Playa San Agustinillo

Hualtulco beaches on the Oaxacan coast

We went to San Agustinillo with three generations for a week-long beach holiday. It was an easy flight from Mexico City to a small, laid back beach town which also had great restaurants, warm waters and nice warm heat! It is on a bay of nine beaches, the Oaxacan beaches, and close to Hualtulco airport.

We took an easy flight on Viva Aerobus into Bahias de Huatulco Airport and then a quick shuttle to the Economy car rental which all went really smoothly. The car rental had iPads you could input all your info which made the wait time much less and nice and quick. We had rented a car as we were six people (our family and my mother-in-law) and for us it made sense. The roads are twisty, windy roads and if there is construction or a slow truck it will mean it will take you longer than the google map time of one hour. If you are fewer people you could get away with just a taxi, but we were glad to have the car.

Our friends had suggested to get a hotel with a pool and air conditioning and we were glad we did as the weather was muggy and hot. And sometimes you need a break from the beach with a dip in a pool! We stayed at Casa la Ola and we really loved it. Super kind staff, really clean, gorgeous views, comfortable beds. It was a great choice, nice breakfast (very simple, pancakes or eggs) and it has a family room that would sleep our family of five, which next time we will ask for (room 8!) Other friends who have stayed right in Huatulco and recommend Dreams and Brisas hotels.

The nice thing about San Agustinillo is isn’t overrun with too many people, yet there are many fun things to enjoy. Our first day we drove back to Hualtulco and took a boat ride with Tino (book on whatsapp +52 958 107 9337). Unfortunately the week were there the sea was really rough all week and every beach we went to had a red flag flying and choppy water. However we still had a lot to see and do. We met Tino at the Hualtulco marina and he took us out in his boat for the day. We went snorkeling and saw some very colourful fish. Tino was fantastic with our two younger kids, who are great swimmers, but are not physically typical and need extra help and Tino was great. He took them off swimming near us and then up on the beach so they could play in the water while Tino watched them and the rest of us snorkeled. We visited different bays to get snorkel gear, then another bay to snorkel in and a third one for lunch on the beach (cash only, for mounds of seafood).

We had a red flag the next day on San Agustinillo so they told us the most calmest beach in the area was half hour away in Playa Estacahuite. The parking was pretty harrowing! ( There is an upper parking lot, which if you can walk down the steep road I would take it, as we have two children with mobility issues we drove down a tight curvy road to the bottom and squeezed into a lot with other cars. It took a 5 point turn to get out of the spot but it worked!) This was a very sweet little beach, actually it was two beaches with little huts and cafes built over the rocks and a small walkway between them. Someone beckoned us to follow them to rent a table and palapa (shady palm) at their cafe. You go up and over the rocks through a little passageway and there is another cove on the other side, with hammocks and shade. It was very nice and rustic, but the waves were still really rough. We were told it’s normally like glass it’s so calm, but a group of 20 year olds were in the sea all linking arms in a circle and they got washed out a bit. We spent a really nice day here and splashed at the water’s edge. The cafe only took cash.

Another beach nearby is Zipolite, but it’s a nudist beach so we didn’t go! If you don’t mind the drive, the ever popular Puerto Escondido is only an hour and a bit drive away.

We had a few days on our beach in San Agustinillo, and down by where the boats are is El Elefante beach and it was a bit calmer, so we were able to go in a few times and body surf. But the waves were strong as was the undertow when we were there. Next door is Mazunte beach which (during our visit) had even stronger waves so we didn’t go. We also saw boats going out early morning from El Elefante with tours on them which you can book on the beach.

One day we drove to Laguna Ventanilla, a small town 15 minutes away, which is a nice little beach spot (super small) but it’s also on a lagoon. The lagoon is right on the ocean’s edge and you can rent a tour to see iguanas, herons, crocodiles and turtles. We all really enjoyed this activity. It was boiling hot, so wear protective long sleeves, hats, sun screens and bring lots of water. We had a private tour for $1200 pesos for a few hours. The beach was so hot and the waves were so high that we didn’t want to risk it with the children so we went back to the pool.

Another activity which we didn’t have time (or energy? It was so hot!!) was you can go to Mazunte beach and access the Punta Cometa scramble to the top of the hill to watch the sunset or take in the views.

The Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga centre in Mazunte was closed when we were there. Mazunte is also a fun, hippie town where they close the streets and pedestrians can take over. Very chill with lots of cafes.

One thing to note is that most suppers for five or six people were in the $1000 pesos range (total) per night and most places don’t take credit card. We ran out of money and the ATMs in town had run out of cash! Finally I walked into Mazunte and saw an armoured truck filling up an ATM and I joined the long line to pull money out. So bring sufficient funds!

Restaurants
We ate so well in San Agustinillo. Our favourites were:

El Perla Negra (cash only) in the hotel Casa Bagus. Beachside restaurant with amazing fish tacos and kids loved the burgers. Super delicious.

La Termita was also in a hotel which was right on the beach and looked very cool. We ate here numerous times as it had a wood-fired pizza oven and the kids loved the pizza. It was great pizza and you ate right on the beach. Pizza opens at 6:30 p.m. and the restaurant is closed 3-6:30 p.m. They do take credit card.

Alejandra had a wonderful shrimp plate, in a low key restaurant down by the boats. Really nice food, credit card accepted.

El Pelicano was recommended by our hotel and the owners were so sweet. It’s also on the beach with nice sunset views and great pasta.

I wanted to eat at Umami but the kids vetoed it, however the coffee and menu looked amazing. My friends loved this vegan Moroccan place, El Armadillo in Mazunte. She said the portions were huge and the food was delicious.

We would love to go back to San Agustinillo as it fit the bill for us as being pretty close to Mexico City, a nice chilled beach, with access to nice restaurants, but not overrun with people.