Puerto Escondido
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Puerto Escondido is a town in Oaxaca known for its big waves and excellent surfing conditions.
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[edit] Get in
By Bus
Buses serve Puerto Escondido from Oaxaca and Mexico City as well as some nearby cities on the Pacific coast oof Mexico e.g. Acapulco, Huatulco, Puerto Angel. However, the ride from inland is not for the weak of heart (or stomach) - think of narrow mountain roads with hairpin turns that seem to come every 10 seconds. The bus ride from Mexico City is about 12 hurs and goes through Acapulco. From Oaxaca, the bus ride is about 7 hours long.
By Car
Driving to Puerto Escondido is not advisable to foreigners. The roads that connect Puerto Escondido to Acapulco and Oaxaca are both narrow, twisty two-lane roads in poor conditions that traverse the sparsely populated Western Sierra Madre. Driving your own car will not save you much time over taking the bus.
By Air
Flying into Puerto Escondido International Airport (PXM) is a much more enjoyable experience. As of April 2007 only Mexicana de Aviación operates a regular flight through its subsidiary Click between Mexico City (MEX) and Puerto Escondido. You can avoid Mexicana's stratospheric fares by flying to Oaxaca (OAX) and then reaching Puerto Escondido with Aeorvega's (+52 951 5164982) daily flight. Another alternative is flying into Huatulco (HUX) and taking a taxi to Puerto Escondido (~90 min drive, ~$50-60 USD if you negotiate in advance).
Shared taxis (called colectivos) from the Puerto Escondido airport are cheap - about 35 pesos or $3.50 per person- and reasonably quick. The airport is close to town, but you may have to wait a few minutes as the colectivo driver waits to get a few more passengers, or drops one or two off ahead of you.
[edit] Get around
Puerto Escondido is a tiny town: you can walk across it in 20 minutes.
The fixed price for a taxi in town is 20 pesos ($2) and 40 pesos ($4) for the airport and Bacocho beach. The local bus is 3 pesos ($0.30)
Budget is the only car rental joint in town. They charge hefty rental fees for their fleet of subcompact stick-shift cars. They may also have some minivans available.
Renting a car is only necessary if you plan on visiting the nearby lagoon of Chacahua or the nudist beach of Zipolite, both about 90 min away from Puerto Escondido. You may be able to hire a cab driver for the day for about 800 pesos ($80).
[edit] See
Catch some waves on Playa Zicatela - if you don't surf, you should at least make it over to the beach restaurant Los Tios and have a beer on the beach while you watch people surfing in the sunset. Also a good place from which to watch over breakfast when there's a surf competition on.
[edit] Do
Surf. You can even take lessons if you're a beginner - try Central Surf or Surf 360.
You need to look for the silver surf shop. Negotiate the price and ask for Tarzan (Alejandro/Alex). He may be hung-over but the guy is awesome. He loves his Corona after a day of surfing.
[edit] Buy
- Puerto Escondido Oasis on the Adoquín pedestrian mall is a gift shop that offers gifts, clothing as well as local and imported home furnishings and accessories.
[edit] Eat
The best breakfasts can be found at Carmen's, with multiple locations around town. They bake their own bread and pastries and serve big breakfasts of huevos rancheros and other hearty meals to get you ready for a day of surfing!
Cafecito (on Zicatela) has a great club sandwich with fresh avocados.
El Jardin (on Zicatela) serves good pizzas and salads - and yes, they're safe to eat. These guys, as with all the restaurants I tried on Zicatela, use purified water to wash their vegetables, make ice for drinks, etc.
Mango's (also on Zicatela) has some amazing licuados (fruit smoothies) you can enjoy on the beach.
[edit] Drink
[edit] Sleep
There are numerous other hotels on Zicatela with great beachfront locations and moderate to downright cheap rates (especially off-season, i.e. spring and early summer). For longer stays (e.g. 1 month or longer), which seem to be common, renting an apartment is also an option - you'll probably want to stay the first few days in one of these hotels while you scout out what's available.
- Bungalows Zicatela is a great hotel on Zicatela beach with moderately priced rooms, two pools and a bar and restaurant. The view is great and the staff are friendly and helpful. Ask for room #13 and get their least expensive room!
- Beach Hotel Ines and Hotel Rockaway are a couple of examples, with rooms ranging from about $18 to $70/night off-peak. $70 can get you an air-conditioned double room with a balcony near the front of Ines, looking right over the beach, while $18-$35 can get you simple rooms with a fan and private shower, but not necessarily a full bathroom.
- Puerto Escondido real estate & vacation rentals - offers an alternative to hotels with rentals and sales of oceanfront homes, condos and properties.