The Oaxacan Coast stretches for kilometres as far as the eye can see. To the north, it's bordered by the Guerrero coast and to the south by another country, Guatemala. There are lagoons filled with birds and crocodiles, mangrove forests, palm trees, whales from December to March, turtles who lay their eggs, dolphins, indigenous populations and here and there, yogis, gringos and surfers. If you're coming from Oaxaca City or San Cristobal De Las Casas, you'll probably focus your visit on the stretch of coast that encompasses the towns of Puerto Escondido, Mazunte, San Agustinillo, Zipolite and Puerto Angel.
I have decided to leave Laguna de Chacahua to the north and Huatulco to the south out of this guide as they have completely different vibes to the beach towns above mentioned. So, what did I like and didn't like about these different beaches strewn along the Oaxacan Riviera.
Puerto Escondido - The Most Developed Of The Beach Towns
Puerto Escondido is the largest town out of the 5 and is also the one further to the North. It has some decent accommodation options and some nice restaurants. We stayed at Pargo's Hotel, and we even prolonged our stay of 2 additional nights. This accommodation is very well located since it's a few meters away from the centre and Zicatela beach.
The beaches (San Angelito) to the North of the town have got calmer waters but are also small and tend to get busy with families. The main stretch of sand to the south is called Playa Zicatela and is a surfers' paradise.
What did I like:
Having breakfast at Adelaida Café.
Eating some amazing and traditional seafood at El Bunker next to a car wash!
Eating great Italian pasta (handmade by Italians from Sardinia) at Non-solo pizza.
Eating fish tacos at El Viejo.
Playa Zicatela.
Playa Angelito.
What I didn't like:
The town is a bit duller than the others we visited.
The constant hassle by vendors that rent beach umbrellas and chairs at Playa Zicatela.
The fact that the two beautiful beaches to the North have got little space since they are covered with Palapas (beach shacks).
Mazunte - The One For Awesome Sunsets
Mazunte is one hour away by bus (Bus Sur) from Puerto Escondido and it costs only a few pesos. If you do take the bus, it will leave you at a crossing 10 minutes away from Mazunte's centre. So once there, you'll have to get a taxi to take you to Mazunte (the cost is approximately 100 Mexican pesos for the ride). Upon getting to Mazunte you'll notice that it's more touristy than Puerto Escondido but also smaller and less busy. Mazunte is basically a handful of streets packed with eateries, yoga centres and nice coffee shops. The beach is long and if you can actually swim here as the current, despite strong, won't kill you.
What did I like:
The sunset at Punta Cometa.
The beautiful and big beach of Mazunte.
The Israeli restaurant Motèk.
The coconut niece (flavoured ice lolly) we bought off a street vendor on the beach.
The Ventanilla Mangrove where you can safely have a close encounter with wild animals such as crocodiles and iguanas.
The breakfast at Maralto despite the slow service. Although this is a sort of compromise you need to come to if you wanna fully enjoy the chilled pace of Mazunte!
What I didn't like:
The tourists and gringos who live here and leave their dogs unleashed as well as the too many stray dogs that hang around everywhere.
The gringos who walk barefoot everywhere with minimal clothing and act like they own the place.
San Agustinillo - The One For Peace And Quiet
San Agustinillo is the next town after Mazunte and you can actually walk the distance between these towns in less than 15 minutes along the main road. San Agustinillo is a bigger beach than Mazunte but less busy.
What did I like:
The beach to the right at the very end. It was our little paradise as it formed a sort of bay where water was calmer, and we could finally 'swim', enjoying an entire beach day!
The pizzeria La Termita for dinner as it only opens at 6 pm that has a great and warm atmosphere. The beach bar owned by an American guy called Casa Corazón.
What I didn't like:
Too many stray dogs together with the dogs owned by some local business owners and tourists alike that roam freely and do their business everywhere on the sand.
The bit covered in rubbish where the local fisherman have their boats
Zipolite - The One For Surfers And Daredevils
We didn't spend much time in Zipolite to be fair. It was a pit stop by motorbike during a sunny afternoon as we didn't want to miss this so 'well known' place! The result was that they sell amazing ice-cream on the main street but other than that it lacks all the good and magical vibes that Mazunte has. However, if you are looking for a nudist beach, there you can find the only one on the entire Oaxacan coast.
What did I like:
The gelato :)
What I didn't like:
Overall we didn't have a very good impression of the town as a whole, we didn't like the vibes and the windy beach.
Puerto Angel - The One For Authentic Mexican Culture
Puerto Angel is the more 'Mexican' of the 5 beach towns. It's rougher around the edges, not as clean or touristy. The main stretch of sand is used by the local fishermen to park their boats on the sand. To the left, there's an ugly concrete pier, but to the right past some rubbish and fishermen houses, after a cobbled bridge adjacent to the water you get to the nicest beach. It's cleaner than the main beach and its waters are calmer given that this beach is located in a sort of bay. Here you'll find some Palapas and families.
What did I like:
It felt a very authentic Mexican beach experience with many families having their fresh fish while looking at the sunset.
The calm bay where you can swim without being afraid of being sucked out by the waves into the sea.
The friendly locals.
What I didn't like:
The rubbish.
The fact that there were no rubbish bins on sight.
Conclusion: My favourite beach was San Angustinillo as it felt more secluded, it was cleaner and there were fewer vendors hustling about. The restaurants along the beach were also quite nice as well as the bars.
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