Popotla
Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico
Popotla is a small working fishing village about 6 km south of Rosarito in Baja California, Mexico, with boats pulled up on the sand and an open air fish market. Buy a whole fish or shellfish from the vendors and take it to a beachfront restaurant to be cooked. It is more about the catch than a day of swimming.
A genuine fishing village with some of the freshest seafood on the coast, though the beach is for looking rather than lounging.
How we score beachesGo late morning, pick your fish at the market, then carry it to one of the beachfront restaurants to season and cook it. Haggling is part of the routine.
Park off the old highway near the village entrance and walk down to the beach.
The village streets lead down to a working beach with boats and uneven sand. Expect no formal facilities.
The Pacific here is cool year round, usually in the mid to high teens Celsius, and morning fog is common in late spring and early summer. Winter brings the larger northwest swells.
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