Is it impossible to enjoy the beach?

[Cyn874]

I'm going to be sailing to Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta in May. One of the main things we want to do is have some beach time for swimming. But from everything I read, it's just not possible to go more than 5 minutes without all the vendors coming up to you and trying to sell you things. I understand on the public beaches, there of course would be no way to mitigate this.

 

So I hoped that by booking an excursion for a private beach area, we'd be able to enjoy our time there without being mobbed by vendors constantly. I've looked at the reviews for every single exclusive beach resort package on the website. But it seems like even if the resort has a section of the beach roped off, the vendors just stand at the rope and yell at you from there. One review even said that they couldn't even see the water from  their loungers because all the vendors were lined up at the rope just a few feet away. They felt so uncomfortable they gave up and left the beach and just went back to the pool at the resort.

 

Is the beach just a lost cause? Or are there any excursions where you really can enjoy the beach time without being hassled?

[Ine]

Yes beachvendors are around, but it certainly it is not  that bad as you write. Indeed on public beaches you will see a lot but a simple no gracias is enough. It is part of the mexican traditionm remember they try to make a living with selling their stuff.  

On private beaches and beachclubs vendors arenot allowed and they know this of course. If you choose your seat not next to the ropes it wil certainly not be that bad. In general beaches of hotels are the most quiet.

[Cyn874]

Thanks, it's possible all the reviews are exaggerations. But I've heard multiple times that you can't go more than 5 minutes, and one review said they were approached 12 times in 15 minutes. I don't mind saying a polite no thank you, but that seems excessive to the point where you can't even relax and enjoy yourself.

[retiredmls]

On our Princess cruise in October we did an a ship excursion that was an exclusive beach day at the all inclusive Hyatt Ziva in Puerto Vallarta.  It was the only hotel on that portion of the beach and we did not encounter any vendors.  We enjoyed it so much we are hoping to go back to stay for a week.

[Buck Turgidson]

In Mazatlán we go to Stone Island and enjoy the beach in front of one of the café/bars. We do see some venders and buy some things from them, if we don't want something we tell them no gracias  and  they move on, one guy even sold " No Gracias " ball caps. They were polite, nice people, and not a bother to us. I would say there were a lot less venders than many other beaches we have been to in Mexico. My wife got some jewelry, I got a straw beer holder and some chiclets. We didn't need to buy an excursion for this, a short walk from the plaza near the ship to a water taxi, two dollars round trip to Stone Island and back again.  

Edited November 18, 2019 by Buck Turgidson
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