Los Ayala – A Charming Base for Nayarit Surfing

An introduction to Los Ayala

Sand billows up the streets, the coconut trees move to and fro in the trade winds, and the scents of tacos waft between the rocks – welcome to Los Ayala, one of the most lovely towns on the Riviera Nayarit.

We could honestly spend hours and hours, days and days, months and months kicking it here just doing nada.

Playa Los Ayala is the reason – it’s a beige-honey run of soft sand with rock pools at one end and margarita bars spilling out onto its shoreline on the other.

Behind, the chilled town of Los Ayala unfolds between two lush ridges of the Sierra Madre. It’s not big, centers on a colorful plaza filled with painted palms, and pulses with workaday charm – people shopping for avocados in the fruit stores, kids playing in the schoolyard.

What we’re getting at is that this IS NOT a San Pancho or a Punta Mita. It’s not overtaken by tourists and it’s all the better for it.

Sadly, one reason for that is that there’s zero surfing to be done on the main beach. The shape of the shore and the protection offered by the Punta Raza headland means swells can’t really get in. The playa is for chilling and swimming.

What we can recommend is basing yourself in Los Ayala and venturing up and down the riviera when you want to surf. A car hire is the best bet for that but you can also book onto guided surf tours of the region.

The nearest spots are in Lo de Marcos (20 mins to the south), San Pancho (30 mins, also south), and Chacala (35 mins, to the north), though Punta Mita and iconic Sayulita are also doable.

Let’s take a look at all the reasons why you might want to organize your surf trip that way…

What’s in this guide to Los Ayala?

Where is Los Ayala?

Los Ayala is located on Mexico’s Pacific coast (obviously!), within the state of Nayarit.

Nestled along the Riviera Nayarit, the main tourist zone in the region, this hidden gem lies just south of the better-known town of Rincon de Guayabitos and about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Puerto Vallarta – the main city here and the place you’re likely to land if you catch a plane in.

The cheapest way to get here from the airport in Puerto Vallarta is to go to the bus depot in PV and then onto the regular connection to Rincon de Guayabitos. They go every half an hour, take and hour, and only cost a few dollars per person.

You might want to consider renting a car if you’re planning on surfing. As we’ve mentioned, Los Ayala doesn’t actually have surf spots of its own so you’ll have to travel with the board to the north and south and a hire will make that easier.

If you do rent, we’d go with RentalCars, just because we like that they let you cancel pretty late with most bookings with no strings attached. The drive up from the airport should be easy, taking no more than 1h10.

Top things to do in Los Ayala

Los Ayala is really for chilling and getting a taste of local life in a region quite dominated by tourism. You’ll spend most of your time on the lovely playa, or kicking it in cantinas in the town.

Here are a few things we highly recommend here:

• Playa Los Ayala – Set aside plenty of relaxation time for this one. It’s one of our favorite beaches on the Riveira Nayarit, mainly just because it’s often quieter than other town beaches in San Pancho or Punta Mita.
• Hike to neighboring beaches – One of the best things about Los Ayala is that there’s a trail from the west end of the main beach that links to three other beaches, each of which is better than the last. Start at Playa Frideras, home to small cave and some nice snorkel reefs. Then hit up Playa Hamaca, where there’s a small shack for a cold one on the shoreline. Then head to Playa del Toro for seclusion and lovely sunset views. The hike out can take up to 2 hours so bring loads of water and sunscrean!
• Snorkel on the Isla del Coral – Guided trips will take you on a boat from Rincon de Guayabitos to the Isla del Coral. It’s a rugged rock that juts out of the sea about 1 mile off the coast, famed for its lovely coral gardens and underwater statues. There’s also great birdwatching on the island. Trips take a few hours and can include a pick up at your hotel in Los Ayala.

Surfing in Los Ayala

Los Ayala’s main beach is not for surfing. The water is typically bath still, or has just a bump of a shorebreak rolling in.

But all is not lost.

You can travel north or south to some great beaches. A car is a good idea for the added flexibility, since you’re looking at a minimum drive of 20-30 mins.

Here are all your options starting north and going south…

• Playa Las Tortugas [1 hour north from Los Ayala] – A long beach break with some good waves at the rivermouth on its northern end. Small days mean it’s great for learners, but it can hold some nice size. Breaks on sandbanks around the estuary tend to be mellowish, nice for logging.
• Chacala [45 minutes north from Los Ayala] – Chacala is an interesting one since you need to get here then hop in a fishing boat for 15 minutes to get to the break. It could be worth it, though, as the wave is a right hander reef point and it’s one of the best in the region for performance shortboarders on its day.
• Lo de Marcos [20 minutes south from Los Ayala] – Beach breaks that are good for all levels plus a duo of decent point breaks for more advanced surfers await in this town, which we’d say is now becoming the third hub of surfing on the riviera.
• San Pancho [25-30 minutes south from Los Ayala] – Already established but very fun, San Pancho has mediocre beach break waves but it’s a lovely beach and a lovely place to spend the day.
• Sayulita [35 minutes south from Los Ayala] – The king of Mexican surf towns has the best beginner waves in the country. It’s busy and wild after dark, too. (Incidentally, if you’re learning to surf then Sayulita is probably the best place in the whole of Mexico to do a surf camp)
• Punta Mita [50 minutes south from Los Ayala] – The best variety of waves is at Punta Mita. There are reefs, points, and beach breaks like lovely La Lancha, all of which love a good S swell in the summer.

Hotels in Los Ayala

A pattering of hotels make Los Ayala a good option for families and couples that want to stay away from the most crowded spots on the Riviera Nayarit…

• MALAKI – Well-run MALAKI is our go-to in Los Ayala. Lovely pool, modern rooms, and a quiet location towards the back of the town.
• Rincon Resort– Closer to the main beach, the Rincon Resort has a large pool and bigger family suites. It’s more of a resort hotel but still nothing compared to the massive resort complexes in Punta Mita.
• Bungalows As De Oros – A bit of a different option that’s nearer the highway (the road that takes you to the surf spots) in the neighboring town of Rincon de Guayabitos. Great for families, nice locally styled rooms, and a big pool are the headlines.

If surf is your focus then be sure to check out our curated list of the top surf hotels in Mexico, or our guide to the best surf camps in Mexico. They both offer a much more surf-focused getaway in the land of tacos and tequila, with some good options on the breaks of the Riviera Nayarit region near to Los Ayala.

When to visit Los Ayala

Honestly, there’s never a bad time to visit Los Ayala and the surrounding Riveira Nayarit. Strictly speaking, the dry season is November to March but even the wet season (April-Sept) can be hot and sunny, with rains coming by usually after dark or in the later evening.

Overall, you’ll be in with a chance of getting the best weather in the period between November and spring. We’re talking daily highs of around 90-100 and often more than that, with not much rain at all – if it does rain it’s usually in short, sharp showers that last maybe an hour and then pass.

The wet season runs alongside the US summertime. It’s still often very sunny on the Mexican Pacific, so it can be a great option if you want to escape the crowds of home beaches.

The other plus of the rainy season is that it’s the peak surf season on the Riviera Nayarit. Southern swells start pushing up from the low latitudes of the Pacific Ocean and hit all the south-facing beaches of the Bahia de Banderas, wrapping into the breaks of San Pancho and Lo de Marcos with some real size and power. If you want the most consistent waves and the biggest sets of all, be sure to come then.

You will always need sunscreen in Los Ayala – no matter when you come. I reccomend Suntribe stuff if you’re going to be surfing. It’s my fav block and face cream and they’ve partnered with us to give readers 10% off (use code: Surfatlas10).