Last Updated on December 30, 2023 by Natalie
Since moving to Mexico in 2017, I’m always on the look out for a great beach in Mexico to visit with my kids. We love going to visit the ocean while on vacation and it’s oh-so-satisfying to dip my toes in the sand and salty water. So, where are the best beaches in Mexico for families?
The best beaches in Mexico for families
I love going to the beach and luckily for me, there are a lot of beautiful Mexico beaches that are also family friendly. Some are incredibly beautiful. Some are better for swimming with your family than others. Sometimes, they are both! I tried to see as many beaches in Mexico as possible while living there for five years. Let’s check out the best Mexican beaches!
Best beaches in Mexico for families
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Most beautiful beaches in Mexico
Chen Rio in Cozumel
Chen Rio is a gorgeous public beach in Cozumel. Parts of it are a little rough for small children, but there is a protected area and within that area, the water is much calmer. In fact, Chen Rio means “little river” in Mayan and Spanish. The “chen rio” section of beach is calm and it’s a great area for families to swim.
The beach has soft sand and lots of boulders around. It’s also a fun place for children explore and invent games. We had such a great time playing at Playa Chen Rio!
Here are more fun things to do in Cozumel.
Tecolote in La Paz
Tecolote Beach just outside of La Paz, Mexico ended up being one of my favorite beaches in the area. It was an easy drive from La Paz and it was just a few miles beyond Balandra Beach. I also think it’s one of the best swimming beaches in Mexico because the water is shallow for 100 feet or so and generally calm. It is also clear and beautiful.
Tecolote has stunning scenery, plus there are restaurants on the beach selling food. This is particularly helpful if you have hungry kids and you have run out of snacks. Plus, the food we purchased at the beach was amazing!
Balandra in La Paz
In 2016, Balandra Beach in La Paz, Mexico, was voted the most beautiful beach in Mexico by USA Today. As you can imagine, people started flocking there to see it. Of course, in 2021, the authorities have limited the amount of people allowed into the beach. In order to have a chance to hang out and see it, it’s best to arrive really early in the morning. At the time of my visit, it was particularly busy, so one would have to arrive by 4:30 am in order to be able to get onto the beach. We opted to see it from the sea instead. It is indeed very beautiful.
However, if you are visiting while there are still restrictions in place and would prefer to not be waking up at 3 in the morning to go to the beach, Tecolote is an excellent option. If you do get into Balandra, be sure to check out the mushroom rock!
Punta Arena de La Ventana (Baja California Sur)
Punta Arena de La Ventana (which directly translates as “sand tip of the window”) is an hour drive from La Paz and two and half hours from Cabo San Lucas. Why is this remote beach on this list? It isn’t well known to tourists. Though on weekends and holidays it might be filled with locals, you may be lucky on a weekday to only encounter a handful of people on this long stretch of beautiful beach. The water is clear and the scenery is beautiful. I recommend wearing water shoes here as certain stretches are a bit rough on the feet.
It’s a great, lonely stretch of beautiful sand and we adored it. The water gets deeper a bit sooner than at other beaches in the La Paz area, but it’s still calm enough for children to play in and around it. I loved this beach because it wasn’t crowded and actually felt like we had it all to ourselves.
Playa Paraíso in Tulum
Tulum in Quintana Roo, Mexico is famous for its beaches. While you can’t go wrong with any beach in Tulum, Playa Paraiso has easy public beach access. At the time of our visit, the beach had a lot of sargassum (seaweed) that hadn’t been very well cleared. However, it is still a gorgeous beach with gorgeous, calm water.
There are hotels and restaurants on this beach as well. However, if you aren’t staying in one of the hotels, you won’t have access to bathrooms or changing rooms.
Playa Ruinas in Tulum
Playa Ruinas (Ruins Beach) is located at the site of the Mayan Ruins of Tulum and its only accessible through the ruins. What could possibly be more stunning that hanging out at a beach that the ruins overlook? If you arrive at the ruins early, you can explore and once it gets hot, you can take a swim and cool off.
Be sure to wear your swimsuit under your clothes or change in the restrooms at the entrance to the ruins, because there aren’t any bathrooms or changing rooms down at the beach.
Progreso Beach in Progreso
Though I spent most of my time in the state of Yucatan in Chicxulub, we did visit Progreso Beach and I was blown away. It’s a nice, wide beach of soft sand, and it’s right in view of the road to the port of Progreso (the road you can see in the background of the photo). The entrance to the Malecon (promenade or boardwalk) also begins here.
Additionally, across the street, there are numerous restaurants and some even have spaces on the beach where they serve food.
