If you haven't already heard, this beach is accessible by a staircase of about 200 stairs. It. Is…read more A. Hike. And quite frankly idk how old folks and people with other health issues do it. It's a TINY beach, and when we got there (around 12pm) it was PACKED with people - in the restaurants, the beach front, even the rocks. I mean people, groups who didn't even know each other, were towel to towel. The water itself is a little less aggressive and much more beautiful than the other beaches in town. But, due to my anxiety it was hard for me to really enjoy this beach.

Breathtakingly beautiful beach spot…read more A tiny beach cove that is shallow with small waves. A perfect place to learn how to surf and/or paddle board. It's a long long long long long staircase down & you got to muster up the energy to hike it back up after a long day of heat exhausting fun in the sun. Especially if your carrying a cooler & stuff down there. The small area that you can buy food & drinks down there is pretty expensive even for Mexican standards. Because once you get down there, your down there for the day & they know it, so plan accordingly. Recommend.

Playa Manzanillo is my fave swimming beach. It's just a tiny cove next to Puerto Angelito but it is…read morea clothing optional/adults only beach with no Wi-Fi. Separated only by a small offset of rocks you can climb over, Playa Manzanillo sits to left of Angelito & has a much more beautiful beach that backs up into the cliff with many tropical plants & palm trees surround. The beach itself is very small but is at least 5 feet deep soon as you enter. Making it the perfect beach for adults to gather round in & socialize. There is also some great snorkeling around the rocks. I saw a giant sea turtle & a eel one day. Very cool! :)) There are many cute restaurants that provide lounge chairs, umbrellas, food & drink service that have very good food & as long as you purchase drinks & food you can use the lounge chairs & umbrellas for free. This is my favorite place to go sit beachside, have a leisurely lunch, have a coco frio and/or a few beers or margaritas & go for a swim. It's mostly Europeans, locals & a few tourist. Some local guitars players usually come by that 'play for pay' & a few others selling their handmade goods. It's pretty laid back & peaceful which I adore. If you like a laid back clothing optional beach where you can UNPLUG & UNWIND, just have a peaceful, chill day in paradise with the love of your life or your BFF, you will love Playa Manzanillo. It gets pretty packed on the weekends so plan accordingly. Recommend for Adults Only.

Puerto Angelito is one of the smaller coves that you can swim in that has crystal clear water…read morethat's not very deep near the beach. It's perfect for kids so families naturally flock to this beach who have many children. On the beach you will find lots of floats for sale & water toys for the children. There are also many places to purchase swimsuits, beach clothing, hats, sunglasses, anything you could possibly need for a fun day beachside. There are also banana boat rides, paddle boarding & other fun stuff available here. There are many restaurants here that serve really good food. My fave is the Puerto Angelito Restaurant. They have some of the freshest seafood coming right off the boats, coco frio, beer, mezcal & the best Octopus tostadas in Port I have found. I come just for them! The service is the best, they are also the only place that has free Wi-Fi & they will even let you charge your phone while you dine in. It gets very very crowded on the weekends so plan accordingly. The best little beach for families to get together for clean family fun with the kiddos. Recommend for families with children.

Such a beautiful beach! Strong waves so there isn't really a swimming. They also have a turtle…read moreconservation on the beach where you can pay to learn about their work and then release your own turtle into the ocean. Highly suggest it! This beach is wonderful to see the turtles but the views at sunset are just gorgeous.

You can't swim at this beach as the waves are too angry and currents too strong. But it's a…read morepristine and long beach with a shaded parking lot right at the entrance. Lots of folks set up volleyball and soccer games in the area. The fact there's not many restaurants or clubs also makes this beach special and quiet. There's a big bump from the main road onto the beach access road that might damage the underside of your car if you're not careful though!! This beach will always hold a special place in my heart, as it was the site of my wedding ceremony.

The Oaxaca beach town of Puerto Escondido has become famous from the surfing competitions held at…read moreZicatela Beach every year in November. This is the best beach in all of Mexico, and known as the "Mexican Pipeline" from the wave similarities to the Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. International surfing competitions are held here, such as the ESPN X Games, and the MexPipe Challenge. This wave is larger, more consistent and more powerful than Bonzai Pipeline. Bonzai is not actually a specific beach, but a wave swell that forms along a short section of North Shore. This iconic beach is fifty to one hundred meters wide and four kilometers long with one of the largest and most powerful swells in the world with beautiful formation. One of the world's absolute great beaches, it is reminiscent of Byron Bay in New South Wales, Australia, and Half Moon Bay in Northern California. I once saw a video of the legendary British surfer, Martin Potter, ride a wave from one end of Zicatela the other with such skill. That ride went on and on and on and on and on. I've never seen anything like it and I was never able to find that video again. If anyone knows how to view it, please let me know. My apologies to those surfers who prefer another beach cause I know some people take these things seriously. There are lots of good beaches. Jaws in Maui can be insane, and Bells Beach in Victoria and Margaret River in Western Australia are awesome. Zicatela is basically a surfer's beach, as its strong rip currents make it unsuitable for most swimmers. The beach now has a landscaped promenade. Back in 1986 and 1987 when I stayed here, there was no development onshore at this beach. Nothing. I swam here and it was probably the most difficult rip current I have ever been caught in. No lifeguards back then when Puerto was a dot on the map. I hear there are lifeguards now. We camped at the Playa Principal beachside campground two different times. Slept in a hammock. LOL. West of Zicatela Beach in front of the old town section is Playa Marinero, which is the best beach for swimming as the surf and currents are much less. The two beaches are separated by a rocky outcrop called "El Morro" (the nose). Although the Pacific Coast of Mexico generally runs north-south, this section of the coast in Oaxaca runs east-west, Playa Zicatela is on the eastern end. The main attractions of Puerto Escondido are its beaches, which are internationally known. The area also is attractive to scuba divers because of the variety of fish to be found, as well as large oysters, lobsters and manta rays. Very cool that you can fly from Mexico City directly into here to the cute airport just north of town. One of those "walk out to the plane" airports. Or you can take a vicious bus ride over the mountains to Oaxaca City - that one will kick your butt. I knew this place would be huge in the future, and here we are. One of the best places I've ever visited. Oaxaca on a whole is pretty awesome.

Really beautiful destination and place if you a looking for a relaxed out of the routine "hippie"…read morestyle, definitely a beautiful getaway part of Mexico, food is delicious and really unexpensive, is full of small restaurants and bars and without a doubt a surfer paradise! Really dangerous beach to swim in but perfect place to be hanging out!