Any place with a good beach for swimming and some culture (don't like to spend all day on the beach-just a morning and late afternoon swim)....thanks.

A couple things might help you narrow down your many choices. East coast or west coast? Both are gorgeous but the beaches and towns on the caribbean side are quite different from the pacific coast.

By culture, do you mean archeological ruins, museums, cathedrals, tours, art galleries, town with markets, shops, crafts, something urban or more isolated?

Try the West coast between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo (Costa Alegre--Happy Coast! The quaint villages of La Manzanilla/Melaque/Barra de navidad.

Thanks...We really prefer cathedrals, market towns, musuems rather than ruins. MOre urban than isolated.

Will investigate Costa Alegre.

Finding a town that offers culture and the ocean is always a dilemma for me, and to be honest, I haven't really found a town that offers both. We usually solve our dilemma by dividing our holiday into 2 parts - one at the beach and one in the interior. There are some wonderful cities / towns to visit in the interior - I can then get my fill of the urban experience, and then we can head to the beach to relax (or vice versa).

Susan,
I'm up for suggestions. I've visited and loved: San Miguel de Allende, Queretero, Oaxaca, Taxco, Morelia,and Mexico City.
Did not like Cancun (and that's putting it mildly) wish I had gone to Playa del Carmen THEN and was disappointed in Merida. Plan on making this a quick (four day ) trip from L.A.
Thanks

Puerto Vallarta!! mdv, fits what you describe in your second posting. and would be an incredibly easy flight for a quick trip from LA. stay in Old Town or El Centro rather than a mega resort in Nuevo (to avoid Cancun-ish accommodations) and enjoy the atmosphere and activities of downtown PV.