Look for this page to tell you the latest openings, changes and gossip!   What will be the entertainment surprise for the annual Grupo Pro Sayulita fiesta-fundraiser in March?  What new restaurants will open this season?  What new stores have opened? What new exciting casas were built while you were away?  Will you need four-wheel drive -- have the gullies in every dirt road from the hard summer rains been filled yet?  How many art galleries will be open this winter?  How’s the massive Litibu or the upscale Punta Sayulita developments coming?  Where’s the new watering hole?  And who offers the best dinner in the village?  So much to report!  Check back this winter!

 

A Tourist Warning: Sayulita is basically a safe, little town.  You can walk around without fear.  However, like tourist places all over the world, your cash can be too much of a temptation for some.  Even if you don’t rent from us, look for rental places that have built in hotel-style safes as well as windows that can be locked but still let in ventilation.

 

Many places have metal grids (doors and windows) that are permanent or can be locked with a key, and allow the window layer to open independently.  In our villa, we can even lock up individual rooms.  Cash and valuables

 

Beach: Beach:  Take a surf lesson; or just enjoy the waves. Lessons are $40 or you can rent a board for $5, but a lesson definitely works.   Left side of beach (looking at ocean) is more crowded, sand is darker but easier.  Usually the waves are calm enough and you’ll see lots of people in the surf.  (This beach area is much closer to your rental place.) Walk past Villa Amor, through the cemetery, about ten minutes, and you come to a nice swimming beach with fewer people.  (You can walk another 30 minutes to still another beach.)  Or walk a few hundred yards north (other side of river and where rocks go out) and the sand is much nicer, lighter and quieter (but be careful of the one area with undertow or if the waves are rough).  If you really feel like a hike, walk the main beach north, and there’s a path all the way up and around to the next beach north, halfway to San Pancho.  We walked it to the point of seeing the beach, but didn’t have time to get to the beach.  Take water.  Our guests have walked to San Pancho.  Even if you only go part way, it’s very pretty with rocks and cliffs.

 

Getting Around:Do you need a car?  If you are coming for a week, and want to be laid back, then no.  You can easily get into PV by bus (you’ll meet people who can take you one way), and in worse case, you’ll spend $65 for a taxi to get back, if you miss the last bus.  Taxis charge $7 to drive to left exposed just inside open first-floor windows might lead to a sad vacation.  Always use a little common sense and have a fun vacation.

 

Odds and Ends for Visitors: There are various sites which will give you more than you need to know about customs, passports, specific medicines to use for various ailments.  Generally speaking, however, visiting Sayulita is no different than if you were to go on vacation to a United States beach town, except you need a passport to get into the country.  Here are a few more tips and eating recommendations.

 

Medical Care:  There are several tourist-orientated doctor/medical clinics (the doctors speak English). For serious problems, there are several hospitals in Puerto Vallarta, three geared for English speaking patients.  And there are great private doctors, in all specialties, in PV.

 

What to Bring:  Plenty of sun block of course.  Eating food in Mexico is not like the old days, but if you are prone to get stomach illness, bring something along just in case.  The best thing that will happen will be to return home with the medicine unused.  There are not many mosquitoes during winter, but some.  Bring an insect repellent just in case.  Yes, there are scorpions, but most likely you will not see one.  Unless you are very young, old or sensitive, it’s like a nasty bee sting. Snakes tend to stay far away in the jungle and the main snake in the area is the boa.  You might see other creatures, such as iguanas and geckos.  Most likely, you’ll see and hear the chickens, roosters and lazy dogs all about.  Bring a pocket-sized flashlight for evening walks, or if the power should go out for a while.  If you are a sensitive sleeper, bring earplugs.

 

Our rentals have purified water and large gas tanks, so that should not be a problem like in other places.  If not, all rentals supply bottled water.

