The Ultimate San Pancho Mexico Travel Guide

San Pancho, Mexico, is the perfect tropical Mexican beach vacation destination. If you like authentic Mexican vibes, beautiful palm tree-lined beaches, surfing, and delicious Mexican food, then this is your spot! This ultimate guide to San Pancho, Mexico, will surely make you want to add it instantly to your bucket list.

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Where is San Pancho in Mexico

San Pancho is a small Mexican town on the central Pacific coast in the state of Nayarit. It is just a 45 – 60 minute drive from Puerto Vallarta International Airport. Located along a stretch of coast just 10 minutes north of the popular surf town of Sayulita, San Pancho is a great place to visit for either a day trip from Puerto Vallarta, Punta Mita or Sayulita. But in my opinion, you need to come here for a lot longer to appreciate the magic. For reference, we stayed for 4 nights and loved it.

Why Visit San Pancho

San Pancho is a little slice of paradise. Cobbled lanes line the quaint Mexican town, and colourful flags adorn the buildings and flutter in the sea breeze. I have often read that San Pancho is what Sayulita was like just 10 years ago. We loved the quiet pace, the beach wasn’t crowded, we often had our pool to ourselves, and we loved the laid-back vibe. On the plus side, music does not play late into the night, so getting a good night’s rest is super easy here. 

What to Do in San Pancho

San Pancho is quite a small, authentic Mexican town with lots of great things to see and do, whether you visit for the day or stay for a week. We really enjoyed relaxing whilst we were there, but also weren’t short of things to entertain us.

Shopping

As San Pancho is home to a great selection of unique artisan stores, there are plenty of opportunities to pick up souvenirs while staying there. Whether you are looking for local and handmade crafts, art, clothing, or housewares, there is something for everyone. Stroll down San Pancho’s main street – Av. Tercer Mundo for all your shopping needs.

Plural Colectivo

I particularly liked Plural Colectivo, which had some beautiful clothing, art prints, and lots of items I wished would have fit into my hand luggage. As is quite often the case with my travels, we travel with a limited luggage allowance for souvenirs, so buying a postcard is the easiest way to have a memento from our travels. This time we got this awesome printed postcard that will look amazing in a frame on our wall one day. 

Kiosko

This corner store was a great place to get cheap beers, toiletries, snacks, ice cream and beverages. As we had a mini fridge in our hotel room, we loved visiting this store for supplies so we could enjoy a poolside or sunset cold drink.

Playa San Pancho

There is one main beach in San Pancho that stretches along the Pacific coastline for what feels like miles. It is framed with swathes of swaying palm trees and a lagoon that is home to a variety of tropical birds. To the south and north of the beach are a variety of properties (mainly private) that line the beach. Ysuri Hotel San Pancho is the only hotel that lies directly on the beachfront, which makes it very special. It also lies right next to the lagoon, so you get to see a lot of the tropical birds. 

The beach in San Pancho is very quiet, so you can truly relax here. There are beach umbrellas and sun loungers for rent if you want them from local beach stalls. There are a couple of beach bars and cafes, and at one end of the beach, you can even hang out at a beach club (Tierra Tropical Beach Club). If you do fancy the beach club, they also host horse polo matches, which I thought was such a unique activity for this area. You can see turtles hatching on the beach if you come in the right season, too! Not to forget, San Pancho is also a surfer’s mecca.

Surfing in San Pancho

The waves in San Pancho are better suited to intermediate to advanced surfers. Most days, we witnessed shore breaks, and since there are no lifeguards, you should also swim here with caution. If you want to learn to surf, you can visit Sayulita, just 10 minutes up the road.

Clap at Sunset

If you are a fan of watching the sunset, then join everyone on the beach and be prepared to clap once the sun disappears beyond the horizon. This local custom is enjoyed by locals and tourists alike and is such a fun way to end a day on the beach. Whilst you are on the beach, why not seek out this next activity below?

