Roadtrip Through Mangroves, Mariachi & Mezcal: The Scenic Route through Nayarit to Punta de Mita
When we touched down in Tepic, Mexico, the plane rolled through a ceremonial water salute, a fire truck spraying arcs of water that glittered in the sun, as our Volaris flight taxied in. This aviation tradition, used around the world to celebrate inaugural routes, retirements, and historic milestones, felt like a christening into something new.
On the tarmac, a crowd had gathered, clapping and waving as if greeting old friends. It wasn’t just our arrival, it was history: the very first nonstop flight from Los Angeles to Tepic from Volaris. During the flight, attendants handed out raffle‑ticket stress balls shaped like miniature airplanes. Someone in our row won a free round trip on the same route. We didn’t, but we’d already won something better: a gateway into a part of Mexico that still feels like discovery.
This is the part in the film where everyone shouts, “Road trip!” and the screen cuts to a convertible flying down an open road, long hair whipping in the wind, the promise of something unforgettable just ahead. Only this wasn’t a movie. This was us, ready to trade jet fuel for asphalt, taking the scenic route through Nayarit.
Consider this less a straight shot to the coast and more a zigzag through culture, cuisine, and coastline. It’s not for the “logistically logical.” It’s for travelers who prefer murals and mezcal over shortcuts, who’d rather collect roadside coconuts than save fifteen minutes on Google Maps. From the historic port town of San Blas, where mangroves braid themselves into living tunnels, to a boutique hacienda in Jala at the foot of a volcano, through the surf‑bright streets of Sayulita, and finally to the polished calm of Punta de Mita, this drive isn’t just about reaching the destination. It’s about savoring the journey. If the whole “maybe the vacation was the journey we took to get there” philosophy isn’t your thing, feel free to skip ahead to our review of the Conrad Punta de Mita.
📍San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico
We made our way to the Matanchén Pier, a broad walkway that extends over the Pacific and ends with a bronze statue of Rebeca Méndez Jiménez, known locally as “La Loca del Muelle de San Blas.” She spent decades waiting in her bridal dress on this very pier for her fiancé who never returned. She is immortalized in “En el muelle de San Blas” a 90s song by Maná about this woman, that has amassed hundreds of millions of listens thanks to its catchy and memorable guitar riff. Maybe this song doesn’t contain the perfect subject matter for a road trip anthem, but the latin guitar is relaxing and lead singer, Fher Olvera’s voice is soothing. The statue on the pier stands as both a memorial and magnet, inviting visitors to pause and remember.
On the La Tovara boat tour, we drifted and dashed through tranquil channels shaded by towering mangroves. The power boats weaved through the waterways like a highspeed chase scene. We spotted storks and their eggs balanced on branches, their nests hidden high above the reach of crocodiles, which we spotted, below. Iguanas sunned themselves on driftwood, and the air pulsed with birdsong.
San Blas offered us myth, music, nature– everything the road trip promised on just our first stop.
📍Jala, Nayarit, Mexico
Drive time from San Blas: ~1.5 hours
After San Blas, we steered inland toward Jala, a Pueblo Mágico framed by the looming Ceboruco volcano. Unlike the coast, Jala feels quieter, slower, its cobblestone streets leading to a sandstone basilica whose bell towers guard the valley below.
Our home for the night was the Nukari Quinta Boutique Hotel, a restored 18th‑century hacienda distinguished by its deep red walls and elegant white columns. It manages to feel both timeless and contemporary. With only 17 rooms, it feels like a secret. Each room is spacious, elegantly furnished, and some feature their own indoor soaking tub (Jacuzzi or Roman tub). These tubs are detox stations for weary travelers: steam off the road and linger. Note that Nukari Quinta Boutique is also home to Nadira Spa, the only full-service hotel spa in Jala.
As the sun began its descent, we climbed to Nukari’s rooftop terrace. The timing was perfect: golden hour, or rather purple hour, as the sun slipped directly behind the basilica, its glow framed by the bell towers like a living painting. Dinner unfolded course by course, paired with glasses from Meseta del Cielo, Nayarit’s first vineyard. Just 45 minutes from Jala, the vineyard thrives in a rare highland microclimate where volcanic soil and cool breezes coax European grape varieties into flourishing.
