Playa Linda

Playa Linda is the long, open beach at the northern end of Ixtapa's hotel zone, beyond Punta Ixtapa and Playa Quieta, stretching for roughly 2.4 km (about a mile and a half) north towards the mouth of the Río Salitrera. It is a busy, practical place as much as a beach: at its southern end, near the pier, are a car park, a taxi rank, a stop for the local buses, a craft market and a row of informal seafood restaurants, and from the pier (the Embarcadero) the water taxis cross in about ten minutes to Isla Ixtapa, just offshore.

Unlike the sheltered coves on the island, Playa Linda faces the open Pacific and is rougher. It is a favourite with local surfers for its consistency: waves break over a river-rock bottom, with a right-hander with a good wall and, past the river mouth, faster lefts. The surf is biggest in summer, while from October to March the waves are smaller and easier for beginners; surf lessons are offered on the beach, and riding stables run horseback rides along the sand. FONATUR runs a campground and trailer park right on the beach, with RV hookups, bathrooms, a pool and a restaurant.

Playa Linda is also crocodile country. Crocodiles live in an estuary near the pier at the southern end and in a large lagoon at the northern end, where the Río Salitrera meets the sea, and next to the pier the locally run Cocodrilario Tamakun lets you watch them, along with iguanas and birds, from behind a fence. The crocodiles generally leave people alone, but keep an eye on children and pets, never feed or provoke them, and stay out of their way, especially during the breeding and nesting season in spring and early summer. Ixtapa's bike path, the ciclopista, ends here after running north from the marina past the Parque Aztlán reserve.