Coasting in Mexico

Surf, sand, culture, and adventure — take it free and easy on Mexico’s Pacific and Caribbean shores at these five resort destinations

With almost 7,000 miles of shoreline, multifaceted Mexico has something for all beach-loving travelers. Cancún is fun-in-the-sun central, the Riviera Maya draws amateur archeologists to its ancient ruins, Puerto Vallarta lures culture-seekers, Nayarit is for adventurers, and Los Cabos pampers the posh crowd. Ready to stick your feet in the sand? Vamos!

Los Cabos

Clinging to the tip of the 1,000-mile-long Baja California peninsula, Los Cabos — the twin towns of San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, plus the 20 miles of coast between them — is where Mexico meets California, literally and figuratively: Groomed resorts with lavish amenities and A-list clientele have made this part of the Mexican coast a spiritual kin to Southern California.

Stars who have been sighted in Los Cabos include George Clooney, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jennifer Aniston; most celebrities are drawn by the lavish resorts, including One&Only Palmilla, which features a restaurant run by top toque Charlie Trotter; Las Ventanas al Paraiso, where you can rent a Porsche Boxster to cruise the coast; and Esperanza, home to an indoor/outdoor spa with steam caves and waterfalls.

But you don’t have to stay like a star to play like one. Hummer tours of the desert interior with Baja Outback are the latest luxury excursion, taking travelers over rugged terrain. Los Cabos’ golf courses were designed by a who’s who of legends including Robert Trent Jones II, Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Weiskopf. And a ride on a “panga” is within most travelers’ budgets. The rustic, canopied water taxis take visitors from the mainland beach out to El Arco, Los Cabos’ iconic arched rock, to see the sea lions that bask at the end of the continent.

Development has been rapid on both sides of the Baja near Los Cabos, allowing expanded opportunities for visitors to escape the manicured mainstream, whether to the Pacific coast — a surf-strafed stretch acclaimed by boarders — or the Sea of Cortez, prized by wildlife watchers. The wave-riding crowd heads to Todos Santos, an artsy town of surprising sophistication 60 miles from Los Cabos where shops sell local crafts and antiques. Or you can head the same distance north along the shore of the Sea of Cortez and take your snorkel gear to Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park, where you may see up to 226 species of reef fish plus sea lions and turtles.

Cancún

Cancún, one of Mexico’s major tourist meccas, was transformed in the 1970s from a deserted tropical paradise into a resort playground. In recent years, the sandy, 16-mile strip of coastline at the northern end of the Yucatán Peninsula has undergone another major makeover. In rebuilding in the wake of devastating Hurricane Wilma, in 2005, Cancún has shrugged off its well-earned reputation as a party-hearty spring-break destination to become a sophisticated, South Beach–style hot spot with upscale hotels, trendy nightlife, and a vibrant, international restaurant scene. The post-Wilma cleanup gave resorts here a chance not only to spruce up the grounds, but also to add destination-worthy amenities open to visitors as well as hotel guests. The Ritz-Carlton Cancún operates a culinary center that teaches food preparation techniques from Mexico and beyond. Aqua Cancún offers restaurants run by celebrity chefs from both sides of the border, namely Miami’s Michelle Bernstein and Mexico City’s Martha Ortiz. And the new ME by Meliá boasts a swinging Maxim magazine–branded bar.

By day, Cancún is a sun-lover’s paradise stretching from the calm, child-friendly north end to the wilder south shore. The swim set queues up to float on the lazy river ride or swim with the dolphins at Dolphinaris Cancun. And while the ocean is the main attraction, the Nichupte lagoon, which separates Cancún from the mainland, offers placid waters ideal for powerboats and personal watercraft. Numerous outfits, including AquaFun, rent two-seater craft for cruising the lagoon’s lush mangrove channels.

Cancún also serves as an ideal base from which to explore the Yucatán Peninsula’s growing number of attractions, including Chichén-Itzá, a soaring Mayan jungle temple recently named one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. Back on the coast, snorkelers sign up with outfitters such as Cancun Mermaid to explore the reef off the fishing village of Puerto Morelos, 23 miles south of Cancún proper, and view pastel parrot fish and striped sergeant majors. A 15-minute ferry ride carries tourists from Cancún to Isla Mujeres, where casual explorers can rent motorbikes and check out the sandy lanes of the laid-back cay.

After sundown, Cancún shows that it still knows how to party. Restaurants such as the Asian-accented Laguna Grill and Labna, which serves authentic Yucatecan cuisine, kick off the nightlife, which continues well into the wee hours at clubs such as Bling and the City. Feel free to cut loose — you’ve got the whole next day to recover, under a palapa with a postcard view.

Riviera Maya

The Riviera Maya stretches approximately 120 miles south from Cancún, along a sliver of coastal land that’s experiencing enormous growth. The destination is equal parts Riviera — sun-kissed and indulgent — and Maya — indigenous, exotic, and adventure-ready. Older luxury resorts, such as Maroma, a honeymooners’ favorite that opened in the 1980s, have been joined by an impressive list of upscale newcomers, including the Rosewood Mayakoba, the Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya, and the Tides Riviera Maya. Along with the Rosewood hotel, which boasts a spacious 17,000-square-foot spa, the Mayakoba development is also home to the coast’s top-rated golf course, El Camaleón, designed by Greg Norman, as well as several fine restaurants.

