Riviera Nayarit, Mexico

San Pancho

San Francisco — everyone calls it San Pancho — is five miles up the coast from Sayulita, and a world away from it. One main street runs down to a wide beach, and behind it lies an estuary that is one of the great birding sites in Nayarit.

Accommodations here are small scale, and there is something for every budget: hide away at a remote resort, take a house on the beach, or settle into a small hotel in town. Restaurants run just as wide — humble taco and chicken stands, bohemian coffee shops, wine bars, seaside seafood joints, and gourmet dining rooms with views and desserts worth the trip.

5 miles north of Sayulita
Polo at La Patrona
9 holes at La Huerta

Palapas and palms above the sand on the Nayarit coast

Start here

A room with a beamed ceiling and a balcony over the jungle in San Pancho

Where to Stay

Small scale, every budget — remote resorts, houses on the beach, and charming hotels in town.

Swimmers at the hidden beach inside the Marietas Islands

What to Do

Surf the beach break, boat out to the Marietas, watch polo at La Patrona, or play nine at La Huerta.

Nachos, quesadillas and taquitos on a wooden table

Restaurants

Taco and chicken stands, bohemian coffee shops, wine bars, seafood on the sand, gourmet dining rooms.

Only in San Pancho

All activities

A green pigeon perched on a branch

The Estuary

One of the great birding sites in Nayarit sits just behind the beach.

A polo match in play at La Patrona Polo Club

Polo at La Patrona

Serious polo, played in a valley a few minutes inland from the sand.

A surfer silhouetted against an orange sunset

Surf & Paddle

A beach break that works through the evening, with boards and lessons in town.

A massage at a San Pancho spa

Slow Mornings

Yoga, spa treatments, long breakfasts, and a main street you can walk end to end.

Planning a trip

Getting here

Fly into Puerto Vallarta (PVR) and head north up Highway 200. San Pancho is signposted off the highway, past Sayulita.

Getting around

The town is walkable end to end. Golf carts are the local way to cover the hills and the far end of the beach.

Nearby

Sayulita is five miles south, and Playa Escondida is tucked into the coast just north of town.