24 Hours in Sayulita — A First-Timer's Itinerary
24 Hours in Sayulita — A First-Timer's Itinerary
Arrival Getaways
Sayulita
We hand this same itinerary to every first-time guest who books a Sayulita stay through us, and we get the same feedback every time: "this is exactly the day we needed." So we're writing it down. You've crossed the cobblestone bridge into town, dropped your bags at one of our rentals, and now you've got 24 hours before day two arrives. Nothing on this list requires a reservation. None of it costs more than $40 a head for a meal. All of it adds up to the version of Sayulita that gets people to come back.
6:30 a.m. — Sunrise Walk on the Main Beach
Start before the town wakes up. The light at sunrise in Sayulita comes from behind the hills — the sun rises east over the Sierra Madre — so you get warm color on the houses and a still, mirror-flat Pacific. Walk south along the main beach toward the river mouth, then back north to where the pangas are pulled up. You'll see fishermen sorting nets, surfers paddling out, and almost no one else. Our team uses this twenty minutes every morning to set the tone of the day.
7:30 a.m. — Breakfast at ChocoBanana
ChocoBanana sits at the corner of the town plaza on Av. Delfín and has been Sayulita's breakfast institution for decades. Order the huevos a la mexicana, a green juice, and an iced coffee. Sit at one of the patio tables and watch the town slowly switch on. If there's a line, get it to-go and walk a block to the beach. Most of our centrally-located units — including our Casa Del Morro studios and 2BR suites — are a 5-minute walk from this corner.
9:00 a.m. — Surf Lesson or Beach Time
The main beach has gentle, beginner-friendly waves on most days, and a couple of surf schools rent boards and offer lessons right on the sand. Lunazul Surf School — family-run for more than 20 years on the main beach — and WildMex Surf School a few steps inland are the two we send guests to. Expect $1,150-1,500 MXN (~$60-80 USD) for a 90-minute group lesson with a board included. If you're not surfing, grab a beach chair from one of the palapa bars — a chair plus a coconut typically runs $10-15.
The northern point break, visible from the main beach, is for more experienced surfers only — see our break-by-break surf guide if you want the full read on which Sayulita lineup fits your skill level.
11:30 a.m. — The Artisan Market
When the heat starts to climb, retreat into the streets. The open-air artisan market runs along several side streets off the main plaza, and the merchandise is far better than the average tourist-town haul. You'll find Huichol beadwork (look for the eight-pointed star designs — those are authentic), hand-loomed textiles, silver from Taxco, and ceramics from nearby pueblos. Bargaining is expected but gentle — start at about 75% of asking and you'll land somewhere fair. Wander up Calle Delfines for the galleries. Several long-time expat artists have studios open to the public, and the works are markedly different from the market goods — more contemporary, more pricey, occasionally extraordinary.
1:00 p.m. — Lunch at Estrella de Mar
By now you're hungry and slightly sunburned. Walk over to Estrella de Mar on the north side of town for what locals will tell you is the best-value seafood in Sayulita. Order the shrimp aguachile, a ceviche tostada or two, and a Pacifico. Most plates land in the $5-7 range. Eat at the plastic table under the awning. Total damage: about $15 per person. If Estrella de Mar is on a slow day, Bar La Isla (across the river) and El Rinconcito both do excellent ceviche and seafood tacos at similar prices.
2:30 p.m. — Walk to Playa de los Muertos
The day-trip option that most first-timers miss: hike north out of town past the small cemetery on Calle Pescadores (that's what los muertos refers to). It's about a 10-15 minute walk on a marked footpath that passes under a painted archway. You'll come out on Playa de los Muertos, a smaller, quieter cove with calmer water than the main beach. There's a single palapa selling cold drinks and grilled fish. Stay an hour, swim, doze. Bring sunscreen — the cove is exposed to the afternoon sun. Wear something other than flip-flops if you can — there's one rocky stretch. (For a longer scouting day, our guide to the four hidden beaches covers Carricitos, Patzcuarito, and Malpaso too.)
4:30 p.m. — Yoga, Smoothie, or Hammock
Sayulita has become a quiet yoga destination. Paraiso Yoga (the town's original studio, running since 2009) offers drop-in classes on an open-air platform just up the hill from the plaza. The Selina hostel a few blocks over runs drop-in passes through reception. A 75-minute class is around $20.
If movement isn't on the agenda, grab a smoothie bowl at Anchor Cafe (125 pesos, oversized, loaded with fruit) and lie in a hammock for an hour. Most of our properties — including Sayulita Sol Retreat and Chill in the Tropics with Style — have a hammock or two on the terrace. This is the part of the day where Sayulita does its best work on you. Don't fight it.
6:30 p.m. — Sunset on the Beach
There is exactly one rule for your first day: be on the sand for sunset. Walk down to the main beach, claim a spot, and watch the Pacific do its trick. The pangas come in, the kids playing soccer at the south end keep going through the gold light, and the bars along the malecón start firing up their grills. For a sunset cocktail with a view, Don Pedro's — on the beach since 1994 and still the largest employer in town — is a Sayulita institution and the spot most of our guests pick for their first night. Grab a Paloma, take it to the patio, ride the dusk.
8:00 p.m. — Dinner Options
Three honest categories:
Casual local — Tacos El Ivan on Av. Revolución for al pastor off the trompo (5pm-2am, listed in Lonely Planet), Burrito Revolution for big stuffed burritos with their three-color sauces, or any of the birria stands a block off the plaza. Dinner under $15 per person.
Mid-range, sit-down — La Rustica for wood-fired pizza just off the plaza, El Itacate on Calle Jose Mariscal for arrachera and ribeye tacos (don't skip the poblano taco), or Yambak for the brewery-pub menu of poke, tacos, and house-brewed beer. Roughly $25-35 per person.
Splurge — Mary's for the best shrimp and fish tacos in town plus their oversized empanadas, Atico for a hookah-and-tapas evening with live music, or back to Don Pedro's for a longer dinner on the sand. $50-80 per person.
No tourist menu is bad in Sayulita the way it is in some coastal towns. The food culture is genuinely strong.
10:00 p.m. — Live Music and Mezcal
After dinner, head to Bar Don Pato on Calle Marlín — a three-story spot that's been the heart of Sayulita's live-music scene for years. Music kicks in around 10 p.m. (reggae, cumbia, acoustic sets); Fridays turn into a DJ dance party until 1 a.m. or later, with live bands on Saturdays. Order a mezcal with orange and a sal de gusano rim. Two drinks is the right number on night one.
Day Two
If 24 hours is all you get, you've now seen the shape of the town. If you have more time, that's when Sayulita starts to deepen — a Marietas Islands day trip, morning surf at San Pancho five minutes north, longer walks up the river valley. Most of our Sayulita rentals are within a five-minute walk of every spot in this itinerary; our Casa Del Morro 2BR suite is the one we'd recommend if walking-distance-to-everything is your priority. The second day can be lazier than the first.
