Our second stop in the round up of top family friendly beaches in Oaxaca, Mexico is San Angustinillo a pretty one street village right between Mazunte (check out our full post here) and Zipolite. It also has the most child and family friendly beach in this part of the Oaxaca, Mexico coast. It’s a great spot to base yourself for some Pacific coast exploring, there is definitely something magical about this place and we can’t wait to go back.
WHERE TO STAY – San Angustinillo a family friendly beach in Mexico
One of the top reasons we loved San Angustinillo was the variety and quality of accommodation for all budgets.
Most accommodation is on the beach although there are lots of great properties just on the other side of the road too such as La Casa Magica. We stayed in La Termita for a few luxurious nights before moving to a more budget but no less charming digs in Zipolite. A family run beach front hotel with beautifully decorated spacious and cool rooms. The hotel also has a wood fired oven which makes the best pizzas in the area. Fact! At the top end and coming highly recommended by many of the people we met were Casa Aamori which has a pool somewhat of a rarity amongst these parts, Un Sueno and Punta Placer. On the budget end of the spectrum Bambu is a much loved spot as is Maria’s. Maria’s you will have to seek and conquer as it’s a walk in only sort of affair so ask around for 25$ of beachfront beauty its worth it.
THE BEACH – San Angustinillo a family friendly beach in Mexico
Miles of beautiful crystal clear lapping waves and no crowds to share them with. Perfect. This is popular surf spot although unless you’re a professional it’s a tough one to enjoy as the waves are short, fast and furious. There are board rentals in the village and a surf school to boot. Coco Loco Surf’s Charlotte comes highly recommended by our new found family friend Gez (Thanks!)
If your into more tranquil activities there are lots of little nooks and bays to explore, swim and paddle in. Make sure you follow the crowds and the locals as they really know best in terms of what is safe. This is the Pacific and it can be dangerous, currents are strong and waves can be crushing. Just a polite warning. As Oscars middle name is Chang meaning Elephant in Thai it seems only natural we loved Punta Elefante or Elephant point. See if you can spot the sleeping elephant rock. Just over this little sand bank is a small sheltered bay that after around 3PM has gentle waves and a pool like area that is popular with local families.
The beach also has a number of casual boat tours set up along it. You can go on fishing trips, dolphin and turtle tours as well as beach hopping or seasonal whale watching. Prices are pretty fixed at around 250 pesos although negotiate for groups. Always safest to go with a more established set up such as Pacifico Magico tours run by two local surfers just down the beach from Mexico Lindo but it’s up to you.
THE FOOD – San Angustinillo a family friendly beach in Mexico
As I mentioned above La Termita is just the most awesome pizza spot here. Not only is it owned by some lovely Italians but the restaurant is gorgeous and the wine excellent. We also spent a ridiculous amount of time at Mexico Lindo (worth noting they also have some very cute rooms). The food here is fantastic. Fresh and simple and very well priced, try the fish taco’s and the fresh chicken sandwich (I know but its delicious!) . It has a prime beach location and great chairs and hammocks overlooking one of the bay. There is also a very tasty homemade ice cream spot in San Angustinillo which surprised us by playing some darn good Croatia folk music one day. Its right opposite La Mora and I’m pretty sure its the same owners too. Forget the name, sorry! For quick snacks there is an Argentine Empenada spot just opposite Sand Bar that we often got takeaway from. Tasty and super cheap. Oh Sand Bar or Fernando’s bar as we fondly called it. Ok well full disclosure we had a lot late nights here and some of them I might not be able to remember quite so well. This tiny beach bar with amazing sunset views has a genuine and lovely host and some pretty great Margaritas too. I hear Fernando is a love or hate you kind of guy. Lucky he loved us as he is a wealth of local information and a great laugh.
SHOPPING – San Angustinillo a family friendly beach in Mexico
There are a few small tiendas (small local shops) selling the usual beach supplies etc. however the real shopping gem is the beach. There are some amazing goods being hawked here daily. From hand roasted cacahuetes ( I know what a ridiculous name. Makes me laugh every time!) or peanuts to you and me to beautiful hand painted wood carved Mexican delights. We couldn’t resist this amazing wool rug which we have already shipped home. The village also has a beautiful Mexican handicraft store called ArteSano opposite Hotel Casa Aamori which I did some real damage in. The jewelry, fabrics and bikinis are very well sourced and the kids clothing is adorable. Shop local and support this great establishment. How lovely are there newspaper gift bags too! Worth a mention too is the shop at Casa Aamori. This was way out of our budget but had some very nice beach pieces. Im still longing for a very lux coral printed bikini I saw there.
San Angustinillo a family friendly beach in Mexico
