This is a pretty park to stroll through in Central Oaxaca City. I enjoyed viewing the plant life…read more It's pretty small and we didn't stop to enjoy it, but I'm sure it's a great spot for residents and tourists looking for a rest stop!

A stunning, relaxing, and affordable beach town several hours from Oaxaca city. So relaxing and…read morewalkable. Clean. Would love to come back and definitely recommended.

BEST BEACH TOWN IN ALL OF MEXICO!! It sure helps that they…read morehave the best beach in Mexico, but even apart from the beach, this is a hip little town. Beautiful, natural ambience with a laid back surfing vibe. In July 2009 the state congress declared Puerto Escondido to be a city, with a population of 20,178. This former sleepy fishing village in the San Pedro Mixtepec District is growing up, though the remote location keeps development in check. Oaxaca is basically a rural state, and what a cool name. So Mexican-exotic with an "X" in the name. Like Xel-ha in Riviera Maya. Puerto Escondido ("Hidden port") is a cool name too, sounding mysterious. Here at the bottom of Mexico, the coast runs from east to west. The cobbled main street of El Adoquin (the cobbles) is the center of activity. Open to vehicles during the day, it becomes a "walking street" at night where people party till late. Nearby is the National Park Lagoon of Chacahua, with swamps, crocodiles, iguanas and exotic birds from the dense jungle of the mountain range. They grow good coffee in the mountains. The area around Puerto Escondido had been inhabited by indigenous peoples for centuries, but no towns of any size were established in the area. The bay was known as Bahia de la Escondida (Bay of the Hidden Woman). Legend has it that the pirate Andrés Drake, brother of Sir Francis Drake, anchored his ship in the bay to hide from pursuit. A few weeks prior they had captured a local native Mixtec woman and held her captive on their ship. The woman escaped and swam to shore here and disappeared into the jungle. They never found her after many searches over years, and the pirates called her "La Escondida" (the hidden one). This bay then became known as the Bahía de la Escondida, and the name later changed to Puerto Escondido. Playa Principal is the town's small central beach where boats park. Nice to swim. Playa Zicatela is considered one of the world's top surfing beaches (see separate review). This is the best beach in all of Mexico, and known as the "Mexican Pipeline" from the similar waves to the Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Zicatela has huge, powerful swells of hollow tubes. In August, Puerto Escondido hosts the World Masters Championships, and the MexPipe Challenge is here also. In November, there is an international surfing tournament during the annual Fiestas de Noviembre. The waves here are consistently good. Playa Zicatela was the first public beach in Mexico to initiate volunteer lifeguard services. The rip currents are wicked. There was no lifeguard when I got sucked out, and I had to do the old-fashioned save-yourself method back to shore.LOL Playa Bacocha on the west end is a great beach to walk. Its long stretch of beach is often deserted, and there are some interesting rock formations that look like swirls of water turned to stone. Sometimes dangerous to swim. Playa Carrizalillo has calm, emerald-green waters which make this beach the best choice for swimmers and snorkelers. Carrizalillo sits in a small cove with 100-foot cliffs as a backdrop. There is no road here, but you can access it by 150 stone steps from the Rinconada section of town, or come by tour boat or water taxi from the town's central beach, Playa Principal. Snorkelers will see large schools of reef fish, sea cucumbers, lobsters and other marine life. Puerto Angelito beach used to be informally clothing-optional, but I doubt it is that anymore. Certain people seek out a place like this. In 1986 at the Playa Principal campground I met a Canadian couple who had sold everything to live here indefinitely in an RV on the beach. That's what this place might do to you. You just never want to leave.

Nice gym. Classy. Expensive. Staff are clearly not happy to be there and tend to fabricate rules…read morearbitrarily.

This is the biggest & most complete gym in Oaxaca, but it doesn't mean it has to be te best. A few…read moremonths ago my husband & I came to ask about the memberships & prices. We had a tour of the place, got our info and they offered a discount also if we signed up that week. What kept us away is again their attitude. The instructors stare at you in a rude way, it even makes you uncomfortable, and a lot of the people coming here is just for the looks. We saw a lot of people talking on the phone or gossiping about everyone else, it was like a fashion show even, to see who has the newest sport outfit. About the classes? I haven't heard very good things, there's other gyms with qualified instructors.

Not a particularly flashy park--it has the statues and a few playground pieces that look well…read moremaintained for kids to play on. The highlight on my visit here was the Zumba class taught by a flamboyant man who was absolutely the life of the party and had the class of ladies dancing with him.

We were actually in Parque Juarez El Llano. It's a beautiful park just outside the real central…read moreOaxaca. It has a fountain and so much life is happening in the park. When we were there there were people shining shoes, playing instruments, selling ice cream, and even doing bike tricks! It's such a cool park and awesome to see and be apart of the community culture in Oaxaca.

This is a good gym for what you pay. 300 pesos a month for weights. Squat rack; bench (decline and…read moreflat); barbells; cable machines and Smith machine.

I LOVE this gym. Have tried every gym in Centro and this, by far, is the best equipped, cleanest…read moregym around. There's a lwell-kept locker room (you can rent your own locker for a minimal price monthly), bathroom, and showers (yep...seriously...showers!), a really large selection of equipment, all the weights you could want, and trainers everywhere. It looks really small from the outside, but once you get inside, you realize it's really large...there are just different levels/floors. The staff is always friendly and helpful.

Worst! I've been a member off and on of Calipso since 2021 despite the sub-par equipment and check…read morein process that never works. Today the lady at the front desk did not believe I had bought a membership last week, and she made me stand there for 10 minutes while she talked at me quickly-- my Spanish not so great I asked her to Google translate, and she would not. I was getting irritated and yes, I emphatically attempted to explain that I was a member, paid my money -- in my broken Spanish. She still did not believe me. I was frustrated but not hostile. She finally called an English speaking coworker. She told her coworker that I pushed the desk -- which is not even possible as it is stationary. She told me though I did not understand that she was going to give back unused membership money and I could not visit the gym. I did not understand and asked her again and again if she could google translate. There have always been problems with checking in bc they have a system that does not work well. But not believing that I had a membership when clearly I do (my name and photo were on her screen) and then saying I pushed the desk was just plain hostile and dishonest. She kept saying I was in Mexico so that she could just keep speaking Spanish at me without speaking slowly or google translating. More, this location is the most touristy location of the city, and many foreigners used to come to this gym though I noticed not so many lately-- maybe they also feel unwelcome It felt like anti-American discrimination (and believe me, I can understand detesting USA right now-- it sucks for many, and I'm so sorry) but to take it out on visitors is sad bc in USA I am an advocate for immigrants and make an effort to speak Spanish to anyone in USA who can't speak English well -- it was an uncharacteristically unfriendly Oaxacan experience. I lived here for over a year and never had any issues. I really hope Oaxaca is not changing as mush as I heard that it has been in the last year because I used to really love it here and have supported the people, the culture and the economy and have helped oaxacenos in the USA. In any event, I found a much better gym that is clean and sanitary with equipment that works and kind people who are respectful as I intend to be.

We spent an amazing day with Zapotrek and owner Eric. We had a delicious breakfast at a local gem…read more He took us to Monte Alban where our private guide taught us the local history. We then visited two villages where we got live demonstrations from local artists. Eric was super knowledgeable about all things Oaxacan culture. It was the highlight of our trip to Oaxaca.

Great mountain biking tour with Zapotrek. Eric was an amazing guide. The trails and scenery were…read moregreat, and we rode through a couple small towns for fruit, local drinks, and lunch. Highly recommend!