Last December while backpacking in Colombia I met a traveler who raved of their stay in a Mexican town called Mazunte. Over the years I’ve learned to work the recommendations I get on the road into my own plans, and so nearly a year later this magical pacific coast town fit snug into my two-week trip through the state of Oaxaca. Mazunte is a unique haven for hippies and spiritual types, but I think it is a worthwhile place for any traveler looking to get off the beaten path.
Getting to Mazunte isn’t particularly intuitive — most people fly into Mexico via Mexico City or Cancun, and to travel straight to Mazunte from these locations can take some time. In my case, I came from Oaxaca city via an overnight bus to the nearest sizable town of Puerto Escondido (10 hours). From Puerto, I took a cheap “collectivo” bus to the town of San Antonio (30+ minutes), and then I got onto a smaller collectivo that took me directly into Mazunte in around 10 minutes.
Accommodations in Mazunte are generally not luxurious—maybe go to Tulum or Cancun if that’s what you’re looking for. Mazunte is full of tents, hostels, and hotels – all with a bare-bones charm. My hotel, “Mexhico-Nito” didn’t appear to exist on Google maps, but the map on Booking.com placed it near the beach. After I got off the collectivo bus I walked up and down the main tourist street searching for the hotel. Confused, I started asking employees of local businesses. The first few were of no help, but then a man at a tiny shack restaurant finally acknowledged the name of my hotel. He pulled out his phone, on it a list of names, and asked “are you Brandin?”
We arranged to meet down at the end of the road in an hour for check-in, at the entrance to the beach. A girl at the tiny restaurant offered to hold onto my larger bag in the meantime, which had no valuables so I obliged. In that time I grabbed some breakfast. An hour later I got my bag and I walked down to the entrance to the beach, where, at noon the man was nowhere to be found. Typical, I thought.
Sitting there, awkwardly with my two bags, still sweating in my black skinny jeans—I noticed a small sign for the hotel with a number to contact for check-in. Without a SIM card or WiFi I continued waiting for some time, eventually wandering up the stairs past the sign, where I found a girl who was able to help me in. I can’t say I’ve ever had a more disorganized check-in experience, but I kept reminding myself it’s all part of the experience.
For $25/night I had the most minimalist hotel of my life with the BEST location just steps from the beach (Playa Mazunte). The entire experience of staying here was one of contrasts. Waking up the next morning I was completely awestruck to watch the sun-rise directly out my window. I loved being able to walk down to the beach and swim without bringing my phone or wallet, which are typically a pain to keep an eye on if traveling alone. As for the hotel itself, the floors in my room teemed with small ants (fortunately they stayed out of my bed), the shower was just an open pipe and never got hot; and the room was just a bed, a stand-up fan, a single outlet, and a single chair. How I was to charge four devices?
Mazunte has a timeless, spiritual character about it. The wifi in the area is honestly some of the worst I’ve experienced, but I think that lent itself to the technology-less feel. Rarely did I see people on their phones. As for the remote workers who’ve flooded other Mexican cities – they either haven’t arrived here yet or they are scared of the wifi situation. At many points I felt like I was transported back in time – maybe it was 2015? or even 2007?
I’ve never seen more hippie’s in my life as in Mazunte. There were surfer dudes, yogi’s, and young hippie families. The sight of meditation and beach yoga was typical all day long. Many people slung guitars over their backs as they meandered around town (though I only ever saw two being played). Almost everyone had a tattoo (or five) and while I don’t have any—for the first time in my life I felt like I needed one.
I saw one family every morning at Mazuntes iconic French bakery, La Baguette. Just one of a number of businesses catering to the large expat community, La Baguette operates in a space no larger than a single car garage (akin to most businesses around). I had no idea where all of the baking took place, yet they were always stocked with a variety of items, including my favorite—the wonderfully sweet and inexpensive “Libritos” — small, square shaped pastries filled with chocolate chips. For only 12 pesos (56 cents USD) I got two libritos… so, take that Starbucks!
On my first full day in Mazunte I visited the nearby town of Zipolite, famous in Mexico for its nude beach. One can get there on a collectivo truck for $1.00, but I opted for the exercise of the hour long walk. The heat by mid-morning made the walk a bit uncomfortable, as the sweat accumulated and various patches of my skin began to slow-cook. Once in Zipolite I stopped for breakfast before walking another distance to Puerto Angel. There I took my first swim of the day at the secluded Playa Panteon.
After a lunch stop for some simple but tasty street quesadillas, I headed back to Zipolite, curious to experience the nude beach. I’ve never found the idea of visiting a nude beach to be exciting, having only been to one such beach before on Martha’s Vineyard, but here it was the thing to do. I felt like Playa Zipolite was an inviting paradise for nudists, and it even hosts an annual nudist festival.
Once I chose a spot along the beach it didn’t take long to partake in the local experience and run out into the ocean. For those who have never had a nude beach experience, I highly recommend it if only for the personal liberation it entails! I spent the entire afternoon there till sunset battling the aggressive ocean waves, indulging in 2 for 1 mojito’s/guacamole at a beach shack, and vibing to Lana Del Rey’s Norman Fucking Rockwell!
I spent my remaining two afternoons out at Playa Mermejita. This “unofficial” nude beach is located directly next to Mazunte, separated by a brief wooded path that also connects to the popular sunset spot of La Cometa. Having gotten a decent sunburn on the first day I opted to hang out in cafes in town until at least 2:00 PM before walking to the beach. I made sure to pick up some fruit and extra water before leaving Mazunte, as there didn’t seem to be any convenience stores near the beach.
Playa Mermejita doesn’t look very long from above, but once you are there it feels like a never ending stretch of sand. Personally, I liked this more than Playa Zipolite as I felt that I had more personal space. Regarding the nude beach experience I kept reminding myself – how many chances do we get in life to flail around in the ocean naked in broad daylight? (there may or may not have been some nude yoga too)…
Despite the seemingly welcoming community here I didn’t have any considerable social experiences until my last night, when alone at a restaurant a very typical Mazunte hippie group asked if I wanted to join them. It was as if all the sunrises/sunsets and days spent baking nude on the beach had me forgetting how to socialize. I started complaining about the heat and the bare conditions of my hotel, but I think I was preaching to the wrong crowd. I’ll never forget when a Canadian girl at the table suggested “maybe try Europe?” (LMAO, tried it I have).
thelaststandby 