Beach Swing

Located on the beach next to the beach bar La Tarraya is a rope swing attached to a palm tree. Come here at sunset for the most spectacular vibes. There is music playing, beautiful views, and an atmosphere you don’t want to miss. Check out my Instagram Reel below from one of our nights here!

Discover Street Art and Colourful Houses

We discovered on an exploration of San Pancho that beautiful, hidden areas are exploding in colour. Look out for creative street art adorning walls and brightly coloured houses in vibrant hues of pink, yellow and blue! There are strings of colourful flags tied between buildings that sway in the wind. You can’t help but smile when you are surrounded by such a vibrant community.

Day Trip to Sayulita

San Pancho is located just 10 minutes up the coast from the popular surfing beach town of Sayulita. The more well-known and much busier town is the perfect day trip from San Pancho. Offering fantastic surfing for beginners, shopping, restaurants and nightlife, it would be silly not to visit. You can organise a taxi from San Pancho to easily transport you on the day you would like to go.

If you want to stay longer, you could do a dual location holiday as we did and split your time between San Pancho and Sayulita. Read our Ultimate Sayulita Mexico Travel Guide here!

Popular San Pancho Activities

Where to Eat and Drink in San Pancho?

San Pancho has a wide variety of restaurants offering restaurant-style dining with nice decor (and a big price tag) to local street food hole-in-the-wall style establishments. Prices vary, and there is something for everyone. 

Limbo

When Phil and I arrive in places we don’t know, we normally end up visiting the first restaurant that we can find that has the best reviews. When we arrived in San Pancho in the evening, only a few seconds from our hotel was Limbo. They served us delicious, unique Mexican food on a patio. It was very expensive compared to other food we ate in San Pancho. $$$

Taqueria Los Arbolitos

Our first taste of authentic Mexican street tacos, Taqueria Los Arbolitos, came highly recommended online. Tucked down a side alley off the main street (and I mean main stree,t as there is only one main street in San Pancho) is this cheap and cheerful hole-in-the-wall Street taco restaurant serving up fresh tacos and tasty beverages. At $20 MXN a taco, this is the kind of cheap eats we were looking for. All fresh condiments are available to add from a side table – fresh lime wedges, sliced cabbage, cucumber, cilantro, red and green salsas. You name it, all the toppings are there to add to your meat (or veggie) tacos. Add on a Limonada – freshly made lemonade (this was magnificent) for $55 MXN or a Piñada (like a Pina Colada but without the alcohol, I believe) for $80 MXN. All are served with a friendly smile from a clean kitchen. $

Taqueria el Pocas

This authentic Mexican street taco restaurant is located on the Main Street in San Pancho. With tables and chairs spilling out onto the cobbled road, you will find delicious tacos and cold beers all served with the warmest smiles from the staff. We particularly loved the Al Pastor Tacos, BBQ-ed to perfection. All fresh condiments were available on a table, including fresh sliced red onion, lime wedges, fresh onion and cilantro, cucumber and an array of mild and spicy salsas. Each taco was just $17 MXN, and beers were $45 MXN. All were served with warmth from the staff, with one particular lady offering the biggest smile each time she served us, even with my limited, embarrassing attempts at Spanish. $

La Tarraya

Located directly in front of the Ysuri Hotel, San Pancho is La Tarraya. We enjoyed Corona with fresh lime and delicious passion fruit Mezcalitas (my new favourite cocktail). The freshly made chunky guacamole, chips and spicy condiments were the perfect addition.

