Costa Careyes Where To Eat

Open-air, palapa-shielded Playa Rosa Beach Club, in the center of the namesake beach, is the main meeting point in Careyes, where everyone gathers for morning coffee and breakfast; midday margaritas (ask for a volcanic-salt rim) at the hibiscus-pink cocktail and juice bar; and Mediterranean-meets-Mexican (think fritto misto and fresh tuna tostadas) at the plywood picnic tables lining the grass. Stroll to the end of the beach, up the stairs through the casitas, and into the neighboring El Careyes Club & Residences to dine poolside at La Duna (the menu of modern Mexican can also be ordered at the sun loungers). Or, sidle up to Shiō’s intimate, nine-seat sushi bar, where the omakase menu shifts with what the cooperative of more than 60 local fishers catch that week.

Careyes may only have seven restaurants, but you’ll quickly find your favorite and get in the habit of off-roading along dirt paths through the jungle toward “downtown” to reach it. One of the best for dinner is hippie-chic Casa de Nada on Playa Teopa, where evenings start with sunset cocktails on hammocks and continue with tapas like fish al pastor taquitos. A popular spot for breakfast is La Coscolina in Plaza de los Caballeros del Sol (the town square), where you can sample classics like chilaquiles or keep up a health kick with superfood smoothies and fresh juices. Be sure to pop in the Careyes Art Space next door and browse the exhibition of the latest Mexican artist-in-residence.

During high season, the only fine-dining option in town is open-kitchen Pueblo25, which serves locally sourced, organic dishes and hosts private, wine-fueled dinners and themed events around seasonal events like Chinese New Year. The new Lilo Beach Club on Playa Careyitos is also soon opening an oceanfront, Mediterranean-influenced Mexican restaurant in collaboration with the team behind Mexico City’s Lardo and Bella Aurora—and it’s sure to be an instant favorite for sunset.

A rental car is the best way to get around Careyes unless you’re staying near Playa Rosa Beach Club, where accommodations include El Careyes Club & Residences and Casitas de las Flores, Mexican-style, one- to four-bedroom homes that mimic the mismatched, jewel box-colored buildings piled on top of one another in Italy’s Cinque Terre. If you want to be right on the beach, stay in one of the three, thatched-roof oceanfront bungalows at Playa Rosa Beach Club. The most spacious is bright-pink bungalow three, with a private terrace overlooking the sea perfect for enjoying morning coffee, sunset drinks, or stargazing in the evenings—one of the perks of Careyes’s strict light pollution rules in place to protect nesting turtles on the beach.