We picked this town because of the close proximity to the Puerto Vallarta airport, and the description of a 'quaint fishing village'... What we found was a 'quaint gringo village' with as many real estate offices and jewelry stores as restaurants! Nice if that is what you are looking for. Next time we will look deeper to find less gringo and more Mexican.

We spent a wonderful week in Sayulita, a village right on the pacific coast. It was an ideal place for a beach vacation without the resort atmosphere. It's a real place, and the locals go to the beach along with all the tourists. There is "just enough" tourist infrastructure (small hotels, a variety of restaurants, etc.) to make it comfortable, but not too much to make it feel like a tourist trap. It's rough around the edges, but loved that too.The people, the place, the food -all of it has a wonderful authenticity.

Mostly, I want to shar a few tips for people planning a visit:
1. Our favorite find was a new restaurant called "Lupe." It is a block off the main square, didn't have a sign yet, but is notable for its white modern decor. The owner, chef and waitress is a local woman who prepares contemporary Mexican dishes that could be served at a hip restaurant in NY. The food is fresh, and her preparation is wonderful. The thing is, this restaurant isn't any more expensive than some of the other pizza or fish taco places down the street. Its just much better.
2. Go to the Salsa night at Don Pedro's, a restaurant right on the beach. They have a 6-piece cuban salsa band. They start the evening with dance lessons, then the crowd danced into the night on the open air dance floor. It is an amazing thing to be a part of, even just to watch.
3. I took a surfing lesson from a guy at Tigre Surf, which has an outpost right on the beach. I was a total beginner, and within an hour I was up on the board, riding the little waves, and having a blast. The best $40 I spent. There are a lot of options for renting surf & boogie boards (hourly, daily, weekly, etc.).
4. The bus from Puerto Vallarta is really easy. We took a $50 taxi ride to Sayulita from the airport when we arrived, which is a fine way to just get to the beach as fast a possible. However, the public bus is only $2, doesn't take a whole lot longer, and is very comfortable. The bus stop is outside the airport. Walk past all the taxis waiting right outside the door, cross over the pedestrian bridge, and on the other side of the street you can catch the bus or a taxi that will be cheaper than the ones trying to catch you as you come out the door.
5. We stayed at Aurinko bungalows, which is lovely - close to the beach & the town square, accross the street from a food market, very clean, and comfortable.

My husband and I, our 20 something daughter and 3 of her friends just spent a fabulous week in Sayulita. We arrived the day after Xmas and regretfully had to leave on New Years Day.

Sayulita this time of year is pretty lively - lots of people, old and young but all in congenial moods. One of our favorite activities in the evenings was to wander over to the plaza and watch the drummers and the people watching the drummers. On New Years Eve there were jugglers with fire sticks. There were also competing fireworks shows at Villa Amor and someplace at the north end of the beach.

We rented an apartment from Carmen and Jose Ramos, it was perfect. King size bed, open air dining room and kitchen - huge patio with an ocean peak but lots of ocean sounds, spotlessly clean for $50/night. We could hear some of the goings on in town, but never loud enough to keep us awake. Bought rottisarie chickens and tacos at the end of the road, went to the community movie night, also just down the road. the only suggestion I would have for Jose is to have more of an on-line presence. Response time to my emails about setting up the logistics was often slow for my gringa-immediate-response taste But once we arrived there, all was as promised.

Jose Ramos operates a taxi and tour service, and one of the highlights of our trip was the day we spent with one of his drivers, Armando. Armando is a Los Angeles transplant and drove us up to the Crocodile preserve and around San Blas, checking out lots of the small towns on the way. Armando, himself was eager to see the sights so his enthusiasm, and fluent Spanish, greatly added to our trip. We felt like we were travelling with a good friend! I highly recommend both Armando and Jose and Carmen Ramos' tours and lodgings. The prices are more than fair, the vans air conditioned and the drivers friendly and acommodating.

The restaurants in town were bustling because of the season, and the shopping was better than in Vallarta. We never had a bad meal. We walked all over town and felt totally safe day or night. In spite of the crowds, everyone we encountered was friendly, helpful and easy going. We felt like locals! It was a perfect vacation!

A jewel of a place: natural splendor at sea and ashore, incredibly friendly and accommodating locals and superb meals. But NOT for those seeking glitzy hotels and night life, poolside service, air conditioned facilities, paved streets, kiddy entertainment and McDonald's/BK/KFC meals. Note that very few places here accept credit/debit cards and there is neither a post office (no big loss in MX) nor an ATM or bank. Also, the nearest gas station is kilometers away, on the main highway.

While the food and drinks at the beachside eateries is quite good, truly outstanding meals --way beyond enchiladas, totopos (tortilla chips) with salsa and carne asada-- are served a couple of blocks inland, at, among others, the "Sayulita Cafe" and at "Rain Tree."

"Rain Tree)is almost hidden, opposite the ball park and just over the bridge over the creek that bisects the town; look for the tall tree wrapped in Christmas lights, then ask Alberto, the manager and former Angeleno, for a free happy hour (3-6 PM) drink and enjoy a mouth-watering dinner at reasonable prices. Antonio, the bartender, delivers velvety margaritas at a handsome long mahogany bar. The cream of black beans soup, ordered by 4 of us on a second visit, was unanimously declared to be a world-class winner. The breat of chicken with Mexico's unique huitlacotche corn is another winner. RT accepts credit cards.
"Sayulita Cafe" serves incredibly tasty "designer" nachos. The moles and complex sauces that add sizzle to tender chicken and beef entrees are first-rate. It's packed every night, and with good reason.
On the other hand, Don Pedro's (towards the south end of the bay), while offering lovely beach and ocean views, struck as overrated and overpriced in the food and wine department.

On the South end of the Plaza there's an open-air coffee house ("Mexbucks"???) that prepares excellent lattes, frapuccinos and other caffeine carriers.

On many Saturdays one can join the fun at the ball park, if the local team is playing. The main gate seems to be open and no one checks for tickets. The beer flows freely in the stands and everyone has a great time, regardless of the score.

Sayulita is an all-around winner... and we shouldn't be sharing the good news, as crowds will surely ruin its wonderful laid-back attractiveness.