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A little about Playa Zipolite, The Beach of the Dead . . .

Playa Zipolite, Oaxaca, Southern Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean. A little bit about my favorite little get-away on this small world of ours.

Zipolite, a sweaty 30-minute walk west from Puerto Angel, brings you to Playa Zipolite and another world. The feeling here is 1970's - Led Zep, Marley, and scruffy gringos.

A long, long time ago, Zipolite beach was usually visited by the Zapotecans...who made it a magical place. They came to visit Zipolite to meditate, or just to rest.

Recently, this beach has begun to receive day-trippers from Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido, giving it a more TOURISTY feel than before.

Most people come here for the novelty of the nude beach, yoga, turtles, seafood, surf, meditation, vegetarians, discos, party, to get burnt by the sun, or to see how long they can stretch their skinny budget.

I post WWW Oaxaca, Mexico, Zipolite and areas nearby information. Also general budget, backpacker, surfer, off the beaten path, Mexico and beyond, information.

REMEMBER: Everyone is welcome at Zipolite.

ivan

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Playa Zipolite: A Fabulous Beach Paradise for Nudists and Other People March 24th, 2011 by Eileen


Playa Zipolite: A Fabulous Beach Paradise for Nudists and Other People

March 24th, 2011 by EileenLeave a reply »
Playa Zipolite is a tiny lazy beach town, off the beaten path, with enough cafés, convenience stores, restaurants, bars, and lodging to be hospitable to travelers. It is also Mexico’s only officially sanctioned nude beach, though I hadn’t heard that in advance (and didn’t even really notice it until I had been on the beach for a couple of hours). One doesn’t stumble across Zipolite; one has to intend to get there. I had heard some good things about Zipolite from a guy I’d met in Puerto Escondido, and after making a day trip to check it out, decided to come back and set up camp for a little while.
The vibe of the town is both very local and very international bohemian. No one wears anything more complicated than sarongs, swimsuits and shorts (if they’re wearing anything at all); in fact, it’s almost a hassle to put flip-flops on. The nude beach aspect is very secondary to the character of the town. Only about 10 to 20 percent of the people on the beach are fully nude; there are topless women as well. So, whatever you care to wear or not wear is fine with everyone. Most services are available (internet, laundry) but there are no ATMs here … that is a short colectivo or taxi ride to neighboring Puerto Angel.
The nearby rehab center and school for the disabled, Piña Palmera, is a big part of the town, and you see more than the average number of people on wheelchairs. In fact, I am sitting at a waterfront cafe watching a guy who arrived at the beach in a wheelchair with boogie board in tow …he’s out there now boogie boarding with a surfer buddy of his.
Zipolite has a number of ex-pats … the woman who turned me on to my hotel, for instance, is from California and runs a great café. I think the people who own the local cinema are also ex-pats. I heard you can smoke a joint there while watching a movie (from someone who would definitely know) but can’t confirm that firsthand. But, it’s mostly a local town. English is spoken here … quite well by the high-end resorts, like Nude, and many locals have some knowledge of English. However, a few Spanish words and phrases will get you far in the locals’ estimation.
It’s my third day here, and I like it enough that I just paid for Internet access for a month, which is how I am able to update this blog from a lovely vantage point on the sand. All the beach chairs and hammocks along the waterline are so inviting at any time of the day or early evening, and I have to force myself now to sit at a table … it’s hard to be productive in paradise.
Here is a quick video I made in which I discover Playa Zipolite, gawk at frisbee-playing dudes and realize that HEY Zipolite is a nude beach:
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To get to Zipolite from Puerto Escondido (all prices mentioned are as of March 2011) :
Take either a local bus (drop-off is the triangular bus stop diagonally across from the ADO bus station in downtown Puerto Escondido) or a luxury bus (at the ADO station). Local was 23 pesos and I didn’t bother looking into luxury prices because the local buses are fine. You could also rent a private taxi, though I didn’t look into that either. Ask the bus driver to alert you when you get to the Zipolite drop-off.
The drop-off is at a corner of the highway with an OXXO convenience store. Across the street from OXXO is a stand for private taxis, which will charge from 70-120 pesos to get to Zipolite, depending on how good your negotiating skills are. About a hundred paces down the road, at the rear of the convenience store, is the stop for a colectivo, a covered pickup truck/ public bus that charges 10 pesos to get to Zipolite, the last stop on the route. It is about a 20-30 minute ride.
If you take a colectivo, you will be dropped off in front of the Piña Palmera rehab center and school for the disabled. It is a five-minute walk down this street to the beach and town center.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Holy harmony




