7 Incredible Surf Resorts in Mexico [2024]

So, you’re on the hunt for the finest damn surf resorts in Mexico that the land of mezcal and mole sauces can muster. Not sure if you noticed, but we’re paid-up members of the Mexican fan club here at The Surf Atlas. Thoughts of surf trips to these parts are what keep us up at night, in a good way.

That’s why we think you can count on our team to offer some of the best plugs for hotels that get you near the waves. We’re fans of the unique, the unusual, the luxurious, but also like to be within walking distance (or at least a VERY short drive to the waves).

Because we’re naturally drawn to more boutique hotels that breed a sense of community, don’t expect to find loads in the way of massive all-inclusive resorts here (we have got one, just cos it’s in a fine locale near Punta Mita). Most of our picks are salt-washed beach stays with an independent vibe, that – importantly – put you super near to amazing waves.

Here goes…

• Cabo Surf Hotel – Right on Cabo’s best surf beach, this is our top pick among surf resorts in Mexico
• Hotel Ysuri Sayulita – Our long-time favorite pick in the legendary surf town of Sayulita
• PAL.MAR Hotel Tropical – Mexican village charms run strong in this boutique hotel in Nayarit
• Villas Carrizalillo – Luxury villas and suites overlooking the best beginner surf beach in Puerto Escondido
• Casa Mazunte Tierra Viva – Authentic rooms and vibes on the gorgeous Mazunte beaches
• Native Residence – An amazing eco stay on the hills above the Baja California coast
• Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa – Big-hotel luxury with private beachfront access

The Cabo Surf Hotel blows our proverbial socks off. It’s got all the ingredients you could need from a perfect surf hotel: It’s right by the waves – Cabo’s most consistent and best beach and point break is just steps away – and it’s downright luxury. Let’s take a closer look at why it’s our top among surf resorts in Mexico for 2024/25…

First off, the look of it all. From the 600-odd-foot Deluxe Studios to the smaller King Studios, the rooms here are replete with Mexicana-chic décor that’s just plain lovely to look at. We’re talking rich wooden fixtures in the bathrooms, gloss marble floors that reflect the light, and the odd touch of Baja art for that local feel.

The views are simply jaw dropping. You’re literally sat right on Playa Acapulquito, which has long, peeling right handers coming off the reefs, which themselves are about a minute’s walk from the hotel. That will be in the foreground, while splashing dolphin pods and whales can be spotted in the ocean further off.

Cabo Surf Hotel sweetens the deal even more with a fully-fledged spa and pool area that’s pure relaxation. ANNDDD they partner with the highly rated Mike Doyle Surf School, who have a base inside the hotel itself, great gear, and fantastic instruction in the form of national shortboard champ Miguel Rojas.

It’s our top pick for this year.

There’s hardly a better-placed hotel in all of Sayulita than the Hotel Ysuri Sayulita. It rises on the south end of the main playa from clusters of palms and papelillo trees, gazing right down to the beach break and the lazy longboard reef break that have made the town such a darn famous destination for surfers.

So, it’s got the location. What about the services and style?

Ysuri offers a variety rooms, from small doubles that are easy on the wallet and perfect for traveling couples right up to sprawling deluxe suites that can sleep a whole family or group. All of them are done out in tropical coast styles, with whitewashed walls, lots of hemp and wicker, and big windows to let the light bathe in.

The whole lot of them have flat-screen TVs and aircon, plus access to the communal grounds, which include a simply divine pool. Oh, and then there’s the Beach Club. It’s set on a salt-washed deck literally steps from the ocean. Sip your evening margaritas there and watch the surfers.

PAL.MAR Hotel Tropical is our fav little stay in what might just be our fav surf town in the whole of Mexico: San Francisco, known to all as San Pancho. The place itself is kinda’ like what Sayulita was 20 years ago; chilled, easy-going, filled with surfers and sun worshippers, with a beach running right out front.

