Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business 
Just up the coast from Acapulco, this thin sandbar separates crashing Pacific surf from a quiet freshwater lagoon. A single road runs its length, lined with small hotels, guesthouses and palapa restaurants. Compared with Acapulco's high-rises, it feels rustic and unhurried, a place people come for wide skies and long walks on the sand.
The ocean side is dramatic, with heavy surf that makes swimming hazardous on many days, so most visitors watch the waves rather than enter them. Sunset is the daily event, when people gather along the beach to see the sun drop into the Pacific. On the other side of the strip, Laguna de Coyuca invites boat tours through mangroves, birdwatching and gentler water activities. Hammocks, fresh fish and grilled seafood fill the hours in between.
Acapulco is close enough for easy outings. The cliff divers at La Quebrada, Fort San Diego and the Zócalo with its cathedral make a full day, and boats cross to Isla de la Roqueta. Puerto Marqués, Playa Revolcadero, Barra Vieja and El Veladero National Park offer more variety. Pie de la Cuesta suits travelers who prefer simplicity. The dry season is most comfortable, and local conditions are worth checking before travel.
WiserMap travel guidePie de la Cuesta Mexico Lagoon and Ocean SunsetsPlan a trip to Pie de la Cuesta, the narrow strip between the Pacific and Laguna de Coyuca near Acapulco, with lagoon views, sunsets and Acapulco sights.Read the guide
Playa Pie de la Cuesta is a long, wild stretch of sand facing the open Pacific, lined with palm trees, hammocks and simple restaurants. It is famous for its sunsets, which are among the best near Acapulco. The surf and undertow are very strong here, so swimming is dangerous; enjoy the beach from the sand and the hammocks.
Barra de Coyuca is the place at the west end of the lagoon where it meets the ocean, separated by a sandbar that opens and closes with the seasons. Palapa restaurants sell grilled fish, and visitors can walk between the calm lagoon and the rough sea. It is reached by boat across the lagoon or by road; swim only on the lagoon side.
Laguna de Coyuca is a large freshwater lagoon behind the Pie de la Cuesta sandbar, fringed with mangroves and palm groves, and it has appeared in several films. Boat tours cross the calm water to small islands with seafood restaurants. Agree on the price and route before boarding, and bring insect repellent for the mangroves.
Isla de los Pajaros is a small mangrove island in the Laguna de Coyuca where herons, egrets, cormorants and pelicans roost and nest. Boat tours from Pie de la Cuesta slow down near the island so visitors can watch the birds. Go early in the morning or near sunset, when bird activity is highest, and bring binoculars.
Sea turtles nest on the beach at Pie de la Cuesta, and local turtle camps collect eggs to protect them until the hatchlings are released into the sea. In season, usually in the second half of the year, visitors can sometimes join a release at sunset for a small donation. Ask at your hotel and follow the volunteers' rules.
The calm, flat water of the Laguna de Coyuca has made Pie de la Cuesta a long time favourite for water skiing, wakeboarding and jet skiing. Small clubs and operators along the lagoon shore rent boats with drivers and gear. Mornings usually have the smoothest water; ask about life jackets and check the equipment before you go.
Horseback rides along the beach are a popular way to explore Pie de la Cuesta, with guides offering short rides on the sand and toward the lagoon. Late afternoon rides end with the sunset over the Pacific. Agree on the length and price before you start, check that the horses look healthy, and wear a hat and sunscreen.
The single road through Pie de la Cuesta is lined with enramadas, open air palm roofed restaurants between the lagoon and the beach. They serve fresh fish, shrimp and pescado a la talla, the grilled red and green spiced fish of Guerrero, with hammocks to rest in afterwards. Ask the price of fish by weight before ordering.
No reviews yet. Been to Pie de la Cuesta? Be the first to share your experience.
Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.
Log in to write a reviewBeen to Pie de la Cuesta? Add your best shots to the gallery.
Log in to add photosPhoto: Miguel Ángel Álvarez Bernardo from Madrid, Spain, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Comisión Mexicana de Filmaciones from México D. F., México, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Dan Lundberg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Comisión Mexicana de Filmaciones from México D. F., México, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: James Huckaby, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Pequeño mar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Comisión Mexicana de Filmaciones from México D. F., México, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Own work, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Tomascastelazo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Erik Uribe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Carlos Barrera, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Esparta Palma from Ciudad de Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: jc_castaneda, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
