Travel with the Twins to San Pancho, Mexico
Note: Due to current travel advisories affecting the Puerto Vallarta region, we are keeping this beloved destination in our thoughts and hoping for a swift return to peace, so that we — and you — may once again enjoy all that makes it so special.
If you know us, you know we love to travel, and as we’ve had kids, we’ve started a tradition of favoring “the gift of travel” over endless holiday presents. It’s been great. The kids learn to expect 2 or 3 special, small gifts instead of a mountain of plastic, and we all benefit from a week of travel, exploration, discovery, and together-time during the winter holiday.
To Stay:
This year, we planned the trip around our house rental - an incredible home in San Pancho, Mexico, in Riviera Nayarit. Kathryn is our resident-travel-agent and discovered CasitaMX, an inspiring house rental resource for design-forward properties all over Mexico. We travel with grandparents, in-laws, and siblings, and so needed a place to fit 3 generations.
Our incredible home in San Pancho, Mexico, a laidback surf town about 15 mins north of the more touristy, party town of Sayulita. A lot of people note that “San Pancho reminds them of Sayulita 20 years ago”.
We flew into Puerto Vallarta, rented cars (a necessity for exploring), and drove the hour north up the coast to San Pancho. Keep your eyes open along the drive, you can spot whales in the ocean - especially in December/January during migration season.
To Do:
San Pancho (also known as “San Francisco”) is a small (population 3,000) gem of a town. Surfers and yogis abound (there seems to be a yoga or massage studio on every block) and life revolves around the beach and fresh local cuisine. We loved exploring the local shops and ice cream shops and would 100% return. A lot of people scoot around on bikes or golf carts - our house was about a mile or two from the main street and I can totally see our kids golf carting to and from in a few years!
We spent plenty of time at our gorgeous pool overlooking the ocean; whale watching (of which we saw many) was our favorite afternoon pastime, but we also ventured down the steep cliff to the beach below our rental house as well as into the more touristy beach in town “Playa San Pancho.” There you can take surf lessons, rent chairs, and there is no shortage of vendors selling fresh margaritas, mojitos, and more.
The adults’ Christmas presents (to ourselves) were divine massages in the most tranquil garden setting (you could hear the roosters and birds outside - in a good way!). We highly recommend El Estar Wellness Center for massages, yoga, and restoration!
Walking down the steep hill to the deserted beach below our house. Bahía de Banderas is the name of the bay that stretches alongside Riviera Nayarit (and beyond) and is phenomenal for whale watching.
Exploring San Pancho town and Playa San Pancho - never not eating ice cream :)
To Eat:
We were very spoiled to rent a house with a chef, so we ate many of our meals at home (ideal for our 5-year-old crew) but did have a few memorable meals out.
We celebrated Christmas Eve in the garden of Bistro Organico (the restaurant connected to Hotel Cielo Rojo) and all agreed that fresh fish tacos for Christmas Eve is an unbeatable combination. While you’re there, check out their gift shop (or rather nook) as you pass through reception to the back garden. A lot of the crafts come from other parts of Mexico (notably Oaxaca) but that didn’t stop me from shopping.
We didn’t make it to Ikan but heard great things and passed it in town. We’ll have to go back to try it!
There are so many good taquerias and small streetside vendors cooking up a storm in an open air setting. I feel like you can’t go wrong. Taqueria los Arbolitos is one of many in this vein.
Breakfast also seemed to be a big deal in San Pancho (I could get used to coffee / yoga / watch the surf / smoothie / massage / repeat) and we found a lot of sweet spots serving excellent coffee (with oat milk!) and other breakfast foods. Cafe Floresta and Prieta Cafe were on the top of this list.
No trip to town should be complete without a stop for an ice cream (check out the Helado store on the corner in the center of town) and chocolates. Mexicolate is a gorgeous chocolate shop in town with the most beautiful (and delicious) handmade creations.
And lastly - San Pancho Wine Shop was precious! We stocked up on wine (and cheese) there and really wanted to return for their weekly live music – the shop is so small that the drinking and grooving spills out onto the street on an average Tuesday evening.
Hotel Cielo Rojo - the hotel where Bistro Organico is located; Christmas Eve lunch in the garden of Bistro Organico
Shopping in San Pancho:
The shopping in town was surprisingly good and the girl-portion of our crew had a great afternoon tucking into little shops and finding sarongs, ceramics, and other souvenirs. On Tuesdays, Mercado San Pancho is an early afternoon central market where you can find local foods, crafts, art and the like. This felt a little touristy but was fun to walk through nonetheless.
Elote Arte carried breezy linens and gorgeous ceramics (we of course carried some home) that brought the beach vibes of Mexico home with us in serene colors and textures:
We also really liked the bathing suits and tabletop objet at Nakawé Trading - a curated boutique featuring textiles, pottery, and beaded jewelry made in Mexico from sustainable materials. Upon further investigation, it looks like the brand actually wholesales internationally - the world really is flat and I feel lucky to have stumbled into their brick and mortar location.
To Explore:
Into the Jungle
As I said, sis is our resident travel agent and she loves getting deep on blogs, chats, and even Trip Advisor reviews to ensure we have a local experience wherever we visit. I am so glad she found Lo de Perla Jungle Garden, a beautiful garden and reserve about 15 minutes out of town. We booked a morning tour and arrived at the appointed meeting spot (on the side of the road) to jump in the back of a pick up truck before driving up washed out dirt roads for another 20 minutes. Armando, our tour guide, was incredibly well-versed in the diverse species of fruit trees, ferns, flowers, butterflies, and birds in the area and the kids loved the imaginary “treasure hunt” we dreamed up for them along the way.
Boat Days are the Best Days
Our family (regardless of age or interest) always agrees that boat days are the best days and this year was no exception. We left from Puerto Vallarta (about an hour from our house) for a day on the water scouting whales, dolphins, and sea turtles.
Our wonderful captains were incredibly informative and seemed to be able to spot whales with their eyes closed. There are a lot of island and cove options to explore within the Bay of Banderas (Las Animas Beach, Quimixto Beach, Los Arcos). We opted for more time on the boat and then a lunch stop at Ritual Restaurant at Casitas Maraika which was perfect. I can’t say enough - the food was great, the ambiance was perfect, and the vibes said “vacation”! Go!
Our lunch stop at Casitas Maraika (The larger catamaran in the distance was our boat and the small dinghy was our water taxi to lunch!).
My Riviera Nayarit Inspired Shopping Finds:
