Magical Towns and Lazy Rivers on Riviera Nayarit

There’s something to be said about enjoying life’s simple pleasures. I’m drifting down a warm, turquoise-blue lazy river in the middle of the Delta Hotels Riviera Nayarit oasis north of Puerto Vallarta, my eye drawing upwards to the fringed palm trees dappling the sunlight radiating in a brilliant blue sky.

I’m pleasantly surprised by the climate in the hills of the Sierra Madre mountains overlooking a lush valley and the Bay of Banderas in popular Riviera Nayarit. The early winter temperatures are perfect and dry, ideal for those of us who prefer warm days rather than the intense heat and humidity common at other times of the year.

Equally impressive is the complete lack of insects. There are no pesky mosquitoes to swat and annoy as the river’s slow current pulls my inflatable along, passing a large iguana who ignores my presence, too busy munching on greenery in the lushness of the jungle understory.

The Riviera Nayarit has become increasingly popular with Canadians as the region has grown exponentially, transforming small fishing villages and tiny beach towns like Sayulita and the charming “divers’ town” of Bucerías into thriving destinations for travellers.

Sayulita Casts a Sunny Spell

From my serene oasis in the forested resort canopy, access to bustling Sayulita is an easy 30-minute drive by taxi north along a winding jungle road. The former hippie enclave of Sayulita is one of Mexico’s most charming “pueblo magicos”. A designated “magic town” of narrow sidewalks, street markets, food stalls, and one of the prettiest beaches on the country’s Pacific coast.

Colourful flags flutter in the warm breeze coming off the ocean as I wander the dusty streets, strolling past boutiques, ubiquitous farmacias, cafes, and apron-clad matrons filling warm corn tortillas with aromatic, savoury fillings at roadside food stalls. The vibe is laid-back lively — locals and stray dogs mix with travellers from around the world, judging by the accents and snippets of overheard conversations.

The wide sandy Sayulita Beach is dotted with sunbathers and surfers on their way to lessons or already catching azure waves as they break offshore. On a quieter section of beach north of the action, volunteers at the Sayulita Turtle Camp work to protect endangered Olive Ridley turtle nests and invite the public to help escort baby turtles into the sea at various times of the year.

I settle in for a lunch at Don Pedro’s, a local establishment that has overlooked bronzed beach bodies in Sayulita since 1994. My meal of fish tacos, seafood ceviche and dips of warm tortilla chips into fresh, limey guacamole — the perfect antidote for a sunny winter day. Cold bottles of local cerveza are popular beverages, but I opt for a refreshing chilled glass of horchata, a sweet, blended rice-based drink sprinkled with cinnamon.

My sweet tooth lingers and I know exactly where to find the perfect post-lunch dessert. In the early 1990s, Englishwoman Tracie Willis arrived after being fired from a cruise-ship job in Puerto Vallarta for exposing an environmental offence. She began to make and sell chocolate-covered frozen bananas from a small cooler on the beach and the rest is history. Her creation quickly became the local dessert of choice, and she opened the Chocobanana full-service bricks-and mortar-restaurant just a few metres from the beach.

I sink my teeth into a granola and coconut chocolate-covered banana, enjoying the crack of its hard shell before the creamy banana thaws and melts in my mouth. I can immediately understand the “ap-peel” of the frozen dessert, the perfect walking-around treat.

Canadians have come to love the beauty and hospitality of the Mexican Riviera and towns like Sayulita and Puerto Vallarta, and it’s easy to understand why. Mexico remains an affordable destination where the loonie has greater buying power than in another North American nation, and the variety of culinary, cultural, and natural attractions ensures that travellers of all ages and styles can enjoy Riviera Nayarit however they choose.

For example, the Delta Riviera Nayarit is expanding its family-friendly all-inclusive accommodations complex with a new hotel tower and adding five new pools to its existing 12 aquatic facilities that include a water park and water slides.

Its jungle location is unique, but guests have full access to local beaches through the resort’s Tonati Beach Club, a free 10-minute shuttle from the resort and complete with an all-inclusive food and drinks menu and plentiful beach loungers facing the Bay of Banderas, where humpback whales breach and feed as they migrate between Alaska and the Sea of Cortez.

Crafting Connections on the Riviera Nayarit

Regular visitors to Mexican beaches will be familiar with vendors approaching with open-faced cases of silver jewellery, woven blankets, and colourful handmade decorations or toys. The interaction is often fleeting and unremarkable, but a social enterprise organization is trying to change that.

As director Paco Guahardo of Human Connections describes it, the non-profit aims to promote “social education through travel” with its day tours of local artisan shops and hands-on craft connection classes in Bucerias and Sayulita. The organization is partnering with the Riviera Nayarit resort to promote day trips to chocolate farms, felt-making shops, and pottery studios where participants can engage in a more meaningful and transformative way with local artists. It’s a welcome initiative that brings people together and fosters cross-cultural understanding and economic sustainability.

As for my own craft-making efforts, well, my clumsy attempts to decorate a small ball with tiny beads prove to be a bemusing exercise. But it gives me a powerful new appreciation for the artistry involved in producing what most tourists might perceive as baubles, yet in actuality are painstakingly handcrafted artworks.

Sayulita and Riviera Nayarit show that it’s possible to have your lazy river float, enjoy transformative social connection, and savour sweet sticks of frozen banana, too.

MORE ABOUT VISITING RIVIERA NAYARIT

Getting There: Air Canada and WestJet offer direct flights from Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver to Puerto Vallarta Airport. From the Airport, it’s a 40-minute taxi or Uber ride to the Delta Hotels Riviera Nayarit.

Where to Stay: The Delta Hotels Riviera Nayarit is noted for its all-inclusive family-friendly accommodations. Location: Carretera Punta Mita Km 0.2, Cruz de Huanacaxtle Riviera Nayarit, Nayarit, Mexico (see map below). Room Rates: For a weekend stay in mid-March, a deluxe, all-inclusive king bedroom for two adults is $360 USD (approximately $520 CAD) per night, based on a recent search of the property’s booking engine.

Note: Vacay.ca occasionally publishes articles about destinations outside of Canada that our editors believe will be of interest to our readers. In this feature, Contributing Writer Claudia Laroye stayed at the Delta Hotels Riviera Nayarit and visited Sayulita on a hosted press trip. No business or organization reviewed the article before publication.