The coast’s essential attraction is still its Mayan roots, and the greatest symbol of that heritage, the ancient ruin of Tulum, is also the most picturesque and accessible of all the historic sites on the Riviera Maya, occupying a bluff overlooking the sea. While Tulum has its charms, it also draws big crowds. But local companies like Alltournative lead visitors off the beaten path to other archeological sites and natural wonders. Alltournative’s itineraries combine culture and adventure. For instance, a trek to the inland ruins of Coba is paired with zip-lining through the jungle and rappelling into a deep freshwater pool called a cenote.

Those who prefer an even closer look at nature would do well to visit the million-acre-plus Sian Ka’an Biosphere. Seeking to maintain the fragile balance between people and nature, the park’s operator, a nonprofit organization called Cesiak, offers kayakers a chance to paddle a route pioneered by the Mayans.

Puerto Vallarta

Americans, or at least the American media, first fell in love with Mexico at Puerto Vallarta. The atmospheric colonial city on the Pacific coast served as the location for the 1963 film Night of the Iguana. Actors and exes Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton famously began their affair during shooting, and travelers 45 years hence still consider PV, as it is known, the epitome of beachfront romance.

Iguana director John Huston himself followed a trail of artists and writers to Puerto Vallarta, and the city’s reputation as an art colony has only grown in recent years with the addition of dozens of fine art galleries; public art prominently displayed along the malecon (beachfront esplanade) — including a haunting sculpture by Guadalajara artist Sergio Bustamante depicting robed figures ascending a ladder, as if going to heaven; and an increasingly popular film festival co-founded by Huston’s children Angelica and Danny.

The culinary arts have also gained momentum in Puerto Vallarta. In addition to a 10-day food festival held each November, the city’s restaurants, unbound by their locale and marked by an appetite for fusion, have put PV on the foodies’ map. Notable restaurants include the French favorite Café des Artistes; Trio, run by German restaurateurs and influenced by Mexican cuisine; and newcomer Los Xitomates, which merges Mexican, Caribbean, Asian, and European influences in dishes like duck confit tacos with soy-habanero sauce.

For all its sophistication, Puerto Vallarta can still be sleepy in the daytime, when visitors scatter to spots like Playa Mismaloya, the beach south of town where Huston shot his famed film and thatched-roof cafés now line the beach. Offshore, the Marietas Islands, made famous by environmentalist Jacques Cousteau, warrant a trip with Vallarta Adventures to look for brightly colored reef fish and blue-footed boobies (the aquatic bird has blue, webbed feet, hence the name). Adventure outfitters have made inroads on land too; sign up with Canopy Tours to don a harness and ride the zip lines hundreds of feet above the Tomatlan River.

Despite the plethora of touring options, PV’s heart remains the city itself. Nothing beats a twilight walking tour, where one can take in sights like the iconic Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral and the former home of Richard Burton, now part of a boutique hotel called Hacienda San Angel. There are also numerous art galleries and, of course, the malecon, which at night bustles with street performers, food vendors (mango on a stick, anyone?), and romantics of all ages.

Nayarit

Among Mexico’s many beach regions, Nayarit is still something of a secret — but not for long. The least populous state in Mexico, Nayarit is just a short drive from Puerto Vallarta. The prime Pacific coastline location has attracted an infusion of residential and resort development, not unlike the Riviera Maya. The similarity doesn’t end there: Nayarit’s new marketing-friendly name is Riviera Nayarit.

Encompassing roughly 100 miles of coastline, the Riviera Nayarit runs north from Nuevo Vallarta to the Spanish colonial city of San Blas. Nayarit’s rustic beach communities, mango groves, nature preserves, and excellent surf make it a road-tripper’s paradise.

First stop: Punta Mita, site of both rugged natural beauty and new development, including posh villas and an upcoming St. Regis Hotel. The pioneering Four Seasons Punta Mita, which opened in 1999, features a Jack Nicklaus Design golf course with a famous island green accessible only by boat at high tide. A second Nicklaus course, slated to open later this year, will border Punta Mita’s famed surf spot, El Faro.

But if you want to get in the curl rather than just view it from afar, head a few miles north to Sayulita, the west coast’s bohemian surf capital. In the wake of the first wave of surfers to visit here in the 1970s, French hoteliers and American yoga instructors rushed in, helping to create a barefoot, polyglot community where you can get a good cappuccino as well as the ubiquitous margarita at almost any hour.

Diners from Punta Mita and Sayulita make treks up the coast to San Francisco — known more informally as San Pancho — and specifically to Café del Mar, a globally savvy restaurant whose owner hails from Belgium. There, you can get tuna sashimi or homemade pasta on the terrace under the stars.

While surfers love the coast, swimmers enjoy the calm cove in the lively town of Rincón de Guayabitos. Vendors on the town’s beach sell passage to offshore sea stacks where you can view nesting seabirds or snorkel in the placid water. Continue north to Chacala, another swimmers’ beach, this one lined with palapa-shaded restaurants (try Las Brisas) where you can get a table or a chaise longue set in the sand and spend the day fueled by guacamole, ceviche, and el sol itself.