Good life on the cheap
Puerto Escondido has idyllic beaches, surfer-stoking waves and great food. As a bonus, it’s affordable. But go in summer.
PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Mexico — Not long ago I began looking for a place where I could spend a few months relaxing while spending very little money. My destination would have to offer a leisurely lifestyle, great weather, even better food and — to reiterate — as a writer, an affordable price tag.
Last summer I settled on Mexico, where wordsmiths such as Lawrence and Steinbeck, Burroughs and Kesey all ended up at some point.
But I’m not talking about just any part of Mexico. I’m talking about Puerto Escondido, on Oaxaca’s Pacfic coast. And I’m not saying you must be a writer to come here. As far as cost-effective vacations go, Puerto Escondido is among the best options on the continent.
It should be noted that there is always a devil in paradise. Puerto Escondido is a poor town of about 45,000 people that is still modernizing. Some neighborhoods are distinctly impoverished, with homes and buildings haphazardly constructed using scrounged materials.
The power is known to dip and even black out for an hour or more. Services such as garbage pickup and firefighting are seriously lacking. Stray dogs (friendly, from my experience) are everywhere.
Summer is Puerto Escondido’s offseason. The town was dead quiet most of the time, which served my purposes well; I went to write, not party. But the locals assured me that during the late fall, winter or spring, the beaches, streets and bars are filled with Americans, Australians and British who are looking to avoid Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco and other tourist destinations.
In recent years, Puerto Escondido has become known as one of the world’s premier surf destinations. With its idyllic beaches and substantial waves, it attracts board jockeys from far and wide.
Then there’s the food. Although Puerto Escondido’s gastronomic delights run the gamut from traditional Mexican dishes to seafood delicacies, there’s only one word you need to keep in mind — mole.
For the uninitiated, I’m not talking about the rodent. Mole (with a Fonziesque “ay” sound at the end) is a Mexican sauce native to the Oaxaca region. It is delicious, and you will want it.
Delectable eats and sensuous beaches aside, another of Puerto Escondido’s big attractions involves the price tag. Although a room at a high quality hotel in Cancún can cost upward of $400 a night, the best hotels in Puerto top out at about $150, and most are significantly less. A plate of food you’ll remember for the rest of your life will cost a few dollars. I had the best massage I’ve ever had for about $20, and that was expensive for the region.
Bottom line: Puerto Escondido offers everything you could want from a Mexican vacation destination at a much lower price.