Puerto Escondido

So Natasha and I spent Christmas week in beautiful Puerto Escondido, a small seaside town in southern Mexico. When your days consist of meandering down to the beach, swimming a bit, and ordering drinks (the mojitos at Rosarito’s on Zicatela beach were excellent), there’s not much to say. I managed to read a few heavy books: an unauthorized history of The Simpsons, Paul Shaffer’s thoroughly enjoyable memoir, and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ memoir of growing up as the son of a Black Panther in Baltimore (a very good, if not great, first book, though his blog sings). Natasha stuck to books on organized crime and the heroin trade. Your typical beach reads, in other words.

The nice thing about Puerto Escondido is the choice of beaches within a 30-minute walk. And even though it was the week before Christmas, they weren’t crowded at all. Zicatela beach is the most famous. Apparently it’s known as the “Mexican pipeline” for the good surfing, but we actually didn’t see many surfers, at least from the reclining chairs in front of Rosarito’s. Playa Principal is more like a working harbour (quite a few small fishing boats are moored there) than your typical resort beach, and is lined by many restaurants. We had a nice romantic dinner our first evening there at Pascale’s. I had the bouillabaisse and Natasha had what she says is the best tuna (seared) she’s ever tasted.

The other beaches are a bit away from these main ones, but are still pretty easy to get to and are much better for swimming and beginner surfers. Playa Manzanillo and Playa Carrizalillo are more like coves and seemed to be most popular with Mexican families. We had excellent fish tacos and fish quesadillas at one of the many beachside stalls at Manzanillo. Natasha particularly liked the fresh coconut: once you’re finished drinking it, they slice the coconut open (with a machete!) and serve the coconut fruit with hot salsa and lime.

And if you like seclusion, Playa Bachocho was long, windswept and practically deserted. It was my kind of seclusion, though, with two unobtrusive resorts within easy walking distance when your pale, pale skin starts to char.

Actually, the best part was our guest house, Quinta Lili. I’ve been known to lay on the superlatives a bit thick (a la Lionel Hutz), so I’ll quote Natasha, who says that Quinta Lili is, without exception, the best hotel/B&B/whatever we’ve ever stayed at. And we’ve been to Tokyo.

It’s a family operation (five rooms) run mainly by Luis and Adelina. Luis designed the place himself, based on a nautical theme, with each room having its own distinctive design. The rooms are ultra-comfortable, and there’s a small pool and Jacuzzi out front. Luis and Adelina took great care of us: within a few hours of arriving, Adelina had volunteered to drive us to help release some sea turtles. The highlight was a Christmas Eve dinner they hosted for the guests (an interesting, eclectic bunch themselves) at Quinta Lili and their brand new hotel. We didn't have turkey, but the prawns and sea bass were spectacular. The breakfasts were very tasty, and included fresh fruit and traditional Mexican breakfast food. Natasha's favourite was the potato tacos.

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