Beers were $40 MXN, margaritas were $130 MXN, and guacamole with chips was $100 MXN. The vibes were so dreamy with colourful lanterns hanging from the tree,s draped in festoon lights. Wooden tables on a deck overlooking the ocean as the sun sets in front of you. Cool music plays in the background as the sound of the waves lapping the shore. Offering up Tulum-style beach shack vibes, this place was somewhere we wished we had come sooner. You will also notice they have a really cool swing hanging from the palm tree in front. $$

Las Iguanas

Located just off the plaza from the main beach entrance, Las Iguanas is a small hole-in-the-wall style ice cream shop/ quesadilla takeaway. With beautiful tropical tiled tables and chairs with umbrellas, you can sit here and eat in or take it away. For $80 MXN, you could get a pastor or asada quesadilla in a blue flour tortilla the size of a dinner plate, with options for adding fresh pickled red onion, lime wedges, black beans, onion, cilantro and salsas – which were amazing. We ate our lunch here every day! We originally ordered two, but the portions were so huge we ended up sharing one for lunch for the remainder of the days there. $$

Cafe Paraiso

We stopped at Cafe Paraiso for a light breakfast one morning when our go-to breakfast joint was closed. They offer a small selection of smoothies, cakes and coffees. The Berry Banana smoothie ($90 MXN) and lemon scones ($55 MXN) were delicious. $$

Where to Stay in San Pancho?

Hotels and accommodation can vary quite a lot in San Pancho, Mexico, with budgets to suit all levels. Most places receive great reviews, and thus, finding somewhere to stay can be difficult when choosing between all the great places. We found it helped to narrow down the properties based on requirements that were important to us:

• Great reviews
• Within our budget
• Offered air conditioning
• Had a fridge (for cold drinks like beers, etc)
• Had nice decor
• Close to the beach 

Ysuri Hotel San Pancho

We stayed in the Ysuri Hotel San Pancho – the property in San Pancho with beachfront access. This boutique hotel offers just 7 rooms, and the grounds are huge in comparison to the size of the property. The garden was packed with towering palm trees and a winding path that led to the beach.

A sparkling swimming pool lined with sun loungers and umbrellas sits underneath the canopy of the palm trees. The sound of the waves splashing on the shore fills the air. The cool sea breeze and palm shade made this the big winning factor of staying here.

Fernanda – the wonderful manager who greets you warmly by name, always smiles, and chats, making the experience even better. Fernanda arranged our Sayulita taxi on check-out and even let us use the pool afterwards.

We had the Ground Floor Seaview King Room, offering beautiful garden views and a patio area with tables and chairs. It felt like you had the property to yourself, as it’s the only room that leads directly to the garden. The next best option is the Palapa rooms. These are opposite and have winding staircases up to rooms with balconies overlooking the garden. 9.1/10 Rating

PAL.MAR Hotel Tropical

We almost booked PAL.MAR Hotel Tropical, which is why it has made it to our San Pancho accommodation list. Recommended highly in other travel blogs and online reviews, this hotel ticked lots of our boxes. We did manage to walk past the hotel on our visit to San Pancho, and it is located only a 5-minute walk from the beach. The main reason we didn’t book it was that we wanted to be as close to the beach as possible. 9.3/10 Rating

Top Tip for Visiting San Pancho

The sea breeze makes San Pancho Beach a popular place to avoid the sun’s heat. Sun loungers and umbrellas are scattered along the beach for rent, and the ocean is a great place to cool off (with caution). As soon as you walk inland to the main street in San Pancho, that sea breeze almost disappears, and the humidity kicks in.

One thing we really loved about our hotel was that not only did it offer beautiful shade in the way of palm trees and umbrellas by the beachfront pool, but a cooling sea breeze all day long. That made an almost unbearably humid time of year (May) for someone who suffers a lot from heat rash, a literal paradise. Do not underestimate the power of lying out in 30-degree heat and 70% humidity and feeling comfortable. A beachfront hotel with a pool, palm trees and a sea breeze – tick!

How Much Do Things Cost in San Pancho

Prices vary in San Pancho, and with some careful planning in advance, you can estimate your budget for your trip. 

How Much Does Food Cost in San Pancho?

