Huatulco's Best Beaches: A Guide to Huatulco's 9 Coves (2023)

Everything in Huatulco is about the beach. With nine bays and more than 30 individual beaches in Huatulco, it can be difficult to decide which are the best in Huatulco. I recently spent two weeks exploring bays, coves and taking taxis all over the city to find the absolute best place to lay down a towel and go for a swim.

If you plan to visit all the different coves on your trip to Huatulco, I highly recommend staying in the town of La Crucecita so you are centrally located and close to taxis, orrent a car. The road network in Huatulco looks all new and well maintained (also very few potholes). Very easy to drive and everything is well signposted.

That said, taxis are very cheap from La Crucecita to and from all the beaches. The fare from La Crucecita to Santa Cruz is 35 pesos (about $1.50). La Crucecita to Bahia Maguey, one of the furthest beaches, costs about 70 pesos (about $3.50). Taxis have no meter and have a fixed price per person. Just make sure you agree on a price before you go in so there are no surprises (although we found all taxi drivers in Huatulco very friendly and trustworthy).

To find out what else to do in Huatulco besides going to the beach, read my related articles here:

The most popular activities in Huatulco - Huatulco attractions

Best beaches in Huatulco

Bahia Magway

Bahia Maguey has only one beach, Playa Maguey. It is a small bay with very calm water and lots of restaurants where you can have a good meal. This is one of my favorite beaches in Huatulco because it is quieter than most and you can drive to it but you can still swim in the water.

There is a taxi stand in the parking lot where you can take a taxi until dusk. When restaurants start to close, if you need a taxi, then you should start packing your bags and go to the taxi. The summer we were there, the sun went down around 7:30 and we had trouble getting a taxi even at We probably waited about 20 minutes for someone to show up (and then a lot of people showed up).

Another good thing about Maguey is that there is a lot of sand that is not occupied by restaurants or large groups. If you walk out onto the beach and turn right, you just walk past all the restaurants and you can pretty much spread towels all over the place and bury umbrellas in the sand. The water is calm and you should have no problem swimming. Jet skis are available for hire and, if you prefer, a banana boat ride.

levering strand

This is one of the most popular beaches in Huatulco for Mexican families. Here you will find tons of restaurants, a huge parking lot (plenty of room for tour buses) and a large taxi stand where you will never have trouble finding a taxi. Families arrived early, bringing large tents for the sun and taking up a good portion of the beach, which had no restaurants.

If you really want to see this beautiful bay, I recommend coming here around 3pm and arrive just before sunset (unless you have a car, be sure to watch the sunset). You can also come early in the morning before the tour bus arrives. This is mainly at weekends and school holidays when you have to worry about being busy (summer, Easter and Christmas). Weekdays are much quieter, so you can and should have lunch at a restaurant and stay in the shade, because wow, can the sun be hot!

rabbit bay

This is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. This bay is one of the most remote and costs 85 pesos each way, but there is a taxi rank outside the public beach entrance. Be sure to tell the taxi driver where you are goingpublic beachBecause if you just say Conejos, they'll take yousecret resort, a large resort located in this bay.

The public entrance is really just a small notch in the forest, but there is a clear path that you can follow to get to the beach. It's not paved at all, just a cleared path, so be careful going down the hill. The fact that it's not the best entrance means you may very well have the entire beach to yourself. And the water is almost always completely unswimmable.

The beach is fantastic with big waves. During our trip there, the lifeguard told us that we were absolutely not allowed to swim in the middle of the beach and we had to get out before the tide came in or we wouldn't be able to go. If we were confident swimmers, we could swim on the far edge where the waves were a little gentler, he said.

We chose not to swim and didn't stay too long, but had I had an umbrella I might have stayed a while. The beach is so beautiful and rugged. It's secluded and apart from a few people walking from the resort to the beach, the whole place is yours.

This beach does not offer boat tours or jet skis. You may be able to get there from the water on a boat trip, but they won't run aground because the waves are too rough.

Bahia Tangolunda

If you are a confident swimmer and like to have the beach to yourself, this is the perfect beach. Similar to Conejos, make sure to tell the taxi driver that you want to go topublic layaIn Tangolunda. They drive you to the parking lot and you walk to the beach in a few minutes along the clean sidewalk.

