After being "trapped" at the lovely St. Regis for a few days, I was itching a bit to explore outside of the resort. Enter Sayulita. It's about a 30 min drive and it could not be more different than the St. Regis. It is a small sleepy, hippie, surfer town and it was a breath of fresh air. Not that I don't love to be pampered a bit but it's also nice to be able to sit down and have a $2 beer every once in a while. The town is right on the beach and there are tons of young and old surfers just hanging out in the waters all day. There are a bunch of cute shops and bars near the Square but beyond that not much else. It's very much a backpacker town but we did see a few families there as well.
After walking around for a bit and buying some cheap gifts, we settled on Don Pedro's for dinner mostly because it was right on the beach and we got a fantastic view of the sunset. The set up of the restaurant is a bit weird because the downstairs is huge but they were having a salsa class when we went, so they took us upstairs to eat. Despite it's great location, it was fairly empty, although a few more people did trickle in later.
The menu is not really Mexican - they had pizzas, pastas and grilled meats so it kind of was catering to American tourists. They gave us these really tasty homemade chips to start and delicious pico de gallo that tasted like it was just a fresh jar of tomatoes poured in a bowl. I started with the octopus carpaccio and had the ahi tuna steak as my main course. The carpaccio was refreshing but it wasn't really carpaccio or at least how I envision carpaccio to be. It was more like a ceviche in that it was cut up into small chunks and served with red chilies. As for the tuna steak, it was like any other tuna steak I've had before except it had a huge piece of sinew running through my steak which was quite unappetizing. It was served on a bed of mashed potatoes and thin crispy onion rings. It honestly felt a bit like a Trader Joe's meal and I'm not saying that in a terrible way but just that it was pretty basic.
While the food was just ok, the views are lovely and I could definitely see myself sitting there with a cold beer and chips/salsa all night. The other pro to this place being that it's not on the resort was that it's super cheap. Total bill: $24/pp for tax and tips
Photo Credit: Yelp
Venazu W Hotel, 63734 Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico 3.5 Forks
After 4 amazing days at the St. Regis, Holly and I moved to the W Hotel about 30 minutes away to check out a different scene. I may be getting too old for the W Hotel or maybe we were just super spoiled by the St. Regis but it was just a very different feel. There were parts of this hotel that I did like better though - the beach was 100% better and more expansive. And there were a few more onsite restaurant options as well - although it's probably because there is literally no where else to go near this hotel.
There is a Spice Market (yes, that same Spice Market) but since we were in Mexico, we figured we'd go to the more Mexican focused restaurant. Since it was low season, there was practically no one there which was kind of weird but the waiter was so nice and super friendly that he made it less weird. We started with a fresh corn salad it was was fantastic. Light, refreshing and came with yummy chunks of Oaxaca cheese. For my main dish, I got what was described as a "sea bass" but it definitely wasn't of the "Chilean" variety and tasted much more like a regular white fish with a slightly weird chili rub on it. It was a huge piece of fish and I couldn't even finish it. Of course we had to end the meal with churros which is always a winner. They were warm and served with the standard yummy dipping sauce of chocolate and caramel. The meal was satisfying but not necessarily something I have been dreaming of since I left. But if you're staying at the W in Punta de Mita, it's not a terrible option. Total bill: $115 for 2 people with tax, tip and drinks
Chevicheria W Hotel, 63734 Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico 4 Forks
Ugh, this is a terrible photo of what was otherwise one of my favorite meals on the trip. I wish I had more time to eat there more than just once but I was only at the W for 2 nights, so I had dinner here by myself after Holly left. This isn't really a restaurant but a super casual truck next to the pool that serves a bunch of different kinds of ceviches and nothing else. I rolled up in a bathing suit and shorts and sat on a stool with a beer. Love it. I can't tell you how fresh and delicious these dishes were. I was so excited and overwhelmed by all the options that I ordered two for myself for dinner (ceviche Yucatan and Ceviche Nayrait) and they were definitely plenty as a whole meal. I don't remember what was exactly in them but rest assured they were both exactly what a ceviche should be - a bit of tang but clean tasting. I was hoping I could squeeze in one more meal here before my flight out but they are only open from 11-7pm and I had to leave at 11:30, so it was cutting it a bit too close. My only complaint is that it's a little bit pricey for what it is but hey, this is what happens when you're in a pretty isolated hotel and it's a price I was willing to deal with on my last night here to not eat another mashed potato dish. Total bill: $37/pp with tax, tip, and a beer
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