About staying in Santa Maria Tonameca
Santa María Tonameca is the municipality that contains Mazunte, San Agustinillo and La Ventanilla, though almost nobody sleeps in the town that gives it the name. That town is a junction on Highway 200; the coast sits ten or fifteen minutes downhill. Mazunte, a designated Pueblo Mágico, holds most of the beds — hillside cabañas, the Mexican Turtle Centre, the footpath out to Punta Cometa. San Agustinillo is one short, quieter beach. Our 2026 scans found only three hotels here with a real price: from US$110 a night, typical around US$118 — a tiny sample skewed to the boutique end. Cheaper cabañas exist and rarely appear online.
Santa Maria Tonameca hotel FAQs
Which area should I stay in?
Mazunte if you want everything on foot: Rinconcito beach, restaurants, bars and the Punta Cometa trail. The upper slope towards Mermejita is quieter with better views, at the cost of steep walks. San Agustinillo is calmer and better for actually swimming. La Ventanilla is rustic and isolated. The inland town of Tonameca is for work or transit only.
When is it cheapest and most expensive?
Cheapest from May to October, with afternoon rain and sticky heat. The peaks are 20 December to 5 January and Holy Week, with a smaller lift in July and August. Our 2026 scans logged prices from US$110 and a typical figure of about US$118, but that is only three properties: in the busiest weeks you will pay considerably more.
How do I get there and get around?
Huatulco airport is about an hour east, Puerto Escondido a little over an hour west. Pochutla is the bus hub for services from Oaxaca City. From its highway strip, pickups and shared taxis run down to the coast for roughly MX$30-40; a private taxi to Mazunte is around MX$250-300. Mototaxis work inside the village, and Mazunte to San Agustinillo is a 20-25 minute walk.
Where and when do you see the turtles?
The Mexican Turtle Centre in Mazunte is open year-round and explains the local history well. The olive ridley arribadas happen at Playa La Escobilla, inside this municipality, mainly between July and December with peaks around September and November. Go with community guides, no torches or flash, and be sceptical of anyone promising hatchling releases on any date you like.