Mexico has thousands of kilometers of coastline on three bodies of water — the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. The resort beaches (Cancun, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta) get all the marketing, but the best beaches for budget travelers and people who prefer sand over lounge chairs are elsewhere.
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Pacific Coast
Zipolite and San Agustinillo (Oaxaca) — budget bohemian beaches with palapas and cabanas. Puerto Escondido — surf town with a dangerous but spectacular pipeline break. Sayulita (Nayarit) — has gotten touristy but the surf and food are still good. Playa Arista (Chiapas) — a long empty beach near Tonala, mostly visited by locals.
Caribbean
Tulum — the famous one, beautiful but increasingly expensive. Mahahual — a small fishing village south of Tulum on the Costa Maya, quieter and cheaper. Isla Holbox — car-free island off the Yucatan north coast with whale shark tours in summer. Bacalar — not ocean but a freshwater lagoon with seven shades of blue, increasingly popular.
Gulf
The Gulf coast beaches are less visited by tourists. Veracruz city has a busy urban beach and excellent seafood. Tecolutla north of Veracruz has a quieter beach and river estuary. These are Mexican vacation spots, not international tourist beaches — which is part of their appeal.
