Beautiful Spaces: Playa Escondida, Sayulita, Mexico

by Gigi Griffis

“It’s like heaven,” the petite Canadian woman said, smiling. “I came for a yoga retreat next door, but when I walked over here, I knew I had to stay for a few days. This place is amazing.”

“I know,” I agreed. “I think paradise is an overused word, but I can’t think of a better description than that. This place is, simply put, paradise.”

It took me a long time to recover emotionally from my run-in with British Immigration. So, when I found this lovely little resort online, I knew I wanted to treat myself. To splurge a little. To take a couple days and just smell the ocean air, feel the breeze on my face, eat homemade guacamole, and lavish a little love on my frazzled, stressed out heart.

What I didn’t know when I booked that room was just how perfect the resort would be—with its quiet bungalows surrounded by jungle, its gauzy white spa rooms with their ocean views, its sandy restaurant, its secret infinity hot tub, and its boulder-strewn beach.

And so I spent three nights surrounded by jungle and quiet. I let Luna run madly across the little beach, tongue lolling out joyfully. I lay in the shade with a book, listening to the waves crashing. I drank strawberry Daiquiris and ate homemade guacamole and steak burritos with salsa verde. And, without the distractions of work or travel planning or any of the other little details of my day-to-day, I let the last of those London stresses go and instead focused on daydreaming, reading, and being fully present in the moment.

It’s funny how something as simple as a getaway, as not having WIFI in my room, as being surrounded by bird calls and scurrying geckos, can very quickly bring a heart back to neutral.

Thank you, Playa Escondida. You are just what I needed.

Bedroom at Playa Escondida

Playa Escondida towels

Lighting

Beach scene, SayulitaView from the hot tub at playa escondida
guacamole and chips at playa escondida

Bathroom Playa Escondida

Door to showerpoolside playa escondida
sand at playa escondida

Infinity pool

Beach at Playa Escondida

A big thanks to Playa Escondida for offering me a discount and a free massage. As always, all opinions are my own and all that jazz.

For those of you looking to head out to the Playa yourselves, rooms start at $175 in the off-season and range from simple jungle bungalows (like mine) to ocean-view studios with kitchenettes. Playa Escondida is located just outside Sayulita, Mexico (about a 20 – 25 minute walk) and is, hands down, the most beautiful place I’ve ever stayed.

One final tip: If you decide to take advantage of the lovely little spa area, I strongly suggest asking for the masseuse named Jessica. She gave me my first playa massage and it was one of the best massages I’ve ever had. Conversely, when I returned for a second massage, I was assigned to another masseuse, who gave me one of the worst massages I’ve ever had. Playa Escondida, being fantastic at hospitality, did not ask me to pay for that massage (which I stopped partway through because I was so uncomfortable) and offered me a complimentary drink at the restaurant. So the good news is that I can say with certainty that even if you do have a bad experience with something at Playa Escondida, they’ll do their best to make it right.


Planning a trip to Europe? You can see all the beautiful spaces I’ve stayed in here.

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11 comments

Rebeca April 25, 2013 - 9:26 am

Awesome and I am so glad that you are now at peace after dealing with immigration.
The pictures you posted are fabulous and sometimes it just kills me that you go to a place like that or even see pictures of and there is a pool right next to the ocean. Why bother when you have ocean to swim in. Granted the water maybe a bit cold depending on the time of year but, it still confuses me.

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gigigriffis April 25, 2013 - 9:32 am

Good question. I think in this case they have the pool because the ocean just off the beach is super rocky, so during particularly wave-filled days it may not be totally safe to swim in. I also noticed that while parents were having a drink in the restaurant (which overlooks the pool), the kids could have a blast swimming and still be totally supervised. :)

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Larissa April 25, 2013 - 5:44 pm

That certainly does look like paradise. I’m a teacher, so after state mandated testing, that may be just the stress reliever I need!

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gigigriffis April 25, 2013 - 5:49 pm

Man, I bet! It’s funny you say that, as the woman I was having a conversation with at the resort was a teacher (if I’m recalling correctly) who had come down to the Playa (and its next-door yoga retreat) to relax and de-stress.

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Maria April 26, 2013 - 12:08 pm

Oh My! You aren’t kidding – from those photos it does look like heaven… The pool shot w/beach beyond is a real treat for the eyes.

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gigigriffis April 27, 2013 - 10:23 am

Right? :)

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