I’ve found that Progreso has quite a bit of wind. Even though the ocean looks rough in this area, it’s not too bad for swimming and wading. It’s a beautiful beach!
While visiting Progreso and Merida, check Uxmal Ruins.
Playa Los Muertos in Puerto Vallarta
Playa Los Muertos is one of the best known beaches in Puerto Vallarta. It’s lined with restaurants, hotels, and residences, and generally has a fun vibe. You can definitely swim here with your family. The sand is soft and the water is shallow and generally calm enough for swimming.
Puerto Vallarta beaches in general aren’t quite as calm and clear as other areas of Mexico. However, I’ve really enjoyed my time there!
If you want to take a boat trip to a “secret beach” (get 10% off any panga tours with the code: Bliss10) and everyone in your party is over 10 years old, use Jet’s Private Boat Tours in Puerto Vallarta.
Why should you book with Jet’s? Jet’s is committed to raising the standard of living for Mexicans and pays the boat crews and tour guides double wages (compared to other tour guide companies). The company is also committed to helping the environment and have eco-friendly measures in place (such as only using reusable water bottles). The tour guides are also top notch – and yes, they speak English! Blissmersion readers get 10% any Panga boat tour they choose at Jet’s! Use code: Bliss10 and support this amazing company.
Playa Medano in Cabo San Lucas
Playa Medano in Los Cabos is a long stretch of beach with stunning rock formations on view from the shore. It’s beautiful, wide, and you could walk into town, if you wanted. Though you can swim here, it gets deep really quickly and the water is on the cold side. I don’t think it’s the best swimming beach in Mexico. However, it’s a gorgeous beach for playing in the sand and waves.
While you can’t quite see Los Arcos from the shore, due to the orientation of the rock formation, it’s a quick trip by boat.
Best Resort Beaches in Mexico
In case you’re wondering about the beaches we enjoyed the most while staying at a resort, here are my favorites. This is based mostly on being the best swimming beaches, particularly for children.
Allegro and Occidental Cozumel
The Allegro Cozumel is located on one of the best beaches I’ve had the pleasure of visiting in Mexico. The water is generally clear and free of debris (except after a storm) and it’s a gorgeous turquoise color at the shore and gradually turns deeper blue as viewed from the shore.
What makes this resort’s beach even better is that there is a “wild” beach between the Allegro and its sister hotel, the Occidental. It isn’t watched by lifeguards, but you can walk between the beaches or sit and cry there, if needed (yeah, that totally happened to me).
It’s beautiful and you can almost imagine it’s all yours while walking on it. The hotels don’t keep it as clean as they do the beaches directly in front of the resorts, but it still seems to be somewhat maintained.
Beaches in Mexico are public, but it would be difficult to find this beach from a public access point. I think this is probably my favorite beach in all of Mexico.
Las Brisas Huatulco
The Las Brisas Huatulco is located in the state of Oaxaca. We chose this resort because it looked like they had a beach that was kind of in an alcove. I’d hoped that meant it would be a calmer beach and it was calm! For some reason (and before lockdown times), it was one of the lesser used beaches at the resort. It was calmer than the rest. Also, it was unreachable by land, though it could be and was accessed by boat (though only once or twice during our visit). This meant that there wasn’t anyone trying to sell you stuff or tours, which is pretty peaceful.
We enjoyed this beach so much that it was one of the few times we barely spent any time in the pools. Oaxaca is hot in August and the pools felt like bathwater. The beach was a better experience, in our opinion!
The Royal Haciendas Playa Del Carmen
We took our kid to the Royal Haciendas in Playa Del Carmen when they were 5 and 6 and it ended up being a near perfect vacation. First, the resort offered pool side AND beach side food and drink service. Second, the beach by this resort has an outcropping several feet out that helps to create a calm, peaceful section of beach that’s so pleasant for swimming.
Visiting the Royal Haciendas was one of our best family vacations to that point and the calm beach for swimming, along with beach side food service had a lot to do with it.
What’s the best beach in Mexico?
This is like being asked to choose your favorite child! It’s impossible. I think that for the combination of beauty and great for swimming, the best beaches are Tecolote and Punta Arena de La Ventana near La Paz, Playa Paraíso in Tulum, and the beach at the Allegro Cozumel resort in Cozumel.
Final Thoughts
Though Cancun is the most famous part of Mexico, there are beaches on all the coasts that are worthy of visiting. I hope you can explore Mexico and find your favorite Mexican beaches!
Which are the best beaches in Mexico for families for you and your family? The best feedback comes from my readers. Please leave a comment with your thoughts and suggestions. Thank you!