Food in San Pancho, Mexico, can cost as little as $17 MXN for a street food taco to $320 MXN for a restaurant-style main taco dish. Drinks can cost anywhere from $20 MXN for a beer from a corner shop, $40-45 MXN from a restaurant and cocktails anywhere from $150+ MXN. 

How Much Does Accommodation Cost in San Pancho?

Accommodation in San Pancho, Mexico, can cost anywhere from $50 CAD a night to several hundred a night, depending on what season you come and where you stay. There’s a variety of luxury properties and cheaper, more local-style accommodations. There are plenty of Airbnbs, too, which are great for longer-term stays. Book your accommodation here.

How to Get to San Pancho

There are several ways you can reach San Pancho, Mexico. You can travel by public bus, Uber, rental car, airport taxi or private taxi. The closest international airport to San Pancho is Puerto Vallarta. The journey time from Puerto Vallarta to San Pancho takes approximately an hour, depending on how you travel. The quickest option is to travel via private transfer, and the longest option is via public bus.

Private Transfer from Puerto Vallarta Airport to San Pancho

Getting a pre-arranged private taxi to San Pancho would be our recommended option for travel. Since the airport only allows certain taxi companies inside the airport grounds, these private taxis greet you just outside the airport. The main benefit of being picked up outside the airport is that it means your taxi ride is cheaper. Our driver sent us WhatsApp directions at the airport arrivals with photos of where to meet – by the bus stop, seconds from exiting the airport. We were greeted with a huge smile, free cold beers and bottled water and were allowed to stop at a nearby supermarket (La Comer) along the way so we could get some supplies. Just make sure to tip extra for this convenience. We used Mexico Insider for recommendations for our taxi.

Hot Tip: We recommend only booking a one-way transfer, as getting a taxi from San Pancho to Puerto Vallarta Airport is a lot cheaper once organised in San Pancho.

Airport Taxis to San Pancho

The most expensive option for travelling to San Pancho is via the airport taxis that wait at arrivals. These cost a lot more than if you were to pre-arrange a private transfer. They are available as you exit the arrival terminal at Puerto Vallarta Airport.

Uber to San Pancho

Uber is available to San Pancho from Puerto Vallarta Airport. As Uber drivers are not allowed inside the airport grounds, you have to catch them from across the pedestrian bridge on the other side of the main road opposite the airport. The main thing to consider when catching an Uber is dynamic pricing; the prices change depending on demand, and this means that at busy airline arrival times, the price of your Uber ride to San Pancho will most likely cost more than a pre-arranged transport option. It is normally cheaper than getting an airport taxi, so if you are concerned about the pric,e I would compare these if you haven’t pre-arranged transport.

Hiring a Car to Travel to San Pancho

There are several hire car companies that you can use to drive to San Pancho. This is a great option if you are planning on visiting a variety of places on a road trip. If you are looking to just visit San Pancho, you won’t need a car, and I would recommend getting a private taxi. Book your rental car here.

Public Bus to San Pancho

There is a public bus that travels from Puerto Vallarta Airport to San Pancho called Compostela. It leaves approximately every 20 minutes and takes about 1.5 – 2 hours. Cross the pedestrian bridge across from the airport and wait for the bus that says San Pancho. The cost is about $50 Pesos.

Getting from San Pancho to Puerto Vallarta Airport

We asked our hotel about getting a taxi to the airport, and they called the local taxis and arranged for them to come and pick us up at a set time. We asked on the day we wanted the taxi and didn’t need to pre-book further in advance. This is a lot cheaper than purchasing a pre-booked transfer online in USD.

Stay Connected to WIFI

Airalo is the best and most affordable travel data option out there! Avoid excessive roaming charges and download an eSIM from over 200 countries/regions with Airalo. We have used them in France, Canada, the United States and Mexico, and it’s so convenient and affordable. As the eSIMs offer just data, we use Facebook/WhatsApp, etc., to message/call friends and family. Get your Airalo eSIM here!

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