For nearly five months, there’s been a hole in our hearts the size of a Mexican beach town. And Zipolite on the Oaxacan Coast is just what we’ve been craving.
We’ve got a nice little spot at Rancho Los Mangos, tucked right into the dense tropical jungle they call their hotel grounds. Which is a very good thing considering that by mid-morning here it’s been sweltering. It’s hard to believe it’s nearly November! But we’ll take it!
This is the hostel that Lori stayed in 15 years ago. Amazingly, it’s retained the same name and business model, which just doesn’t happen in Mexico beach towns these days. If this were in any other town, it would have been turned into an upscale boutique hotel long ago (or abandoned).
Our Mexico-USA RV Journey 2024-25
Zipo’s got some pretty nice sunsets. By day, the beach is deserted (it’s been too hot to even put up the umbrella). Sunset is when everyone comes out of the woodwork and the beach suddenly fills up with beach walkers of all ages, nationalities, and swim attire (or not—Playa Zipolite is a clothing optional beach).
The biggest downside of Zipo is the sea conditions. It’s widely considered the most dangerous beach in all of Mexico. Even the name “Zipolite” means “Beach of the Dead” in the local Zapotec language—not exactly ideal if you’re like us and actually like to be in the ocean.
Fortunately, the RV park and hotel that we’re staying at has a pretty nice pool. Just a week ago, you couldn’t have paid me to dip my big toe into the pool at our RV park up in the Oaxacan highlands. Here in the brutal heat and humidity, all of us are happy to log as much pool time as we can.
When we rolled into the RV park, we were greeted by a familiar sight—the overland vehicle owned by a Brazilian family we had met at the RV Park outside of Oaxaca City a couple weeks ago.
The boys didn’t notice at first, but when they did, they were ecstatic to have their amigo from El Rancho to play with again.
We’ve been to a lot of beach towns all over Mexico, but this is the first to remind us of our old stomping grounds in Nayarit.
By noon, it’s too hot to be walking around town, so we try and get our walks in before then. We’ve been sticking to the tree-shaded roads, but sometimes going into the less-shaded Centro is unavoidable.
Reminders that Dia de Muertos is just around the corner have begun to crop up across town.
Ironically, in the heat of the day, there isn’t an open ice cream shop to be found. My guess is that the ice cream would melt before it makes it into the cone.
The sun is just low enough in the sky to enjoy the beach, so we head to the beach. That’s basically our daily routine these days, morning walk, school with the boys in the RV with the A/C blasting, pool time, sunset beach time, dinner, bed. Not a bad routine at all.
The last few evenings have been too cloudy for a proper sunset. This evening we were treated to the best one yet!
My morning office. Heck yes it’s hot. But give me this any day over a cush heated indoor office in the frigid northern latitudes. Been there done that and don’t miss it one bit.
Independent school time.
More snaps from around town. Zipo offers a unique challenge for those trying to capture the essence of this awesome beach town without one or two naked people walking into your shot. The heat of the day is generally a better bet than morning or evening.
Happy Hour!
And a truly awesome sunset.
It’s the weekend and we’re going to attempt the impossible—an old skool beach day—the kind we used to do on a regular basis in Nayarit and Baja.
Which often started with brunch. So, we head to the edge of town for coffee and a bite before things start getting toasty.
Taking stock of the topography of the beach, we thought that the cove on the far western edge might provide enough protection to be able to get into the water. So, that’s where we headed.
But the waves here were just as powerful as anywhere else. On a hot day at the beach, getting in the water is usually a key part of making the outing enjoyable. Lori and I were a bit bummed to have to settle for frolicking along the waterline, but the boys didn’t mind one bit. There was plenty of nooks and crannies to explore on shore here.
We did end up getting that elusive cup of gelato eventually—even if we had to wait until practically dinner time to do it. And yes, it melted into a big ball of mush the second we left the gelateria.
