Accommodations and Food

The three-story Playa Linda Hotel (Barra de Cahoacán, tel. 044-962/692-5234, www.playalindahotel.com [1], US$8.50 per person camping, US$29–42 s/d, US$50–59 suite, US$67–84 2-br apt.) is, hands-down, the best hotel along this coastline. Opened in 2008, it has spotless rooms with tile floors, good beds, TVs with DVD players, and strong fans (air-conditioning is in the works). All share large porches with hammocks strung here and there, and enjoy nice breezes (oceanside rooms get the best breeze during the day, streetside get the best at night, and the suite is breezy day and night).

Camping is also available (bring your own gear), with access to clean, shared bathrooms. A well-maintained pool sits in the center of the property, with a walkway leading straight to the beachfront eateries. Rates are significantly higher on weekends.

Strangely looking like a cross between an M. C. Escher drawing and an abandoned construction sight, the Hotel Arena de Cuarzo (Playa Linda, tel. 045-962/625-4078, US$32 s/d) is a behemoth whitewashed building with outdoor stairs seemingly leading nowhere, lookout towers popping out here and there, and windowless window frames just about everywhere. Rooms themselves are very ’80s, enormous, and all about marble, but they’re surprisingly comfortable and clean; all have fans, TVs, and private bathrooms. The grounds—on a huge swath of oceanfront land—have one deep pool and a kiddie one (both only occasionally filled). There is also a restaurant on-site, serving basic Mexican and seafood dishes.

A string of open-air eateries (8 a.m.–8 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 8 a.m.–9 p.m. Sat.–Sun., US$4–7) are set up right on Barra de Cahoacán [2]. All serve fresh seafood dishes, mostly fried fish and shrimp cocktails, at plastic tables overlooking the ocean. Look for those with palapas for rent on the beach; though you have to pay a premium to use them, you can get food and drinks delivered all day long.