From the rooftop pool deck on the fourth floor of Sayulinda Hotel (Cl. Gaviota 11, Sayulita), I can see not only the Atlantic Ocean but also the street below, with pedestrians heading to and from the beach and across to a couple of other terraces where holidaymakers are having cocktails and perhaps posting photos tagged with #blessed and #gaycation. I cock my head one way, infinite ocean. Down, a bustling beach town. To the left, at the building across the street, Cheers! I’ve rarely found a perch that provides so much serenity—and access to an amazing cocktail bar—while giving me an eyeful of the possible beach holiday adventures all around me.
Sayulita is one of two intriguing beach towns just north of Bahía de Banderas, in Nayarit state, about an hour’s drive from Puerto Vallarta’s Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport. Its sibling (rival? colleague?) is San Pancho, short for San Francisco, just a 15-minute drive up the coast. Between the two of them, populations roughly 5,000 and 3,000 respectively, they’ve got the market cornered on easy-peasy free-spiritedness beach life in this corner of Mexico.
Queer travellers who want a village-y sunshine destination, far from malls and McDonald’s and hotel chains, will be tempted by both towns. Yet there are a few things that will convince them to pick one over the other as their home base for a stay on the Nayarit Riviera.
First thing’s first. How LGBTQ2S+-friendly are the two towns, especially compared to nearby Puerto Vallarta?
Though there are not a huge number of gay-focused businesses here, the area is ridiculously welcoming and has a very active LGBTQ+ community. Indie hotels like Sayulinda, restaurants, boutiques and other businesses all roll out the red carpet for queers. Or should I say the rainbow carpet? During Bahía de Banderas Pride (usually mid-June; 2026 dates TBA), Sayulita is awash in rainbow flags, some of which are left up for weeks after the festival, showing how comfortable local businesses are with being considered friendly. Visitors might easily assume a bar is gay, judging by the décor and some of the clientele, when it’s actually mainstream. The lack of “sceneiness,” that is the organic nature of the local queerness, is part of the appeal. Over the last couple of years, Sayulita Hotel has become home to a queer and neurodivergent social group, which started meeting up at the property quite organically, knowing they would be accepted by staff and other guests. Their staff take part in training to ensure they’re being as LGBTQ+-inclusive as possible.
For gay and bi men who find all this lovely but a bit wholesome, Nayarit does have a gay bathhouse, not far from the airport. Sauna Spartacus—Nuevo Vallarta (Carretera Federal México 200, # 995 S. Valle Dorado, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit) has wet and dry saunas, a hot tub, places for cruising and a clothing-optional terrace. Loyal Nayarit residents would correct the sauna’s management that Nuevo Vallarta has been officially renamed Nuevo Nayarit, but the clientele probably cares less about the accuracy of the name than the hot guys they’ll find there.
What makes Sayulita special?
If Sayulita was a person, they’d be a surfer who likes alt music and street tacos, but also appreciates a beautifully tailored shirt and a well-made cocktail as much as a convenience store beer.
The indigenous people of the region, the Huichol, gave the area its rather unflattering name: Sayulita means “the Place of Flies” in the Nahuatl language. (For the record, I didn’t experience many flies during my visit.) In the early 20th century, the local economy was dedicated to farming and fishing—and a section of the main beach is still dominated by fishing boats and gear. In the 1960s, surfers discovered the waves close to the town, particularly Playa De Los Muertos, “Beach of the Dead,” so named because beach access is through a graveyard. Word spread from surfer to surfer, wannabe surfer to wannabe surfer, with restaurants, hotels and bars popping up to keep these young-at-heart visitors happy.
For years, Sayulita attracted growing numbers of surfers, artists, artisans and backpackers with its relaxed, almost hippie vibe. Over the last couple of decades, the town has grown and gentrified while resisting an influx of chains and global brands. Its charm is unplanned—a visitor never knows on which street or alleyway they’ll find something cool or quirky. The boutique Pinche México Te Amo (C. Manuel Navarrete 55, Sayulita) is an ideal case study. Founded by a French couple who moved to Sayulita more than 15 years ago, the store’s interior is minimal and clean, like one would expect from an of-the-moment lifestyle brand. But the tone is countercultural, the colour palette brightly Mexican. The store’s name translates as “Fucking Mexico, I love you,” and the catchphrases that populate their products include “No time for pendejos” (“assholes”) and “nadie me cae bien” (“I don’t like anyone”). At Laughing Jaguar (Av. Revolución 53, Sayulita), the tchotchkes are more traditionally Mexican but are just as playful. There are oodles of places to buy swimwear and to rent or buy surfboards, but also Palú Gallery (C. Gaviota 15, Sayulita), a hip repository of art, crafts and coffee that’s partly inside a silver Airstream trailer. The day I sauntered through, the clientele had a queer energy.
