So you are planning your next vacation escape to Mexico. You have found Puerto Vallarta, maybe you have already been there and are looking into exploring the areas outside Puerto Vallarta. You have heard of the up and coming vacation and popular retirement destination of San Pancho (San Francisco) Nayarit. What can someone do there? Where can a family stay?
We have two young boys in our family 7 and 10 years old and we looked at potential accommodations, hotels, and houses to rent. In our search for family-friendly places to rent we encountered several issues and we have taken specific steps with our own San Pancho rental Selva Suites to address those challenges others are not interested or able to fix.
During our research, the houses or rooms we found were not appropriate for a family! I kid you not – there are several homes in the San Pancho Nayarit rental market which have in their frequently asked questions whether the property is appropriate for a family with the answer being negative! Some claim that there is not enough room. Others that there are lots of stairs and therefore “dangerous” for children.
Another issue we found was that when the vacation rental home or hotel was actually accepting children, they did so at a high-cost premium. The rooms were rented on a per room basis of a two-person capacity. This resulted that we would have to rent and pay an additional room for the children to sleep.
There are some rentals that are specifically and explicitly advertised as “adults-only” hotels or vacation rentals for the benefit of the other adult guests who are looking for quiet!
This was frustrating and we wanted to make sure that with our San Pancho Nayarit rental home Selva Suites we are able to offer a family of four, a couple with two children, feel welcome in San Pancho without costing an arm and a couple of legs!
What does a family look for in a family-friendly vacation rental? We looked at our family; we want to have enough room for both ourselves and our children, without however being cramped. So we built our rooms to be the suite type. There is a master bedroom with a queen-size bed for the parents and next to it there is a living area or living room. The living room is equipped with a functional and comfortable sofa that opens up to a couple of beds. This additional space can either be used as a living room by a couple without children or as a bedroom for the children and it comes at no additional cost. Both the bedroom and the living room enjoy wonderful views of the San Pancho’s Nayarit tropical jungle and ocean.
As a family, we want to have a fridge where we can store leftover food or medicines we may need to have. We want to have a comfortable way of warming up or cooking food. So at our vacation home Selva Suites we have a full-size fridge, cooktop stove, microwave, toaster oven with all the cookware and silverware necessary. These small details make a huge difference in the comfort of a family’s vacation and we are excited that we will be able to provide it for our guests.
As a family we also want to have a way to cool down and for our kids to be able to play in a swimming pool. At Selva Suites in San Pancho, we built a really cool and unique swimming pool. On the upper floor, there is an infinity view pool. The water leaving the infinity pool cascades down the wall to the first floor where the suites are located. The unique feature is the area that collects this water (which re-pumps it back up to the main pool), functions as an additional small and shallow pool. That actually becomes a practical and usable pool to sit in and cool down while enjoying the absolutely stunning view of the jungle. It is also very useful if you have young children who would sit in the pool in safety. You just have to see it for yourselves to appreciate it.
Having a family and children should not come as a disadvantage and should not have to compromise having quality vacations.
We were also concerned about ways of entertaining our kids. I don’t know about your kids, but ours are big-time video game players, and we are happy to get them away from what amounts to a small addiction and into doing other things, away from TV monitors and electronics.
So what can you do here in San Pancho Nayarit?
Surfing and Surfing Lessons: If you and your children are experienced surfers you can rent boards at the local San Pancho surf stores and head for the beach. If you want to learn or just experience surfing the local San Pancho surf stores offer classes. They provide the surfboards and transportation to calmer beach waters where you can try in an extremely fun and safe manner. We did this a few times and it is absolute fun for the kids. So for your vacation in San Pancho bring a surf shirt so you don’t get skin burns and environmentally friendly sunblock lotion.
Release some baby Sea Turtles into the Ocean: This is also a unique experience. Sea turtles come to our beach in San Pancho to lay their eggs. Local environmental organizations staffed by volunteers protect the eggs and when they hatch, invite our San Pancho visitors to look at the baby turtles, hold them and release them into the ocean. As they will tell you, the walking part of the baby turtle from the sandy beach into the water is one of the most important challenges that the baby turtle must overcome on its own if it is to survive in the ocean. So, please follow the instructions of the people managing these events, but take lots of pictures and videos of your children enjoying these unique experiences and create some unforgettable memories.
Horseback Riding: There is a very inexpensive, almost private class provided by professionals. The horseback riding classes are happening at the La Patrona Polo Club, which is in San Pancho and nearby our San Pancho vacation rental Selva Suites. The class is fun and for the inexperienced first-time rider, it is a surprise how difficult a sport to do it properly and correctly. Make sure you wear long trousers/pants because you must use your knees a lot to ride the horse.
The Tourist version of Horseback Riding: This is a more easy-going ride, no need for long pants here, just sit and enjoy a relaxing ride. There are local companies that will rent a few horses and take your family on a slow, guided tour that lasts approximately two hours. The routes are determined by the guides based on the route conditions, how crowded the area is and so on. In general expect to ride through the jungle, cross some rivers, get to a high vista point for gorgeous views and photos, maybe ride on a beach and through a village. We did this with our friends and their children, the experience is amazing and the kids are bonding over such a unique activity.
La Patrona Polo Sunday Brunch: During the high tourist season in San Pancho between November and May, the Polo Club hosts a very relaxing Sunday Brunch and they absolutely welcome kids. The event starts at 11 am and ends around 4 pm. It includes an unlimited grill buffet and certain drinks. On the grill, you will find everything: beef steaks, beef and pork ribs, sausages, octopus, chicken. There is a game of Polo by the local Polo teams which is described by a commentator. There are opportunities to get photos with the horses. The area is large, open and flat, so the children can run around safely so you can easily act like an iguana keeping one eye at the Polo game and the other at your children.
Nature and Bird following and watching: Our village of San Pancho and the surrounding areas are in the middle of an amazing and exotic ecosystem. There are animals, birds, and plants not seen normally in usual urban cities or even in zoos. You get to see these in their natural habitat, guided by experienced biologists and zoologists. Depending on the time of year you visit our beautiful San Pancho, you will encounter different fruits. There are mangoes, avocados and other exotic fruit that at times they simply drop to the ground and you will see local people just eating it. Go ahead, do the same, free fruit provided by nature, without any pesticides.
Restaurants, Restaurants, and some more Restaurants: All of them unique, each with their own original taste. You will want to visit each restaurant every day in San Pancho. Extremely tasty and very affordable.
Well, there you have it, I hope I have given you enough information about our family-friendly AND wheelchair accessible vacation rental home Selva Suites and our San Pancho village in Nayarit Mexico.
Do you have comments or questions? Please contact me through the contact section of our website https://www.SelvaSuites.com. I always respond fast and hope to see you and your family as our guests at our San Pancho vacation rental home we named Selva Suites.