Zipolite – a chilled, travellers’ paradise
| Zipolite - a chilled, travellers' paradise - Eats, Drinks and Sleeps An odd mix of hippies and long term travellers have made Zipolite their home, it's not overdeveloped, it's rustic in places and kinda nice and low key. |
I’m leaving Zipolite feeling refreshed, energised and ballsy. I was a little nervous about coming here after discovering it is most famous for its nudist beach, one of Mexico’s only. But boy I’m glad I did, Zipolite is a chilled, travellers’ paradise and was just what the doctor ordered.
I had no desire to go to Tulum or wherever American’s hang out en masse. I wanted some beach action in Mexico that felt a bit more real and authentically Mexican.
While admittedly the vibe here is international. An odd mix of hippies and long term travellers have made Zipolite their home, but it’s not overdeveloped, it’s still rustic in places and kinda nice and low key. It’s super chilled, small enough to walk everywhere, and benefits from small town vibes and is isolated from the hustle and bustle in a good way.
This is a great spot for a digital nomad looking for somewhere cheap and fun to work from and refresh the soul while in Mexico. What’s quite cool is by some curious twist of geography you can see both the sun rise and set over the ocean here – I’m the biggest fan of sunsets, and try to wake naturally for sunrise when travelling.
Three things you must do when in Zipolite.
- Bare all on the beach
The beach is clothing optional rather than militantly nude. It wasn’t exactly on my to do list to get naked on a beach but having done it once I now see the attraction – there is something kind of freeing about sitting butt naked on a beach and drinking margaritas. Give it a try.
2. Learn to surf
This is a surfer beach after all – so you may as well give it a shot. Learning to surf is hard work but exhilarating and it’s fairly cheap for one-to-one lessons – I paid 600MXN around £20 for a few hours getting kicked about by the surf and eventually riding some waves.
3. Do some restorative yoga
The chilled hippy vibe here means there’s plenty of yoga lessons to be found. My favourite spot was at La Loma Linda – which held restorative yoga classes most mornings in both Spanish and English. A really relaxing way to start the day.
Getting to Zipolite
I took a 9 hour windy old bus ride from Oaxaca which cost around 290 MXN about £10. It was fairly comfortable and I enjoyed some pretty mountain views along the way, and a couple of comfort breaks. That said I’ll probably fly direct from Mexico City next time to the nearest airport Huatulco (HUX) – internal flights are around £50.
Where to stay in Zipolite:
$$ I stayed at Casa Biulú – a really beautiful spot up on the hill 5 minutes walk to the beach. It has fast wifi, great views, an infinity pool and good coffee! And my room had a private furnished balcony complete with a hammock.
$ Friends recommend Posada Mexico right on the beach and cheap as chips
$$$ I spent a lot of time at Hotel Nude as it served great drinks and had full on beach beds – I will probably stay here if I head back again if I’m feeling fancy.
Top tip:
Take cash – Zipolite only has two ATMs which frequently run dry and cash is king for local taxis and fruit stalls – you definitely want to have some street food while you’re here and enjoy the abundance of fresh fruit grown locally.
When to come to Zipolite:
I went in December and it made for a perfect sunny winter break. I forgot about wet and miserable lockdown London instantly. Maybe avoid rainy season (May – September) or check the weather before you travel. The beach is no fun in the rain.