We began with the Macabeo 2022, a white wine soft and round, with green apple, peach, and hints of jasmine, which paired beautifully with a goat cheese salad topped with passion fruit. Then came the Rosado 2024, bright and elegant, the color of twilight itself, echoing the purple glow behind the basilica. The evening’s centerpiece was a perfectly seared ribeye with rosemary and roasted vegetables, earthy and tender. Meseta del Cielo’s Syrah has drawn national attention, with a spot in Cava Magazine’s Top 99 Mexican Wines, a sign that this young vineyard, planted in volcanic soil at 1,900 meters above sea level, is quickly putting Nayarit on Mexico’s wine map.
The next morning, after breakfast, we set out for Cascada El Salto. The trail began with a charming, rickety rainbow bridge, the kind that makes you wonder halfway across whether you should have updated your will. On the other side, cows and bulls grazed lazily in the grass, each with bright ear tags like earrings, proof they weren’t wild but likely belonged to nearby ranchers who let them roam the volcanic foothills.
By the time we reached the waterfall, thirty meters of white water thundered down, the mist cooling our faces. And there it was: the reason we wanted to make this road trip the kind that zigzags instead of beelines. For places like this: hidden, untamed, and entirely their own.
📍Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico
Drive time from Jala: ~1 hour and 30 minutes
Arriving in Sayulita after staying in Jala feels like a dream in technicolor (who turned up the saturation?). Surfboards lean against rainbow-colored walls. The scent of ocean salt mixes with street‑food spices, and the rhythm here beats in flip‑flop pace. Even time plays by different rules—literally. Once you leave the northwestern parts of Nayarit (like Tepic or Jala, which are on Mountain Standard Time, UTC−7) and enter the Bahía de Banderas region, home to Sayulita and Punta de Mita,the clock jumps ahead one hour into Central Standard Time (UTC−6).
Our base here was the Sayulinda Hotel, a design-forward boutique stay just steps from the beach. This chic hotel is booming and blooming. Sayulinda doesn’t just do plants; they do botany big: bold, global, and entirely unbothered by borders. Here, Madagascar leans into Brazil, China hangs beside Chiapas, and somehow each species of fern, palm, and philodendron all thrive in Sayulita’s salt-tinged, humid air. The terracotta walls amplify every shade of green, and the light that filters through black woven lanterns feels almost botanical itself. A wooden swing draped in pom-poms hangs beneath the ceiling garden, waiting for someone to sit and gently sway while they wait to check in. Here, the plants aren’t local, but they’re right at home, and somehow, so are you.
Despite its boutique scale, Sayulinda packs character into its 51 rooms, each designed to echo the surf-town outside. The crown jewel is the Suite del Patrón, the hotel’s only suite. Its sweeping ocean views and elevated finishes are perfect for those who want a bit of VIP luxury experience. Then there are the Ocean View Rooms, perched higher up for those postcard-worthy sunsets; the Terrace Rooms, which are pet-friendly, and the Standard Rooms, which may be the simplest, but still carry Sayulinda’s signature bright, simple, modern style.
The true showstopper of this hotel: its rooftop infinity pool, an oasis where water meets sky and magic happens. Beside it, Bar del Patrón pours specialty cocktails, nominated among Mexico’s Top 10 Hotel Bars at the 2025 Shaker Awards.
If not at the pool, spend the afternoon wandering the alleys of Sayulita or ducking into an artisan boutique or gallery. Sayulinda isn’t flashy or full of frills, but it’s vivid and modern—and the private balconies come with hammocks made for mid-afternoon swings, the kind that turn into naps before dinner.
📍Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico
Drive time from Sayulita: ~25 – 30 minutes
At the edge of Riviera Nayarit, where the coastline bends into a near-perfect crescent, Punta de Mita extends into the Pacific with the quiet poise of a place that knows exactly what it is. This is our final stop. Once a modest fishing village, Punta de Mita has evolved into one of Mexico’s most exclusive coastal enclaves. It is home to a constellation of resorts including the fabulous (and dog friendly) W Punta de Mita. To the east of Punta de Mita, there’s the Delta Hotels Riviera Nayarit, an All-Inclusive Resort. And if you’re planning on venturing farther down the coast towards Puerto Vallarta, UNICO 20 105 Hotel Vallarta is a must-stay.
