by Judy Bereza, Guest Blogger

Destination?  Sayulita, Mexico.  Goal?  A week of connection and fun with family.  Result? Mixed.  

First let me be clear.  Sayulita is not for the faint of heart.  Not easy to get to,not easy to navigate unless you rent a golf cart or two, not easy on the stomach, not geared for an older demographic. 

Then, what’s to like?  First of all, perfect weather.  When we visited the week after Christmas, contrary to most of the  upper 48, including Florida, the weather was 80 degrees and sunny, with low humidity.  Then add in a perfect beach, although to experience it easily, youmust invest a considerable amount of cash to secure the whitest sand and the most uncrowded vistas. 

Then, there is the aura of an authentic Mexican town.  If you prefer an upscale, gated, homogenized resort that can be literally anywhere on the planet, why not?.  So much easier than making an effort to experience authentic Mexico.

We rented an oceanside villa that came with a staff and cook, which is quite common in Mexico.  Our daughter, who had been there five times before,arranged for surfing lessons, deep sea fishing, and a mosaic class.  My husband and I were happy to take photos of our own family surfers, the fishing expedition resulted in ceviche and fish tacos for dinner, and the mosaic class produceda reasonable facsimile of a leaf, a joint husband and wife project of which weare unreasonably proud.

What of Sayulita itself?  To say it is colorful is an understatement.  Flags andbanners and vibrant textiles everywhere.  The market venders are awash inauthentic, however endlessly repeated merchandise.  The food is truly Mexican, not the Taco Bell version so prevalent in the states.  The vibe is party time!  Especially at night.  Most of the restaurants are open air, and live music is everywhere.

Our family, with the exception of the parents, participated in a lively round ofkaraoke, which is oddly popular there.  There are shops, most open well into the night.  An exquisite, curated shop might be right next to a jumbled stand that screams “tourists, come in and waste your pesos!”  Also, it must be said, thesanitation department has its hands full, for as soon as the piles ofgarbage bags are picked up at night, the next day there are just as many.  

There are dogs everywhere.  However, Mexican dogs, although mostly unleashed and wandering around. are invariably friendly.  Not one everbarked, snarled, or followed us.  And like the traditional Mexican Chihuahua,most are small, and really pretty cute.

We had a marvelous time, really.  A few glitches to be sure with an unfortunaterifling through my luggage at the airport, an uneasy stomach, and Covidfollowing me back.  However, despite this list, uninterrupted time with family, marveling over spectacular sunsets, lingering at dinner, dominos, and cheering on University of Michigan football, priceless!

Judy loves to travel with family and friends, taking off on adventures far and near with her husband, family and friends.  A retired interior designer, Judy divides her time between Michigan and Florida, while making many trips each year to visit grandchildren in other states.