Playa de los Muertos is the most accessible alternative to Sayulita's main beach, a ten-minute walk south around the headland past the cemetery. It's smaller, quieter, and entirely without services — no rental chairs, no vendors, no surf schools. What it has is rock-edged clear water, fewer people, and the kind of peaceful isolation that's surprisingly hard to find this close to a busy town.
The walk to get there is part of the appeal. The path climbs briefly over the southern headland, passes the town cemetery (which is colorful and worth a look), and drops down to a compact cove. The water here is calmer than the main beach — less surf, better for swimming — and the rocky edges make for decent snorkeling when visibility is good.
There are no facilities, so bring what you need. The beach is popular with local Mexican families on weekends, which makes it livelier than its out-of-the-way position might suggest.