Casa de la Ballena — Hotel in Nayarit

Casa de la Ballena is one of the best boutique hotels I've ever stayed in, and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Sayulita. My husband and I (early 30's) stayed there for 5 nights while visiting for a wedding, which also happened to be spring break week. Despite the city being super busy, the hotel was calm and quiet.

Location: It's the perfect distance from the city center. A 5-10 minute walk (slightly uphill), putting it close enough for convenience but far enough away to have some privacy and quiet.

Amenities: The pool, deck, & fitness center are clean and nice. The hotel provides pool & beach towels, and there were always plenty available. There is a fridge by the pool with beers & soft drinks available for purchase based on the honor system. We found this to be very convenient! Especially on the first day before we were able to get to the store. There is a small garage with a few open spots for guests with cars or golf cart rentals. Wifi worked perfectly the entire time. The daily breakfast is made-to-order. We tried several things on the menu, everything delicious! Service is fast & attentive.

Service: Martin, the hotel manager, is awesome! He was always friendly and available. He helped us with golf cart rental, coordinating pick up & return from the hotel for less $$$ than any of the vendors in town. He also helped us get a driver back to PVR for our return flight for much cheaper than a standard taxi.

Room: King room was clean, spacious, and modern. The bathroom was HUGE with double header sinks, a large shower/tub area and a separate toilet area with its own door (a plus!). Soaps, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion were good quality too. Air conditioning & ceiling fan kept the room cool. The kitchen was stocked with enough cups, plates, & cutlery as well as a nice fridge/freezer. We appreciated the floor to ceiling window with blackout curtains for privacy/darkness when we wanted.

Safety: The hotel is completely enclosed, only way in/out is a large front door that automatically locks. All guests are given key cards for entry. We felt very safe and secure the entire time.

Bonus: The owner has two adorable dogs, a pug and a yellow lab, that like to hang around the property and take pets from dog-loving guests (but they seemed to leave people alone when told!).

Pro Tip: Room Numbers 1-3 each have a private enclosed patio & sitting area with added privacy due to landscaping. We were room No. 3 and really enjoyed sitting on our...

My boyfriend and I stayed here for 4 days and loved every morning, afternoon and evening of this quaint, ideal boutique hotel. The decor is perfect. Modern and welcoming and the vibe uber peaceful. I believe there are 10 or 11 rooms. We had room #1, with a king size bed. All the rooms are spacious and have a little kitchenette with a decently sized fridge. Ideal for little purchases made in town, water, fruits, etc. The beds and pillows were super comfortable, all rooms are equipped with a fan and A/C units. Many people mentioned or complained that there were no TV’s and we didn’t even notice or care. We spent all of our time outside the rooms that it never ever mattered.

The hustle and bustle of Sayulita weekends, made this hotel an ideal spa-like getaway from the loud music and street noise. Once you close the entry doors, it’s like your in a completely different space. A true oasis. It’s very very close to the town square and Playa de Los Muertos. We rented a golf cart one day and were able to park it in the parkade to charge the battery during the evening to power it up for the next day. The security is excellent too, you can access the premises with a scan of your room key. There’s a gym located on the top floor (3rd floor) with great equipment... we however did not end up using the gym during our stay.

Mornings are welcomed with a cute breakfast, you can ask for eggs done any way you like with toast and jam as well. There’s fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, juice, water, coffee and tea available.

Martin was very helpful with any request we had, he was always there to help. the ladies that cooked and cleaned were also very kind and helpful.

After a long day we enjoyed sitting on the deck and relaxing to the music played on the speakers quietly.

It was definitely more than we could have asked for - and will certainly be...

The worst business experience in my life.

For the record, Martin (the on-ground manager) and the service team are AMAZING - so happy, polite, hard working and helpful. I wish they worked for a better company.

The owner Juan Jose (JJ) is not a professional owner, rather arrogant and doesn't put customers first. I flew from New Zealand to surprise my family for Xmas. The room sleeps 4 comfortably (There was a large king-sized bed as well as a pullout queen futon bed), but they would only let two of us stay in the room. It was over New Years so there was literally NO other place available- we spent two of our vacations days knocking on hotel, hostel and condo doors trying to find any vacancies but literally nothing was available. I couldn’t even find a spot at the campsite. I asked the owner if I could even pay more to stay even without towels, breakfast, anything! It wouldn’t impact them one bit. He tripled our price to an unreasonable number- total power trip since he had us captive with no other options. Us being there didn't even effect him. He claimed to have rules that he stuck by (no kids after the one that was already there because they had made a reservation prior to the 'no kid' rule), but then two kids under 5 walked in and they were so loud. Why could they be there with their parents but my brother and I couldn't stay with our parents even though we are in our 20s, quiet and responsible? His logic stumped me. The owner literally ruined my family vacation because he was the least accommodating.

The place is beautiful, quiet, close to town but not loud. Maybve once they sort their policies, things will be better but we were absolutely appalled by the ownership and lack of customer service.

Once again, the on-the ground staff was AMAZING. This review is nothing...