Some of the world's best beaches can be found south of the border! Mexico's coasts are lined with some 450 beaches along the Pacific Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulfs of California and Mexico. 10Best's Local Experts in Mexico nominated their 20 favorite beaches, then we turned it over to you. After four weeks of reader voting, the results are in!
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Balandra isn’t just the best beach in the vicinity of Baja California Sur’s capital city, La Paz; it’s a serious candidate for the title “best beach in México.” Pearl white sand frames a lagoon bounded by rust colored hills, filled with the sort of turquoise water seldom seen outside of Quintana Roo. It’s an absolutely magical setting, and is also home to El Hongo, a mushroom shaped rock that has come to symbolize La Paz in the same way The Arch does for Cabo San Lucas.
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
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Sea and sky seem part of the same incredible canvas from the sugar white shores of this spectacular beach, which is at the north end of the “Island of Women,” just off the coast near Cancún. Walk the dock that extends out into the sea, or rent a beach chair and an umbrella, and sip margaritas while pondering a palette of blues.
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
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Hidden Beach
Marietas Islands
Said to be the result of a bomb during the days when the uninhabited offshore Islas Marietas were a military testing area, this Hidden Beach is certainly one of a kind. Now part of a national park easily reachable by boat from Puerto Vallarta, the secluded, crater-like beach with its glittering aquamarine water is perhaps the finest romantic picnic destination in all of México.
Photo courtesy of Christian Frausto Bernal / Flickr
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Honeymoon Cove
Isla Danzante
Isla Danzante lies some 20 miles southeast of the first capital of California, Loreto, one of five offshore islands located within the Loreto Bay National Marine Park, in an area designated by UNESCO as a world heritage site. Danzante’s pearl is the small but breathtakingly beautiful beach in Honeymoon Cove, a picture perfect vantage that offers glimpses of cactus topped hills and a dozen shades of dazzling blue water.
Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Terry Prichard, HO
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Cabo Pulmo Beach
Los Cabos
Often called “the jewel of the East Cape” – the 70 miles of belly-shaped coastline that arcs from San José del Cabo to Los Barriles – Cabo Pulmo is a gem, a rustic seaside paradise prized for its world-class snorkeling and diving. The beach itself is a beauty, and the offshore marine sanctuary is magnificent: home to one of the hemisphere’s oldest living coral reefs and the highest concentration of sea life in the Sea of Cortez.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Gunn / Flickr
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Lover's Beach
Cabo San Lucas
This beach in Baja California Sur may be its most beautiful. Situated just shy of actual Land’s End in Cabo San Lucas, Lover’s Beach commands magnificent views of the city and the Los Cabos coastline. Accessible only by boat, it also offers superb swimming and snorkeling in the fish-rich bay. Intrepid sorts will find it opens to a larger adjoining beach that overlooks the Pacific Ocean: the less romantically named Playa Divorcio.
Photo courtesy of cplbasilisk / Flickr
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Quimixto Beach
Cabo Corrientes
Quimixto lies south of Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific Coast of Jalisco, its palm trees and golden sands framed on one side by verdant hills, and on the other by beautiful Banderas Bay. Sunning and surfing are popular pastimes here, as are hiking and horseback rides to nearby Quimixto Falls, site of a lovely waterfall oasis.
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
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Medano Beach
Cabo San Lucas
Home to two miles of golden sand bounded by beachfront luxury resorts and boisterous cantinas, Médano Beach is undeniably king of the Cabo San Lucas beach scene. It’s also undeniably beautiful, with gorgeous views of the Sea of Cortez and the half-mile long headland of evocatively shaped granite monuments that mark Land’s End at the southernmost point of the Baja California peninsula.
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
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Maroma Beach
Playa Maroma
There’s no way to keep a secret this good, thus Playa Maroma has become a notable Riviera Maya resort destination, with luxe accommodations and pampering amenities added to its already considerable natural advantages. Bordered by mangroves and jungle, Punta Maroma pairs a lush tropical backdrop with white sands and exquisitely colored Caribbean waters. It’s a quintessential Yucatán hideaway, yet still conveniently close to Cancún.
Photo courtesy of H. DARR BEISER
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Although it can’t compete with nearby Balandra Beach in terms of sheer beauty, El Tecolote is still a stunner, and offers a better overall beach experience. Visitors can enjoy barefoot dining at its finest with local specialties like chocolate clams and marlin en escabeche, digging their toes into fine white sand as they gaze across the multihued and breathtakingly beautiful waters of the Sea of Cortez towards the uninhabited island of Espíritu Santo.
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
The top 10 winners in the category Best Mexico Beach are as follows:
- Balandra Beach - La Paz
- Playa Norte - Isla Mujeres
- Hidden Beach - Marietas Islands
- Honeymoon Cove - Isla Danzante
- Cabo Pulmo Beach - Los Cabos
- Lover's Beach - Cabo San Lucas
- Quimixto Beach - Cabo Corrientes
- Medano Beach - Cabo San Lucas
- Maroma Beach - Playa Maroma
- Tecolote Beach - La Paz
Akumal Beach, Dolphin Beach (El Mirador), Holbox Beach, Paradise Beach, Playa del Carmen Beach, Playa Escondida, Punta Nizuc Beach, Xpu-ha Beach, Zicatela Beach and Zipolite Beach were also nominated for Best Mexico Beach.
Congratulations to all 10 winning beaches!
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The Experts
Kristin Busse
After vacationing in Mexico many times, Kristin... Read More
After vacationing in Mexico many times, Kristin decided to move to Cancun "for a year". That was in 2001.
Kristin grew-up in Michigan and studied Communications at Michigan State University. Chicago was her home for the next 9 years.
Mexico has been good to Kristin, she became a mother and achieved her lifelong dream to become a professional singer. She loves to explore the area on the weekends with her 5 year old son, and she enjoys sharing her experiences and discoveries with others through writing and social media.
Kristin Busse
After vacationing in Mexico many times, Kristin decided to move to Cancun "for a year". That was in 2001.
Kristin grew-up in Michigan and studied Communications at Michigan State University. Chicago was her home for the next 9 years.
Mexico has been good to Kristin, she became a mother and achieved her lifelong dream to become a professional singer. She loves to explore the area on the weekends with her 5 year old son, and she enjoys sharing her experiences and discoveries with others through writing and social media.
Chris Sands
Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for... Read More
Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor's Los Cabos travel guidebook, and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise and Cabo Living. His specialty is travel related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.
Chris Sands
Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor's Los Cabos travel guidebook, and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise and Cabo Living. His specialty is travel related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.