Fodor's Expert Review La Playa

The owners of La Ola Rica, just up the street, have opened this more casual lunch spot right on the sand of San Pancho's beach, squeezed between twin headlands. Sit at a table near the full bar (which specializes in mojitos) or settle into a chaise longue closer to the water's edge. Choose a roast beef or chipotle chicken sandwich, fish-and-chips (with crunchy wedge-cut fries and fresh mahimahi), a couple of fish tacos, or a shrimp tostada. Lively tropical tunes and lacy coconut palms complete the idyllic picture. You can walk off your meal along the beach or sleep it off on your plastic, umbrella-shaded chaise. Behind the restaurant are several snug, second-story bungalows with kitchenettes for rent.