Is Puerto Escondido overrated?

All prices in Mexican pesos ($). £1 = $24.21 at time of writing - Nov 2025

After Oaxaca, we always knew we wanted to zip over the mountains to the Pacific to have a little beach time. The challenge was deciding which beach town to visit. Mazunte was an appealing choice with its laid-back hippy vibes, but the transport connections were horrible. Zipolite, too, was in the running; the ocean was perfect for swimming, but a nudist beach wasn't really our scene. Puerto Ángel, a more authentic little fishing town rather than a beach resort, sounded great until we looked at the hotel prices. That left us with Puerto Escondido.

We had heard various opinions about Puerto Escondido: some described it as beautiful, others as just a party town, some claimed it had something for everyone, while others thought it was overrated. But what was the reality? Based on what we could see online, the city is split into three main areas: Centro, a bustling area full of backpacker-friendly accommodations and clubs that go on till the early morning; Zicatela, popular among surfers due to its world-famous waves and full of beachfront bars and restaurants; and La Punta, the city's more bohemian neighbourhood with a laid-back vibe. I certainly knew which appealed to me the most.

As accommodations options still weren't particularly cheap (who knew that seaside towns would come with a higher price-tag!) we settled on a more rustic hotel with amazing reviews in the hill overlooking La Punta, rather than a bougier hotel nearer to the main strip. Sure it was a good fifteen minute walk to the sea, but we had amazing views from our terrace and a small pool to cool down in... plus hoped we would be well away from the noise.

First we had to get there. Now that the new highway has been built (and is mostly free of rockslides and protests) the road from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido only takes three to four hours rather than the eight it would have two years ago. Walking around town we noticed a few different shuttle companies that made the trip, and looking at ADO's website it appears that they do too albeit with much less frequency.

The company we chose was "Transportes Bahía Colotepec" and their service to Puerto Escondido ran once an hour. We chose them for two main reasons: they not only gave us a good price at $350 per person, but they were also conveniently located just a street away from our Oaxacan accommodation. We were even happier with them once the day to travel came. Our driver was friendly and informative, and once he learned he would be practically driving past our hotel in Escondido on the way to the final drop-off point, he was happy to let us out early to save us some hassle.

The drive itself was stunning. We left the valley of Oaxaca behind to wind our way up into the mountains and travel through a wide, open pass bordered with forested mountain peaks before sweeping our way back down to the sea. It slightly reminded of some of the drives we did in New Zealand, but with far more cactuses and roadside taco stalls. Seeing as the road is barely a few years old, a few parts were more questionable than I hoped it would be - rockslides had covered both lanes causing drivers to find a less tarmac-ed alternative. Eek!

When we jumped out the shuttle we were bowled over by the heat. The afternoons in Oaxaca were hot, but this was a sweaty kind of heat that quickly sapped us of any inclination to do anything. Unluckily for us, even though we had been dropped at the bottom of the road to our next hotel, that hotel was up a steep, steep road. We made it, but not without some moaning and groaning - good thing all we had planned was a whole lot of relaxation and not much else.

When I first saw our digs I wasn't overly impressed. It seemed way more basic than I was expecting for the money, and our "private" shower and toilet being within a completely public area didn't help. When had I gotten so spoiled! Needing some perspective, we dumped our stuff in the room and headed to La Punta to see what the area was all about.

The main road directly below our hotel was home to a handful of more traditional eateries selling Mexican classics such as tlayudas, tortas and hamburguesas. The prices were slightly inflated compared to what we had seen elsewhere but this was a particularly touristy spot. The top end of the dusty main street had a similar vibe, more simple eateries scatted between shops, laundrettes, bars and guesthouses. Before we reached the main stretch we branched off down a street that led to the sea. This road had far less restaurants but more hotels, palm trees and shrubs lined the sides of the road giving us small glimpses of relief from the heat and shady spots for sleepy stray dogs to rest in.

The beach was wide with light golden sand, and (at least where we entered) not entirely covered in sun-beds. The atmosphere was far more relaxed than party-forward and a place that we could see ourselves spending more time at... if only the sea wasn't so rough. To be fair, there was plenty of people swimming in it but after a scary incident in Sri Lanka a few years ago I need pretty idilic conditions for it to be tempting for me.

As we walked along the beach towards the the centre of La Punta the sun-beds multiplied and the music levels went up - but still not in an overly intrusive way. We entered the high-street from the beach and we were blasted on all sides by bougie cocktail bars, fancier restaurants, boutique shops (mostly selling clothes of the floaty linen variety) and jewellery shops. There was a few more casual places scattered amongst them but the place seemed to have a bohemian vibe that seemed to come along with digital nomads rather than being unconventional and arty. Six-packed surfers and bikini clad beach goers wandered the sandy streets, seeming awfully coordinated compared to our more mish-mashed (and sweaty) selves.

