Sayulita vs. Puerto Vallarta in September
 

Hi,

I booked a flight to Puerto Vallarta for September 23-30 and was planning on staying at Villa Amor in Sayulita (which I've stayed at before and loved), but have heard that a lot of the town shuts down during September and am wondering whether it makes more sense to stay in Puerto Vallarta and take a couple of day trips to Sayulita for the surfing. I'm definitely looking for something more private (the opposite of an AI), but don't want it to be desolate. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone has had any experiences with Vallarta Adventures. I'd love to hear about those as well.

Thanks in advance.

Jess

I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for. Nothing within downtown PV is going to be "desolate". September is low season (rainy season) so you should be able to get some great prices.

Are you looking for a budget Mexican hotel? An apartment or condo? On the beach or away. There's really not much in the way of all-inclusives or mega-resorts in Vallarta proper anyways, so that's not really a consideration.

I'm happy to help with a little more guidance. I've spent quite a bit of time solo in downtown PV over the years.

Hi Suze,

Thanks so much for your response. I really enjoyed Sayulita, but heard that it was a bit empty (restaurants shut down, locals leave, etc) in September. I'm going with my boyfriend for his birthday and our anniversary (it's a surprise for him). We both love surfing, sea kayaking, hiking, and just general outdoor activities.

I'm thinking that my three options are:

Stay at Villa Amor in Sayulita and surf there/do activities there

Stay in Puerto Vallarta (at maybe the Westin? It's just a thought since I have Starwood Points) and then do some of the Vallarta Adventures excursions and maybe head into Sayulita for a day or two.

The other option is the Costa Azul Adventure Resort in San Pancho.

It doesn't have to be uber-cheap, but I'm not looking to spend $300 a night either, but someplace on the ocean would be great. Any advice/guidance would be amazing!

Best,

Jess

I'm a budget traveler so not sure how much help I can be to you here. But I'll give it a try :-)

One thing I can suggest - there is a VERY active Vallarta forum over at Trip Advisor (not in the hotel reviews part but a separate destinations forum section, similar format to here). Also two websites run by local PV folks www.vallarta-info.com and www.allvallarta.com are very good.

There's only a couple PV people who post here on Fodor's.

Certainly the Westin in PV is an extremely nice resort! It's in the Marina about 15 minutes from downtown, close to the airport.

www.quinta-maria.com Quinta Maria Cortez is a boutique hotel right on the beach that is quite unique, if something like that might interest you.

I don't know a thing about Sayulita or San Pancho, as I always stay on the "southside" right in the downtown area (at inexpensive non-beach hotels).

Sayulita will be very quiet in September, Vallarta will also be a bit quiet, but only a few restaurants will be closed.
Vallarta Adventures is a very well run company, you should have zero problems with them.

I agree with cabron, (interesting insight) having lived in Vallarta for seven years we see a very definite drop in visitors in September. This is not necessarily bad. Yes, some restaurants and other business shut down for September, but not ALL. Sayulita is charming and I am confident your boyfriend will love it. The charms of the Bahia reach all the way around. Don't feel like there is only one local to visit and enjoy. The beauty of Vallarta is there is something for everyone.

Dear jess: I can't help you with the Sayulity question, but Suze's rec to check out the Tripadvisor forum for PV is a good one. Several locals are frequent posters.

I wouldn't mind a very quiet experience, but my DH does. He needs more action after a few days than I do so I try to pick not too quiet but not too wild for him. He has a shorter attention span, so I need to keep him happy.

MY