Lo de Marcos – Surf-Travel Guide
Sayulita gets pretty much all the attention on the Riviera Nayarit, but there’s a whole run of other lovely towns north of it that offer lots to like: More seclusion, chilled vibes, more advanced waves, and cheaper stays. One of them is Lo de Marcos.
Set roughly halfway between Los Ayla (another lovely town) and Sayulita itself, Lo de Marcos spreads along its own run of nice Nayarit sand. It’s often said to be what San Pancho (the next town over) was 20 years back. I’m more inclined to say San Pancho 10 years back, since there is a growing array of hotels and beach bars here.
What makes Lo de Marcos special is that it is surfable. It’s not the best break in the region, but it is one of the quieter ones, with a series of punchy beach peaks and a fairly nice left that works off some reef towards the south end of the bay during big SW swell seasons.
I see it as a perfect option if you want to stay somewhere more authentic and less gringo-y than Sayulita but also have good access to the Riveira Nayarit top spots, plus a fairly okay beach break out front to boot.
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Where is Lo de Marcos?
Lo de Marcos is north of Sayulita up the coast of Nayarit. It’s roughly an hour’s drive from Puerto Vallarta airport – the main arrival point to the region – provided traffic isn’t crazy.
Most people will get a private transfer from there since it’s the easiest option.
More generally, Lo de Marcos sits in its own little bay, with the main town to the south end and jungle-covered hills rising all around. Yea, it’s kinda pretty here.
Surfing in Lo de Marcos
I’m not going to wax lyrical too much about Lo de Marcos. It’s not going to win any awards or get on the covers of any surf mags. The wave is a bit fickle, needed relatively big S or W swells to work.
Even when it gets those, it lacks a lot of shape compared to the breaks you see around Punta Mita, for example.
The best spot is surely the left hander that works off a patch of reef beside the main cliffs at the far south end of the playa. When that’s on – usually in the peak of the summer wet season with the largest SW pulses pushing through and wrapping around the cliffs – it can be a nice shortboard wave, with a steep take off and some nice rides of 50 meters.
Other folks, usually locals, surf the beach wedges that pop up further inside the bay. They’re okay but tend to close out like hell, same as you get down in San Pancho.
As I said, one of the main selling points here is not the surf you have on the doorstep, but rather the lovely town you have on the doorstep and the proximity to places like Sayulita, or Punta Mita for the better surfing (they are both no more than 50 mins away so can be done daily in strike missions).
Other surf spots near to Lo de Marcos
- Chacala – Another small beach town with bags of charm and boat-taxi access to a nice left hander that only works on occasion.
- San Pancho – One of my fav surf towns in the whole world, or at least it was back in 2019! San Pancho has beach breaks for upper intermediates (they love a dump) but good access to Sayulita. If you want something more lively than Lo de Marcos, this is the alternative.
- Sayulita – Well documented as Mexico’s top beginner surf town. Come here for mellow log breaks in a bay surrounded by bars. Crowds are big.
- Punta Mita – I’d recommend focusing on this area if you want good surf variety. This is the top end of the Bahia de Banderas, so swell hits at multiple angles. La Lancha is the stand out IMO.
When to surf Lo de Marcos
Lo de Marcos like some size, so the summer months (May to September) tend to be the best time overall. It’s the peaks season for Southern Hemisphere, long-fetch swells to push up along the Mexican coast.
One thing to note: These can be very big along the rest of the Nayarit coast and in Puerto Vallarta, so this season isn’t perfect if you’re a learner. Winter tends to be better then, when breaks like those in the Sayulita bay can be great little ankle-burners for total novices.
Also – Mexico is more fun when it’s snowing back at home.
Where to stay in Lo de Marcos?
There aren’t as many hotel options as you get in San Pancho or Sayulita here but there’s a decent mix. For me being in town is prime, but luxury lovers now have an option on the outskirts too…
- QUINTA BERNAL – I reckon the joy of coming here is being immersed in the town center, so pick one of the little flats here and live like a local for a bit.
- One&Only Mandarina – If you’re gonna go, go in style, some say. One&Only Mandarina is Lo de Marcos’ luxury hotel. Now, it’s not in the town center, so this will be inevitably a bit more resort-feeling. It is, though, absaloutely stunning, set in the jungle just behind ultra-pretty Playa Canalan.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
