Opening Note
I this was a group trip with my boyfriend, Ben, and a couple of our friends. The photos in this blog post are a collection of photos taken by everyone on the trip.
Sayulita
Los Delfines
The Airbnb we stayed in called Los Delfines (The Dolphins) was incredibly beautiful. Our unit was called Vista de las Surfistas (“view of the surfers”) which had a patio with an infinity pool/hot tub and a view of the ocean. It was amazing to wake up to each morning. The property also had two pools which we mostly had to ourselves during our stay.
The house itself was mostly white with pops of color everywhere from bright tiles and art by local artists. There was also a cleaner who would visit the house and do dishes and laundry each day, a luxury that am I not used to and have never experienced at an Airbnb before. Our house was only a few minutes walk from downtown Sayulita and we found it conveniently close to everywhere we wanted to go during our trip.
Resting and Relaxing
In true vacation fashion we made sure to rest, relax, and soak up some sun. We went in the hot tub, hung out on the terrace, and laid out on the lawn.
Jungle and Beach Runs
We went on a couple runs during the trip. The jungle edges right up to the beach, so we got to run through both beach and jungle. The forest was lush and green and surprisingly there were hardly an bugs. Sadly we saw several dead puffer fish that had washed up on shore. We also ran through a rock cave on our way back on the beach.
Around Town
We did a lot of walking around town, shopping, people watching, taking in the scenery, and finding good food. Here are some photos of the meandering. I’ll show you the food next.
Good Eats
We got to eat at many delicious places and there were even more that we didn’t get to try. Here are some of the highlights.
Anchor Cafe
I think we went here every single morning. Their chocolate-peanut-butter-banana-coffee smoothies and their chocolate-peanut-butter-protein smoothies were delicious. It was exactly what we wanted each morning and it was a five minute walk from our house. So each morning we went. I wish I had such a delicious, fast, and cheap smoothie place five minutes from my house in Seattle.
Tacos Al Pastor Diaz
The best Al Pastor tacos I have ever had were from Tacos Al Pastor Diaz. They have the meet spinning and cooking shawarma-style next to an open flame, right on the street. A true street taco. The service is fast and friendly and they are crowded well into the night.
Al Pastor originated from Lebanese Immigrants who came to Mexico in the 1800s and 1900s. In the Puebla and Mexico City areas these Lebanese Immigrants started cooking doner and shawarma-like meats using pork and adobo spices instead of lamb. The meat was eaten with tortillas instead of the traditional pita and the tradition of the El Pastor taco was born.
Rollado
Rollado (which means rolled) servers delicious dessert tacos with rolled ice cream inside. The ice cream was made right in front of us on a cold stone starting with cream, sugar, and flavoring such as banana and Nutella.
Chocobanana
Chocobananas are just frozen bananas dipped in chocolate and coated with sprinkles, coconut, etc. It’s a simple treat but it just hits the spot sometimes.
Churros
We heard about this legendary churro stand called Hot Churros which you could sometimes find near the bridge at night. Luckily one night we found them there and I’m so glad we did because they were the best churros I’ve ever had. So fresh, perfectly baked with a soft inside and a crunchy, sugary outside.
Other notable places
- El Itacate for steak tacos
- Mary’s Traditional Mexican Cuisine for shrimp tacos
- Don Bonito Cafe cafe for baked goods and toasts
- Barracuda for fried fish tacos and green ceviche (I neglected to get a photo of either, but they were quite good!)
Yoga at Los Suenos
One morning Mckayla and I went to a yoga class at a nearby hotel called Hotel Los Suenos. The open air room was beautiful with a great view of the town and a nearby school-yard from the balcony. It was a 60-minute vinyasa flow class taught by a woman from Mexico. The class was mostly taught in English with a few phrases in Spanish. The class was 200 pesos which is around $12. It was a great way to start the day and I left feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.
Salsa Night
One of the nights we decided to go to Don Pedro’s beachside restaurant because they were having a salsa dancing night. We dressed up in our colorful salsa dancing outfits and went out to dinner on the beach. We had some lovely seafood and then did some salsa dancing with a live band.
San Pancho
Hike to San Pancho
Ben and I wanted to check out San Pancho, so we decided to hike there from Sayulita. There is a trail that goes through town, next to the beach, and then through the jungle. A couple friends joined us for part of the hike and then split off before San Pancho. Here is the route on AllTrails:
Photos from the hike:
Exploring Town
After walking the last part of our hike along a fairly large road, we found a trail that led us into a neighborhood of San Pancho. I was immediately entranced. It was so colorful and beautiful, everything looked like art from the house numbers to the bridges to the rusty old cars. San Pancho seemed a little bougier than Sayulita and felt like a place that hip, wealthy Americans would have summer homes. In fact, I think my high school chemistry teacher actually has a house there. It’s a town that is just starting to become touristy but is relatively unknown and under the radar still. And I can see why it could become popular, it is such a vibrant and welcoming place.
Dinner at Ikan
Before going to Ikan we stopped by Cerveceria Artesanal. It’s a hip brewery that serves beers from craft breweries in Mexico. They had some really good pale ales including a superb hazy pale ale from an artisanal brewery in Jalisco.
If you go to San Pancho, I would highly recommend stopping by Ikan. (Actually you should not just ‘stop by’, you should plan ahead and make a reservation because you will probably need one. And note that they do not accept cards, only cash. “Solo efectivo”.)
We chose to go to Ikan because we were trying to find places to get lunch in San Pancho after our hike and Ben came across it online, but it was closed. It had really good reviews on both Trip Advisor and Yelp and a couple reviews and blog posts said it has Michelin-star level food, so we wanted to come back the next day for dinner and check it out. The food did not disappoint! The restaurant owners are a couple who trained in Indonesia and the food is a blend of Mexican and Indonesian cuisine. The dishes feature a lot of seafood and there also seems to be a French influence.
The dishes were very creative and delicious. My pork chop was cooked really well, the best one I have had. I also had a really delicious cocktail called a Tropical Sour, which was also one of the best cocktails I have ever had. We had a very good tuna crudo and some delicious tacos. The ceviche was good, but not as much of a stand-out dish as the others were.
In terms of Michelin stars, I am no food critic, but the food was really good. And the attentiveness from staff was far above what you find at a typical restaurant. Our waiter spoke Spanish with us and made us feel like our Spanish was good (very generous of him).
The ambiance of the restaurant and dining experience are the only things that could be slightly improved. The food was plated beautifully, came out quickly and our water glasses were always full. It really just comes down to little details. Our table was small for 6 people, and the placemats were made of paper, which got wet from the condensation of drinks, plates, etc. (But I mean, most restaurants don’t even have placemats.)
That being said, the experience definitely feels elevated and it seemed like everyone from the chefs to the waiter took their job seriously and did it with care. It is a wonderful restaurant that is making a very luxurious experience even with a small space in an unknown town and I hope one day they get that star!
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