Riviera Nayarit Offers Something for Everybody from Funky Beach Towns to Luxury Resorts Diana Ballon - Vancouver Courier
go to original September 8, 2014

A stand at one of the many local markets that can be found in villages off the beaten path in Mexico. (Photo: Diana Ballon)

Spending five days on a trip that combined an all-inclusive resort with a quaint Mexican pueblo and funky seaside beach towns was, well, pretty much idyllic.

This was all possible with a direct charter flight to Puerto Vallarta and a short drive — easily doable by local bus, taxi or rental car to Riviera Nayarit, a region north of Puerto Vallarta that includes about 300 kilometres of coastline. It’s here you can navigate coastline steeped in what I imagine Puerto Vallarta was like 50 years ago, including authentic Mexican villages, fishing towns, cobblestoned streets, colourful outdoor markets and beaches that ranged from secluded to popular surf hangouts. You’ll also find everything from the classic Mexican taqueria to upscale Four Seasons Resort in Punta Mita, golf courses, organic restaurants, art galleries and yoga studios — all against a backdrop of the Sierra Madre mountains and lush jungle forest.

Our first stop was San Francisco, more commonly known as San Pancho, and Spanish for St. Francis, the patron saint of animals and ecology. A charming town bordered by undeveloped jungle, its main plaza is a hub of activity with yoga offered in the morning and kids playing basketball later in the day.

A narrow one-lane road lead to a stunning though minimally sheltered  beach with some thatched palapas and two restaurants, Las Palmas and La Perla. There you can rent bungalows by the ocean, browse through an array of beaded jewellery and silver at the outdoor market or visit one of the many great restaurants in town. Bistro Organico, at the charming Hotel Cielo Rojo, serves delicious healthy vegetarian food for breakfast and dinner in its garden patio out back and offers free tequila tastings on Friday evenings. Try their capomo, a calming coffee substitute rich in calcium and iron, purported to help you sleep.

From there, we stopped at the neighbouring Sayulita. When I visited 15 years ago, it was a sleepy fishing village attracting a surf crowd. Today, the surfers remain, but with them is a burgeoning array of tourists wandering cobblestone streets off the main plaza and visiting the many cafés, restaurants and boutiques. We stopped for lunch at Don Pedro’s, Sayulita’s renowned restaurant and bar on the beach offering class dining.

Nearby, we visited “Monkey Mountain” with Rancho Mi Chaparrita to go ziplining. For two hours, we were transported above the trees on a network of 13 cables, at times travelling as fast as 40 to 45 kilometres per hour with a clear view of the ocean, and ascending as high as 125 metres above sea level.

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