Anniversary in Sayulita

Sayulita has been on my mind ever since our last visit 6 years ago for our honeymoon. At that time SUP wasn't even on the acronym map and street tacos were only at a couple locations. Long time away from the surf and simple pleasures of this rapidly growing little hot spot of Nayarit Mexico. This once sleeper village all grown up!

 It was a blessing to see this much green in March where everything is usually dried up and dusty from the Winter season.

We opted for a little extra culture this trip and stopped in at the local market in La Cruz for some amazing food and local artist vendors.

For most visitors it's about the beach, but without the surf utensils it's just another sandy swimming spot. standupsayulita.com is the place for SUP in Sayulita and has the best gear for both rental and retail in the area. They also support numerous pros and help promote the sport to every age group.

We quickly learned that sunset sessions were the least crowded and most consistent for waves. And if you want to paddle with some local pros like shelbytaylorsup.com and Javier with his son evenings are best.

One of the quiter sections of beach just minutes from the main attraction has a steeper entry into the ocean, but less crowds.

This rocky beach plays host to some decent sunrise material and is a 3 minute walk from playa centro.

But my all time favorite is over by playa-escondida.com where I have done a bit of work with over the years. Muy fantastico!

For many, the attraction in Sayulita is the food. Just in the last 6 years the place has exploded with great and very affordable, creative and fresh options from juices, tacos (galore) and local fish, vegetables and meats. Sayulita turns on at night.

Another surprise for us was the mountain bike options here. The guys at wildmex.com have brand new marinbikes.com front suspension hardtail 27.5 with dropper seat posts, helmets and guided tours. This was our guide Javier "dropping in". He races the Enduro circuits in Colorado in the summer time and is looking for some sponsors.

Our ride was a drop off shuttle that began down there to the left in the town of Higuera Blanca and brought us up to the summit of Monkey mountain with this pano of the whole gulf of Nuevo Vallarta. The decent out of here was all single track with natural and farmed structures all the way to the next beach. The finish was on smooth two track in shaded jungle back to Sayulita for a 3 hour tour.

We did not have mtb clothes or shoes but my wife sure rocked the buyc2.com tights like nobodies business.

Our accommodations were at Casa dulce suenos with an abundance of gatos that were all feral just last year. Our gracious owners took the liberty of getting the stray cats fixed and keep them fed so they are now all residents of the property. Thanks to the responsible people who now offer these services in Sayulita.

As mentioned earlier sunset was the time for the best waves and least crowds and the main time that the locals play on the water. For the locals SUP was the majority water craft by far and in just a few years, they have it dialed.

This evening proved to be the pinnacle of sunset sessions all week and the light show lasted forever.

Another local pro finishing his 2 hour distance training perfectly.

The water was spectacular.

You almost couldn't see this with the naked eye, but my sensor could. With a 6400 iso setting and a hand held 1/2 second exposure it really came alive.