Puerto Arista, Chiapas, México

September 29, 2014|Posted in: Beach, Town

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When asked where they themselves might head for vacation, folks from Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the capitol of Chiapas, might respond with Puerto Arista. On some levels, we can understand why. On the coast of Chiapas, this more stereotypical beach community is the most developed of all the other coastal spots we’ve been to in the state, including Barra de Zacapulco, Ribera de Playa Azul, and el Madre Sal, which means you can pick from a range of hotel, restaurant, and bar options. Tack onto that some nice beaches and the most beautiful sea water we saw while traveling Chiapas, and for some you’ve got an easy winner, especially if you’re not that into the whole ecoturismo thing anyway.

We only spent a night here and we didn’t do any swimming, but we did do the long-romantic-walk-on-the-beach thing to admire the sunset and the aforementioned gorgeous water. As with many other parts of the state, there were random dogs there on the beach enjoying themselves as well. We spent the evening in a nice room at the Garden Beach Hotel for $500 MXN for the two of us. For us, it was luxurious, no doubt – king-size bed, air conditioning, television, clean and orderly and overlooking the hotel’s pool. We didn’t sample any restaurant food, we cooked in the room using our solid fuel setup instead.

The catch to our visit? There was trash everywhere. Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. It was as if a freakin’ tornado had hit the town and they don’t even get tornadoes. Still, in a way, one had – a tourist tornado, it would seem. Our visit to Puerto Arista was on the heels of one of the busiest tourist periods in Mexico for Mexicans themselves, Semana Santa (Saint’s Week). It was as if a giant rager had taken over the entire town. It was strange too because the town was basically empty during our visit, so we could only imagine how many folks must have passed through to create such a mess before we arrived. While trash is no stranger to tourist destinations in Mexico, this was on another level. That being said, we imagine that at other times the town is much less of a garbage disaster. Indeed, we heard that other towns were similarly littered with trash following Semana Santa and in one town an ATV trash race of sorts was even organized to help drive cleanup efforts in the holiday’s wake.

If you find yourself in Chiapas looking for a beach getaway within striking distance of Tuxtla; if you’d prefer more options as far as accommodations and dining; if you’re more interested in reclining with a cocktail on a nice beach and enjoying some beautiful ocean but with the option to visit a nearby turtle sanctuary – take a serious look at Puerto Arista.

{Last Visit: April 2014}