Sayulita: Day 1

Hola from Mexico! This year, our winter vacation perfectly coincided with a huge cold front that moved into the Twin Cities this week. It is seriously crazy how a person can wake up in a place with freezing cold temperatures and a few hours later go to sleep in a different hot and humid wonderland.

We’re staying in Sayulita, Nayarit Mexico which is about 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. Andi originally learned about Sayulita from a business associate of his, and so far we’ve been very pleased with our surroundings. The town has shops and restaurants galore, but it’s not completely over-marketed to tourists. Sayulita presents a great deal of Mexican charm with its colorful buildings and breathtaking ocean-front views.

Our flight from Minneapolis to Puerto Vallarta was bright and early Tuesday morning. Fortunately, the airplane was at half-capacity, so we were able to score Aden his own seat on the plane for no additional charge. Our kids are both really great travelers, but I'll admit I was dreading holding a wiggly Aden on my lap for 4 ½ hours. Having both Aden and Tory comfortably buckled into their car seats on the plane was a dream. For the first time in seemingly forever, I was able to relax and read a book during the flight. Heavenly!

Andi arranged for an SUV to pick us up at the Puerto Vallarta airport and drive us to Los Almendros, the condo we rented for a week in Sayulita. After a long morning of travel, we arrived at Los Almendros to a sign saying the check-in desk was closed for an afternoon siesta. No bother; we parked our suitcases under a shady tree by the pool, pulled on our swimming suits and soaked up the sunshine while we waited for our condo to be ready. At some point we realized we were famished, so Andi peeled off to grab take-out for lunch at a nearby seafood shop called El Jakal. The five of us -- Andi, Tory, Aden, Andi's mom Janie and I -- dined al fresco on coconut fish, fried shrimp, and chips and guacamole.   

We finally checked into our condo a bit later. It's a two-bedroom, two bathroom unit with two balconies, a kitchen and a living room. My only gripe about the space is the cement staircase separating the bedrooms from the main living space. Aden is like a moth to a flame with those stairs and it gives me a heart attack every single time he makes a break for them.

After settling into our condo, we hit the town for a bit of exploring. Andi rented us a golf cart for the week and it’s absolutely perfect for putzing around town. A golf cart definitely isn't a necessity in Sayulita as everything's walkable, but it sure makes life easier with kids! We likened golf cart rides to our usual weekend Ranger rides at the cabin, except the people watching is way better here. Just as bumpy though as we cruise through the pot-holed, dirt streets praying we don't loose Grandma Janie off the back of our ride!

We watched the sun set from the beach on our first night in Sayulita. It was really Aden's first time seeing the powerful ocean waves crash against the sand as he was so young last year on our trip to Cabo San Lucas. He was in awe, and so was Tory. 

Guava ice cream is Tory's favorite because it's pink, obvs.

Afterwards, we picked up carne asada and pastor tacos and a cheese quesadilla to-go from a roadside taco stand. Aden's a big fan of Mexican tacos so far, but Tory's not so sure about the local offerings. I think she's holding out to see if anyone serves peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.

On deck for Wednesday: breakfast in Sayulita, pool time per Tory’s request and more exploring in our new city for a week.