This place is by far my absolute favorite place in Mexico. I spent five wonderful weeks in Puerto and never got bored. So many things to do. Also, it is much cheaper than the Quintana Roo area.
Puerto Escondido is a hidden gem and a surfer's paradise. Perfectly for those, who want to experience a more local way of living and enjoy a simple lifestyle far away from resorts. During my second visit, I fell in love with this town and constantly extended my stay. In the end, I found myself living for over five weeks in Puerto Escondido.
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Best Time to Visit Puerto Escondido
The best time to visit Puerto Escondido is during the dry season from November to April. If you're very into surfing you should consider visiting Puerto Escondido from May to October, when the waves are big and consistent.
I was in Puerto Escondido twice. Once in February and in May. During my stay in February surfing was not possible since the waves were almost inexistent. However, during May the waves were very good, it rained on some days but it was nice to have some cooling days.
Best Restaurants in Puerto Escondido
I'm a foodie and it's one of my personal missions whenever I'm at a new destination to find the best restaurants in town. For those, who don't know, I try to eat vegetarian most of the time and therefore, always looking for vegetarian-friendly places to eat. Besides many Mexican places that offer tacos, tortas, and hamburguesas you find other international restaurants too. The following were my favorites:
Spirulina
This was by far my favorite place to eat brunch because of the nourishing, freshly-made smoothie bowls (the best I had in town). I visited Spirulina sometimes twice a day and it's the perfect place for everyone, who is looking for fresh food with lots of veggies and fruits. Just be aware of the poor service, sometimes it takes ages until you receive your food, but fortunately, there's a chessboard to keep yourself busy during waiting time.
Non-Solo Pizza
For everyone who is seeking Italian food, this is the best for pasta. I'm in love with their seafood pasta, and is one of the best I've ever had in my entire life! Although the restaurant's name sounds promising for having good pizza, I can't recommend it. It's good though, but you find better somewhere else.
El Sultan
If you're looking for Mediterranean food I can recommend El Sultan. A freshly made pita bread stuffed with salad, veggies, and hummus makes it the perfect dish for eating while it's so hot. Besides Mediterranean food, El Sultan offers customizable smoothies and smoothie bowls, which are very delicious too.
Lychee
Located in the La Punta area you find one of the only Asian places in Puerto Escondido. In comparison with real Asian food, it's not prepared traditionally and a Thai Red Curry does not taste like an authentic one, but besides that, the food was really good. You have the opportunity to eat fully vegetarian since they offer tofu instead of meat.
Sushi en Rinconada
There's some room for improvement in terms of the interior, but besides that, it was the best sushi place I've found in Puerto Escondido. The quality and quantity were outstanding for the price you paid. The restaurant is on the same road as El Sultan, right before the entrance to Carrizalillo.
Additional Recommendations
The five restaurants I've mentioned above were my absolute top restaurants, and a must-visit while staying in Puerto Escondido. However, after spending over five weeks here, the list of good restaurants grew bigger, and therefore, I even have more recommendations to make.
Breakfast:
Cafe Olé: A nice place for eating delicious pancakes and smoothie bowls.
Karma Bowls & Cantina: As the name already reveals, they have tasty smoothie bowls.
Piyoli Punta Zicatela: A good spot for a variety of breakfast options, such as smoothie bowls and avocado toast.
Lunch/dinner:
Piyoli: Besides breakfast, they also offer good and healthy dinner dishes.
Il Salento: The best pizza place!
Food Market La Punta: For those who cannot decide what to eat. I promise you to have enough options here.
Selina: The best place for having a burger.
😢 Forgive me for not having pictures made of the dishes and restaurants, but that was before I decided to write a blog.
Things to Do in Puerto Escondido:
Although Puerto Escondido is a small town, there are so many things to do. It is also divided into different areas, such as Zicatela, La Punta, and the city center.
Zicatela and La Punta are the best places for fun and food. In comparison to those two places, there is not much to do in the city center, besides visiting the market to buy fresh fruit and vegetables.
Discovering the Beaches of Puerto Escondido
The Eastern part of Mexico is famous for its ice-blue water and beautiful sand beaches, and the Western part cannot stand a chance in terms of beauty, but what it offers are waves that are perfect for surfing and swimming within waves. Playa Carrizalillo, Zicatela, La Punta, and Bacoccho were my favorites which I'd been visiting over and over again. Each of them are offering a different vibe and activities.
Playa Carrizalillo: This is the best beach for surfing if you're a beginner or an intermediate surfer. The waves are nice, but crowdy.
Playa Zicatela: It is not recommended to swim in Zicatela, since the waves are really strong. It's a good spot for surfing for advanced surfers or watch them how they catch waves. Zicatela sandy beach stretches until La Punta and for this reason, is perfect for having a nice long walk along it.
Playa La Punta: It's the most crowded one, and the vibe during sunset is amazing. It's also a nice place for having a swim in the ocean, surfing (for intermediate surfers), or reading your book while lying in a sun chair.
Playa Bacoccho: This is the place where you can do some volunteer work and release the baby sea turtles into the ocean. By doing so, you support the Non-Profit-Organisation that keeps sea turtles safe from their enemies.
Enjoy Puerto Escondido's vibrant Nightlife
At night the Zicatela turns into a party street, where all the tourists and locals dance the night away to the rhythm of Latin music. I mostly went to the club xCanda for having a fun night or spent the evening at the billiard center, which is also located at Zicatela. The good thing is, that every night is something going on, just keep your eyes and ears open for the best recommendations.
More Activities and Attractions
If you're looking for even more activities, I've listed down some of the top activities you could do while being in Puerto Escondido:
The Pacific coast is home to many whales and dolphins and for this reason, it's the best way to see those fascinating creatures in their natural habitat by having a whale and dolphin-watching tour.
Another great thing to do while in Puerto Escondido is do some yoga. You can either attend courses at the beach or in a yoga center nearby. There are so many yoga studios!
Do a day trip to other places such as Mazunte or Zipolite. Both towns are known for a laid-back lifestyle as you have in Puerto Escondido and offer nice beaches as well.
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