Top Things to do in Riviera Nayarit
Top Hotels in Riviera Nayarit
- 1. Marival Armony Luxury Resort & Suites
- 2. Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit
- 3. Villa Del Palmar Flamingos Beach Resort And Spa
- 4. Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa
- 5. Hotel Ysuri Sayulita
- 6. Marival Emotions Resort & Suites
- 7. Casa Makawe
- 8. Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta
- 9. Marival Distinct Luxury Residences
- 10. Dreams Bahia Mita Surf & Spa
Countries
What to do and see in Riviera Nayarit, Nayarit: The Best Free Things to do
Discover the best top things to do in Riviera Nayarit, Pacific Coast including Platanitos Playa Beach, Playa Las Cuevas, Playa El Borrego, Las Islitas, Destiladeras Beach, A Broken Art, Matanchen Bay, Playa Chacala, Nuevo Vallarta Beach, Santa Maria del Oro.
Restaurants in Riviera Nayarit
1. Platanitos Playa Beach
2. Playa Las Cuevas
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By Westcoaster2013 - Vancouver Island, Canada
It is so wonderful to walk along a path lined by palm trees and other foliage that offer a bit of shade on a hot day. Playa Las Cuevas connects with Playa Malpaso and in a lower tide it is easy to go around the sand by the rock bluff to get to Malpaso and then hike the length of that beautiful beach.
3. Playa El Borrego
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 80 reviews
One of San Blas' main beaches.
Reviewed By Sergio327 - Flores, Guatemala
The place offers clean sand, breeze and oncean, along with a good choice of restaurants and places to stay with a company or alone. The sunset watching is a must activity here. The place is suprizingly quite as there are no annoying sellers, even on the weekends.
4. Las Islitas
5. Destiladeras Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 297 reviews
Located between the cliffs of Punta del Burro, this beach is popular with sunbathers and surfers alike.
Reviewed By dbrunelle - Penticton, Canada
We stay in Bucerias but we love Destiladeras Beach better than anywhere. Up the coast a few minutes from La Cruz, it is easily assessible by bus if you do not have your own transportation. The best sand and wonderful for long walks. Food/drinks is available as well as chairs and umbrellas to rent.
6. A Broken Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 19 reviews
7. Matanchen Bay
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 67 reviews
This beautiful bay lined with restaurants and sandy beaches is the best place to swim in San Blas.
Reviewed By Firebird1987 - Cedar City, United States
We took a taxi to this beach and hung out at one the restaurants. We had the whole beach to ourselves.It was fun collecting shells and having fun.
8. Playa Chacala
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 107 reviews
Beach and village about 60 miles north of Puerto Vallarta.
Reviewed By 1_4_adventure - Calgary, Canada
Extremely clean and not very busy even on weekends (compared to any other beach in the state). Surf seems quite general but that depends on the wind and stage of the moon. Definitely worth a visit for an extended vacation.
9. Nuevo Vallarta Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,509 reviews
Reviewed By 657JulieM - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
We love the Nuevo Vallarta area principally for the beaches. You can walk for hours enjoying the peaceful atmosphere watching the sea birds catching fish and if you’re fortunate you can see momma sea turtles coming in to lay their eggs along with baby turtles hatching and making their way to the sea.
10. Santa Maria del Oro
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 109 reviews
Reviewed By johnpB3780YQ - Guadalajara, Mexico
Santa María del Oro is a picturesque crater lake located 150 kilometers northwest of Guadalajara in the state of Nayarit and easily reachable in two hours via autopista/toll road 15 heading for Tepic. While there are a good number of crater lakes in the Volcanic Belt which crosses Mexico diagonally, this one, I think, wins the prize for sheer beauty. On top of that, its waters are clean, almost transparent, and warmish, because this laguna is fed by hot springs issuing forth from…well, I’m tempted to say from its bottom, but for many years it had no bottom (according to the local folk) until, of course, some scientific type came along, measured it and found there was a bottom after all, about 111 meters below the surface. Such a depth should make for very cold water, suggesting that the springs down at the bottom must be hot indeed. The resulting year-round water temperature is neither hot nor cold, just right for splashing around in the lake as long as you wish. Swimming, kayaking and water skiing are popular activities at this lake but an even bigger attraction is eating. Over the years the lakeside restaurants have gained good reputations for mariscos, the most famous plate being Chicharrón de Pescado, small bits of mojarra fried in batter, perhaps called fish fritters in English. These are deliciously crispy when freshly made. Chicharrones de Camarón (shrimp fritters?) are also popular and, of course the old standby Pescado Dorado. Naturally these delights must be munched under a thatched roof right out at the water’s edge or—even better—hanging over it, on a balcony made of creaking boards, from which you can toss scraps to dozens of eagerly observant coots just dying for a treat. What fun! For this visit to La Laguna de Santa María del Oro (abbreviated SAMAO), I stayed at Koala Bungalows (altitude 718 meters) with my friend Josh and his three kids. We stayed in what they call a “casa” (as opposed to a bungalow), which had two bedrooms and a big kitchen-funroom with a fridge and a sofa bed fine for sleeping one adult. By some standards this place might be classified as primitive, but here in Mexico I rate overnight accommodations by asking the following questions: Does everything work? Does anything stink? Is it clean? Is it quiet? Do mosquitoes sing in your ear all night? Does it make you feel you are in jail? Believe it or not, I have found a number of so-called four or five star hotels in many corners of the world which have failed some or all of these tests, but Koala Bungalows passed with flying colors, even though, as far as luxury goes, it wouldn’t get even one star. But, as a friend who knows the place said, “Think that you are going there to camp, and you’ll find the bungalows just fine.” Josh rented some of the sturdy, unsinkable boats they call “kayaks” (I don’t think the Inuit would agree!) and he and his children had a great time on the lake. As for me, I took advantage of the gorgeous view and peacefulness of the place to catch up on my writing. As for the hiking, there is a dirt road circumnavigating the lake, which I’d like to see some day. This is described as too “feo” for passenger cars and I noticed on Tripadvisor that some mountain bikers found it far more challenging than they had anticipated. The next morning we went for breakfast at Koala’s little restaurant, called La Mojarra de Samao Restaurant-bar…and were pleasantly shocked. Everything that each one of us ordered was not just delicious, but perfect! The coffee was real coffee, not the usual Nescafé instant dishwater. My huevos rancheros were the best I’ve ever had anywhere. One of the boys ordered an “English Breakfast” and by Jove it certainly looked like a real English breakfast to me! Of course, I was suspicious. “Who owns Koala?” I asked the smiling, pleasant and efficient waitress. “El dueño es Señor Christian,” she replied. “Does Señor Christian happen to be an Englishman?” “Claro que sí,” she answered. Now, of course, we all regretted not having eaten lunch here the day before. Other indications of Señor Christian’s influence at Koala is a list of regulations prominently posted, the first three of which are dedicated to controlling loud music and noise, hopefully guaranteeing peace and quiet after 10 PM. We enjoyed that peace and quiet on our Friday-Saturday overnight at Koala Bungalows but we were told they may have as many as 400 people on a Sunday or a long weekend. So once again I suggest you come on a weekday when you will probably have this delightful place all to yourself
