iphone photos. A butterfly landed on Ella on the beach and stayed on her all the way back to the hotel. Her face says it all!

Breakfast at El Original Cafe Sayulita, known for their blue corn pancakes and waffles.

Thank you to Courtland Photography for the photo!

Two days in I asked Jeffery, “when is this going to start being fun?” because we were battling a kid who wouldn’t eat or sleep (two things we DON’T struggle with at home) and by the third day things got fun. Granted we did get roped into a time share tour on day two, but we got over a hundred bucks out of it. Plus, a few hours at a luxury resort full of drunk Americans made us appreciate Sayulita even more! We are not resort people.

We stayed at the Casa Blanca Sayulita which felt like our own personal oasis. The hotel provided drinking water, the pool was warm, and it was right on the beach so we got to wake up and go shell hunting every day. It was far enough from the plaza that we didn’t hear loud music at night, only ocean waves. North Sayulita FTW.

We averaged about six miles a day on foot, but could have rented a golf cart if we wanted to get around quicker. Ella was a total trooper, but she did get to start every morning with Trix cereal and a swim, so she was a happy girl. I discovered that the only time she could eat sugar (without it destroying her) was first thing in the morning—so she would be hungry again by the time we had breakfast—and after lunch. Her ice cream of choice: mango and strawberry.

Restaurants we loved: Northside Cafe for breakfast. Taqueria Los Reyes for their perfectly seasoned veggie “vegana” quesadilla piled high with broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, and onions. Also, Mary’s Traditional Mexican Cuisine for their grilled shrimp “Sayulita’s” tacos: grilled poblanos, mushrooms, avocado, cheese and corn. The best street tacos we had were Tacos el Talivan, right on the plaza: al pastor with a slice of pineapple on top, onions, cilantro, salsa and lime. 6 tacos for $5—I could have eaten 10 of them. The best passion fruit margaritas were made by two entrepreneurs on the beach who erected an easy up and bar with lounge chairs/umbrellas outside our hotel. One guy came around with a menu and the other guy mixed up KILLER drinks, complete with Tajín chili lime rim and slices of pineapple. We averaged about $20-$35 per meal for three people (including drinks).

And for the main event, our dear friends got married!! Thank you, Arthur and Raeann, for inviting us to share in your love. I got to take some family photos of the three of them a few days before the wedding, and walking around Sayulita with these babes was a total dream. And their wedding was perfect!! A gorgeous ceremony on the beach and then we walked to Alas Blancas Restaurant and Bar where we had all you can eat tacos (like 8 different kinds!) and they rented one of those light up dance floors and we danced our asses off. It was an unforgettable trip and we fell hard for Mexico. We can’t wait to go back!