THE BEACH, Oaxaca Mexico, Zipolite
The beach itself is the longest of the three and has a superb cove called Playa del Amor at the bottom end and a heart-shaped cut out in the rocks at the top end. You can really feel the love here that’s for sure, sorry had to throw that in there. If you are body conscious or find nudity disturbing you may as well stop reading right about now. If like me you couldn’t care less, love the beach, gorgeous food and great hotels, pray carry on….The beach is not all nudist’s it’s a happy mix of locals, family’s, nudist’s, travelers, retirees and many more people of all walks of life. Zipolite like I mentioned before is a real mixed bag of weird and wonderful.
THE TINY TINY PLAYA DEL AMOR SING KEEP SEARCHING ITS WORTH IT
HIDDEN JEWEL PLAYA DEL AMOR
THE FOOD, Oaxaca Mexico, Zipolite
THE FOOD AND BEDS AT HOTEL NUDE
Let’s start with the wonderful, shall we? There is no shortage of great quality cheap food here. The village has a small vibrant high street serving quality food all day and late into the night. There are some real standout spots and its a hot debate about which are the best. We didn’t get to visit them all but Pacha Mama, El Alquimista, Hotel Nude and Sal Y Pimiento were the top picks. Sal Y Pimiento hands down have the best burgers on the beach and if you have ever been to Shake Shack in NYC this really is as close as I have ever got to one of those beauties. Delicious. Pacha Mama and La Alchemista are a little more pricey but you really get what you pay for here as the cuisine is a little more sophisticated and ingredients therefore more expensive. Nude is somewhere in the middle. We just loved their Asian fusion parcels and their swinging beach beds. Breakfast here is a miss so don’t bother. We liked the breakfast at Posada Mexicana and our sunset wine and live music at Colibri. All of these venues are extremely child friendly and once you have hung out here a few times and felt the warmth of all the staff towards your kids you will wonder what all the fuss back home is about.
THE FISH TACOS AND BRUSCHETTA AT LA ALCHEMISTA
COCO LOCO AND BEACH VIEWS LA ALCHEMISTA
POSADA MEXICANA GARDENS AND SUNSETS AT COLIBRI
THE SHOPPING, Oaxaca Mexico, Zipolite
LA CASITA A GREAT LOCAL NATURAL PRODUCT SHOP
Zipolite’s main street had an evening market where small vendors ranging from local artists to travelling hippy’s sell their wares. There is also a great little natural goods store selling homoeopathic remedies and the such. Most of the small tiendas sell pretty much everything you need in terms of beach items, buckets, spades, sarongs etc as well as a good selection of sun tan lotions and bug sprays. There is a small pottery shop too which is pretty cool and a few second-hand clothes stalls. Look out for visiting jewellery makers though as I saw some quality items here and some beautiful amber too.
THE ACCOMMODATION, Oaxaca Mexico, Zipolite
CABANAS BIUZAA OUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME
The main beach is a real mixed bag of accommodations from campsites to nudist hotels and everything in between. We loved the vibe at Le Alchemista with its Yoga studio and wellness centre although we didn’t get to stay there as well as the very cute cabanas at Posada Mexico. We opted for a very budget-friendly and charm-filled option called Cabana’s Biuzaa. I’m not going to tell you how good it is because you will all go and I will never get a room there and I will be bummed. This is set off the main road and away from the beach so it’s extremely peaceful and gets a great hilltop breeze. The site is very small and the cabanas are charming with swinging beds and locally woven bedspreads. What makes this place though are the wonderful, warm and extremely generous staff. After 6 weeks we were proud to call them our friends and Oscar still breaks into a huge grin when he sees pictures of them. Thank you Señora Josefina, Carlos and Andreas. You made Zipo our special home away from home.
AND NOW FOR THE WEIRDLY WONDERFUL
Weird is so off putting lets just say unique instead shall we. During our trip Zipolite seemed to have quite a lot going on in terms of local events. A giant fun fair came into town as well as a rodeo which was just spectacular. We also did a fair amount of free spirited wondering which I highly recommend. We met so many interesting people and happened upon some interesting places too. I encourage you to explore Zipolite. You just never know whats around the corner!
The Rodeo, Zipolite, Oaxaca, Mexico. www,mywelltraveledfriend.com
GETTING AROUND Oaxaca Mexico, Zipolite
We didn’t include this in our previous sections but I will add a link. The general mode of transport between Zipolite, San Angustinillo and Mazunte is a collective. This takes form in a pick up type vehicle with a covered and seated back area. It costs 7 pesos and is the cheapest and most convenient way to get around. It’s also great fun as you get to meet everyone locals and fellow visitors. It’s a great source of information and food! The local beach vendors selling fruits, chocolate delights and fresh coconuts use these buses too so your never far away from a freshly baked pizza. Sweet. Taxis are also readily available and cost between 50 pesos (Zioplite – San Angustinillo) and 70 pesos (Mazunte – Zipolite) these can also be shared to some of the bigger towns like Pochutla 25 pesos v’s full price of 150 or more and San Angel. Just stand by the road and look like you need a ride as they pick up along the way and have no fixed schedule, they do tend to be more a morning thing though as people go to the bigger markets etc.
Pochutla is your main “big” city. This is where the buses leave for various larger destinations such as Oaxaca. There is also a big post office here, pharmacies, clothes shops and big fruit and vegetable markets and the all elusive cash points. It’s not pretty but it’s very handy. Lets clear up the cashpoint topic too. Here is a comprehensive breakdown below.
Mazunte – One cashpoint near the crepe shop on the main road. It gets filled about once a week but with any special events in town such as the Jazz Festival etc. your on your own. It gets emptied in minutes not hours!
San Angustinillo – There is one cashpoint here and its inside a restaurant. El Pescador. It never seems to have money in the space of 6 weeks I once managed to find it working.
Zipolite – Has two cashpoints. Hotel Zipolite on the main high street had a good working cash machine although as it’s the closest to town it does sometimes run short. Hotel Nude which is right at the end of the beach has a very reliable cashpoint. I never found it empty. Im told its run by the mob. Dont care, it works, so be it!
