 Puerto Escondido stands for 'hidden port', and the little beach town placed aside from the southern part of Oaxaca certainly merits that name. Part of its ambiguity is because there are no direct planes from Miami, New York, Denver or L.A.
And many of travelers decide to head for more popular and according crowded Mexican beach resorts. In addition, Puerto Escondido boasts its reputation of the “wild west” of Mexican Beaches.
Though Puerto Escondido is famous for its funky, rustic style, you’ll find here lively night clubs. There are plenty of great restaurants, lots of good, comfortable accommodations, and some luxury hotels. They aren’t as costly as the mega-resorts and overcrowded, so you can get a room here without booking, even in peak seasons.
In Puerto Escondido you may enjoy lots of different beaches, each of them has its own individual personality.
Playa Zicatela is called the best surfing beach in North America. Its world-renowned tide also causes strong undercurrent, so it becomes unsafe for swimming, unless you’re a remarkably experienced and strong swimmer.
The wide stretch of sand extends for a mile or so, and is a surfer’s beach till today. But the neighboring area is changing. Once surfers lived in battered vans and old motor homes, but the town has cleared the spiny beach plants and built a walkway of paving stones, delightfully lined with flowers and shrubs. Many tourists mistakenly decide that this place is safe.
There are plenty of outdoor eateries. Hotels along the beach vary from the luxury Santa Fe which are located on the northern edge and they are actually not on Zicatela, to modest bungalows and cabanas.
Another destination is Playa Principal, the main beach. There’s no distinct separation from Playa Marinero. You will understand that you are on the main beach because of plenty of the fishing and pleasure boats and water taxis close to shore.
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