There were many wonderful things about Casa Buena Onda, but the dismal sleep quality and other not-so-great features tip the scales to two stars.

Our family of four (2 kids and 2 adults) rented the Cuarto Corazon and Cuarto Camarone for five nights over the New Year’s holidays. We took the bus from the airport, and then walked about 10 minutes from the bus stop to Casa Buena Onda. Very easy to do.

First, the things we liked:
--We loved the town of Sayulita, even though it was crowded at this time of year.
--Casa Buena Onda is in a residential area, with an interesting blend of traditional and renovated homes. It was only a short walk to the plaza and to the beach.
--The waves are perfect. We rented boogie boards every day ($10US each) and caught waves pretty far out that would carry us all the way to the shore. (We also rented beach chairs and an umbrella on the far left side of the beach for $10US per day.)
--Terry and Sheryl are very nice people, greeting us warmly and offering a cold drink upon our arrival.
--Terry provided some great recommendations for food, including Tacos on the Street—a casual place with incredible tacos that have spoiled us for life.
--The rooms have been created with an eye for detail, with an artistic flair, and they have a wonderful indoor-outdoor flow.
--The roof-top patio is a great place to relax. I loved to sit up there in the morning and watch the neighborhood come to life.
--The kitchen patio has a small refrigerator for milk and other things; there is also a coffee maker (you can buy ground coffee at ChocoBananas).
--The design of the two rooms is ideal for families, allowing parents to have a separate space within steps of the children’s room.


Now, the things that weren’t so great:
--We didn’t get a single good night’s sleep. There are earplugs provided in the rooms, but they didn’t block out the noise. Luckily, we travel with the wax type, but even then we were still kept awake. And our children tried the earplugs without success. Besides the barking dogs all around and the very vocal roosters who called out at all hours of the night, there was the loud music. On our first night, there was a disco and DJ with loudspeakers that flowed over the hill until well after 2 a.m. And on New Year’s Eve, one would expect a bit of noise, but the families on either side of us partied until after 4 a.m., which wouldn’t have been so bad if they didn’t have loudspeakers that vibrated our walls. On our last night, there was no music (just the dogs and roosters), and we actually slept better, but still not solidly.
--There is a street light outside that shines into the rooms. The windows don’t have any coverings, so there is never complete darkness.
--We were disappointed in the information that we received from Terry regarding taking possible day trips, bus transfers to Puerto Vallarta, and surfing lesson recommendations. (One example: We were taking the bus from Sayulita to Puerto Vallarta. My research showed that the bus only goes so far into Puerto Vallarta and then you must transfer to a city bus. I had emailed Terry in advance asking him if he was familiar with the transfer process. His response was: “There are several options. We can talk about when you get here. [sic]” Well, it turned out that Terry was not familiar with the bus system, and his only recommendation was for us to “take a taxi”--advice that we didn’t follow, and we made it to our destination thanks to the kindness of strangers and our ability to speak basic Spanish).
--Small things that are perhaps not big by themselves but that add up one on top of another (i.e., toilet that leaked a long stream of water whenever flushed, no running water one evening, no drinking water our final night, more attention needed to cleanliness, etc.).

As stated above, Terry and Sheryl are nice people and they have created a beautiful environment for travelers. Although they can’t control the sounds around them, people who visit their place should be aware that such sounds exist before they decide to stay there. Also, a willingness to provide better information when asked would serve travelers better.

Terry and Sheryl were great hosts. My husband and I stayed 3 days in the Sea Horse Palapa, and we felt like we had know them for years! The Palapa was very clean and nice! Terry and Sheryl were busy getting the entire property ready for the season, painting, updating some areas... You can tell they take great pride in providing a great place for people to stay! They both helped us with advice on things to do, where to eat, etc. The property is a short walk to town, but near some local residences, so we got to experience waking up to the sound roosters and goats! We felt very safe and at home, and could not be happier with our experience and the price! Thank you both again for a great stay!

The Casa rents three rooms at the back of the house. There is a separate entrance, so you don't feel like you're intruding on anyone's private space. The rooms are large, the kitchenette and bathrooms are partially al fresco, there are nice outdoor areas to relax and read and star watch, and it is overall a great place to chill and use as a base for a few days of surfing.

My original plan was to arrive at night; I'm glad I didn't. Sayulita only has a couple streets, but they aren't marked, and I think I would have been wandering for quite awhile trying to find it in the dark.

Since there are only three rooms, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking for a hostel-like social environment. Otherwise, Casa Buena Onda was a great find and I hope to return!

The wife and I originally wanted to stay with Terry and Sheryl for 3 nights but we loved it so much we extended our stay for 2 additional nights.

Our room (and the rest of Buena Onda) was wonderfully decorated. Our room had a comfortable queen sized bed with windows and a door that opened onto a shared deck area. There was a ceiling fan for ventilation. The shared shower was great but the toilets are a bit claustrophobic - the door is super close to the toilet making it a but difficult to maneuver. There is a kitchen area with a small refrigerator, coffee maker, and a microwave for guests along with bottled water and glasses and silverware. There is a great deck on the roof with a table, chairs and hammock for relaxing. The hotel is located a few blocks from "downtown" Sayulita and the beach and there is also a small grocery store just down the street.

The only real drawback for this place are the wild roosters in the neighborhood that start crowing super early in the mornings. Fortunately, they provide ear plugs for their guests.

Terry is an excellent host and Sheryl is a total hoot!
Cant wait to go back!