Sayulita, Nayarit

Once a fishing village, Sayulita has become a haunt for surfers, bohemians and vacationers who want to avoid the crowds. It's just an hour's drive from Puerto Vallarta on Mexico's west coast. We've visited this authentic Mexican town with our two girls three times, starting at age 3.

Although the town has bad dirt roads, legions of skinny dogs and its share of perennially unfinished construction sites, it has no high-rises, no traffic, no strip malls, no rave bars.

It has a lovely beach and great accommodations, and there's always some fiesta or another. The food is diverse, creative, tasty and safe. Sayulita also has an ideal learner's surf break. You can rent giant foam boards on the beach for $10 and stand waist-deep in water to push kids into the small waves (then gnash your teeth at how easily they pop up after you went over the falls yourself so many times).

Farther down the two-mile-long beach is a break for more serious surfers, many of whom are Mexican dudes and gringo surf bums like my husband (at least for the week).

The town's casual vibe means bare feet are accepted anywhere. Although there are a couple of decent hotels, we always rent a house for the privacy and convenience of being able to whip up mac and cheese on demand. Many a norteamericano has come to Sayulita, fallen in love, built a spacious vacation house and then realized extra income would make it even better, so rentals are plentiful.