The town beach itself isn’t a far stroll from any spot in Sayulita—there’s no reason not to stroll it a few dozen times a day, including at sunset as the sun lights up the bay. It’s definitely a social swath of sand; on weekends, smart visitors arrive early to claim a prime spot, close to the main strip, though it’s more sparsely populated to the north.
Nightlife is another key ingredient in Sayulita’s special sauce. There are reportedly more than 100 places to eat and drink in Sayulita, and most of the bars are flexible enough in their concept that they can be cocktail lounges, taverns or dance clubs depending on the visitors in town that day and how much energy they have. It only takes one group of destination-wedding folks to turn an after-dark margarita night into a sweaty dance session. Bar Don Pato (Upstairs, C. Marlín 12, Sayulita), which is decorated with rubber duckies and has been known to host go-go boys and girls, certainly has that feeling. More predictably, Atico Hookah Bar (C. Jose Mariscal 33, Sayulita) has a goth-punk heart, even if there’s a band playing latin jazz that night.
What makes San Pancho special?
If San Pancho was a person, they’d be a vegan who loves wind chimes and flowing tie-dye garments—but loves them with a naughty wink. Maybe they used to surf, maybe they still do, but these days just for fun. Maybe their kids surf. Maybe their kids surf in Sayulita.
Like most of Riviera Nayarit, San Pancho was home to the Huichol people before Spanish colonization. It took off as a chill vacation destination after former president Luis Echeverría took his family there in the 1970s. To this day it feels somewhat more family-friendly than Sayulita. San Pancho also feels more like a “real” town: schools, soccer fields, a cultural centre and a theatre make it feel more rounded than Sayulita. Things are a bit more organized and polished—there seems to be local consensus on what the town should be like. It’s a pleasant, lively community that happens to be located on a beach rather than a resort town that bends itself around what visitors are looking for. While Sayulita has more hotels, San Pancho is more about whole-home rentals through Airbnb and other rental services.
That’s probably why it’s considered a haven for expats, including a low-key LGBTQ+ expat population. On the main street, Avenida Tercer Mundo, at the intersection with Calle Cuba, there’s a tiny pedestrian bridge over a ditch that’s called, in English, San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge. The smart alec reference to the Californian landmark tells visitors something about the local mindset.
While the side streets tend to be quiet and residential, Tercer Mundo and the beach area are where short-term visitors will spend most of their time. A San Pancho resident might take offence with the word “chic,” but boutiques like Galería Tatehuari (Av. Tercer Mundo 90A, San Francisco), Plural Colectivo (Av. Tercer Mundo 100, San Francisco) and Flora (Av. Tercer Mundo 5-Local 1, San Francisco) fit the bill. The Tuesday handicraft market in Plaza del Sol is also great for serious shoppers of tchotchkes, funky clothes and artisanal foods.
Sporty types—or those who like to dress like they’re sporty—can also get geared up at Nativa Surf Shop (Av. Tercer Mundo 28, San Francisco).
The beach in San Pancho is wider than Sayulita’s, making it more peaceful. Someone who wants liveliness can set up camp close to the bottom of Tercer Mundo, while those who want lots of space can head farther north. For something even more comfortable, there are beach clubs like Tierra Tropical Beach Club (Amapas Esq Avenida de las Palmas SN, Costa Azul, San Francisco). Located down a narrow road on the outskirts of town that makes one think to themselves, “Where the hell are we going?” Tierra is a rather glamorous place to spend a day, with high-ceilinged thatch roofs over the dining area and ample seating by the pool and along the beach. This ain’t no taco shack—though they do have delicious fish tacos.
For nightlife, San Pancho has fewer choices than Sayulita—and probably no place will play thrash metal on a whim. The best bet is El Gallo (Av. Tercer Mundo 17, San Francisco), which hosts live bands and DJs—who’s coming through is always a surprise. The programming at Las Fábrica de las Artes San Pancho (Av. Tercer Mundo 21, San Francisco) is primarily in Spanish but is always worth checking out; LGBTQ+ productions are one of its mandates. The art centre alone might give San Pancho the edge over Sayulita for queers who’d rather see a show than sip cocktails.
The writer was a guest of Visit Nayarit and Sayulinda Hotel; the host of the trip did not direct or review coverage. The views expressed are the writer’s own.