Uploaded by  on Jan 27, 2012
Relax

Yoga with Beach View: Mazunte, Oaxaca, Mexico Yoga Retreat ... Agama Yoga Mexico offers 2 hour Yoga Drop-in classes and short Yoga courses between Mazunte & San Agustinillo Beach, Oaxaca. Meditative, relaxing, low ... agamayogamexico.com/yoga/daily-drop-in-classes/


Drop-in Classes

Although at Agama Yoga we specialize in our 1 month long Hatha, Kundalini and Tantra Yoga Immersion or Intensive, we understand that not everyone has a whole month available to them. As we wish to avoid excluding anyone who has a desire to learn and practice Yoga with us, we also encourage you to drop in to our retreat program for as long as you wish, whether that is only one day, several weeks, or to complete the full First Level Intensive.  Also for local tourists, a day at the beach can be made even better with a bit of Yoga practice in between.  Bring your partner or family or take some free time from them as you re-charge with a bit of Yoga, Meditation, stretching and relaxation.   Our meditative, low impact style is perfect for all all ages and levels and the two hours pass by exceptionally quickly leaving you light and rejuvenated.
With our drop-in Yoga program, you can take part in as many of our First Level Yoga Intensive classes as fit your schedule. We hold Agama Hatha Yoga classes from Monday to Friday at the following times:
8:30-10:30 Asana of the Day Introduction and Hatha Yoga with extended Final Relaxation
4:00-6:00 Sun Salutations, Hatha Yoga, Music Meditation and extended Final Relaxation
6:30-8:00 Yoga Theoretical, Practials and Philosophical Evening Lecture
Additional Special Events, mostly free for students are held throughout the week.
One full day is 200 MXN including the evening talk (and Wi-Fi), while single 2 hour Hatha Yoga Classes are 100 MXN. One’s first week of Agama Yoga (upto 28 hours) is 800 MXN, and the entire Agama Hatha, Kundalini & Tantra Yoga  course is 4600 MXN (10% discount if paid up front in full, 4140 MXN).  And remember the first day is always free.  Note that in the first 3.5 days of our course, the physical practice is much shortened and the theoretical and philosophical explaination and unfolding emphasized in the morning and afternoon Hatha Yoga class.  If you catch one of these Yoga class days and find it slow, don’t worry, the pace picks up quickly.
Local Resident discount = 50 pesos per Yoga class
We will supply blankets, Yoga mats and bottled water.  Please come on a light stomach.  We can be found easily on the main road at its most inclined point between San Agustinillo Beach and El Centro de las Tortugas.  See you in Mazunte.

Secrets Resort in Huatulco Mexico in January 2012


Brand New Secrets Resort in Huatulco Mexico

Secrets Resort in Huatulco Mexico in January 2012

.Huatulco Mexico
We recently visited a great resort in the little-known town of Huatulco Mexico.  We had been there before, at the “Dreams” and found the town to be safe, very friendly and super affordable.  This time around, we decided to stay at the brand new (opened in Dec. 2011) resort of “Secrets”, which is operated by the same folks who run Dreams.  Here is a review:

Huatulco Mexico

Pronounced ‘wah-tool-ko’, this is the name of the resort area according to Wikipedia.  An easy, $ 6 cab-ride takes you to the town of Le Crucecita which offers a few shops and restaurants.  If you’re looking for a lot of nightlife, this might NOT be the place.  Another popular destination is the harbour town of Santa Cruz, where cruise ships now dock.  Here you will find a few more jewelry shops, restaurants and souvenir shops.  Also a $ 6 cab-ride from the resort.

The Resort

This brand new resort features approximately 400 rooms, all with ocean view.  Be aware, however, that if you end up in a main-floor suite of one of the upper buildings, your view will be somewhat restricted by the roof of the building in front of you.  Super clean, all-marble resort.  Rooms are spacious (ours was a junior-suite with a king sized bed) and ultra modern bathrooms.  Showers were a very pleasant surprise, with excellent water pressure and no shortage of hot water.  This resort is an Adults-Only, all-inclusive resort

Restaurants

Secrets Resort in Huatulco Mexico includes 8 restaurants.  The casual “Market Cafe” is usually open for breakfast and most lunches, and offers buffet style eating.  Evening dining can be enjoyed at the Tamarindo (Mexican fare), “Cin-Cin” (Italian), “Bordeaux” (French) and“Spice” (Pan-Asian food).  All of these 5 restaurants are located near the front of the building, just beyond the lobby.  Another two restaurants, “Castaway” (Steakhouse)  and “Oceana”(Seafood) are found near the beach, and the last one is the “Barefoot” restaurant, located between the pools and open for lunches every day.  As the name suggests, this is the most casual of all, serving excellent burgers (around 8 or 10 oz each) and hot dogs, ribs, chicken and a great assortment of other items.
Bonus:  NONE of the restaurants require reservation….just walk up and enjoy.  The only one exception being the chef-side seating in Spice, which is similar to Ichiban or Benihana style restaurant.  If you want to sit at the table and see the chef throw the knife around, you will need to book a seat.  Note:  almost all restaurants require men to wear long pants in the evening….which can be quite warm.  Make sure to pack very light pants.