The PAL.MAR Hotel Tropical channels that vibe perfectly. It’s located just off the main drag of San Pancho and offers a handful of very nice rooms that look at once rustic but also luxurious. The style is distinctly tropical-cool, with white-painted walls and rough terracotta floors through, gnarled cacti erupting from the margins here and there.

There’s a pool area, which is downright fantastic, waiting in a small courtyard out back. The walk to the waves is around 3-4 minutes, going right down the main street of the village where you can meet the coconut sellers and smell the tacos sizzling in the kitchens.

This stunning hotel has carved itself out a perch in the cliffs on the south side of Carrizalillo Beach, one of the most beautiful urban sands of Puerto Escondido, the main surf town of Oaxaca.

The location is important – you’re not on Zicatela (the pro spot) here, but a smaller bay with more protection, making it a prime spot for beginners and intermediates.

Villas Carrizalillo have a host of different rental options. You can keep it simple by plumping for the smaller suites or go big with a full house rental. The latter are great for longer stays, coming with their own kitchenettes and even small private garden spaces where you can chill under the palm fronds.

There’s a pool tucked away in the garden for when you tire of the Pacific. But the real piece de resistance of the spot has to be the sunset terrace. Everyone staying in the hotel gathers there around the golden hour to watch the light fade across the bay below – if they aren’t surfing in the bay below, that is!

We really rate Mazunte these days. It’s more chilled than Puerto Escondido, and, while the surf might not be the clockwork lines you can get in other Mexican towns, it’s pretty fun.

For us, the best stay around here is the eco-friendly Casa Mazunte Tierra Viva. It’s maybe five minutes in the bus or taxi from the rights of San Agustinillo (which are the best in the area), but Mazunte Beach itself, which is fantastic for swimming, is smack dab out front.

Hemmed in by wild mangroves on all sides, the hotel is made up of a series of bungalows, all woven together by colorful tiled staircases and terraces covered in palm thatch. They’re fun places to stay that ooze coastal surf shack vibes.

But it’s the shared areas that make it for us. There’s a very well-equipped kitchen that guests are free to use, plus a sunny deck area that’s positively inundated with local wildlife – is that an iguana or a leaf?

Native Residence bills itself as an “ecological boutique hotel.” It really is an escape from the rat race.

Find it perched dramatically on a bluff of dusty desert stone above the main coast highway between Rosarito and Ensenada, looking straight down to the world-class breaks of K-38 and El Portal, which are among the most celebrated points in northern Mexico (especially great for advanced intermediates and experts).

The hotel has seven chalets and bungalows that offer sweeping views of the Pacific from their floor-to-ceiling windows and breezy balconies. On top of that, guest can soothe themselves in the cedarwood hot tub or crowd around the crackling fire pit as the evening sets in.

The folk who run this fantastic spot spurn the usual tourist draws. As such, it’s kinda’ the opposite of a big resort and they can help you plan a trip to the Baja California that’s filled with meaningful experiences – think wine tasting, overlanding through the desert, fishing trips with locals, and, of course, guided surf lessons.

Look, if you want big-hotel luxury from your surf resorts in Mexico, here it is. Yep, the Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa is a true five-starer, occupying a huge berth of land on the south side of the Punta Mita headland, just outside of both Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita.

Anyone who knows the region will know that’s prime surf territory, with La Lancha’s shapely A-frames just a touch down the coast (under 5 minutes up the highway is the main entry point that fantastic beach). Plus, there are nice beginner waves that break right out front of the hotel, and they organize foamy rental on site.

Back in the hotel and there’s really no end to the things you can look forward to…

There’s a big saltwater pool and chlorine pool overlooking the white-sand beaches, there’s private access to the shoreline, with snorkelling spots that are essentially reserved for hotel guests, and there’s the enticing La Adelita restaurant, where you can indulge in fine-dining twists on Mexican classics while gazing at the Pacific Ocean.