We stayed at the Conrad Punta de Mita, which offers not just beauty, but a kind of spiritual experience, a resort that feels both expansive and deeply grounding.
Conrad Punta de Mita. Litibu, Nayarit. Mexico. Photo by: Victor Elias Photography.
Can you really “walk into” or “enter” the Conrad Punta de Mita? No, those descriptions are too basic. At the Conrad Punta de Mita everything a guest does should be 200% more grandiose and be described as such. You strut into the lobby, you fall from the folds of heaven into the lobby, you float on the wings of destiny into this lobby! This is your White Lotus moment. This is 9 Perfect Strangers without Nicole Kidman and the drugs. And if you’re not a wealthy troubled guest, you can at least pretend to be and people will take care of you. You’ll be looked after from the time the staff hands you a cool moistened towel while you wait to check in to the time in the infinity pool when you really really want a coconut because everyone else got one and you don’t want to miss out! 
“We’re all out,” the poolside waiter said regretfully. But after seeing our sad puppy dog eyes and returning five minutes later, he said, “Actually I found one more!”
“How do you say, ‘You are my hero!’ in Spanish?” we asked a friend, hoping to thank the waiter.
“Mi héroe!” he said. “But if you want to get more coconuts for all of us plus some extra shots of rum, you could try, ‘Tu es mi héroe, Papi!’” he said seductively.
Bar hopping is out and pool hopping is in. The resort’s three pools (yes, three) provide a setting for every mood: the elegant main infinity pool, a quieter adults-only option, and a kid-friendly pool near the family zone with an epic waterslide. Naturally, we spent most of our time orbiting the swim-up bar, where the standout cocktail was the Sake Spritz: a sparkling elixir of Sake Namai Junmai (30ml), Il Follo Brut Rosé (90ml), ginger ale, and toronja (grapefruit). Bright, balanced, and blissfully not too sweet.
The guest rooms vary subtly depending on their location. Rooms in the main complex offer convenient access to the lobby, spa, and restaurants. But if you want to fall asleep to the lull of the Pacific, the oceanfront suites, located in low-rise buildings closer to the beach, offer balconies, hammocks, and private plunge pools that make it hard to ever leave. Either way, all rooms have an earthy elegance—neutral tones, natural textures, and a modern warmth that feels neither over-designed nor underwhelming.
Codex Restaurant
To get to Codex, the signature fine dining restaurant at Conrad Punta de Mita, you don’t just walk, you wind. Past palm groves and torch-lit paths. We hope you’re ready for this.
Inside, bamboo ceilings hover above an open kitchen, where flames flicker behind chef silhouettes. White wood-beaded chandeliers sway gently. Tiki torches crackle just outside. Strung bulbs glow like floating orbs in the trees. Even the bread—served warm with mole butter and rosemary-guajillo chile oil—feels ceremonial.
But if you’re lucky, your night doesn’t end inside.
There’s one table (just one) set beneath the mangroves directly on the sand. A round wooden table, two woven chairs, ocean in front, trees above. It’s not beachfront dining in the cliché sense. It’s beachfront dining in the spiritual sense. Like the sea pulled up a chair just to watch you eat.
As the sun sets through the branches, turning everything lavender and gold, dishes arrive that are as poetic as the setting.
“Be careful,” the waiter warned gently, placing the habanero sauce on the table. “We don’t want to see you crying later.” He smiled. So did we. Because even if we did cry, it’d either be from gratitude or the spice of life that the Conrad Punta de Mita so beautifully layers into the experience through bold flavors, unexpected details, and those little moments that remind you why we travel in the first place.
We came for the inaugural Volaris flight, but what we found was a winding corridor of culture, coastline, and calm. Nayarit gave us music rising from the docks, wine at volcanic altitudes, and sunsets caught between bell towers and palm fronds. From Jala’s highland elegance to Sayulita’s saturated pulse, and finally Punta de Mita’s sun-drenched glamour, each stop offered a different kind of brilliance, woven together, not by speed, but by spirit. The route was anything but direct, just the way we like it. If you’re after the quickest path, this guide isn’t for you. But if you prefer waterfalls to Wi-Fi, believe that the best vacations don’t start at the destination, they start the moment you choose the long way? We’ll see you on the road.
