Punta Dreams

Chilled-out Puerto Escondido lies on Mexico's sunny Pacific coast. While it's a prime sun-seeking destination for Mexicans, it's less well known among international visitors – except surfers, who come from far and wide to catch towering waves at Playa Zicatela. There are more gentle pursuits here as well, which range from boat trips to simply relaxing on a quiet beach, sipping from a coconut. With a mellow atmosphere and a rugged coastline, this is a spot that's easy to fall in love with.

Like the town itself, Puerto Escondido hostels are bohemian and welcoming. A lot of them have social spaces and you'll find common areas such as outdoor swimming pools, rooftop bars and peaceful gardens. Scattered along the shoreline, hostels are a mix of colonial villas and contemporary-meets-traditional buildings. As well as standards such as free Wi-Fi, many hostels in Puerto Escondido have unique amenities including free longboards and bikes to get you around in style, daily yoga classes and even in-house tarot readings.

Instead of neighbourhoods, Puerto Escondido has beaches. Head to buzzing Zicatela for some of the best surf in Mexico – if you're lucky, you might come across a surfing competition being held here. To the south is La Punta, a narrow spit of land with smaller waves and hippie vibes. At the heart of Puerto Escondido is Principal Beach, where you'll see fishermen selling their catches at dawn and teenagers playing soccer after school. It's also the point of departure for boat trips.

Puerto Escondido's clear blue seas and golden shores are the area's main draw, but there are plenty of other attractions. You can go to Manialtepec Lagoon for tropical nature and mangroves teeming with wildlife like iguanas, ibises and parrots. In summer, glowing bioluminescent plankton light up the lagoon's waters. Mercado Benito Juarez has a range of traditional Mexican handicrafts, making it a great place to pick up souvenirs. For nightlife, you can check out the thatch-roofed bars near Principal Beach or Bacocho Beach's clubs.

You'll find Puerto Escondido International Airport just outside the centre, and a short taxi ride away from pretty much anywhere in town. Bahías de Huatulco International Airport is about 100km away and a shared taxi or a bus will take 1.5-2.5 hours to reach Puerto Escondido. You can also take a bus from Mexico City (approximately 12 hours). Within the town, many distances are walkable. Taxis are also affordable and easy to find, and local buses run frequently.