What has happened to Zipolite?

We returned to Zipolite after being away for a few years.

The quirky, friendly, live and let live atmosphere was gone.
Instead we found suspicious glances, nasty looking Mexican dudes, inflated prices, arrogant locals.
Anybody know what has happened here?

We did find a nice refuge in Mazunte called Posada Arigalan.
Fanatisic view, friendly people and even WiFi in the room.

But we still bemoan the fact that Zipolite has gone to the dogs.
We have so many found memories.

Well, what can you expect once there is a paved road and condo delevopments on the hillsides.

You could still have had fun, if you had made an attempt to blend in. Go mexican - wear sneakers, a fake lacoste tennis shirt and a baseball cap, instead of the hippie batik dress. Drink beer with the locals under the beachside umbrellas and practice your spanish...

Times change. What's hot turns cold, and vice-versa.
Don't worry about it; keep the memories and find another place you like.

I went to Zipolete 10 years ago and had a terrible time when so many people had raved about it. There were creepy dead fish on the beach, someone trying to rip me off for mushrooms and I had to haggle in Spanish with a taxi driver for a completely inflated ride back to Puerto Angel after dark. To top it off, someone was murdered the same night. I've had many great expereinces in the 3 times I've travelled to Mex.- unfortunately Zipolite wasn't one of them!! You should try Mazunte near Puerto Escondido in the state of Oaxaca.

Zipolete in the 70's was kind of dangerous. Due to the the gangs that ran in the area, selling drugs etc. Someone had been knifed just shortly before I got there, and my roomie was beaten up. After I had left, I ran into one of the people who had arrived before me, and stayed after, but only for a short while after. Apparently, the gang members had gotten so agressive; in broad daylight one of the young men had grabbed her and demanded that she go with him and have sex.

Looks pretty developed now, but you know, some things don't change...

The internet has happened, That whole coast was mostly unknown and not easily accessible 10 years ago. Now, there are direct daily flights from Houston to Huatulco, international developers building spec houses in Puerto Escondido, etc.

The reality is that there are columns in US Newspapers, realtors in the US and Europe flogging Mexican land and houses, and a new population approaching retirement age that see waterfront and waterview houses priced at 200-300K as a bargain. Add to that the fact that these baby-boomers are also the generation that made recreational drugs popular, the fact that those drugs are readily available in that area, and that a large segment of the gringo population partakes in the use thereof, and you have Nirvana, grey ponytails.

The population there has exploded, easily tripling in the last 10 years. The Mexican tourist trade has flourished since NAFTA, and along with that, the infrastructure of businesses has built up. Unfortunately, due to the corruption of the Oaxacan State and Municipal Governments, the social infrastructure, sewer and water etc., has lagged behind. Naturally, whenever the population increases, crime follows, and where there is a demand for drugs, there is a need for dealers. Those who follow the local news have seen a huge increase in drug related crime in the area from Acapulco to Huatulco.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as paradise.

Well, a relative of mine got murdered in his hotel room earlier this year in Zipolite, so i'd scratch it off your list of paradise vacation spots. Like all of Mexico, it's getting pretty violent down there...

I've been to Zipolite 5 times since 1999. It did change a lot, but my personal feeling is that the town is now a safer place. 12 years ago, it was dificult to have a bear without having a bad dude trying to sell me coke. It did not happen recently, not even once.

I read on that forum that some people had bad experiences recently in Zipolite. I beg to differ. 2 years ago we met with good local people, had a lot of fun, and felt that the "Zipolite Spirit" was pretty intact. Of course, you can have a "Zipolite-bad-trip", but it can happen everywhere. Even in Montreal (the best city in the world!) you can find bad service and get robbed. You always have to be careful when you travel, but south Mexico is not more dangerous know that it was, and Mexicans are good people.

Zipolite has changed, but it's still a paradise. Let's hope it will stay that way... and that the waves, that can easily drown a kid, will keep away the "all-included-big-resort" industrie.

#3 - Are you talking about the same Zipolite? Mazunte and Zipolite are within walking distance of each other, maybe 2 or 3 KM apart. both are about 45 minutes or an hour by bus from Puerto Escondido. The reputation of Zipolite as a nude beach might have taken it's toll on Mexicans, who are NOT into nudism on beaches. Just a thought.

OP...I;m glad you had a good experience in Mazunte. But didn't you find it crowded, overbuilt? Still, maybe that doesn't matter so much if the people are pleasant.

The commentary starting this discussion is more than 3-years old. Whatever was said then ... and some afterwards is irrelevant when it comes to making an informed decision now. ;-) Thanks.

Zipolite started changing after the hurricanes of 1999 (or was it 2000?) that destroyed all the palapas on the beach. They were replaced by concrete lodgings, albeit some with hammocks on balconies and some open-air hammock cabanas.

The hurricanes, Rich and Pauline, didn't move the location of Mazunte in relation to Zipolite and Puerto Escondido! :-)

Memo, when were you last there?

"Memo, when were you last there?" (from #16)

It's probably been 5 or 6 years. Thanks.

I'm going Friday. I'll keep you posted!

I went with a mate here back in 1992! It was way different then but I can imagine how it has changed like many places do.

Back then we got a bus to a road that ended, then we carted our packs across country for half a mile and finally arrived at a beautiful beach resort. There were about 10 beach bungalow operations which had their own kitchens and fed you. Huts on the beach, weed by the box ($10) and people dying in the riptide!

Ah the old days were sometimes better...

I went the first time in 1978, then it was quiet. I've been back the last 3 years for 3 weeks each time with my wife, it is Paradise! We have met lots and lots of people that spend months and years there. It's as safe as anywhere. Probably safer than any other parts of Mexico. Puerto Angel is old and run down, zipolite has the most going on and the most to do, San Augustinillo is quieter more upscale a little, still very mello, Mazunte is smaller, more Raegae, and past that is La Mermejita, if you want one on one quiet this is where you want to be. This is what Zipolite was like in the 70's, but it is starting to grow. So far it is growing in a eco manner 'Solar Only' etc. It is beautiful. Stay in Zipolite so you are not traveling at night, you can visit the other beaches during the day, when travel is perfectly safe. At night we walk safely along the litup palapas along the beach near the main street of Zipolite, where life is vibrant and alive, then slip nicely off to bed in the safety of our rooms.

Ps the weed is only $8.00 now for a big bag. It hasn't changed very much.