Playa Principal is the main beach in Puerto Escondido. It is not my favourite beach but it has its charm. The waves here are smaller and safer than the neighboring Playa Zicatela making it a good beach for swimming and boogie boarding. While we were there we noticed a distinct fishy smell which we attributed to all the fishing boats moored in the bay. There are several spots to lounge under umbrellas, for a fee of course, and once you’ve picked a shady spot to relax, there is no shortage of people stopping by to sell their food, wares or services. During our time there our daughter and her friends had their hair braided, several musicians serenade us, we gave boogie-boarding a try and ate some delicious nuts. Our son went boogie boarding for so long he wore the skin off his fingers, and even I had some fun playing in the waves. Overall, it was a very lovely way to spend an afternoon.