My boyfriend and I will be traveling to Sayulita the first week of December. We have our Sayulita accommodations reserved, but need to find a hotel for one night prior to our arrival in Sayulita. We are not AI-type folks, but prefer smaller hotels with local character and charm. Any recommendations in or around Puerto Vallarta?

Also, we have decided to not rent a car and will be using taxis and buses. What can we expect to pay for a taxi to Sayulita from Puerto Vallarta?

Thanks!

Terri

I really like Molina DAgua in old town, Rosarita by the Malecon is good, Playa Los Arcos which is on Los Muertos Beach, Hotel Gaviota is OK, Eloise is another, Posada de roger. Then the hotel strip = Krystal (may be AI), Sheraton, etc. Try trip advisor on the net. Don't know the price of the Taxi. You will love Sayulita if you have not been there before, very quaint and romantic. Good luck.

my favorites:
Posada de Roger >$50USD
Hotel Eloisa ~$75
Hotel Rio >$50
Cuatro Vientos ~$75

on the beach:
Molino de Agua ~$150
Tropicana $100

These are all on the "southside" sometimes called Zona Romantica near Playa Los Muertos, the main local beach. The best area IMO!! Easy walk up to El Centro.

From the airport taxis are regulated and prices are posted. Taxis are white in color and fares out of the airport are about double what you'll pay other times. So to exit the airport you'll pay $25USD or so, is current I believe. There's no choice unless you want to leave the airport on foot then try to take a local bus or independent taxi.

I would negotiate your Sayulita taxi (local cabs are yellow in color) once you arrive from your hotel, with the help of the front desk there. I am guessing this would get you the best deal. Sayulita is 1+ hour north of PV, you can also get there by bus but I don't know the details. Again at most hotels I have found the front desk staff extremely helpful to figure out this kind of thing.

For hotels start with the website www.vallartaspecials.com which is for Grupo Vallarta an association of several good local hotels.

www.tropicanahotel.pv
www.hoteleloisa.com

I've stayed at Posada de Roger a dozen times or more. It's the funkiest on the list, cheapest, friendly, safe, cute rooftop pool, restaurant. But I've visited the others. Please ask if I can answer any specific questions about them. Happy to help.

Thanks so much for your responses! Suze: Posada de Roger sounds just like my kind of place and the price is certainly right. How difficult is it to get a bus from the airport into town? (We'd rather avoid the $25 taxi fare if possible.)

I think we may try to arrange bus transportation from PV to Sayulita and then taxi back to the airport from Sayulita at the end of the week. Do you know of a website that provides bus schedules from Puerto Vallarta to destinations north?

Thanks again for the great info!

Terri

Terri- Happy to help!

www.hotelposadaderoger.com

Great hotel IMO! Showing rates of $39-60 for a double depending on the time of year. Breakfast at Fredy's restaurant is excellent. It's a family business Fredrico Senior runs the hotel and junior runs the restaurant.

Yes I have taken a local bus from the airport. Not easy but can be done. I know that there's a new-ish pedestrican bridge over the highway as you exit the airport, which was built since I did this so I'm not sure my instructions are exactly accurate. BUT basically you need to exit the airport on foot and get yourself back on the same side of the highway, with traffic heading into town. Bus stops are not necessarily marked but you will see groups of locals waiting. You want one that says El Centro painted on the front windshield and want to head all the way through downtown and over the Rio Cuale (river that divides downtown from the southside). Get off any time after you've crossed the river will put you close. Posada Roger is on the corner of Vallarta (the main street you will be on crossing the bridge/river on the bus) and Basilo Badillo. The cost is ~4 peso and you need reasonably small change (if not exact at least not a big bill). The less luggage you have the easier this will be to attempt -LOL.

Another option is once you exit and get a ways from the airport property a normal yellow city taxi can pick you up. This used to be noticably cheaper than the airport cabs, but in recent years the drivers have "caught on" and raised rates when they pick up from out that way. So you can save a little, but probably not a lot.

Sorry don't know if there's a website for bus schedules. The time I went north to Punta Mita we caught one where they picked up in front of the Guadalajara Pharmacia. I'm not sure if you could catch one on the southside from a bus office/terminal (in the past I've noticed a couple on Insurgentes that seemed to be where local folks were catching busses), or need to go back to the main long distance bus station out near the airport.

Again, if you don't figure it out before you arrive, the front desk person at Roger's will likely be willing to help you.

I would guess a taxi to Sayulita will be in the $40-$60 US region.
There's a bus service from PV to Sayulita for about 20 pesos. It doesn't come too far into town, the terminus is close to the Sports Stadium (across from the Sheraton Hotel), it only has 3 stops in PV, across from the Coppal Store, at Sam's/Walmart and the last at the airport. See the map here, stops are marked as ATM
vallartainfo.com/hotelzone.html