Simple breakfast of Quesadillas and scrambled eggs!

We stopped in a mid-range restaurant for some frankly average food before heading to the shop. Our room came with a fridge plus a small gas stove and we were planning on making the most of it. As lovely and lucky as we are to eat out as much as we do, with it being over 6 weeks since we had jobs and a kitchen in Australia we were starting to feel the urge to cook for ourselves (at least for breakfast) for a change. We also didn't want to waste too many ingredients so setlled on Oaxacan cheese, eggs, spring onions, hot sauce and tortillas... not exactly what we'd go for back home but delicious none-the-less.

After we clambered back up that gruelling hill and let ourselves back into Casa Gio I was happy to be back. Sure it was rustic but I realised it also had everything I thought was missing from the main bit of town, a kind of charm that comes from its imperfections, it wasn't the most beautiful place but it had been put together with care. The more I looked around the more I liked it, from the honesty bar, to the small plunge pool to the hammock with stunning sea views just outside our door. That's actually where we spent most of our time while visiting Puerto Escondido, on our own private terrace snuggled up in the hammock with the resident cat, reading and relaxing before having a dip in the pool when it was too hot.

We did venture out a little, we explored the neighbourhood just above us when our route to a restaurant we wanted to try didn't quite exist. We headed back to the beach for a beautiful sunset, stumbling upon a drum circle that was celebrating the end of day. We ventured out early one day before the sun became scorching hot, following the beach along to the north and gaining a stray dog for company - the beach area that separated La Punta from Zicatela was pretty deserted for the most part, more runners and dog walkers to sun-bathers, plus the sea was nice and warm to paddle in.

Dinners out were a mixed bag. Tlayudas from the imaginatively named "Hamburguesas Y Tlayudas" on the main highway were grilled to order in front of us and delicious. We did have a small mishap where we accidentally ordered a litre each of Agua de Jamaica (hibiscus water) instead of one to share - but in the heat they were startlingly easy to drink down so maybe our waitress knew best. The fish and coconut prawn tacos from Pepe's Fish Tacos, were plentiful, unique and delectable... although a bit of the expensive side of things and the service was honestly quite unwelcoming.

Blue corn Tlayudas with onion, radish and mystery herb garnish!

Then there was Maria Sierna La Punta Zicatela, an incredibly well rated slightly fancier restaurant where we took ourselves for a treat. It started off so well, a delicious mezcalita for Ben, a homemade lemonade for me, free tortilla chips and dips to snack on while we chose the mains. Then we ordered and it all went downhill. It was honestly one the most disappointing meals we've had in a long time.

Looks can be deceiving!

We chose a fish ceviche tostada with a passionfruit dressing plus pescadillas (like a crispy fish taco) paired with cheese. When they came out they looked picture perfect. People say you eat with your eyes, but prettiness couldn't save these particular culinary blunders. The tostada was drowning in passionfruit, obliterating any other flavour including the raw fish that was supposed to be the main show, and the pescadillas were so smothered in cream and parmesan (what a wild combo) that they tasted almost sickly. Almost morbidly curious we did eat it all, wondering if the next bite would improve. We didn't say anything to our server but when we went up to pay we were asked how it was, diplomatically we replied that perhaps we chose the wrong dishes as we found it unenjoyable and the only response was to ask what food we normally ate!

Although we chose to spend our time relaxing, there are some activities that can be done from the La Punta area; visiting the local food market (Mercado De Zicatela) which is a short colectivo down the road; hopping on an organised boat trip to spot dolphins or whales (during certain seasons); and theres even tours to nearby lagoon with bioluminescent algae - although i've read reviews that this can be a little hit or miss.

So is Puerto Escondido overrated? While I can't speak definitively about Puerto Escondido as a whole, my experience in La Punta leads me to a more nuanced conclusion: "kinda". I think it ultimately depends on budget and expectations. If lounging on a sun-bed drink in hand, catching some waves on a surfboard, indulging in retail therapy in small boutiques, heading off on day-trips and eating out at slightly pricier restaurants for (hopefully) nice meals is what you're looking for - then La Punta might be ideal for you. The golden sandy beaches, beautiful weather, and vibrant atmosphere are perfect for a holiday.

However as someone travelling, rather than someone heading away on holiday to escape the lovely British autumn it just felt like something was missing for me. The essence of Mexican culture felt somewhat muted, like some of the soul had been replaced with tiki flavoured commercialism. It was almost as if I could have been on any beach, anywhere in the world, rather than somewhere distinctly Mexican. While La Punta offers the "bohemian" beach experience, it felts like it prioritised convenience and comfort over authenticity.

So i'm not at all saying that our time in La Punta was bad, we enjoyed our time relaxing and we did find some less polished aspects that we thoroughly enjoyed. I'm just saying that we probably won't be back again for another visit.