Field notes
Nineteen places from Chacala to Yelapa and up into the Sierra, written by someone who lives here.
Nayarit · The far north
Your own little world.
You want to be a little hard to reach. A tiny bay, surf by panga, an expat scene that knows each other's names, and Marina Chacala up the hill with one of the prettiest private beaches you can imagine.
The catchFar from a grocery store, a hospital, even a gas station.
Also see Lo de Marcos, San Pancho · Opposite: Hotel Zone
Nayarit · Jaltemba Bay
Weekend Mexico.
You came for Mexico, not for the expat bubble. Buses roll in Saturday, the beach fills with families, the Monday market sets up on the plaza, and nobody's pouring oat-milk lattes.
The catchA lot of real estate here isn't titled, and some may still be ejido land. Have a Mexican real estate attorney check the title before you put money down.
Also see Lo de Marcos · Opposite: Punta de Mita
Nayarit · Up the coast
Slow down.
You'd rather walk a mile of empty beach than fight for a chair. A flat grid, RVs in winter, an art scene on its way up. It isn't Sayulita fifteen years ago. It's its own thing.
The catchFar from a big grocery store. No big views in town. Touristy, but only in season.
Also see Chacala, San Pancho · Opposite: Zona Romántica
Nayarit · The artist cousin
The artist cousin.
You clap for the sunset. You'd rather help build a town than consume one: a kids' circus started by a Cirque du Soleil founder, a polo club behind the hills, and neighbors who push back on condos.
The catchVery expensive, with no easy beach access and a beach that isn't super friendly. Frequent power outages and water shortages.
Also see Sayulita, Chacala · Opposite: Hotel Zone
Nayarit · Pueblo Mágico
A little of everything.
You want it all within six blocks: the break, the plaza, the rooftop dinner, the 2am taco. Sayulita is the kid who has everything and isn't perfect at anything, and you're fine with that.
The catchPower outages and water shortages. The nightlife can cause quite a scene, and it can be very loud at night.
Also see San Pancho · Opposite: Nuevo Vallarta
Nayarit · North of the bay
Quiet beach, real town.
You like getting in early. A private beach and a Greg Norman course, pre-sales still on paper, and a real Mexican town up the road that comes alive after work.
The catchStill being built. Higuera Blanca is quiet during the day while everybody's at work.
Also see Punta de Mita, San Pancho · Opposite: Zona Romántica
Nayarit · The pueblo
Surf first.
You'd trade a nightlife for a break you can walk to. The pueblo gives you some of the best surf on the coast, a beach strip of serious restaurants, and world-class reefs five minutes out by panga.
The catchVery boring nightlife and limited things to do. Housing in the pueblo is still fairly high, with little space to grow outside town.
Also see Litibú, Conchas Chinas · Opposite: Guayabitos
Nayarit · The gated peninsula
The top of the market.
You've earned quiet. A 1,500-acre gated peninsula, two Jack Nicklaus courses, five beach clubs, and neighbors who guard their privacy as carefully as you do.
The catchVery boring nightlife, limited things to do, and very expensive.
Also see Conchas Chinas, Litibú · Opposite: Guayabitos
Nayarit · The bay
Salt air and Sunday mornings.
You'd rather know the fish guy than the DJ. Boats in the marina, the biggest market on the bay every Sunday, and nobody asking where the party is.
The catchCan be slow and boring, with less of a community than Sayulita, San Pancho or Bucerías.
Also see Bucerías, Marina Vallarta · Opposite: Zona Romántica
Nayarit · The bay
Discovered, still easygoing.
You want a real town with a plaza and a footbridge, and La Comer ten minutes away. A little old Mexico, a little Wild West, and more Canadians than Americans.
The catchFairly overbuilt and crowded now, more urban than it used to be. Expect some traffic and water issues.
Also see Nuevo Vallarta, La Cruz · Opposite: San Sebastián
Nayarit · The bay
Easy living.
You like things that work. Wide streets, a gate that opens, a golf cart that starts. You'd rather drive to dinner than wander for it, and you'd like to be home by ten.
The catchLots of driving; you're not really close to anything. Restaurants are pricey, and beach access isn't easy.
Also see Marina Vallarta, Bucerías · Opposite: Sayulita
Jalisco · Puerto Vallarta
Life by the water.
You'd rather keep a boat than a lawn. About 450 slips, a Thursday night market at the whale statue, the American School down the road, and the airport so close you can hear it.
The catchThe airport is overhead. The marina is the only real commercial zone: touristy, a bit expensive, and it can get old.
Also see Nuevo Vallarta · Opposite: San Sebastián
Jalisco · Puerto Vallarta
The city, three ways.
You want the city to work for you. Pick your flavor: a tower on the sand in the Hotel Zone, Costco and room to grow in Fluvial, or Versalles, where the place downstairs knows your name.
The catchCan get boring and isn't walkable, so you drive to restaurants and often need reservations. Fluvial has sewer issues, hopefully fixed in the next couple of years.
Also see Marina Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta · Opposite: San Pancho
Jalisco · Puerto Vallarta
Classic Vallarta.
When you picture Puerto Vallarta, this is what you see: the Malecón, the cathedral crown, white houses stacked up the hill, and the beach at the end of almost every street.
The catchTouristy. The Malecón is the biggest tourist trap in Vallarta; everybody goes there.
Also see Zona Romántica, Versalles · Opposite: Nuevo Vallarta
Jalisco · Puerto Vallarta
Never boring.
You'd rather be overstimulated than bored. Beach bars at noon, a club at 5am, a weekend market in Lázaro Cárdenas Park, and new condo buildings that make it all feel like a city.
The catchCan be a little over the top. A big, out-and-proud gay scene and a party zone with clubs open till 6am. Fun in the daytime.
Also see Centro, Sayulita · Opposite: San Sebastián
Jalisco · South of town
Night of the Iguana.
You want the view more than the walk. White haciendas in the jungle above the bay, built by the early rich and famous, with the Zona Romántica just down the hill.
The catchHard to get to: you cross all of Vallarta to reach it. Far from Costco and the airport, with no easy access to the beach.
Also see Punta de Mita, Centro hills · Opposite: Fluvial
Jalisco · By boat only
Where the road ends.
You want the road to run out. Take the water taxi from Boca to Yelapa, Quimixto or Las Ánimas: waterfall hikes, a night in a little hotel, a beach club for the day.
The catchBoat access only past Boca. Not really a place to live; one of the best one- or two-night escapes around.
Also see Conchas Chinas, Chacala · Opposite: Nuevo Vallarta
Jalisco · The Sierra
The perfect kind of boring.
You want fog, pine and a fire in the cabin. Four other people on the plaza on a Tuesday. An old mining town that once held 20,000 people and now mostly holds its breath.
The catchAbout an hour and a half from PV, and very quiet during the week.
Also see Mascota · Opposite: Zona Romántica
Jalisco · The Sierra
The real mountain town.
You want a mountain town that's still a working town: a proper plaza, music and church events, the Unfinished Temple, and a crater lake down the road. Raicilla country.
The catchAbout two hours from PV, and more of a farming hub than a getaway.
Also see San Sebastián del Oeste · Opposite: Punta de Mita
Not sure which one is yours?