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EL NIDO DE LA TORTUGA -- A Poolside, Cozy Casita Nestled Into the Hillside
Holiday home with kitchen, near San Pancho Nayarit Market
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Reviews
10 out of 10
Exceptional
2 bedrooms1 bathroomSleeps 4893.4 sq ft
Popular amenities
Explore the area

San Francisco (San Pancho), NAY
- Place, Playa San Francisco10 min walk
- Place, San Pancho Nayarit Market17 min walk
- Place, Sayulita Beach12 min drive
- Airport, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco (PVR-Licenciado Gustavo Diaz Ordaz Intl.)49 min drive
Rooms & beds
2 bedrooms (sleeps 4)
Bedroom 1
1 King Bed
Bedroom 2
1 Single Bunk Bed
1 bathroom
Bathroom 1
Soap · Towels provided · Toilet · Shower only · Shampoo · Hair dryer
Spaces
Deck or patio
Kitchen
Garden
Dining area
About this property
EL NIDO DE LA TORTUGA -- A Poolside, Cozy Casita Nestled Into the Hillside
EL NIDO DE LA TORTUGA (The Nest of the Turtle) is a little casita nestled into the hillside and cozied up under the Big House (LA CASA QUE CANTA -- The House the Sings). When you enter the courtyard of the property you need to go down two flights of stairs to get to EL NIDO.
It is located just a few steps away from the Family Pool, which was designed to be both safe and a constant delight to children of all ages. It has a complete kitchen, a small but comfortable sitting area inside, and a sunny one outside. It has two bedrooms -- the master bedroom has a king-sized bed; the other room is a bunk room with a set of bunk beds. Its bathroom has dual showers.
You might wonder what makes EL NIDO special. The initial inspiration came from the fact that San Pancho is a turtle sanctuary and we wanted to honor the great work of Grupo Ecológico de la Costa Verde. Keeping with the sense of a sanctuary, we wanted our NEST to be small, safe, distinctive, and like any self-respecting turtle's nest, grounded.
In keeping with that initial inspiration, our architect/interior design team created a tropical forest motif for the bathroom with its two showers and timbers providing the supply of water and lighting. The bathroom sink is onyx. The marble gives evidence of the antediluvian past with all kinds of crustacean fossils. A couple of stone turtles will share this most intimate part of the NEST, the double shower.
Likewise the bunk room feels like a tree house.
The sitting area and the kitchen are filled with Mexican artifacts -- tiles, masks, wall hangings, carefully and expertly carved pine furniture.
We have also recently made some upgrades to the property. This includes adding a generator, in case of power outages. We now have 2 different wifi services (fiber and Starlink satellite) and a switch that will toggle between them if 1 goes down. We also have an expansive mesh wifi network ensures the entire property with fast wifi. You are guaranteed to have power and internet connectivity.
EL NIDO DE LA TORTUGA is one of three houses in this complex. LA CASA QUE CANTA is above the NIDO. A second home, the CASITA CELESTIAL is further down the hill. The entire property has purified water which means it's not necessary to drink bottled water. If you look at the photo of the back of the property, you can see the entrance to EL NIDO on the lower left side, on the same deck as the pool. It is very private, a five minute walk to the beach and another 20 to town. You will not hear the sounds of any other guests, but you will hear the beating of the surf and the rustling of the palm fronds. You will also hear the singing of the birds and the cackling of the Chachalacas.
SAN PANCHO is a haven. It is 50 minutes north of the airport in Puerto Vallarta. It has about 2000 to 2500 Mexican Nationals and a moderate presence of Gringoes, but is now growing rapidly. There is a high level of respect for the Mexican culture among those who have chosen to live in San Pancho. The restaurants are excellent. The beach is beautiful and not overloaded with people. There are many activities available-- from attending polo matches to going on birding walks (we are a bird sanctuary), to being present when the infant turtles are released into the perils of the ocean. And, of course, the weather is ideal.
It is located just a few steps away from the Family Pool, which was designed to be both safe and a constant delight to children of all ages. It has a complete kitchen, a small but comfortable sitting area inside, and a sunny one outside. It has two bedrooms -- the master bedroom has a king-sized bed; the other room is a bunk room with a set of bunk beds. Its bathroom has dual showers.
You might wonder what makes EL NIDO special. The initial inspiration came from the fact that San Pancho is a turtle sanctuary and we wanted to honor the great work of Grupo Ecológico de la Costa Verde. Keeping with the sense of a sanctuary, we wanted our NEST to be small, safe, distinctive, and like any self-respecting turtle's nest, grounded.
In keeping with that initial inspiration, our architect/interior design team created a tropical forest motif for the bathroom with its two showers and timbers providing the supply of water and lighting. The bathroom sink is onyx. The marble gives evidence of the antediluvian past with all kinds of crustacean fossils. A couple of stone turtles will share this most intimate part of the NEST, the double shower.
Likewise the bunk room feels like a tree house.
The sitting area and the kitchen are filled with Mexican artifacts -- tiles, masks, wall hangings, carefully and expertly carved pine furniture.
We have also recently made some upgrades to the property. This includes adding a generator, in case of power outages. We now have 2 different wifi services (fiber and Starlink satellite) and a switch that will toggle between them if 1 goes down. We also have an expansive mesh wifi network ensures the entire property with fast wifi. You are guaranteed to have power and internet connectivity.
