San Pancho, Mexico - Where Relaxing is Required Andrew Kensley - The Coloradoan
go to original May 7, 2015

video by Promovision Professional Video Services

A pelican takes to the air and circles gracefully, content to let the sea breeze guide its course. Suddenly, it tucks its wings, hurls its body seaward and punctures the water with barely a splash.

Observing this tableau, sandwiched as it is between a morning of swimming and an afternoon of scoring a wicked tan, will end up being the second-most strenuous thing I do here in San Pancho today. But I’m OK with that now.

Most days in San Francisco, Mexico (nicknamed San Pancho) begin with an ambitious plan. Maybe head up to Sayulita and take a surfing lesson or charter a fishing boat; take a horseback ride or canopy tour, jungle hike or a yoga class. But more often than not, they end in leisurely barefoot strolls along the beach, lazing in the sun and sampling another sublime smoked mahi taco from Baja Takeria.

That’s because San Pancho, population 1,500, has nothing to prove.

San Pancho is nestled between the dense jungles of the Sierra Madre Mountains and the soothing Pacific Ocean, 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta and 10 minutes from the adventure hub of Sayulita. Its location along Highway 200, which snakes along Mexico’s left coast in the Riviera Nayarit, makes this seaside village highly dependent on tourism.

Activity choices are crucial for survival. The fishing is topnotch, surf is gnarly, food delicious and cheap and its perfect climate can make even the laziest among itch to get outside and do…anything.

But spend one day here and you realize you can exhale without repercussions. There are no aggressive salesmen or obnoxious spring breakers and no need to clutch your billfold with both hands. The vibe is a graceful amalgam of hippie and unhurried retiree, skateboard and SUV.

And after a couple more days milling about town, I realize what separates San Pancho from Mexico’s more crowded, tequila-saturated vacation spots: this is where Mexicans vacation.

“I appreciate the mix of cultures,” says Fort Collins resident Jennifer Woelk, who is one of six in our travel party. “Everybody’s in the same boat on the beach, swimming, eating in restaurants. It’s not us and them; it’s everybody. It’s a harmonious community.”

Read the rest at The Coloradoan.