the vendors on the beach.

Take a yoga class

Sayulita is a popular destination for yoga retreats and has classes offered throughout the city. This is an energizing way to start your day.

The drop-in price at my hotel (see above) was around $11 per class, and hotel guests got a 50% discount. This is a great price even if you aren’t a hotel guest as drop-in yoga classes typically run $25-30 in Seattle.

What to eat in Sayulita

There’s really no wrong answer. Everything I had was delicious and shockingly cheap.My first night out I ate at an outdoor food stand near my hotel. I had a steak quesadilla and a beer which in total cost me $7 with a small tip.

Tacos!

Make sure you stop for street tacos while visiting, you won’t regret it. Go to Tacos el Talivan for the best al pastor tacos! You can get 4 tacos for around $3-4.

Churros!

Are you really in Mexico if you don’t eat a street churro? I don’t think so.