Riviera Nayarit

The Riviera Nayarit is the coast that starts where Puerto Vallarta ends and runs north for nearly 200 kilometres. Same airport, completely different experience: small towns, long beaches, real waves and a pace Vallarta lost twenty years ago.

It is not one place, it is several

Think of it as a row of towns, each with its own character:

• Nuevo Vallarta and Flamingos — the most developed stretch, with resorts, golf, a marina and a straight beach several kilometres long. Families and all-inclusives.
• Bucerías — a long, sprawling town with one of the widest beaches in the bay and a grilled-fish tradition that justifies the drive on its own.
• La Cruz de Huanacaxtle — marina, a seasonal Sunday market and a small but genuinely good food scene.
• Punta de Mita — where Banderas Bay closes. Luxury territory, launch point for the Marietas Islands and home to the friendliest learning waves.
• Sayulita — the surf town: papel picado, shops, a long sand-bottom wave and an awful lot of people at weekends.
• San Pancho — ten minutes from Sayulita and on another planet: quiet, wide beach, heavier waves and none of its neighbour's saturation.
• Lo de Marcos, Chacala and Guayabitos — further north, far more local, at prices that no longer resemble the south.

The beaches

The Nayarit coast is flat and sandy, the opposite of Vallarta's rocky south. Destiladeras is white sand, turquoise water and little construction: the most brochure-like beach in the whole bay. El Anclote, at Punta de Mita, is where most people first stand on a board. Playa Sayulita is pretty and always busy. Chacala, further north, is a crescent of darker sand ringed by jungle, and one of our favourites in the country.

Surf, which is the main reason

These are the waves Banderas Bay does not have. Sayulita is the classic beginner point thanks to its sandy bottom and slow wave; El Anclote is soft and forgiving; La Lancha is the favourite of anyone already paddling alone; and San Pancho is heavy and no place for a first lesson. If you have never been on a board, a surf lesson in Sayulita on day one saves you a whole morning of swallowing water.

The Marietas Islands

The protected archipelago off Punta de Mita is this coast's headline act, mostly for the Hidden Beach inside a crater. Manage your expectations: access to that beach is limited by permits, a daily cap and timed entry. Book only with authorised operators and be wary of anyone guaranteeing entry in high season. Even without going in, snorkelling around the islands and the bird colonies — blue-footed boobies included — are worth the trip.

When to come

The weather is essentially Vallarta's: dry and perfect from November to May, humid and wet from July to September. The difference is the swell: surf improves markedly in the rainy season, when the southern swells arrive. Come in summer for waves, in winter for weather.

Getting there and around

You arrive through Puerto Vallarta airport (PVR). From there, Nuevo Vallarta is fifteen minutes, Bucerías thirty, Sayulita forty-five and San Pancho an hour. Buses from Vallarta toward Punta de Mita and Sayulita are frequent, cheap and the simplest way to move without a car. If you plan to hop between towns, a rental car earns its keep.

Where to stay

Nuevo Vallarta if you travel with kids or want a resort. Bucerías or La Cruz for a town with good food and sensible prices. Sayulita if you came for the atmosphere and the noise does not bother you. San Pancho if you want exactly what Sayulita offers, quietly. Punta de Mita if budget is not the issue.

One piece of advice

Sayulita on a long weekend is a patience test: it fills up, parking is a problem and restaurants run slow. Go midweek, or stay in San Pancho and visit Sayulita by day. Same trip, half the noise.