At the far end (on the left if you face the sea) you will find some resorts, but from the entrance and all the way to the right the beach is public and completely deserted. There were some locals with coolers and towels to sit in the shade, but for the week we were all alone on this beach. There are no restaurants or vendors on this beach, so bring all the water and snacks you need for a day out.

There's a guy on the beach who can rent you a jet ski. There were also a few people on the beach offering massages. If you want to go for a walk, go to the right (the water is on your left) and walk towards the pier. There are a few benches and it's a great place to watch the sunset.

To get a taxi back into town, go back to the main road. It takes about 5-8 minutes to walk from the parking lot to the main road. From here you can try to hail a taxi, but if no one comes through, turn right and go to the taxi rank approx. 5 minutes down the road. You will see all taxis lined up on the left.

Arrocito Strand

This little beach in a bay is, in my opinion, one of Huatulco's best kept secrets. It's just a short taxi ride from the center of town, and while it might be the smallest beach on this list, it still has it all. If you rent a car, there is free parking. If you take a taxi, there are taxi stands in the car park. If you want to eat, there is a restaurant on the beach.

You can also go out on a boat or rent a jet ski. There is enough sand for a towel and you can even be in full shade in some places without having to buy anything from the restaurant. There is a hotel here,Cosmo Resort and apartmentsYes, they have a small stretch of private beach, but other than that it is completely public and very quiet.

The water is calm enough for most swimming abilities. It is also very shallow, although there are some waves, so you can touch the ground and still be far in the water. There are no shops near the beach entrance, so be sure to bring snacks and water (and beer, of course) for the day.

Santa Cruz Bay

Santa Cruz is a popular place to stay as there are several hotels within a short distance of La Crucecita, the beach and plenty of shops and amenities around. There is a large parking lot, so if you drive, you can find a space at any time of the day.

If you want a boat trip, this is the place to be. To the left of the car park you will find the marina, where several different cruise companies offer boat trips. You pay for the boat, not per person, and depending on what you want to see and do, around 2,500 pesos (~US$125) for around 4 hours of water activities. This usually includes snorkel gear.

The beaches in Santa Cruz are beautiful because there are so many restaurants. The restaurant takes up most of the sand here, so if you just want to spread a towel and soak up the sun, this might not be the place for you. But if you want to enjoy great seafood and cheap beer (on draft if you prefer!) while burying your toes in the sand, this is a great place to spend the day.

Popular with tourists for being so close to the city, combined with very calm swimming water, Santa Cruz is one of the busiest beaches. Weekends and school holidays (July, December and Easter week) are particularly busy. Outside these hours, it is still one of the busiest beaches, but much quieter.

bahia chavey

This is the closest beach to La Crucecita. We actually went here a few times. About 20 minutes from the center of La Crucecita. In the middle of the main street, Boulevard Chahue, there is a nice footbridge that you can follow until you reach the beach entrance.

The beach is not very protected by the bay, so the waves tend to be quite big. There are always lifeguards on duty during the day, so if you want to swim, be careful and ask where the best swimming spots are. It is a large beach with plenty of places to sit and enjoy the sound of the waves.

I have found that it is a very popular hangout in the evenings when people have time off from school and work. Around 5pm, people start arriving to jog on the beach, swim in the sea, play volleyball or just sit and chat. The atmosphere is great at this time of day and the sunset over this bay is what we call one of the best sunsets in Huatulco.

Saint Augustine

When we take a taxi, almost every day, I always ask the taxi driver which beach or bay is their favorite. Almost everyone says St. Augustine.

Getting to this beach can be a daunting task, which is why everyone loves it so much. It takes about 45 minutes to drive there from La Crucecita, and it's mostly dirt roads, resulting in a trip of almost an hour. The best way to get here is by renting a car or taking a boat trip. Make it clear to the boatman that you will be staying here for a while, then get out and admire this beautiful bay.

There are a few restaurants on the beach, but it never seems to be busy enough to fill any of them. The beach itself is huge, so there is plenty of space to find it yourself. It's busy on weekends, so try to come on a weekday if you really want to experience this peaceful place. If you don't want to take a boat or rent a car, you can rent a taxi for the day. No one will take you one way and it's almost impossible to get a taxi back, so you need someone to take you, wait for you and bring you back. The price should not exceed 500-600 pesos.

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