The town's main street, known as the Adoquin, is closed to vehicular traffic during afternoons and evenings. Lined with boutiques, sidewalk vendors, restaurants and rock music joints, downtown Puerto Escondido attracts an array of drifters, grubby-faced students, and upscale tourists wrapped in satin.
Compared to other Mexican beach resorts, Puerto Escondido usually isn't very crowded. In December 1997, you could breeze into town and find lodging without having a reservation - probably due to bad press from hurricanes Pauline and Rick who battered the shores in late October and November.
Perhaps another reason for its dim ritz and glitz is the lack of direct flights from Miami, New York, Denver or LA. This discourages some travelers. Added to that is Puerto Escondido's well-earned nickname, "the wild west" of Mexican Beaches. Personally, I like its rustic tinge and lack of spit and polish, but Puerto Escondido's wild and wooly reputation could well make some visitors veer to other resorts.
Last January, while chatting with Sr. Guillermo Sepeda, owner of the Best Western Posada Real, I said, "I bet this place is on the verge of exploding into an 'in' spot." His shoulders sagged as he answered, "That's what they've been saying for the past 10 years." Although I understood his dismay about the lack of boomtown business, I felt secretly happy.
In March 1998, as if to enhance its wild west reputation,Puerto Escondido made headlines in the States. A former instructor of art at a U.S. Ivy League college was brutally beaten and raped on Playa Zicatela, her body thrown into the ocean where she drowned. Vacationers have known for years it's not safe to walk along Zicatela beach on the town's east side, after dark. The scary part of this incident, in addition to its raw brutality: it happened in early afternoon.
In spite of this, I feel safe in Puerto Escondido. Hundreds of visitors every day walk the streets and beaches safely, taking normal precautions. So, last April I returned once again to the Hidden Port. Along Playa Principal were newly-installed lights. Three armed policemen patrolled Playa Zicatela during the day. Lampposts lay along the street paralleling the beach, ready to be hooked up.
