6 Best Nude and Clothing-Optional Hotels in Zipolite

1.1K

Best Clothing-Optional Hotels in Zipolite

Clothes Optional or Clothes Off: Hotel Rules Compared

Both nude ends of the beach are open to everyone. Behind each hotel gate, the rules change.

• Nudity Required in Shared Spaces Casa Nudista and Zipoliteville both expect you naked in their shared spaces, so the swimsuit stays in the bag. Casa Nudista calls itself a gay and LGBT hotel that welcomes straight guests too. Zipoliteville takes adults only.
• Optional on the Pool Decks Hotel Nude Zipolite & Beach Club and Naked Hotel Zipolite both leave clothes up to you on their pool decks. Naked Hotel Zipolite asks you to dress in the restaurant and at reception. Both take adults only and draw a mixed crowd, openly gay-friendly at Naked Hotel Zipolite.
• Pool and Terrace Only Villa Aikia allows nudity at its pool and terraces, and it takes adults only. At Casa Sol, only one shared pool is clothing-optional: the one facing the ocean, loungers included. Ask which pool is which when you check in.

Is Nudity Legal in Zipolite?

Yes, within limits. Zipolite is the only beach in Mexico where public nudity is officially recognised.

• On the Sand Nudity here was tolerated for decades before the municipality made it official around the first nudist festival. Undress on the sand at either end, or keep a swimsuit on; both are fine.
• In Town Get dressed when you leave the sand. Nudity isn’t accepted in the shops or on the streets, and people wear clothes in town restaurants.
• Photos Never photograph other people without asking first, and keep the camera on your own group. Regulars enforce this one themselves.

Playa del Amor and the Ends of the Beach

Community rules keep nudity to the two ends of the beach, and the middle stretch stays clothed. Playa del Amor is the east end; the west end runs from Naked Hotel Zipolite up to Shambhala.

• The East End Cove Playa del Amor is a small cove at the far east end of the beach. It’s popular with gay and LGBTQ+ travellers, and the crowd turns mostly male on clear evenings from November to March.
• Getting There on Foot From the hotels at the western end, walk the length of the sand, then take a steep flight of uneven stone steps down to the cove. Go in the late afternoon, because the cove becomes the social hub of gay Zipolite as the light fades.

Swimming Safely on Playa Zipolite

The surf here is serious. Locals call Zipolite the beach of the dead, and strong currents pull swimmers out.

• Red Flags A red flag means stay out of the water. Lifeguards watch the main beach, so swim near one.
• Pool Days When the flags are red, swim in a hotel pool and keep the beach for sunbathing. Ask at your front desk each morning how the sea looks before you wade in.

When to Go: Season, Festival and Busy Weeks

Hotel occupancy on this stretch of coast runs highest in April, July, December and January. September and October are the emptiest months.

• Nudist Festival Zipolite’s nudist gathering fills a long weekend in late January or early February, with nude yoga, volleyball and body painting on the beach. Book early for those dates, because nudist rooms fill fast.
• Holiday Weeks Christmas, New Year and Easter week are the busiest stretches of the year. Easter week brings Mexico’s holiday crowds, so lock in rooms well before you book flights.
• Quiet Months May and June run quiet as well as September and October. You’ll share the pools and the beach with far fewer people.

Getting to Zipolite

There’s no airport in town. You’ll land in Huatulco or Puerto Escondido and finish by road.

• Huatulco Airport Huatulco is the closer of the two airports, and the drive runs a little over an hour. It’s the easier landing when fares are close.
• Puerto Escondido Airport Puerto Escondido sits farther up the coast, and the drive takes about an hour and a half. Pick it when the fares are better, and plan a taxi or private transfer in advance.
• Bring Cash Take out cash before you arrive. The few cash machines in town run empty, and the nearest bank is in Pochutla.

FAQs

1. Are there clothing-optional resorts in Cancun?

Not in the city itself, and there are no legal nude beaches near Cancun. The fully clothing-optional resorts sit down the coast in Puerto Morelos: Desire Pearl Riviera Maya Resort and Desire Riviera Maya Resort, both couples-only and all-inclusive. On these private grounds, resort rules decide what you wear, so nudity is allowed there even though the public beaches nearby stay clothed.

2. Is Temptation Cancun Resort clothing-optional?

No, Temptation Cancun Resort is topless-optional only. Tops come off at its pools and on its beach, but full nudity isn’t allowed anywhere, and dining rooms need proper clothes. It also takes singles, which the couples-only Desire resorts don’t. For full nudity near Cancun, book one of the Desire resorts in Puerto Morelos instead.

3. Are there clothing-optional hotels in Puerto Vallarta?

Yes, a few small ones in and around the gay neighbourhood of Zona Romántica. Piñata PV is a men-only hotel with a clothing-optional pool and hot tub. Casa Cupula, a gay boutique hotel in the hills above Zona Romántica, runs a clothing-optional pool club. Puerto Vallarta’s beaches stay clothed, so the nude time happens inside those hotels’ walls.

4. Are there clothing-optional resorts in Tulum?

Tulum’s best-known clothing-optional stay is Intima Resort Tulum, a walled adults-only boutique hotel. North of Tulum, Hidden Beach Resort Au Naturel near Akumal is an adults-only, clothing-optional all-inclusive with beachfront suites. Both sit on private grounds, so nudity stops at their gates. For a public nude beach, you’ll need to fly to Oaxaca’s Pacific coast.

5. Where is Zipolite?

Zipolite is a small beach town on Mexico’s Pacific coast in Oaxaca state. It sits between Puerto Ángel to the east and San Agustinillo and Mazunte to the west, all a short taxi ride apart. Pochutla is the market town inland, with the bus station. Both of those western villages make easy day trips, each a few kilometres away.

6. Is Zipolite good for a first visit to a nude beach?

It’s one of the easiest places in Mexico to try it. Not everyone on the beach is naked, so there’s no pressure, and locals don’t give nude sunbathers a second glance. Regulars do grumble about visitors who come for the scene but keep their speedos on. Start at your hotel pool, then try the sand once you feel at home.

7. What should you pack for Zipolite?

Pack a towel or sarong to sit on, because sitting bare on shared furniture is poor naturist etiquette. Bring SPF 50 and reapply it every couple of hours, since the Pacific sun burns skin that rarely sees daylight. Pack two towels if you’ll split your days between the pool and the sand.