What are Mexico's best beaches?

Mexico is well known for Los Cabos, Acapulco and Cancun, however these are only three of the hundreds of beaches found throughout the country. Here are the beach destinations I recommend the most due to their beauty, accessibility and what they offer. (If you have any trouble understanding what state they are in, check out my previous post with a map of Mexican states).

Remember you can locate me and ask me questions at @mexicowiki

Cabo San Lucas: located in Baja California Sur, this area is known for being a big tourist destination especially for Americans due to its closeness to the border. This same reason makes it more expensive than other destinations.

 

Punta Mita: located in Nayarit, has some of the best virgin beaches and is now also gaining popularity as a surfing and golfing destination. If visiting around February and March you can take a boat ride and watch humpback whales. Playa Las Tortugas nearby is a protected region because it’s where turtles choose to lay their eggs.

 

Puerto Vallarta: located in the state of Jalisco (same state where Guadalajara is), known for its golden beaches and transparent sea excellent for scuba diving. One of Mexico’s most popular beaches too.

 

Acapulco: probably Mexico’s most known beach destination and one of the most popular for specific vacation dates (Spring Break, summer and long weekends). Can reach almost 100% of its capacity on those dates which can make it crowded, but it’s also known for its discotheques, traditional downtown area and the more exclusive Punta Diamante region (where you can find the Mayan Palace and Princess hotels).

Ixtapa Zihuatanejo: located in Guerrero (same state as Acapulco), they are actually two different communities: Ixtapa AND Zihuatanejo, but are only 4 miles apart. Ixtapa has a bigger hotel area and most of them are just some meters away from the ocean, Zihuatanejo has more ecotourism attractions.

Puerto Escondido: One of Oaxaca’s numerous destinations, offers several beaches with lots of ecotourism attractions and although popular, are rarely crowded. It is also known as a romantic destination. It’s very close to Puerto Angel, where you can practice lots of aquatic activities due to the warm water and low tides.

Playa del Carmen: Known commonly as “Playa” it’s part of the Mayan Riviera in Quintana Roo which is almost 100 miles long. It’s located 37 miles away from Cancun. It’s known for its transparent and warm Caribbean ocean, lots of famous ecotourism attractions (such as Xel-Ha and Xcaret), white sand beaches and lots of traditional Mayan culture architecture.

Cancún: Located in Quintana Roo, probably the most popular and cosmopolite beach destination alongside Acapulco. It’s known for its beautiful beaches, malls, extreme sports and discotheques. It also has a lagoon that is commonly visited by tourists, virgin beaches and Isla Mujeres, very close nearby.
 

20 Reasons to visit Mexico

1. It's a lot cheaper than other countries
2. You'll finally learn what a real taco looks (and tastes) like
3. Mexico has almost all kinds of climate and ecosystems: from desert to rainforest, take your pick.
4. Cancun, Mayan Riviera, Los Cabos, Acapulco... self explanatory

5. History buffs will love visiting places like the Teotihuacan or Chichen Itzá pyramids as well as more centric places like Guanajuato.
6. Travelling within Mexico is pretty easy. You can fly, take a bus or drive anywhere and pretty cheap.
7. Who wouldn't want to visit the largest city in the world?
8. Mexico City is only second to London in being the city with most museums in the world.
9. It's the tenth most visited country in the world and the second in the American continent.
10. You'll love the food. Trust me.
11. Many people speak English and if they don't we're known for being very tourist friendly.

12. You can see the Monarch butterfly reservation from January to April and the humpback whales about the same time (both are amaaaaazing experiences)
13. All those Spanish classes will finally have paid off.
14. You can hangout in a trajinera in Xochimilco (south in Mexico City)!
15. You'll see with your own eyes that Mexicans don't walk around with sombreros and lean against cacti.
16. If you're lucky, you can see a live soccer game, the excitement is pretty contagious!
17. Somehow I think tequila and beer should make it unto this list...
18. If you REALLY miss home, we have all the usual fast food places found probably elsewhere in the planet (McDonalds, Wendy's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Papa John's, Little Caesar's, that sort of thing).
19. I don't know anybody that didn't have a good time visiting any part of Mexico.
20. If you read this and DO come to Mexico, I'd be glad to help you make the most out of your trip!

Mexican flag

Common misconception: the Mexican flag is not an Italian flag with an eagle in the middle. The green on the Mexican flag is darker and, according to Wikipedia, this flag has a 4:7 proportion while the Italian is 2:3. Honestly, I thought most flags had the same size.

That said, here are some facts:
Green = hope, White = faith and unity, Red = the blood of the heroes who fought for our independence.

Why the eagle? Well, legend has it that when the Aztecs were looking for a place to build their city (Tenochtitlan), they had to look for an eagle devouring a snake and that would be the spot. They found it, built the city there and several years later, alas! Mexico City.

Mexican flag being raised at Campo Marte (military field next to Los Pinos, the equivalent to the White House, presidential home/offices, etc.)

Where is Mexico?

Let's start with the beginning. Small geography lesson. Mexico is just south of the U.S. border and north of Guatemala and Belice. Gulf of Mexico on the east, Pacific Ocean on the west. Kinda hard to miss on the map with the country's odd shape.
Common misconception: Mexico is part of North America, not Central or South.
31 states, 1 Federal District (sorta what Washington D.C. is) and that is also known as Mexico City, capital of the country.
112 million "mexicanos" live in the country and an overwhelming 20 million alone in Mexico City (yeah, I know, lots of us over here).
That said, I'll try to give you the 101 of what it's like to live here (in Mexico City) and other things of places you've probably heard of or have visited (or want to) like Cancún and Acapulco, and others that you probably have no idea, but, hopefully, will find interesting.
You can also follow and contact me at @mexicowiki . Thanks for reading!

Mexico Map: FYI Cancún is in the state of Quintana Roo (blue state, furthermost on the right)