10 days in Mexico: From City to Surf
In April 2023, as another desperately cold winter in British Columbia came to a close, I decided it was essential that my partner Harry and I jetted off for some end of Winter sun. We decided on Mexico because of the easy accessibility from our closest airport Vancouver, with multiple airlines running direct flights across the country. April is also the last month of dry season in Mexico as they enter Spring, so the weather is warm, and the busy season draws to a close. Neither of us had ever been before, so we knew we wanted to visit a couple of places at least. After doing a bit of research, we decided 10 days would be enough time to fit in a short city break as well as a beach vacation.
Contents:
A short city break
Vibrant green cafes in Roma Norte.
We flew directly from Vancouver to Mexico City with Aeromexico with the flight costing around CAN$350 for both of us, and taking no more than 6 hours. Our flight got us in at 07:20am so we opted to spend 2 nights and 3 full days here. We managed to secure a cute studio Airbnb in the heart of Roma Norte; an area which had been highly recommended to us because of its green avenues, eclectic restaurants, and young vibrant feel. The Airbnb cost us CAN$163 in total for 2 nights and was exactly what we needed.
Top tip for Mexico City: Don’t try and get public transport from the Airport. We are both frugal in nature, so wanted to save as much money as possible and practise our 45-day streak on Duolingo by getting public buses. After 2 hours of queuing, sweating and Harry saying ‘Merci’ rather than ‘Por Favor’ to anyone that helped us, we gave up and booked an Uber. If you’re fluent in Spanish and have a lot more patience than us, give it a go, but the $15 Uber to our apartment seemed like nothing after all that.
Palicio de Bellas Artes
Food was high on our agenda for this city break, our favourite restaurant being ‘Restaurante Takotl’ because of how incredible the Tacos were and how easy it was to enjoy a few Mezcal Margaritas. I also highly recommend sampling as much street food as possible. I know this can be daunting at first and trust me I learnt the hard way with putting an incredibly spicy salsa on my tacos; but it really made us feel submerged into the Mexican culture.
Other recommendations for a short stay in Mexico City would be to visit some of the famous sites. Although try and go as early as possible as the city is incredibly warm and humid by midday. We visited the Monument to the Revolution, the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral which were all within walking distance to one another. One evening, we also visited Plaza Garibaldi where you can watch Mariachis in traditional attire perform. We went for dinner at the ‘Salon Tenampa’ and spent the evening enjoying great food, great tequila and even better performances. For a small tip to the bands you can even be serenaded!
From City to Surf
Sunset over our apartment pool in Sayulita
Once we were all citied out, we were ready for a beach vacation. We took a 1.5-hour flight from Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta, which is a resort town on Mexico’s Pacific Coast costing a total of CAN$175 for both of us. We spent 4 nights here, and then 4 nights in Sayulita. Out of the two, Sayulita came out on top. This was largely down to it feeling like a more local area with less tourists (I’m fully aware we are tourists ourselves). Most of our time was spent relaxing at the beaches, watching the sunsets and enjoying good food. In the evenings it was always fun to wonder around and follow the sounds of live music.
One evening, as we were strolling down the Malecón in downtown Puerto Vallarta, we stumbled across the ‘Papantla Pole Flyers’. Essentially this involved 4 men conducting a ritual by dangling themselves upsidedown and spinning around a pole. It was incredible to watch and even more interesting to learn about. I would highly recommend watching this if you find yourself in the area.
Sayulita is a village also on the Pacific Coast and is known for its beaches and strong surf. With it being only an hour north by car of Puerto Vallarta it was an easy choice for us to spend the last 4 days of our trip here. We spent most of our time down on the beach or around our apartment pool. Unfortunately, on one of the last days, Harry decided to rent a surfboard and ended up planting his foot nicely into a sea urchin which put a negative spin on the last few days as he could barely walk. This is something to keep in your mind if you decide to surf there!
Day trip to Yelapa
The beach village of Yelapa
On one of our days in Puerto Vallarta, we took a one-day boat trip to Yelapa. The boat trip took around 1 hour and costs no more than CAN$10 per person. Yelapa appealed to us because of its jungle landscapes and remote location, perfect to escape the hustle of Puerto Vallarta for the day. Yelapa is a quiet fishing village and was founded by 4 families about 150 years ago. Yelapa has no roads and is very much a beach community. We spent the day hiking to a local waterfall, eating whilst overlooking the incredible sea and relaxing on the quiet beaches. As part of our boat payment, we also got access to sunbeds, so it was nice to not have to haggle for them when we arrived. Overall, I would highly recommend this as a day trip even just for the boat ride alone which was an experience to say the least!
Time to head home!
After 2 nights in the bustling cities and 8 nights on the Pacific Coast, it was time to head back to Vancouver. We flew back directly with Westjet from Puerto Vallarta to Vancouver, which took around 5.5 hours and cost CAN$500 for both of us. This itinerary was perfect for anyone looking for a bit of both of what Mexico has to offer, without too much travelling. Having the city break at the beginning allowed us to enjoy the beaches and head home feeling like we had had a vacation. This itinerary doesn’t just have to be done from Vancouver but can work from anywhere that flies direct to Mexico city including many locations throughout the USA, South America and even London.
Thinking of travelling to Mexico?
Contact me to discuss any questions you might have relating to my itinerary, Airbnb’s or any other costs involved.
HEY, I’M LOZ!
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This is an insight into the life of a girl who likes to get lost. I write about all things travel and the outdoors. If you like my content please subscribe and if you really like it, please buy me a coffee so I can continue making content for you!