Octopus Garden

The Octopus's Garden hostel is located in the traditional village of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle in the Banderas Bay area with easy access to Puerto Vallarta airport. The Hostel was originally built for 3 large 8-armed printing presses, known as “octopus’s” in Mexico, after which the Hostel is named, but this also refers to the famous Beatles song released in 1969 Octopus's Garden, and the English owners who made their journey from England to Mexico on a paper boat Taulua.

The Octopus's Garden has been under the same ownership for over twenty years and serves as a place of memorable encounters in La Cruz.
The Hostel is part of a complex built around a garden patio with a frangipani tree, mango trees and pine trees. The complex also houses a gallery, a café, a yoga/dance studio, a book exchange and a restaurant. The gallery showcases Huichol art, spectacular visionary yarn paintings, beaded jewellery, t-shirts with Huichol art and weaving from the indigenous people in the nearby mountains. The café serves organic Nayarit coffee roasted onsite, home baked pastries and breakfasts in season. The studio hosts a variety of activities, including yoga, dancing, tai chi, cinema screenings and language classes. The book exchange serves both residents and travellers who come from near and far.

La Cruz is set on the north shore of the Banderas Bay, part of the Pacific coastline that is known as Riviera Nayarit which attracts a large and lively sailing community, many sailboats are moored in the Marina Riviera Nayarit and anchored outside in the bay during the peak season. There are many spots in the vicinity for surfing, windsurfing, kite surfing and whale watching, and the nearby picturesque towns of Sayulita and San Pancho, as well as Puerto Vallarta are easily accessible for sightseeing on public transport.

The Hostel has six private rooms and three dorm rooms, with a total capacity of 30 beds. The private rooms are built with good ventilation, one private room has kitchen and bathrooms en suite, the other five private rooms share a communal kitchen, showers and bathrooms. The dorm beds are simple wooden beds with traditional spring mattresses, and bed sheets, pillows, towels and blankets are provided to each guest. There are floor fans, bedside lights and power sockets in each room with plenty of lockers.