sayulita, mexico
tails + tacos + tequila
From fresh seafood to cheap drinks and friendly locals, there’s no shortage of reasons to love Sayulita — and similarly, no shortage of dogs and dog-friendly spots to check out.
Our visit to Sayulita was originally sans Ozzy — can you believe it? The thought of going somewhere new without him by our side felt so odd, but it was for a wedding, so we thought it would be for the best. But as fate would have it (and maybe a little manifesting on my part), he ended up tagging along at the last minute.
Sayulita was packed full of humans and their dogs. I swear everywhere you looked was someone with a dog on their scooter or in their golf cart, so we felt right at home.
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Bungalow with Private Garden on Airbnb
The most charming little studio with its own private garden and outdoor kitchen. In a local neighborhood across the river, meaning you can get a quiet night’s rest away from the highway, but still only a few minutes by foot to the center of town.
We didn’t stay here but this was the wedding venue and has 2 separate accommodation options. The location is truly stunning and would make for a very romantic getaway.
Sadly not pet-friendly but a really gorgeous little boutique hotel on the north side of town with a saltwater pool. The cafe however does allow pets and is very worth a visit!
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Luna’s
Ate here at least twice and would have been back if we had more time. From burritos to tacos to chile relleno, everything was delicious.
La Chilaqueria
Darling little spot great for — you guessed it — chilaquiles. Super friendly and a nice setting right above the river bed. Also great quesadillas! A quesadilla in the US will never be the same.
Mary’s
There was rarely a time we walked by and Mary’s wasn’t popping! Shrimp was definitely awesome but salsas/cremas were sadly a touch spicy for me.
Pedrito’s taco stand
The shrimp here was also great. Another spot we for sure would have visited again if we had more time.
Don Pedro’s
On the more upscale-side due to its beachfront location but definitely still reasonable prices and the seafood was delish.
Estrella de Mar Mariscos
LOVED the cremas here and solid shrimp tacos.
Elote
I was absolutely not leaving Mexico without some elote, which we only happened upon randomly and it was closed. So of course we went back during open hours (which at the time of our visit were M-F 12-7pm). Don’t let the warehouse-appearance scare you off. For reference, it’s almost kiddy-corner to the liquor store Vinos y Licores el Wuerito.
Tacos Barbacoa el Ferre
If you’re ever randomly driving through La Cruz, stop in for some great tacos. Another awesome little quesadilla for me since I’m veg!
Tacon de Marlin
I’m always a little skeptical of places where everyone says you HAVE to try for the worry that it’s just overrated, however this spot absolutely checked out. I discovered on this trip that marlin is just not for my palette (maybe next time I’ll try it here just to be certain), but their shrimp burrito and pescado al pastor were incredible. Definitely make the time after you fly in or before you fly out to have a taste.
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Playa de las Cuevas/Playa Malpaso
Just about a 30-45 minute pretty mellow hike (I was in sandals) lies the very quiet Playa de las Cuevas. Depending on the tide, you can duck through the cave at the north end to reach Playa Malpaso where you’ll pretty much have the beach to yourself.
Playa de los Muertos
Alternatively at the south end of Sayulita sits another great beach just a short jaunt through the cemetery.
Take home a souvenir
Stop into the gorgeous Palu gallery for a souvenir. Not really into material things? Head next door to Revolution Tattoo for a different kind of keepsake!
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Taxis are plentiful at the airport if you don’t already have transportation to Sayulita arranged. Pro tip - cross the pedestrian bridge to hire taxis for much less. Once in Sayulita, it’s extremely walkable but if you’d rather scoot around in a golf cart, rental companies are abundant.
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Sayulita is quite temperate, however can be very humid as we get closer to the summer months. So consider visiting from December - early May if you or your doggo is more sensitive to the heat!
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At the time of our visit (May 2025), Mexico no longer required health certificates if entering from Canada or the US. However certain airlines may still require them (we flew Delta, and they do not).
In order to return to the US, it is mandatory that your dog is microchipped and obtains a certificate that they have been inspected for screwworm with 5 days of travel (with the actual day of travel counting as a day) in addition to the CDC pet import certificate. This certificate must be issued by a state vet, not just any vet (your airline will know). Unfortunately, none of the vets in Sayulita have this designation. So we visited Paulina at Pets & Vets in La Cruz on our way to the airport, who was efficient and spoke great English. The inspection/certificate cost 800mxn, which seemed on the more reasonable side compared to other clinics we had considered.
