Surf town keeps its cool amid boom: Guadalajara Reporter; June 16, 2007

Surf town keeps its cool amid boom.
Originally published in the Guadalajara Reporter on June 16, 2007

Despite the crowds that descend on Sayulita every year, visitors looking for tranquility and a chance to enjoy the famous rolling wave sets of the beach will not be disappointed.

Story by : ALEX GESHEVA

It takes many lucky coincidences to make a quintessential beach town. There must be sun and an ocean with something to offer to both sloths and adventurers. There must be fresh seafood and ice-cold drinks after a day on the sand. Hotels should welcome backpackers and wealthier wanderers alike. Ideally, the sound of waves and birds should drown out bars and drunken revelry. The dress code should be casual, and sandals de rigeur. Wandering dogs should look happy and generally well-fed.

Sayulita has found its image. And locals and visitors alike are banding together to protect it.
“Sayulita is a typical Mexican fishing village,” says Hector Sahagun, director of Tourism for the Bahia de Banderas municipality. “But it is also second in growth only to Bucerias on Nayarit’s coastline.”

Simply put, the area is a goldmine. Of the 3.5 million estimated visitors a year that come to Puerto Vallarta, about 47 percent choose to shun the larger resort for a stay in one of the villages between Nuevo Vallarta and San Blas. In Sayulita, a magnificent beginner and long-boarding wave also draws a devoted following of surfers. Many serious older long-boarders have even moved in to enjoy a permanent piece of paradise.

It takes some effort to maintain a sleepy, relaxed style in the midst of that boom. Sayulita has extremely strict regulations of building permits. There are still palapas around the beach, no building is allowed to be taller than three floors (two on the hills) and a recent attempt to build a five-storey hotel was closed down after vocal protests from the community.

The list of vendors licensed for the beach is very limited. “Hassling of tourists and aggressive selling happens when there are too many vendors,” explains Sahagun. “Just last year in Bucerias, there was literally a vendor for every meter of beach. We’ve learned from that experience.”

The majority of the tourists, both old and young, seem convinced.
“There is a very unique feel to this beach,” says Confesor Mendez, a Puerto Rican visiting with four generations of his family. “If you want to get away from the city and enjoy peace, this is it.”
“The people here are muy buena onda,” says Guillermo Cadena, instructor for the Tigre Surf school. “Most visitors come back and they’re here to do what we like to do: surf and enjoy the beach. Even without a language in common, we share that.”

Victor Hogg, a Canadian regular, agrees. Hogg bought a time-share in the Flamingo Golf and Resort Club three and a half years ago and hasn’t spent any time there at all.
“That was a bad investment,” he says, standing by the shore with his two grandkids. “Anyway, this beach is what I love, this place and the people.”
For several weeks a year, Hogg’s family comes to Sayulita to splash in the ocean. “My daughter-in-law wants the kids to learn Spanish,” he says. “So we let them loose with the local children to play.”

Roger Burten and his wife Linda Long-Burten came to Sayulita on a 10-day vacation and stayed.
“We wanted to shake up our lives,” says Burten, who now owns Sayulita Investment Realty. “There is still the charm of Mexico here and a great beach, although ocean views are running out. It’s a perfect balance of the quiet life and amenities.”

In the last few years, Burten has watched Sayulita prices soar: more demand and less supply has set prices for a two to three bedroom house at a 250,000- to 350,000-dollar average.
Young couples in their 30s are increasingly buying investment and vacation property alongside the baby-boomers. Activism is booming in the community.

Sayulita Investment Realty sponsors a Children’s Art Workshop, among other community projects. Heather Murray, a sales associate with Sayulita Investment Realty, is also the U.S. Consulate’s liaison. An organization called Amigos de Sayulita collects medical supplies, clothing, school supplies and other necessities for the community, and a Neighborhood Watch was recently set up. Even an old treatment plant that never worked properly now operates at 100 percent and the river of sewage spewing into the beach is gone. “We fixed it up before Semana Santa with about 90,000 dollars worth of donations from tourists and local residents,” says Sahagun. “We needed to have the water pristine.”

And Sahagun is adamant on one issue: Sayulita’s roads will never be paved. “The road projects we have planned call for cobblestones to be set not in cement but in the dirt. We don’t need another Nuevo Vallarta. We do need Sayulita.”

Burten is of the same mind. “You’ll never see Nuevo Vallarta here,” he says confidently. “You’d have 300 foreigners with machetes marching to stop it.”

Sayulita is located on Highway 200, midway between Guayabitos and Puerto Vallarta. Except during Semana Santa and the Christmas holidays, you will find a room there even without reservations, and many of the local hotels and bungalows are listed on the Internet. There is now a bank machine near the plaza, and several of the more upscale boutiques and restaurants accept credit cards. Surf rentals are available on the beach daily from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Culinary offerings run the gamut from home-cooked Mexican fare through art cafes, authentic Argentinean steaks, real Italian pastas and tiramisu and flavorful seafood. Your best bet is to just park your car and explore on foot.