My wife and I just returned from a week at Hacienda de la Costa relaxed and recharged by the peaceful retreat provided by Terri and Steve. This five suite property is situated two miles from Sayulita within a forest of palms, figs and other unidentified trees. This is a destination for those wanting to chill with an occasional trip to town. But do not judge the property by the road in from the highway. It is a mostly dirt road that, after a heavy rain, may be have ruts making the trip by van rather bumpy. But the trip is rewarded by the sight of the Hacienda with all of the great gardens and hospitality.
We stayed in the La Palma, one of three suites together with a common kitchen for lunch and dinner preparation when not in town. Terri offers dinner on Friday and Tuesday which are perfect for those days when you want to stay at the Hacienda or return early from town. She is a great cook and the daily breakfasts are delicious, helping to get the day started right. Steve provides an honor bar for those not wanting to bring their own refreshments from town.
In addition to the pool and lounge chairs, there is an isolated beach fifteen minutes walk from the Hacienda with great surf and scenery that is usually yours alone. Be sure to walk to the south end of the beach to be rewarded with boulders and a walkway through the rock to another beach.
Terri and Steve arranged for two excursions: a whale watch from Punta Mita with Rudy, an entertaining Austrian, who knows where to find the whales; and a Thursday trip to the market in La Penita. We would highly recommend both. The whales are magnificent and the market is huge with authentic crafts and souvenirs.
The walk to Sayulita takes about forty minutes, less for younger hikers, through a scenic forest. In town you will find shopping opportunities for weavings, pottery and paintings as well as t-shirts and other typical souveniers. Restaurants rang from street vendors to gourmet food. When tired from shopping, beach chairs and umbrellas can be used all day for the price of a drink or snack. Be prepared for the strolling venders who can be quite pushy. However, a polite but firm "no, gracious" usually helps them get the message. Usually when ready to return to the Hacienda the walk may seem like a challenge. There are taxis at the plaza available for roughly twelve dollars (120 pesos plus tip) will get you back to your suite.
We highly recommend the Hacienda de la Costa for anyone wanting a relaxing experience combined with authentic Mexican culture. Steve and Terri are gracious and willing to make your vacation informative as well as relaxing. You will not regret making this your destination.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
25 December 2011
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, other traveler's are sure to find all of your tips extremely useful. Rudy is very entertaining and always takes such good care of our guests whether it's a whale-watching excursion, snorkeling or fishing. The quality of our guests vacation is really important to us and we know that we can entrust Rudy with the responsibility of making sure their outing is a positive experience.
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC