Centro Turístico de Barra de Zacapulco (tel. 918/596-2500, US$2.50 hammock, US$17 s/d) offers six palapa-roofed cabañas, all opening onto the expansive well-kept town beach. Run-down is the term that comes to mind when you enter—sagging mattresses, bed sheets that double as curtains, mosquito screens with holes, toilets without seats…but, if you spend most of your time on the beach, the few hours you spend in the room every night won’t feel so oppressive.

Better yet, skip the cabañas altogether and rent a hammock, sleeping in the open air just a few dozen feet from the surf. Or if you’ve got camping gear, bring it and stay for free. Just be sure to eat a meal or two at the center’s restaurant. Shared bathrooms are clean enough and have showers and flush toilets (with seats, even!).

The only regularly operating restaurant in Barra de Zacapulco is at the Centro Turístico. Meal hours vary depending on the number of guests, but typically run 8 a.m.–10 p.m. in high season. The menu relies heavily on the day’s catch, but basic egg dishes, rice, and beans are offered every day (US$2.50–4.50). During the high season—Christmas and Semana Santa, mostly—makeshift comedores (eateries) open up on the beach, serving simple meals.