San Pancho Trip

When did we go….

• Mar 22-29, 2025

 

Why did we go…

• we enjoyed our November trips so much the past three years that we decided to book a spring trip
• we were joined by our daughter Stephanie and her husband Cody, neither of which had been to Mexico before

 

 

How did we get there…

• 5 hour direct flight from Calgary to Puerto Vallarta and the same on the return
• 1 hour drive from the airport to our hotel in San Pancho from Diva Tours (who ripped us off on a return trip deal)
• it took an hour for the kids to get their checked luggage and then delays at security as I was flagged for being a human being or whatever reason
• it took a little over an hour to drive back to the airport due to the highway expansion construction and then our flight was three hours delayed

 

 

Where did we stay…

• Palmar Hotel Tropical
• boutique hotel in the heart of the town
• nice ground floor room with a separate bedroom, and outdoor patio
• the kids had a second floor unit with a full opening balcony door
• beautiful foilage around the courtyard/pool area

 

 

Where did we eat…

• Barracuda (dinner, nice setting on the main street watching the local action, good food but slow service on a busy night)
• Amar Y Ya (breakfast every day but one, fun owner named Alex and his beautiful dog Mocha, great chow, nice outdoor patio on a quiet side street)
• Habibi (dinner twice, Mediterranean/Mexican fusion, excellent food and service)
• Yasmina’s (lunch, excellent plant based food, added touch of a complimentary lentil soup and healthy drink shot, nice courtyard environment)
• Cerveceria Artesenal (lunch, great burger and fries and full disclosure that we had the fries as our dessert a few nights after other dinners)
• Dolce Jardin (dinner, good food, best to share the mains as they are very large)
• Taqueria Los Arbolitos (dinner, traditional Mexican street scene, very inexpensive, good tacos)
• Maria’s (breakfast, historic restaurant, large portions)
• San Pancho Marino (dinner, excellent chow, good service, French owner is chatty and entertaining)
• La Tortuga (lunch, traditional Mexican, average meal and noisy street traffic)
• El Rinconcito (lunch, Mexican street café, very good food and service, nice ambiance)
• La Ola Rica (dinner, average food and service, nice ambiance on the main street)

 

 

What did we do…

• checked out the Tuesday artisanal market at Plaza del Sol (lots of unique vendors)
• hung out at the beach (played in the water, caught some rays, read, boogie boarded, watched the surfers, people watched and saw the craziest bird fight over a school of fish moving along close to the shore)
• did a beach walk one morning which was a nice way to start the day before the blazing sun comes out
• Steph and Cody surfed at La Lancha beach near Punta Mita with Franco from Sante Madre Surf Shop (almost did get there as the hundred year old Ford Explorer didn’t want to start until they found a magic key that worked, the waves were a bit tricky so it wasn’t the best surf experience for the kids)
• Mare had a massage at Alinea from Simone who is very good (Alinea also has a small café with healthy food and drinks)
• watched the beautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean every evening (amazing colors and a fun beach vibe) while enjoying some libations mostly at La Palmas served by Celena, Maria, and Margerita
• attended the La Patronas Polo Club brunch and exhibition match (fun event where they explain the game of polo known as ‘the sport of kings’, excellent food vendors, good band and libations, had a bit of trouble getting a taxi to and from the venue)
• enjoyed post dinner drinks and live music every night at Cerveceria Artesenal  (1 minute walk from our hotel, generally excellent musicians)
• took a guided walk with Flor and Stefan from Sante Madre Surfshop to Mud Beach (45 minute interpretive walk along a country road into a secluded beach with a mud hole filled with skin healthy mud, the water had crazy waves on this day so we didn’t venture in very far to get the mud off)
• enjoy tea and chocolate drinks at Andaza
• Steph had a poem written for her by Maurice Meijer who did one for Mare last fall
• checked out the La Concheca store which has a good array of spiritual and health products

 

 

Background:

• San Pancho is a small beach town with a unique relaxed atmosphere, cool people from all over the world, nice little shops and restaurants, surrounded by amazing jungle and ocean landscapes
• it is located at Riviera Nayarit, Mexico, one hour drive north from Puerto Vallarta Airport and less than a 10 minute drive north from Sayulita
• population of 3000 people
• in Mexico, “Pancho” is the short name for Francisco, the official name of the village is San Francisco, but everybody lovingly calls it San Pancho

 

 

San Pancho history:

In 1524 the Spanish conquerors established contact with the indigenous ethnic groups, Huichol and Cora, who inhabited this region. Don Francisco Cortés de Buenaventura named this town in reference to San Francisco de Asís, the patron saint of nature and fauna. For more than 100 years, the Spanish overcame the Cora and Huichol families, trying to take their lands. In 1722, the Cora leader was captured, and invaders populated the territory. The Cora continued to fight and rebel while the Huicholes retreated to the mountains.

In more recent history, Luis Echeverría, Mexico’s former president, is considered the founder of San Pancho. He wanted to develop a self-sufficient and self sustainable community model. He financed various projects like housing, schools, a hospital, an agricultural university, a fruit processing factory, and a fish factory. However, after completing his mandate in government, funds were taken away, and the town’s development went into a significant halt.

In the last few years, with the exponential growth in Puerto Vallarta, tourism has extended more and more towards beach towns in Bahía de Banderas.

San Pancho definitely feels that growth, but luckily, it has cultivated its community spirit and preserved its heritage.

 

What did we not do that is on the agenda for next time:

• visit some of the other small villages north of San Pancho and towards the interior
• visit the Community Cultural Center
• check out more of the residential areas of San Pancho
• SUP along the Lo de Marcos coastline
• visit the Lo de Perla Jungle Garden
• take a polo lesson
• check out more local restaurants and especially the authentic Mexican places
• take some yoga classes at El Ester (right beside our hotel)
• take a salsa lesson at ?

 

Final thoughts:

• the weather was nice, with highs of 25 and lows in the mid teens (we had a sweater on in the mornings and some evenings)
• you have to be careful as sometimes your phone picks up a time zone nearby that is one hour earlier
• San Pancho has the right blend of an authentic Mexican vibe and a safe, modern feeling
• a lot of places don’t accept Visa, so you need to have lots of pesos on hand and find bank machines that work
• the number of dogs in San Pancho seemed to outnumber the people (they were all healthy looking and generally roaming free without leashes)
• there are tons of roosters roaming around town
• it was fun sharing our knowledge of this lovely area with our daughter Stephanie and her husband Cody
• it’s funny how you start to see the same people around town