Montezuma

Montezuma has been on the international vagabond circuit for years, attracting backpackers and alternative-lifestyle types. At night, the center of town often fills up with tattooed travelers and artisans who drink in the street and entertain each other and passersby. When college students are on break, the place can be a zoo. Wags used to refer to the town as Montefuma, with fuma meaning "smoke" in Spanish—get it?—but, for better or for worse, Montezuma is being tamed. Plenty of grown-up lodging and dining options exist here, too.

North and south of the town center, however, have always been quiet, and the attractions here include swaths of tropical dry forest, waterfalls, and beautiful virgin beaches that stretch across one national park and two nature preserves. One especially good walk (about 2½ hours) or horseback ride leads to a small waterfall called El Chorro that pours into the sea, where there is a small tidal pool at lower tides.