Ah the warmth… that is the first thing we noticed. The sun seems to soak into your bones. Everything hurts a little less. You move a little easier and stay out a little longer. Bienvenidos a México.

We flew direct from Calgary into Puerto Vallarta. After a very efficient customs and immigration process, we crossed the pedestrian footbridge from the airport to the other side of the highway, to a small restaurant called Tacon del Marlin. They do a very good shrimp burrito. We decided to split one and added a couple of ice cold cervezas to our order.

Once we were done, we ordered our UBER and set off for our first destination – San Pancho.

San Pancho is the name used by the locals to refer to the town of San Fransisco – a small surf town on the Pacific Coast in the State of Nayarit, about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta. It is know for its laid-back vibes, excellent restaurants and beautiful sunsets.

San Pancho featured prominently in a number of the travel blogs I followed when planning for our Wanderful Voyage. Over the last few years, many digital nomads have spent sometime in this beautiful little town and have told the world of its charms. It is a town of about 3,000 people, smaller and quieter than its rowdier neighbour Sayulita. Due to the sizeable ex-pat population,  we thought would be a good starting point in Mexico, while we found our travel legs and worked to get our language skills up to scratch.

While it is likely still possible to find affordable apartment rentals by asking around in the shops and restaurants, we booked our first two weeks in Mexico through Airbnb. If you have never used Airbnb, feel free to use this link when you sign-up to earn a C$45 credit for your first qualifying stay (full disclosure – we earn a corresponding C$20 credit for each new account). 

Our casita was located up in the hills that surround San Pancho. It was about a 10 minute walk down to the town and the beach. It was far enough away from the main street that we felt like we were part of a neighbourhood, rather than tourists on vacation. We awoke to the sounds of roosters and other bird calls, dogs and lively music and we loved it. Every morning we would have our coffee just in front of the house and watch the birds and dogs and neighbours going about their business.

For such a small town, San Pancho has a lot going on! Unfortunately, our visit was too late in the season to watch the humpback whales breaching off-shore or to witness the nightly baby turtle releases, both of which take place in the Winter months, but we still found so much to keep us busy during our stay. San Pancho has an active community centre and it is the best place to find out what special events are going on in the community.  In addition to walks along the beach, surfing or stand-up paddle boarding, there are a number of yoga and pilates studios and a park with a workout circuit.  Small galleries and boutique shops abound and a weekly organic market takes place every Tuesday. There is a golf course and a polo ground and even a children’s circus group sponsored by one of the co-founders of Cirque du Soleil!

San Pancho is considered the culinary capital of Nayarit and we were spoiled with the quality of the restaurants. The town offers just about anything you could want, from street food to upscale Mexican cuisine as well as lots of international options. We sampled a number of different tastes – from tacos at Los Arbollitos and ceviche from our favorite ceviche cart to beautifully presented seafood at Barracuda and traditional Mexican dishes at Marias.

You cant talk about San Pancho, and not mention the sunsets.  The sunsets in San Pancho are a big deal and people (locals and tourists alike) head down to the beach every evening to watch the sun kiss the ocean. Of course, we joined in, blanket and beers in hand, and were duly impressed. The crowds would erupt in applause as the last of the golden orb melted into the horizon. 

San Pancho was a very special little town and if you visit, there is a very good chance it will capture your heart. It certainly has ours, and we hope to return again soon.