Beaches · 8 min from centro
Playa Carrizalillo
Carrizalillo is the postcard the rest of Puerto’s coastline refuses to be: a small horseshoe cove of turquoise water tucked under cliffs, calm enough for actual swimming, pretty enough that everyone in town eventually funnels down its famous staircase. It answers the question every red flag on this site raises — "then where DO I swim?" — and it earns our only unqualified green flag.
The water
The cove’s arms block the open-Pacific energy that hammers every other beach in town, leaving small, clean rollers that break gently over sand. It is the one beach where reasonably confident swimmers can relax, snorkelers find something to look at along the rocks, and surf schools put first-timers on the friendliest wave on the coast. Palapa restaurants line the sand — buy a drink or a plate and their chairs and shade are yours for the day, the standing arrangement here. One value note visitors keep flagging: the cove’s paid loungers cost beach-club money without beach-club perks — nothing redeemable — so the sand-plus-a-bar-table approach is the better spend.
The stairs, and the crowds
Access is a cliffside staircase of roughly 160 steps — there is no step-free way down, so anyone who can’t manage stairs should aim for Puerto Angelito instead, which taxis can reach directly (with a built path over the rocks to quieter Manzanillo). Down is easy; up in the afternoon heat with beach gear is the workout everyone jokes about afterwards — pack light, carry water, and think twice about hauling coolers. The cove’s size is its constraint: in high season and on weekends the sand fills by late morning. Before 10am you get the place at its best — soft light, clear water, chairs to choose from. Sunset from the cove (or from the restaurants on the road above) is the other golden window.
Above the cove
The street above Carrizalillo is Rinconada’s dinner row and one of the best eating strips in town — rooftop dinners, an excellent Argentine steakhouse, and sunset cocktails looking straight down into the cove. It makes the beach a full-day plan: swim early, long lunch on the sand, climb out, dinner above. See our Rinconada eating guide for the picks.
Do it from here
2 h2-Hour Surf Lesson in the Waves of Puerto Escondido
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1.5 hBlissful Healing Experience in the Water
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Questions people actually ask
How many stairs down to Carrizalillo?
Around 160. Manageable for most people; the return climb in afternoon heat is the hard part. Pack light.
Is Carrizalillo safe for kids?
It is the most family-friendly water in Puerto Escondido — sheltered and gentle by local standards. Normal ocean supervision still applies; small surf runs through parts of the cove.
When is Carrizalillo least crowded?
Weekday mornings before 10am, and outside Mexican holiday periods. Semana Santa and Christmas–New Year fill it completely.