Montezuma Bay and its Dirty Secret You Should Know

Montezuma has the most beautiful little bay, which is part of what makes it such a beautiful little town. You can best appreciate it by sitting at the Hotel Montezuma restaurant on the corner, which overlooks it. The food isn’t the best, but the ambiance makes up for it.

The fisherman, boat excursions, and water taxis all launch from here. It can be exciting because at times the waves can be large. The men who handle the boats are expert at getting the people and their gear onto them and then out through the surf. However, there are times when the waves are too large and all such boat launches have to be cancelled, although this doesn’t happen to often. On rare occasions (perhaps once or twice per year) the waves get large enough to surf off the point, and if you’re lucky to be here, you can stand in the shade and watch Montezuma’s daredevil surfers riding double-overhead+ waves right in front of you. Check out some photos here: Montezuma Surfing

There are few inexpensive backpacker hotel/hostels right here on the beach… very inexpensive for a beachfront hotel… as in $15 per night or so, depending on the time of year. These low-cost beachfront places include:

Hotel Moctezuma
Hotel Lys
Pension Arenas
Hostel el Parque

For backpackers and hostelers, this is true paradise… relaxing in a hammock right on the sand, with a beer in hand for less than $20/night, and this experience is part of the magic of Montezuma that has made it such a legendary beach town over the past three or four decades.

Warning! Montezuma’s small bay can be polluted. Some of the houses and businesses in town dump their sewage right into the small stream that runs into the bay. During rainy season, septic tanks overflow or stop working well when the ground is saturated, adding to the mess. You’ll see people swimming and even fishing here, but I really don’t recommend it. This is Montezuma’s dirty little secret… the prettiest beach in the center of town can be dangerous, and you will rarely, if ever, see any foreigner who lives in Montezuma swimming there, because we all know what’s up. Why is this happening? Don’t ask… we’ve been asking for years, but unfortunately the government hasn’t done anything about it. If you want to swim or fish, go to the beach on the other side of town, or walk down to playa las manchas, 20 minutes to the south.