EL NIDO DE LA TORTUGA is one of three houses in this complex. LA CASA QUE CANTA is above the NIDO. A second home, the CASITA CELESTIAL is further down the hill. The entire property has purified water which means it's not necessary to drink bottled water. If you look at the photo of the back of the property, you can see the entrance to EL NIDO on the lower left side, on the same deck as the pool. It is very private, a five minute walk to the beach and another 20 to town. You will not hear the sounds of any other guests, but you will hear the beating of the surf and the rustling of the palm fronds. You will also hear the singing of the birds and the cackling of the Chachalacas.
SAN PANCHO is a haven. It is 50 minutes north of the airport in Puerto Vallarta. It has about 2000 to 2500 Mexican Nationals and a moderate presence of Gringoes, but is now growing rapidly. There is a high level of respect for the Mexican culture among those who have chosen to live in San Pancho. The restaurants are excellent. The beach is beautiful and not overloaded with people. There are many activities available-- from attending polo matches to going on birding walks (we are a bird sanctuary), to being present when the infant turtles are released into the perils of the ocean. And, of course, the weather is ideal.
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Amenities
Pool
Kitchen
Washing machine
Dryer
Free WiFi
Air conditioning
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House Rules
Check in after 4:00 PM
Check out before 10:00 AM
Children
Children allowed: ages 0–17
Children need to be supervised.
Events
No events allowed
Pets
No pets allowed
Smoking
Smoking is not permitted
Important information
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector with you on the trip
Host has not indicated whether there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a deadlock
We should mention
A car is recommended for transport to and from this property
About the area
San Francisco
Located in San Francisco, this holiday home is by the sea. Shoppers can check out San Pancho Nayarit Market, while everyone can enjoy the natural beauty of Punta de Mita Beach and Playa Bucerías. Make sure you get close to the area's animals with activities such as game walks and birdwatching.

San Francisco (San Pancho), NAY
What's nearby
- Playa San Francisco - 10 min walk - 0.9 km
- San Pancho Nayarit Market - 17 min walk - 1.5 km
- Sayulita Beach - 12 min drive - 8.4 km
- Sayulita Square - 12 min drive - 8.4 km
- Playa los Muertos - 14 min drive - 9.6 km
Getting around
Restaurants
- Mariscos Barracuda - 5 min drive
- La Perla - 6 min drive
- Cafe Paraiso - 5 min drive
- Tierra Tropical Beach Club - 15 min walk
- La Taza de Café - 6 min drive
Frequently asked questions
About the host
Hosted by Melissa Roberts (and her husband, Bill Roberts)
We have lived most of our adult life in Middletown, Connecticut, where Melissa was a school social worker and Bill was a clergyman for the first half of his career and a consultant for the second half. In 1979 we built a home on Cape Cod for our family -- we have three sons.
The Cape House was very important to our family, but as the boys grew up, moved away, and had children of their own, we decided to sell that house and build a three-home complex in San Pancho to accommodate our expanded family as well as friends and other guests. EL NIDO DE TORTUGA is one of 3 units.
The Cape House was very important to our family, but as the boys grew up, moved away, and had children of their own, we decided to sell that house and build a three-home complex in San Pancho to accommodate our expanded family as well as friends and other guests. EL NIDO DE TORTUGA is one of 3 units.
Why they chose this property
In January of 2006 two of our sons went on a surfing/scouting trip to the west coast of Mexico. They found their way to San Pancho, and immediately fell in love with the town and the beach. A couple of months later, we rearranged some travel plans and went to check it out for ourselves. Well, we also loved the place.
We felt welcomed to the town. The Americans and Canadians we met seemed to respect the culture and value their relationships with the residents whose families, in some cases, have lived in this area for over a hundred years. It seemed that this would be an ideal place to build a home for generations of our family.
We purchased this piece of land hoping that we might have a pretty good view of the ocean and sunsets. And we do have spectacular views from the top of the property and the main house, LA CASA QUE CANTA. Though there are no ocean views from the NIDO, all around is the gorgeous jungle.
Another reason this property was attractive has to do with the way the hillside drops away rather precipitously and allowed us to place three separate living units in such a way that they provide optimal privacy but still allow for generous places where groups can get together should they want.
Finally, the property is perfect because it is close enough to the beach (a five minute walk down the hill and through our jungle garden) and close enough to the town (about a 20 minute walk)-- but far enough away so that the noise and the congestion which comes in the busiest seasons does not affect us.
We felt welcomed to the town. The Americans and Canadians we met seemed to respect the culture and value their relationships with the residents whose families, in some cases, have lived in this area for over a hundred years. It seemed that this would be an ideal place to build a home for generations of our family.
We purchased this piece of land hoping that we might have a pretty good view of the ocean and sunsets. And we do have spectacular views from the top of the property and the main house, LA CASA QUE CANTA. Though there are no ocean views from the NIDO, all around is the gorgeous jungle.
Another reason this property was attractive has to do with the way the hillside drops away rather precipitously and allowed us to place three separate living units in such a way that they provide optimal privacy but still allow for generous places where groups can get together should they want.
Finally, the property is perfect because it is close enough to the beach (a five minute walk down the hill and through our jungle garden) and close enough to the town (about a 20 minute walk)-- but far enough away so that the noise and the congestion which comes in the busiest seasons does not affect us.
What makes this property unique
The unique benefit of EL NIDO DE LA TORTUGA is that it not only celebrates the turtle sanctuary, but it is a sanctuary for the humans too--a place for fun and renewal.
Languages:
English, Spanish
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