Bars

There is the “SKY bar at the top of the building, the pool swim-up bar, and just about every restaurant has one as well.  NEVER a shortage of beer (they serve Modelo Especial (light) or Negro (dark).  Most liquors are available, and with Preferred Club you can get just about anything you can think of, including Grey Goose Vodka, Frangelico liquors, Crown Royal and Contreau, just to name a few.

Pools

Three pools, two of which are absolutely massive.  They are ‘infinity’ pools, meaning that the water flows gently over the edge of the pool wall, giving it an illusion of endless water when you’re inside the pool.  No shortage of lounge chairs at this time, although when the resort is full, there WILL be a shortage of umbrellas, unless the resort orders more.  Another item in hot demand are the blue “floaties’, foam floating mattresses to be shared around the pool, and only 10 are available at this time.

The Weather

Huatulco Mexico is HOT….and dry.  You can never be ‘guaranteed’ anything, but for 13 days we did not even see a cloud in the sky at ANY time.  On one day, some clouds moved in a 3 pm and cleared out by 6.  No rain, just dry heat.

Overall Impression

We had to keep in mind that this is a brand-new resort, and some things were not yet up-to-par.  Free Wi-Fi in each room, which was a perk offered in the Preferred Club level, was not operational in all buildings, or at all times.  The sports-bar had 4 small TV’s, mostly set to the same game, and staff did not know how to change the channel.  But staff are super friendly, and continue to tell us that this is OUR (Canadian) resort… they truly love Canadians down there.  Once they get the bugs ironed out, this will be a super resort, and we WILL be back to Huatulco Mexico.  Thanks to Sheyla in the Market Cafe, Juan Talavera in Cin-Cin, Julio and Ernesto at pool-side and countless others for making our vacation super-enjoyable.

Here is a video of Secrets Resort 





Photo - Santa Cruz Huatulco - Nashville Destinations Travel ... View a picture of 'Santa Cruz Huatulco' and other Nashville Destinations Travel photos. www.examiner.com/destinations.../santa-cruz-huatulco-photo

Santa Cruz Huatulco Credit: Lance E Schuler




Las Brisas Huatulco, Luxury Hotels in Bahias de Huatulco Las Brisas Huatulco - official brand site. Our Huatulco Mexico hotel is located on the western side of Tangolunda Bay, one of nine bays along the state of ... summithotels.com/luxury-hotel/Bahias.../Las-Brisas-Huatulco/


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LAS BRISAS HUATULCO

BAHIAS DE HUATULCO, MEXICO
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Welcome

Las Brisas Huatulco

A Lush, Natural Huatulco Mexico Hotel
Surrounded by 50 acres of natural and architectural beauty matched by exemplary service, Las Brisas Huatulco draws guests from around the world. This Huatulco Mexico hotel is distributed over four distinct areas like a small town, and lush vegetation makes every spot feel like a secluded hideaway.  All 484 guestrooms and suites feature minimalist décor contrasted with views of the bright blue Pacific Ocean. Guests can escape to four private beaches – one with its own coral reef – or the spa. Active guests find a paradise of outdoor sports with extensive aquatic and athletic facilities. The Sierra Madre del Sur foothills and Tangolunda Bay envelope the golf course. Other recreation like bird watching and botanical gardens showcase the exotic life unique to the region surrounding this Oaxaca luxury hotel.
Four restaurants serve traditional Mexican, fresh seafood, and international fare. Having the largest convention facilities in area, the resort offers unparalleled business meeting resources. Shuttle services breeze guests all over the resort.
Refresh At Our Oaxaca Luxury Hotel
As a Green Globe 21 certified destination, Las Brisas Huatulco demonstrates care for the environment through all of its practices.  This Oaxaca luxury hotel is located on the western side of Tangolunda Bay, one of nine bays along the state of Oaxaca’s Pacific coast. Reserve your stay online for preferred rates.