Beaches Outside Zihuatanejo – Playas Larga, Las Pozas, Blanca, Barra de Potosi

The following four beaches are really part of the same 10 mile stretch of sand. With Playa Larga at it’s northern end, the airport in the middle and Barra de Potosi at the far southern end.There are three entrances to this complex of beaches. The first access is on the highway to the airport. About halfway there, just before the cutoff to Acapulco, turn right at the large billboards, just after the nursery. This road takes you directly to Playa Larga only. Access to Las Pozas, Playa Blanca and Barra de Potosi is from the road at the airport, or from a town called Los Achotes, on the way to Acapulco. Detailed directions are given below.

Playa Larga

Playa Larga, and for that matter all ten miles of beach here, is all about space. Sure, there are a dozen or so beach restaurants, serving seafood and cold beer, but the main attraction is space. Miles of sandy beach and open ocean. At the far northern end, at the rocks, you can fish with a hand line, just like the locals do. At this spot on the beach, you are directly behind Playa Las Gatas, one of the beaches in the bay of Zihuatanejo It is possible to hike over the hills and wind up on the beach in Zihuatanejo, but take someone who knows the way as it can be a bit confusing.There is a large stable of horses in Playa Larga – on the left just before the ‘T’ junction. Pablo offers 1 1/4 hour horseback tours of the beach and coconut groves.A word of caution: the beach at playa larga, as well as the entire beach right down do Barra de Potosi, is on the open Pacific ocean. The surf can be fearsome, and coupled with a strong undertow, can be downright dangerous. This is not a place for small children to swim in the ocean. Luckily, virtually all the restaurants have swimming pools for this very reason.

Las Pozas and Playa Blanca

The beaches at Las Pozas and Playa Blanca can be accessed either from a road at the entrance to the airport, or by taking the road from Los Achotes on Highway 200 (the coastal highway to Acapulco). You can always enter via one road and come back via the other.Just as you arrive at the entrance to airport, and immediately beyond the last taco stand, there is a dirt road on your right that follows the airport property fence. A few kilometers down you arrive at the section of beach known as Las Pozas and it’s lagoon. There are a half a dozen seafood restaurants here. If you were to go to the right, you would be in Playa Larga, but due to the lagoon, you can’t.Heading south along the beach is the area known as Playa Blanca. Apart from a few locals houses and newer villas, there are a few bed & breakfasts and more upscale hotels as well as a few small restaurants.After a few more miles, you reach a ‘T’ intersection. Turning left will take you to the highway, via the village of Los Achotes. Following the road along the beach, will lead you to…

Barra de Potosi

As previously described, there are two ways to get here. The first is via Playa Blanca, as described above, and the other is via the village of Los Achotes.Coming from Zihuatanejo, follow he highway towards Acapulco, until you reach Los Achotes. There is a large green highway sign at the turn off. The road passes through Los Achotes and winds it way to the beach. This is the smoothest and quickest access to Barra as well as Playa Blanca.The beach and lagoon here are the most popular of the entire stretch of beaches, and can therefore get a little crowded on Sundays and during national holidays. Have lunch at one of the enramadas and then strike out along the beach until you find a quiet spot. Apart from the beach, one of the primary attractions of Barra de Potosí is the large lagoon. Tours are easilyarranged with the local boatmen and are well worth the time spent. The bird life in this mangrove lagoon can be spectacular.

• Beaches in Ixtapa
• Beaches in Zihuatanejo