One of the first towns that we took clients to was San Sabastian de Oeste. It's a beautiful town that is just far enough up in the mountains to be cooler than the summer heat in Vallarta, but near enough that it can be enjoyed for a 4 hour tour. We picked up our guests and headed to Las Cazuelas in El Colorado for breakfast. This is definitely my favorite Mexican restaurant. The food is all from Grandma's recipes and you won't find anything more authentic or unique. If you're a foodie, you need to try this place. We had a leisurely breakfast, enjoying the sights and sounds of rural Mexico at it's best. There was a lot going on at Las Cazuelas. If you stop here, don't be surprised if you have to wait for a table. It's very popular with the locals.
After our wonderful breakfast, we made our way into San Sabastian. We were able to park at the police station right near the town square. Unloading the wheelchair wasn't a problem. We had visited the town earlier and checked for accessibility. We learned a valuable lesson. Looking around for ramps and passable thresholds is very different than riding around in a chair. The sidewalks and square were pretty accessible. Unfortunately, getting across the street from the square to the sidewalk was difficult cobblestone. We had a nice visit, but I don't think I would recommend it for wheelchairs. Not yet anyway. They seemed to be making improvements to all of the walkways that included consideration for wheelchairs. Maybe soon.
So, in an effort to be more prepared and more aware, we packed the scooter into our wheelchair accessible "Blanca" and headed north. We went as far as Guayabitos. We stopped at a few road side venders along the way, just to see if they were accessible.
Well, there were a couple that were accessible. I rode the scooter through the aisles without any problem. The restrooms were not accessible, but I'm not sure someone visiting Mexico for a short time needs to be exposed to the rustic restrooms of a roadside fruit stand. There is a very nice OXXO just up the road with an accessible restroom if needed.
When we got to Guayabitos, the first thing we noticed was the pace of life. It was hectic. There were buses and taxis driving around like a big city. The beach was nice, but unless there is something unique to Guayabitos I can't imagine taking our clients there. It is a beautiful town, don't get me wrong. It's just that it has the big city feel that you can get in downtown Vallarta. The next stop was Lo de Marco. I've heard and read a lot about this little town and was hopeful that it would be a good destination. They have a great cultural presence in the area and host a number of events. The beach was beautiful, the accessibility not as much. It would be a nice day trip for someone who has no physical limitations. From there we headed to San Pancho/San Francisco. I'm still a little confused on where it is San Pancho and where it is San Francisco. They seem the same place to me. Perhaps the town is San Francisco and the beach is San Pancho. I'm not really sure. Anyway, we had been there once before and I loved the ambiance. If you've been to Sayulita then you know the hustle and bustle of a tourist beach. It is packed with venders selling everything from surf lessons (we recommend Patty) to chairs and umbrellas for day use. It's very Bohemian with artists and surfers aplenty. It is not accessible with a standard wheelchair or power chair. With a beach wheelchair you can visit Sayulita. It's a great day trip. You still won't be able to get into the galleries, but there are plenty of street artists. Well, San Pancho feels like Sayulita must have been 20 years ago. There are still artists and surfers, but the number of venders is small and they aren't selling you a piece of the beach to use for the day. The streets are tile instead of cobblestone making them passable for any wheelchair. The sidewalks generally have ramps at the corners and they are ramps that you can actually use. There are a few ramps in the middle of the block here and there where there used to be a step that were passable, but it was nice to have someone at the back of the chair for an assist. I have to commend the town for putting ramps almost everywhere that used to have a step. I really had no problem getting around this town in the scooter. We stopped for coffee at a corner coffee shop. It had counters at a good level for the wheelchair. I couldn't go inside, but had no problem ordering from the sidewalk and enjoyed the hand rubbed wood counters. It had a good selection of barista brews and even had coffee ice cubes for the iced drinks. There was a book shelf and games for customer use. It was a cute place I would definitely visit again. We had lunch at the Italian restaurant "Toscana" which is owned by a man from Italy. I mention that because, like Sayulita, San Pancho is very international in it's population and food choices. I've been to Italy and I have to say that this was very Italian Italian food :) Oh, and "a portion of bread" is a basket enough for the table. We each ordered one LOL.
After lunch we headed for the beach. I remembered from our previous trip that there were ramps down to the beach, but didn't remember what was at the bottom of the ramp. There are two restaurants at the beach. The one on the right has some seating at the square that you can get to in a wheelchair and a couple of tables sidewalk level in the square. The restaurant on the left has a section of the bar that you can reach with a wheelchair. Neither one can you get to a beach side table with a wheelchair. If we were able to take a beach wheelchair along it would work well here. There are a couple of reasons that we love San Pancho and will recommend it to our clients. First, it is very different than Vallarta. If you're going to take a day trip to another beach, it should be something a little different that what is in front of your resort. The people and atmosphere of San Pancho and welcoming and beautiful. Second, it is the most accessible destination we have found. There are very few places you can't get to. Getting inside the small stores and galleries is not possible, but the shops are so small that you really can look at most of the wares from the doorway.
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