Other than the condition of the beaches are people allowed to walk the beaches all the way down the strip? Or are there spots that are private?
I was told this trip that beach access is public. You can walk up and down any beach. As far as setting up a spot to sunbath or whatever, in that respect the beaches are private. If you are in the water, though, or between the water and the tide line (the shoreline or orilla in spanish) that's public
To add to the above, I believe you can even set up a spot to sunbathe anywhere. As clearly understood by us all thus far, all beaches in Mexico are federal property and are therefore public. You can throw your towel on the sand wherever and enjoy the beach. BUT you just can't use the chairs and such that belong to each resort.