Playa Bonita
Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico
Playa Bonita, which merges with Playa Hermosa, is the long arc of beach that sweeps south from the bottom of Sandy Beach toward downtown Puerto Penasco in Sonora, Mexico. It is the main beachfront on that side of town and a practical choice close to restaurants and hotels. At very low tide, rocks, seaweed and tide pools show.
Handy to town with plenty to eat nearby, though rocks and seaweed show at low tide and the water clarity varies.
How we score beachesTime your walk for low tide to explore the tide pools, then swim at high tide when the rocks are covered.
Park at the hotels and restaurants along the beachfront road or on nearby streets.
The beachfront is close to hotels, with sand a short walk from the road. Rocks are exposed at very low tide.
Swimming season runs roughly April through November, with the water near 28 C in summer and closer to 17 C in February. Summers are very hot, and August and September can bring storms.
More Mexico & Central America beaches
Soliman Bay
Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico · Mexico & Central America
Soliman Bay sits about 20 minutes north of Tulum on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, a quieter alternative to the beach clubs further south, with a coral reef sheltering the mouth of the bay and villas tucked right against the sand. Puffer fish, octopus, and the occasional manta ray turn up in the clear water, and a public access point at the north end of the coast road has kayak rentals and simple seafood.
Playa Xcacel
Xcacel-Xcacelito, Quintana Roo, Mexico · Mexico & Central America
Xcacel Beach sits along Mexico's Riviera Maya coast, protected since 1998 as a sea turtle sanctuary where green and loggerhead turtles nest from April through October, releasing more than 200,000 hatchlings most years. A cenote sits just inland from the sand, and the whole stretch has stayed undeveloped specifically because of its protected status.
Chacala
Chacala, Nayarit, Mexico · Mexico & Central America
Chacala sits in a small cove on Mexico's Riviera Nayarit, about 90 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta, a nearly mile long beach of soft, pale sand lined with palm trees and palapa restaurants. The town holds around 300 full time residents, though visitor numbers climb sharply during Semana Santa and Christmas, and jungle covered hills rise up on either side of the bay.