'''Zihuatanejo''' is located on the Pacific Coast of Mexico in the state of Guerrero

Get in

Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa airport is very convenient to the hotels in the area, with many hotels offering free shuttle service. The airport is serviced by direct flights from Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Houston, plus Mexico City and Vancouver (seasonally).

Zihuatanejo is also well served by long-distance luxury buses from such places as Acapulco, Morelia and Mexico City. The bus station is quite a few kilometres of town, so a taxi is necessary.

Get around

Most of the transportation is done on foot. There are plenty of taxis to take you out to the airport or the bus station. At the ''muelle'', dockside, there are ''lanchas'', open boats, to various points along the coast, most notably the Playa Las Gatas across the bay. Getting to the flashy sister resort of Ixtapa can be done easily by bus.

See

Zihuatanejo is a self-grown little resort on the Bahia Zihuatanejo. The feel of the place is very relaxed and Mexican, and it is very unlike its sister resort of Ixtapa, a planned resort to attract the gringo dollar. Expect to find backpackers and other individual travellers along with Mexican holidaymakers. The latter are also among the more relaxed, as the Mexico City jet-set ''fresas'' of course intermingle with the ''estadounidenses'' in Ixtapa.

The main attraction of Zihuatanejo is the sheltered Bahia Zihuatanejo with safe swimming. Several lovely beaches surround the bay, including the Playa La Ropa ("Beach of the clothes") and the Playa Las Gatas ("Beach of the she-cats"), the first named after a shipwreck including Chinese silk, the latter named after little, harmless sharks called "she-cats" because of their whiskers.

Playa Las Gatas, across the bay from town, is reached by lanchas, open boats. You buy the tickets at the ticket counter, and queue up at the pier. This is usually a quick affair. The beach itself has white sands and plenty of palapas (thatched umbrellas). You sit down under one for free, as long as you order your drinks and your lunch from the owner of the palapa. Snorkeling is recommended from the snorkel shop located just off of the boat dock. A very nice artificial reef was created in precolumbian times.

Buy

A true Mexican tourist resort, there are loads of things to buy in Zihuatanejo. In addition to swimwear and other beach accessories, you can buy a lot of Mexican handicraft. There is of course anything from cheap junk to high-quality artworks.

Eat

'''La Casa Cafe''', La Madera: Listed as a '''"must go"''' in Moon Travel Guide, La Casa Cafe has great strong house and specialty coffees. Inexpensive quality food here is a great mix of both Mexican and American. Tropical courtyard atmosphere with friendly staff, willing to share a lot of local information. 8am - 2pm, Tues - Sunday.

Drink

Sleep

  • '''Casa Cuitlateca''' - Toll Free 1-877-541-1234 or (52) 755-554-2448, [http://www.casacuitlateca.com]; Reservations: marathon24@prodigy.net.mx Beautiful five-bedroom boutique hotel overlooking Zihuatanejo Bay, infinity swimming pool and deck with restaurant and bar. Very friendly staff and excellent service.
  • '''Casa Que Canta''', Camino Escenica a Playa Ropa, Tel: (755) 555-7000, [http://www.lacasaquecanta.com/]. Boutique hotel on Playa Ropa, consistently rated by travel magazines as one of the most luxurious hotels in the world. Infiniti pool, full spa services, and gourmet dining.
  • '''Hotel Brisas Del Mar'''* Ph 01 152 755 5542142 from the US, [http://www.hotelbrisasdelmar.com]. A very charming and well kept beach front hotel with eight different type of suites, pool, a restaurant and bar. Each room has a balcony with a hammock and outstanding sunset views. Great price and superb service.
  • '''Tides Zihuatanejo Hotel (formerly Hotel Villa del Sol)'''. Small luxury beach resort, tastefully decorated with Mexican art and crafts. Its cheerful rooms reflect the colours of the tropics. Tides Zihuatanejo Hotel ex Villa del Sol is located right on Playa La Ropa beach, by the village of Zihuatanejo. 35 suites located in villas among tropical gardens. A tiny blue stream runs by your side wherever you walk, filling ponds, splashing into fountains or spilling over an aqueduct right into one of the swimming pools.
  • '''Hotel Irma''' - 1-800-262-4500; Playa la Madera. Affordably priced rooms, most with air conditioning and balcony that overlooks Playa la Madera. Poolside food and bar service. A staircase off the patio takes you right down to the beach. Fantastic, friendly staff.
  • Also you can try alternatives in Eco Tourism: check out Ecotrotter's [http://www.ecotrotters.com/summary-of-Zihuatanejo-Guerrero-Mexico/56494e73715370664e4d684d666b71325049563277513d3d-city.html Eco Hotels in Zihuatanejo] list for more information.
  • Get out

  • Playa Troncones 25 minutes north of the twin resorts of Zihuatanejo & Ixtapa and the Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa International Airport. It looks like Ixtapa but without the crowds. Troncones offers many miles of beautiful, unspoiled, golden sand beaches. Stroll, the virgin clean beach's and go barefoot in the surf where flocks of pelicans skim the crests of the waves and endangered sea turtles lay their eggs in the warm sand. Troncones is "the real Mexico"
  • Isla Ixtapa - Catch a boat to the island (which is totally separate from the Ixtapa tourist trap), which has just a few combo restaurant/snorkeling rental businesses. The snorkeling is good and the seafood (served to you on the beach) has probably only been out of the water for a couple hours by the time you eat it. Very beautiful scenery all around.