Puerto Escondido

The beach is the reason to come, and the Pacific here is warm all year, around 28°C. The coast changes character every few hundred metres, so it matters which part you choose. Zicatela is a long, golden surf beach where powerful waves and rip currents make swimming dangerous; it is for watching surfers, walking at sunset and lying on the sand. For swimming, head to the sheltered coves: Carrizalillo, reached down a long flight of steps, Puerto Angelito and Manzanillo, with calm, clear water good for snorkelling.

The town beach by the fishing boats is calm and easygoing, and further along the coast, about an hour by road, the villages of Mazunte, San Agustinillo and Zipolite add more coves and long stretches of sand. Bacocho and other open beaches are best for sunsets rather than swimming. Days follow the sea: a swim in the morning, shade at midday, the surf at dusk.

Eating here is relaxed and good rather than remarkable. The strengths are fresh fish and the cooking of Oaxaca: whole fish grilled a la talla, ceviche and seafood cocktails at beachfront palapas, tlayudas, moles and tamales in the market and at evening street stalls in the town centre. Mezcal from the Oaxacan valleys is everywhere, alongside fresh juices and coconuts. The surf neighbourhoods of La Punta and Zicatela add wood-fired pizza, poke bowls, bakeries and international cooking for a long-staying crowd, and Rinconada has a handful of more polished restaurants. There is no fine-dining tier to speak of, and the range is that of a small town.

There is very little to see in the conventional sense. The old centre around the pedestrian street known as El Adoquin is pleasant but modest, with a small church and a lighthouse on the headland, and there are no museums or historic buildings of note. The culture a visitor meets is that of the Oaxacan coast, in the market, the fishing beach and the town's festivals, rather than in sights. Anyone wanting architecture and museums has to travel inland to Oaxaca city.

Going out here is a surf-town affair, and lively for a place this size. La Punta, at the southern end of Zicatela, is the young, barefoot end of town, with open-air bars, reggaeton and electronic nights and parties that run late in the high season. Zicatela's beachfront strip has sunset bars and mezcal places, while the centre and Rinconada are quieter. The scene swells over the winter months and during the Mexican vacation weeks around Christmas and Easter, and thins out in the rainy season. It is fun and informal rather than deep, with no real club culture.

Puerto Escondido's outdoors is the ocean. Zicatela's beach break is one of the most famous big-wave surf spots in the world, heavy and hollow when the swell is up, while gentler breaks at La Punta and Carrizalillo suit learners. Boat trips go out for dolphins and turtles, and humpback whales pass offshore in the winter months.

Inland of the coast, the Manialtepec lagoon is good for birdwatching by day and glows with bioluminescence on dark nights, and the Lagunas de Chacahua national park, about an hour and a half west, is a world of mangrove channels, crocodiles and empty beach. Turtle hatchling releases happen on the nearby beaches in season. Hiking is limited, though the forested Sierra Sur rises behind the coast. Summer brings heat and heavy rain.

The places within easy reach are almost all along the coast. Mazunte, San Agustinillo and Zipolite, about an hour east, are small beach villages with their own characters, from Mazunte's yoga-and-crafts calm to Zipolite's freewheeling bohemian feel, and Puerto Angel is a working fishing port nearby. Huatulco, around two hours away, is a planned resort with a set of bays. The village of Chacahua sits inside the lagoon park to the west. Beyond that the choice runs out: Oaxaca city, the mountain village of San Jose del Pacifico and the mezcal valleys are better visited overnight than as a day out.

Families can have a good time here, but it takes some care. The calm coves at Puerto Angelito, Manzanillo and Carrizalillo are safe for children to paddle and snorkel, though Carrizalillo means a steep stair climb back up. The famous open beaches, Zicatela above all, have heavy surf and strong currents and are not for swimming with children. Turtle hatchling releases, dolphin boat trips and gentle surf lessons give older children real highlights. There is nothing built for children, no zoo or aquarium, the heat is strong and the town is spread out, so it suits families who want simple beach days.

The town is spread along a few kilometres of coast in separate pockets: the centre, Rinconada near the coves, and Zicatela running down to La Punta. Within each pocket you can walk, though pavements are patchy, the hills are steep and the heat makes long walks hard work. Between them, everyone takes taxis, which are plentiful and easy to flag down, and colectivo vans run along the main roads. A car is not needed in town, but trips along the coast mean a colectivo, a driver or a tour. Some visitors rent scooters, on roads that are busy and uneven.

Shopping is limited to what a beach town needs. The pedestrian El Adoquin in the centre has stalls of Oaxacan crafts, embroidered blouses, alebrijes and hammocks, alongside the souvenir trade. Bottles of mezcal make the best thing to take home. Zicatela and La Punta add surf shops, swimwear and a few small boutiques, and the town market sells everyday goods and produce. For serious craft shopping, the markets and workshops of Oaxaca city are the place.

Puerto Escondido can be very cheap or surprisingly expensive, depending on how you stay. Market meals, street tacos, beach palapa lunches, taxis and simple guesthouses cost little, and there are almost no paid sights. The surf neighbourhoods cater to a foreign crowd, though, and design hotels, beachfront villas and the international restaurants of Zicatela and La Punta charge prices well above the local norm. Rooms are dearest over Christmas, Easter and the other weeks when Mexican families take their vacation and the town fills up.

There is little to attend. Live bands, DJs and the occasional jazz or son jarocho night play in the bars of Zicatela and La Punta, and the town's November festival brings music and traditional dances. There is no theatre, concert hall or regular cultural programme, and anyone looking for the dance and music of Oaxaca will find far more inland in Oaxaca city.

The pace here is slow by default, set by the heat, the tides and the surf. Yoga is a real part of town life, with open-air studios and retreats in Zicatela, La Punta and the quieter hills behind, and more still in nearby Mazunte. The local tradition of the temazcal, a herbal sweat lodge ceremony with roots in Mesoamerican healing, is easy to try, and beach and hotel massages are cheap and plentiful. There are no thermal baths or large spas. Light sleepers should stay away from La Punta, which is lively late into the night.