Central Pacific Coast

Thanks to 20km of sandy beaches, Mazatlán became one of Mexico’s most alluring and inviting beach destinations in the mid-20th century, before it lurched past its prime into a mid-market, package-tourist category. Recently, however, Mazatlán's historic core – referred to as 'tropical neoclassical' – has been restored and peopled by the creative class. The result is a coastal city with plenty of allure. A boldly engineered new highway from the interior means the beaches are now more accessible to Mexicans too, and the good-time vibes have returned.

To take the pulse of Mazatlán, don’t linger too long in the Zona Dorada (Golden Zone), the city's traditional tourist playground. Instead head straight for the refurbished old town and its glorious malecón (beach promenade), where you can view magic sunsets from bars and restaurants that still evoke the 1950s.

Not long ago, Troncones was a poor, sleepy fishing and farming village. These days, expat homes and B&Bs have left the long beachfront road resembling more a California subdivision than the traditional Mexican villages at either end. The attraction is obvious: fabulous beaches, a laid-back atmosphere and world-class surfing. Troncones is a marvelous place to kick back for several days.

The village is located about 25km northwest of Ixtapa, at the end of a 4km paved road from Hwy 200. The road ends at a T-intersection, from where the beachfront road continues 4.5km northwest to neighboring Majahua via Troncones Point and Manzanillo Bay. The majority of hotels and restaurants are along this road.

Majahua is a traditional fishing village with a few enramadas (thatch-covered, open-air restaurants) and a mellow beach layered with fine shells. From here, a dirt road (rough in the wet season) leads back out to Hwy 200.

Barra de Navidad greets you with a mellow happiness and easy charm that seeps into your bones. It's a pueblo on a narrow isthmus between a lagoon and the beach, boasting excellent sportfishing, bird- and crocodile-watching trips and succulent seafood. Barra first came to prominence in 1564 when its shipyards produced the galleons used by conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi and Father André de Urdaneta to deliver the Philippines to King Felipe of Spain. By 1600, however, most of the conquests were being conducted from Acapulco, and Barra slipped into sleepy obscurity.

San Francisco, aka San Pancho, is another fishing pueblo turned vacation spot, with prettier beaches and a less obvious gringo footprint than you'll find in popular Sayulita, a couple of beaches south. There's less action here too, unless you count those real-life gauchos riding horses through the riverbed and along a gorgeous blond beach, long, wild and driftwood-strewn.

Avenida Tercer Mundo leads from Hwy 200 a couple of kilometers through town to the beach, where sidewalk restaurants serve the usual fish and ceviche dishes and cold beers.

Despite its charm and beauty, the tiny coastal fishing village of Chacala has managed to retain its status as a somewhat-secret paradise. Located 96km north of Puerto Vallarta and 10km west of Las Varas on Hwy 200, it sits pretty along a beautiful little cove backed by verdant green slopes and edged by rugged black-rock formations at either end. With just one main, sandy thoroughfare and a few cobbled side streets, it’s an ideal place to unwind and contemplate the horizon.

Stretching around the sparkling blue Bahía de Banderas and backed by lush palm-covered mountains, Puerto Vallarta (or just 'Vallarta' to many) is one of Mexico's most enticing coastal destinations. Each year millions come to laze on the dazzling sandy beaches, browse in the quirky shops, nosh in the stylish restaurants and wander the picturesque central streets and enticing malecón (boardwalk). There are activities aplenty, including boat trips, horseback rides, diving trips and day trips to the interior. After sunset, Vallarta takes on a new identity with pumping nightlife along the cobblestone streets and numerous LGBT-friendly options in what is the gay beach capital of Mexico.

Zihuatanejo, or Zihua as it’s affectionately called, is a Pacific paradise of beautiful beaches, friendly people and an easygoing lifestyle. Until the 1970s it was a sleepy fishing village, but with the construction of Ixtapa next door, Zihua’s tourism industry boomed practically overnight.

Parts of the city have become quite touristy, especially when cruise ships are in town, and luxury hotels are slowly replacing family guesthouses. But for the most part, Zihua has retained its historic charm. The narrow cobblestone streets of downtown hide wonderful local restaurants, bars, boutiques and artisan studios. Fishers still meet every morning on the beach by Paseo del Pescador (Fishermen’s Passage) to sell their catch of the day. At night, young lovers and families stroll carefree along the romantic waterfront sidewalk. Zihua is the best of both worlds. No wonder Andy and Red chose to live out their post-prison days here in The Shawshank Redemption.

Located 135km southeast of Acapulco, Playa Ventura (labeled Colonia Juan Álvarez on most maps) is a long, pristine beach with soft white-and-gold sands. Behind it is a simple, likable Mexican village, while uncomplicated beachfront accommodations and seafood restaurants line the beaches in both directions from the center of town.

Playa Ventura is an important turtle nesting site, and volunteers go out every night in the season (from May to January) to collect eggs and rebury them in a little beachside compound, which looks like a tiny war cemetery with its rows of information markers, but with a more hopeful purpose. Like most good places along the seldom-visited Costa Chica, including the nearby market town of Marquelia and its sublime beach Playa La Bocana, Playa Ventura leaves you no choice but to disconnect and surrender to its easy tempo and natural beauty.

Highway 200 hugs the shoreline most of the way along the 250km coastline of Michoacán, one of Mexico’s most beautiful states. This is one of the nation's most memorable drives: the route passes dozens of untouched beaches, and some with wide expanses of golden sand, some tucked into tiny rocky coves, some at river mouths where quiet estuaries harbor multitudes of birds. Several have gentle waves that are good for swimming; others have big breakers suitable for surfing. Many beaches are uninhabited, but some shelter communities, many of which are largely indigenous. Mango, coconut and banana plantations line the highway; the green peaks of the Sierra Madre del Sur form a lush backdrop inland. Signs along Hwy 200 mark the turnoffs for most beaches of interest, including Ixtapilla (Km 180), La Manzanillera (Km 174), Motín de Oro (Km 167), Zapote de Tizupán (Km 103), Pichilinguillo (Km 95) and Huahua (Km 84).

Just 10km from Acapulco is the tranquil seaside suburb of Pie de la Cuesta, a rustic beach town occupied by some terrific guesthouses and seafood restaurants. But it’s the odd combination of dramatic sunset views from the long beach and bloody sunrises over the lagoon that have made Pie de la Cuesta famous, for the town sits on a narrow strip of land bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the Laguna de Coyuca (where part of Rambo: First Blood Part II was filmed). The large freshwater lagoon contains several islands including Isla Pájaros, a bird sanctuary.

Pie de la Cuesta is much quieter, safer, cheaper and closer to nature than Acapulco, but still close enough for those who want to enjoy the city’s attractions and nightlife.