Back in April of 2017 I visited Sayulita, Mexico

I was living in a very similar kind of town in Canada at the time called Tofino, in BC. Both Sayulita and Tofino are small surf towns with massive tourist appeal. Asides from being located in completely different countries, to me the biggest difference between the two towns is that one is hot, and one is cold.

I came to Sayulita just as a major holiday in Mexico was wrapping up called 'Semana Santa' or 'Holy Week' in english. It was so crowded in Sayulita that it really reminded me of where I had just come from, Tofino. If you were driving, good luck finding any parking or getting anywhere quickly. Streets were filled with tourists and taxis and you were better off to walk (if you could get through the crowds).

For what it is though... I love Sayulita, it's a beach town where one can come to soak up the sun and get a pretty healthy dose of Mexico. It's not overrun with major hotel chains and still feels 'small'. I'd say it's a great place to visit for somebody ready to venture out of the typical all-inclusive resort style vacation and get a little closer to what Mexico is really like.

(photo taken by me in April 2016)

The above photo shows what Sayulita is really known for - Surfing! I just really loved the color of the wall and had to take a photo of it. I didn't actually go surfing in Sayulita although I did try body boarding at a beach just a little north of town with some locals I met. There were just too many people in the water, and I decided I'd just rather watch them from the beach.

(photo taken by me in April 2016)

Ah... the ever-popular Wavestorm - these boards shown in the photo above are a great board for learning on, and pretty inexpensive if you want to buy a board to start learning on. They are a foam board, have lots of buoyancy to keep you afloat, and are highly recommended for beginners as an all-around easy board to learn on. Also... if a wave throws it down on the top of your head it will still hurt, but a little less!

Wrapping Up

If Puerto Vallarta is an easy place for you to fly into, I definitely suggest exploring some of the smaller beach towns nearby. Sayulita is really popular among surfers and families, but if you want something a little quieter I think you should check out the next town to the north called San Pancho (a nickname for San Francisco). For the record... for anyone concerned about safety in Mexico... I recently spent 3 months in Florida and have always felt safer in Mexico than I did in the parts of Florida that I spent time in (West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale).