Buying in Puerto Escondido

Buying in Puerto Escondido means choosing an end of the strip, because the two ends have little in common. Brisas de Zicatela at the southeast end holds most of the recent construction, small apartment buildings and houses on a grid about a kilometre east of the old core, continuing into Barrio la Cruz toward the río Colotepec. The northwest side is the established one: Puerto Escondido Centro around El Adoquín, and the clifftop streets of Bacocho above its long, calm beach. Land is still sold alongside finished houses across most of the town.

What to consider before buying

The town is split between San Pedro Mixtepec and Santa María Colotepec, roughly at playa Zicatela, so property tax and building permits come from one municipality or the other depending on which side you buy. The first twenty metres above the high-tide line are federal and held by concession rather than owned, which is the thing to settle early on any beachfront lot. Puerto Escondido also sits inside the restricted zone, so foreign buyers take title through a bank trust (fideicomiso). Along the coast, Barra de Navidad is quieter, and Bajos de Chila sits inland on the highway.