Mazunte - Chill Vibes by the Beach
By Gillian Boyd Published 20 April 2026
Mazunte, a Pueblo Magico, is a former hippy commune on the beach with little formal infrastructure, known for vegan food, women’s wellness retreats, and turtle conservation.
We visited Mazunte to relax and rest at the beach for a few days and it suited us just fine. Being fair skinned and burning easily, we don’t typically spend much time lazing on the beach but we needed some down time. We chose Mazunte over the larger more famous Porto Escondido, precisely because it is less developed and touristy.
Chill on Mazunte Beach at the Pacific coast in Mexico
Getting There
After 6 days in Oaxaca, we booked a colectivo from Oaxaca to Mazunte at the hostel Casa Angel, leaving at 9am. Only us and the driver stayed on for the whole journey which was quoted as 6 hours but actually took 8. The driver made numerous stops delivering and collecting packages along the way, but there was one 15-minute stop where we dashed to the toilet and bought some biscuits.
The road was twisty over the mountains so I took a motion sickness pill. We discovered later that many people stop at San Jose del Pacifico for the magic mushroom experience on their way to Mazunte.
Alternatively, you can fly to Huatulco International Airport (HUX) which is about 50km away.
Mazunte Beach
The beach at Mazunte is wide, with soft sand. Facing onto the Pacific Ocean, the bay is shallow and good for swimming. The waves crash gently at the waters’ edge in a steady rhythm that slows your heartbeat. There are beach umbrellas and chairs for hire but the sun is strong and even in February I got sunburnt sitting under the umbrella. Graham went snorkelling while I sat on the beach with my mezcal mojito and read.
Towards one end of the beach, just below our hotel, we found some wooden folding chairs and sun umbrellas. There were two guys offering umbrellas for hire and we went with the cheapest.
View looking down the beach in Mazunte, Mexico
The owner, was a deeply tanned Mexican in neon green loose sleeveless top, patterned swim shorts, blood shot eyes and the tail end of a spliff in the corner of his mouth. It was mesmerising, watching the spliff bob up and down as he talked, the ash falling in chunks on the sand. ‘Sorry, what did you say?’ I hadn’t heard a word. It was 11 o’clock in the morning.
The next day he was gone. He had made enough money for the week, so went to visit his friend. There are many who live and work in Mazunte who have this work life philosophy.
Sundowners
In the early evening, as it begins to cool a little, the beach gets busy as the digital nomads finish work for the day and gather to watch the sunset and relax.
Each day a man with long hair, beard and brown robe stood at the water’s edge, hands behind his back, holding a large bottle of beer, contemplating life. He looked like Jesus. There’ll also be someone wandering around with a Tupperware box selling chocolate brownies or cookies (the special herbal ones).
Playa Zipolite
Just 6km away, 20 mins by car is Playa Zipolite, Mexico’s only officially recognised nudist beach. The waves are stronger here, so it’s a popular surfing spot too.
Relaxing at Punta Cometa sunset in Mazunte
Sunset at Punta Cometa
Watch the sunset over the ocean at Punta Cometa, a rocky cape jutting out from the west end of Mazunte beach. It was just up from our hotel, near the cemetery.
There is no parking. We hiked for about 15 or 20 minutes through the community nature reserve, listening to the waves crash and sat at the view point to watch the sunset. After a day spent lying down and reading, it was good to move and stretch our legs a little.
Fresh fish BBQ restaurant in Mazunte, Mexico
Mazunte
Mazunte is so chill that it appears to be built organically from found objects clubbed together. Some of the streets are made of compressed sand. There is little formal infrastructure and there were two power cuts during our 5 day stay.
Pro Tip – There are not many generators so if the power is out, then eat at the wood fire pizza restaurant, or at We Love Fish where they bbq the catch of the day on coals.
Dolphin jumping at Mazunte Mexico
Boat Trip
Take a 2-hour morning boat trip from Mazunte beach to see the marine wildlife. With only 8 passengers on board and a Spanish speaking guide, it was cosy.
The vendor had made big promises the night before. I was dubious as Mother Nature does her own thing, but we were not disappointed. We saw two humpback whales and many black frigates circling a huge white rock, pristine white because it was covered in guano (bird poo). A pod of dolphins accompanied us for a while leaping out of the water to our delight.
We saw turtles lying on their sides, one occasionally flapping its front flipper like it’s trying to keep afloat or right itself. The whole boat was giggling. The Canadian woman sitting next to me and whose Spanish was a lot better than mine, leant across conspiratorially. ‘Did you understand him?’. ‘No’ I admit. ‘He says the turtles are having sex and apparently it lasts for five hours.’ Wow, I think. I have seen a lot of different turtles before – green, leatherback, hawksbill, but never mating turtles!
When we get back to shore, we disembark but are told to stay on the beach. The Skipper takes the boat back out, turns around and zooms straight towards the beach at high speed. It seems dangerous and crazy but then the boat flies onto the beach and when it comes to a standstill, we push it into place.
Mexican Turtle Centre in Mazunte
See Baby Turtles Being Released
Contact the Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga directly for information on nightly baby turtle releases during the peak nesting season from July to December, particularly at nearby Playa Ventanilla. Tours are widely available to learn about turtle biology and take part in the conservation effort to protect the endangered turtle. Olive Ridely (Tortuga Golfina) is the most common species here.
Organic Food
In keeping with the hippy vibe of the place, Mazunte has a higher proportion of organic and health foods like kombucha, vegetarian and vegan food.
Posters on a noticeboard in Mazunte, Mexico
Female Wellness
A noticeboard at the café advertised courses and workshops available locally. There were women’s retreats, yoga and exploratory courses on ‘Own Your Pleasure’, ‘Discover the Pleasure Map to my Body’ and ‘An Initiation into your Divine Feminine Essence’. Some courses lasted up to 7 days.
Final Thoughts
Mazunte was a very laid back, chilled place to relax, rest and recuperate. It opened my mind to some new ideas on why we work and what we want from life. It showed an alternative meaning of work life balance, as we met so many people who lived day to day, choosing to work just long enough to meet their immediate needs.
Even on the flight home to the UK from Mexico, we sat next to an Englishman who was returning for 6 months and had lived in Mazunte. He only owned carry-on luggage as he had given everything else away. Despite being in his 40’s, he had sold his physical assets and had been travelling for about 5 years. Since then, I’ve met more people like him, who have no base. They say that one day they will settle but that always seems very far in the distance.