 

 

 

 

You can get groceries at the tiny markets in town but if you really have a coffee or special food item you absolutely want, it’s easier to just bring it.  If you come by taxi, have them stop at the large Mega grocery store in Bucerias on the way to Sayulita and stock up on the basic (or heavy) foods.  Vegetables (unless you peel) should be soaked in water with a drop or two of Iodine.  You can get that in town as well.

 

We supply house towels, but bring a large beach towel.   We have umbrellas for each casita, and they rent chairs and umbrellas at the beach for those who want it all set up.  You can also get food and drinks brought to you on the beach.

 

Beach: Beach:  Take a surf lesson; or just enjoy the waves. Lessons are $40 or you can rent a board for $5, but a lesson definitely works.   Left side of beach (looking at ocean) is more crowded, sand is darker but easier.  Usually the waves are calm enough and you’ll see lots of people in the surf.  (This beach area is much closer to your rental place.) Walk past Villa Amor, through the cemetery, about ten minutes, and you come to a nice swimming beach with fewer people.  (You can walk another 30 minutes to still another beach.)  Or walk a few hundred yards north (other side of river and where rocks go out) and the sand is much nicer, lighter and quieter (but be careful of the one area with undertow or if the waves are rough).  If you really feel like a hike, walk the main beach north, and there’s a path all the way up and around to the next beach north, halfway to San Pancho.  We walked it to the point of seeing the beach, but didn’t have time to get to the beach.  Take water.  Our guests have walked to San Pancho.  Even if you only go part way, it’s very pretty with rocks and cliffs.

 

Getting Around:Do you need a car?  If you are coming for a week, and want to be laid back, then no.  You can easily get into PV by bus (you’ll meet people who can take you one way), and in worse case, you’ll spend $65 for a taxi to get back, if you miss the last bus.  Taxis charge $7 to drive to the next town north, San Pancho. That’s probably all you’ll want to do during a week.  However, if you like to explore the region, San Sabastian is two hours inland and is a charming colonial town.  You might want to see Punta de Mita on the southern point, and certainly you can cover more of PV by car than by foot/bus.  If you want to look at real estate, then a car will get you to various areas before you decide that Sayulita is the best.  If you are renting a casa in the north end, then you might need a car for easier access to the beach and plaza.  Check the rates at Garcia Realty; they rent Alamo cars and one option is to just rent a car for the day.  In addition, before deciding whether to rent, it’s a question of your walking ability.  There are lots of steps and hills in Sayulita.  Either you get some exercise, or you’ll need a transportation.  You can also rent a golf cart during your stay.  For fun, rent an ATV and take a tour into the jungle!

 

Communication: Yes, you can technically mail a letter in Sayulita,  but don’t bother; mail in Mexico takes weeks.  Use email instead.  In the shopping center just south of the airport, you can get overnight mail via DHL service.

 

We have Wi-Fi in the main Villa; you will need your laptop to be compatible.  In addition, there are several places in the town where you can use the internet and check email.   Your cell phone could work (there are various reports on which ones do and where they get reception, but there is a new cell tower at the top of Gringo Hill).  If you really need to communicate by phone, we suggest you sign up with a service like Skype, where you can call via your computer at a low rate.  Unlike Vonage, you don’t have to pay a monthly fee with Skype; just pay as you go.  If you come for more than a few weeks, you can also consider purchasing a cell phone for about $30 (or bring an international phone) and purchase a phone card with a Mexican number to use.  There are telephone stores in the village.

 

Speaking Spanish.  By all means, take a lesson. There are several places offering lessons in town.   Even one lesson will give you enough for you to get you by with.

 

Before Leaving:  Taxis will come to your door; you can arrange the night before at the taxi stand at the plaza.  If you have time and not many bags, take the bus and save.  Buses leave every half hour at the baseball field next to the bridge.  And don’t forget to buy your souvenir children’s book (bi-lingual) called The Day Something Strange Happened in Sayulita.  It’s a great gift and all proceeds are donated to the public schools in Sayulita.

 

  Sayulita News and Information