We live on the Mexican coast — in Puerto Vallarta, to be precise — and we spend our time working out which beaches are worth the drive, which tables are worth the wait and which destination fits the trip you actually want. Twelve of them, from the Pacific to the Caribbean, with everything nobody puts in the brochure.
Twelve beach destinations in Mexico, from the Pacific to the Caribbean. Each one with what actually matters before you book.
Pacific coast
Puerto Vallarta
The most complete beach city in Mexico
Pacific coast
Riviera Nayarit
Surf, small towns and the coast north of Vallarta
Pacific coast
Mazatlán
The best value on the Mexican coast
Pacific coast
Los Cabos
Where the desert falls into the sea
Pacific coast
Puerto Escondido
Mexico's best wave and the town around it
Pacific coast
Huatulco
Nine bays and the cleanest water on the Pacific
Caribbean
Cancún
The country's most spectacular water, with everything that brings
Caribbean
Playa del Carmen
The most practical base on the Riviera Maya
Caribbean
Tulum
Maya ruins above the Caribbean and the country's best cenotes
Caribbean
Cozumel
Mexico's best diving island
Caribbean
Isla Mujeres
The best beach in the Mexican Caribbean, twenty minutes from Cancún
Caribbean
Holbox
No cars, no hurry, and plankton glowing at night
Colomitos, Las Ánimas, Quimixto, Majahuitas and Yelapa: what each road-free beach offers, how long to give it and how to plan the route on a private yacht or catamaran.
Four ways into the water, whichever coast you pick.
Sand, surf and hidden corners of Banderas Bay.
2 dispatchesTables, seafood shacks, bakeries and cantinas worth the trip.
1 dispatchMoving, renting, buying and surviving the rainy season.
1 dispatchTours, surf, fishing and plans that never make the brochure.
1 dispatchFrom Los Muertos to Yelapa, through the rocky southern coves and the long northern sand: an honest guide to Banderas Bay beaches, with boat times, seasons and the warnings nobody gives you.
Seafood, cart tacos, bakeries and the dinner with a view that is actually worth the reservation. How to eat well in Vallarta at any hour, budget and level of hangover.
The unvarnished guide to moving to Banderas Bay: which area to live in, how annual rentals work, what a fideicomiso is, how much the humidity weighs and what paperwork to settle before boarding.
Snorkelling at Los Arcos, whales in winter, jungle ziplines, surf in Sayulita and mountain towns ninety minutes from the beach. The full list, including how to pick an operator and what to do when it rains.
