Hey beautiful! As you might’ve known I’ve recently traveled to Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita, Mexico. It was my first time visiting that part of Mexico and I was lucky enough to travel with a friend that not only had been there before but also speaks Spanish and knows some authentic places that I would’ve never found on my own! I really had a blast on this trip and wanted to share some of my recommendations with you. So without further ado – here is my little first-timers guide to Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita!

Puerto Vallarta is a city alive with action, it has many clubs, bars, and restaurants. It’s a great place to go with a group of friends. Especially if your goal is to chill at the beach, have countless Margaritas and party!

Here are my favorite places for food and drinks in Puerto Vallarta:

• Margarita Grill.

This is the place to be in Puerto Vallarta! Live music every night, huge AMAZING Margaritas, great food, and a really fun vibe!

• Pancho’s Takos.

This place opens at 6 pm and by 5:30 pm there is already a line! I think enough said here.

• Fajita Republic.

Great food and nice atmosphere. Great choice for a dinner on a fancier side.

• Local’s choice – Doña Gero.

If you’re like me and prefer cheap authentic foods you would love this place! It’s located at a food court inside Mercado Municipal Rio Cuale building, it might be tricky to find the first time, but totally worth it! It’s the kind of place you wouldn’t see any tourists at, only locals that know about it!

 

Sayulita is a small town 1,5 hours away from Puerto Vallarta. It’s extremely colorful and super chill. You wouldn’t find any clubs there, but you’ll see lots of cute cafes, smoothie stands, street taco trucks, surf rentals, and yoga studios. If you’re into that kind of vacation – you would absolutely love Sayulita!

In Sayulita, we stayed at the cutest place called Amor Boutique Hotel. It’s a group of bungalows at the private well-maintained property with a nice pool area, hammocks, and access to the beach. It’s also conveniently located only a few minutes away from the town center.

Here is a tree-house that was our home for the three days we spent in beautiful Sayulita!

There are a ton of really cute small hotels in Sayulita though, check out Don Bonito Hotel (on the left picture bellow) and Hotel Hafa (on the right picture bellow) if you’re still looking for a place to stay!

Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita are really worth visiting. They are authentic, fun and colorful! I enjoyed walking the beautiful streets of those towns, eating tacos for literally every meal and meeting friendly locals! Bellow, you can find some of my favorite frames I captured during this trip 🙂