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not our side of Mexico but... - 12/11/2012 10:02:33 AM
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grini
Posts: 660
Joined: 7/10/2005
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Has anyone ever been to ZIHUATANEJO Mexico on the Pacific side? I think I saw a show about it once and it is a small quaint fishing village. Would go back to Akumal but hubby wants to go elsewhere.
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gerri Rini
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RE: not our side of Mexico but... - 12/11/2012 10:55:50 AM
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Sumgolf2
Posts: 140
Joined: 7/13/2005
From: near Chicago
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I have been to Ixtapa and visited Z many times. I love both sides of Mexico. I love the feel of Ixtapa and Z. . As said before, this area has a Mexico feel to it that the Caribbean side does not have.
If you stay in the hotel zone in Ixtapa, you cross the street to numerous restaurants. You can take a bus or taxi into Z for even more dining choices. Dining is so inexpensive that even if we stay AI, we go out to dinner a few nights each week while there.
If your looking for something different, I'd give it a try.
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RE: not our side of Mexico but... - 12/11/2012 3:36:00 PM
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dougboyd
Posts: 58
Joined: 10/4/2004
From: Franktown Colorado
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Been to Zihua. 7 or 8 times in the past,but not in the last couple of years because airfares are so high from Denver. Something to know is Ixtapa is to Zihua. as Cancun is to Akumal only on a smaller scale. Another thing to know is violence in Guerrero is mostly centered in Acapulco 180 miles south of Zihua. Ixtapa. Zihua. Ixtapa are reasonably safe and I would go back in a heartbeat if airfares weren't so high. Yes, Karenkel has a great trip report here on Locogringo. You might also want to check out ZihuaRob's message board for tons of great information on the area. I say go for it, I don't think you'll regret it.
Doug
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RE: not our side of Mexico but... - 12/11/2012 10:50:28 PM
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juan rojo
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Zihuatanejo is a fantastic place that is no longer a village but feels like a medium sized city . Ixtapa is a seperate and different kind of place with fewer dining options as time passes and all inclusive hotels increasingly dominate that created for tourists place , something like Playacar maybe . Ixtapa is only a short cab ride from Zihuatanejo but the rough surf makes for no snorkelling . Playas La Ropa and Las Gatas on Zihuatanejo bay have as much diversity and quality of snorkelling as Akumal , a statement that may surprise some and that I would not make lightly . The sea life is far more spread out and naturally the visibility is never as good as the Caribean but the diversity is there and I have seen as many species and numbers in the much larger Zihuatanejo Bay as Akumal . I always see groups of Eagle Rays like in the CAFB 2012 photos , probably 200 in total last year , including a four footer . For some unexplained reason , even the proponents of the place don't brag about the quality of the snorkelling or the fact that there are far more turtle hatchings in that Bay , some assisted every year , than in Akumal . I thought I saw dolphins , 40 feet from shore one morning on my way to snorkel and rushed to hopefully swim near them . I missed them . I found out later that they were probably false killer whales and not at all as friendly looking as Dolphins . There are migrating Grey Whales in the open water as well . Google " Zihuatanejo free shore snorkelling ", for some reports of mine , no photos , sorry . There are tons of good cheap Mexican and seafood restaurants to choose from on the beach or in town , a good variety of lodgings and condos and a Mega store for supplies and a big classic mercado . We feel no need of having a car in that compact area and cabs and buses are dirt cheap . There are several local daily destinations that are cheap and easy with toes in the sand dining and some fun , cheap , water taxi rides . The area is more clearly in the grips of criminal gangs but they very , very , rarely impact tourists in any way . Sadly , they are slowly sucking and extorting the life out of locals and deterring tourists from trying this great destination . Feel free to PM any time for lots more . Juanito
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RE: not our side of Mexico but... - 12/13/2012 7:58:21 AM
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mspink
Posts: 91
Joined: 3/12/2012
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We've been afew times, and absolutely love it. Actually, we're trying Akumal this year only because airfare to Zihua was prohibitive. We absolutely love Zihua, Ixtapa notsomuch. The others nailed it with the descriptions: Zihuatanejo is a smaller fishing village, Ixtapa is a big resort town. Ixtapa was actually created by the same government agency that created Cancun, it just didn't take off quite as well as Cancun did. We spent about an hour in Ixtapa before we decided it was time to go "home" to Zihua.
The water won't be nearly as clear as what you're used to on the Caribbean side, and the sand is beige and can be coarse. We spend a lot of time on Playa Las Gatas, which you can only get to by boat. Palapas, waves, cheap beach massages and cheaper beers. I hear Isla Ixtapa is the same idea. We stay at a small hotel that looks like it was carved out of the hillside where every room is slighly different. Handmade furniture, really pretty tilework in the bathroom, and some rooms have a hot tub on the balcony. It's heaven.
The food is good and cheap all over town, and we never felt unsafe even when we heard that there were some narco issues happening while we were there. Sadly, Guerrero does have its share of problems, but I honestly don't feel like we were ever in any danger other than perhaps pickpocketing or other petty crime. We aren't late nighters, so we were usually back in our room by 10 or 11, we stick to well lit areas and don't flash cash. I don't even bring my good jewelry, just a timex watch and plain gold band. Common sense stuff, really. And as far as the worse possibilities, we'd need to be in the wrong place at the wrong itme, and that could happen anywhere. We're not associating with dealers and we're not wandering off into areas we shouldn't be going, so we're managing that risk as well as possible.
I say try it. I think it will be very different from what you're used to, just as Akumal will be very different from what we're used to, but I can tell you that personally, we give it a glowing recommendation and we'd be back tomorrow if we didn't need to sell body parts to get there. 
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RE: not our side of Mexico but... - 12/14/2012 12:25:15 PM
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MN2Akumal
Posts: 27
Joined: 3/22/2011
From: Minnesota
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quote:
ORIGINAL: grini
Has anyone ever been to ZIHUATANEJO Mexico on the Pacific side? I think I saw a show about it once and it is a small quaint fishing village. Would go back to Akumal but hubby wants to go elsewhere.
Have been to Zihuat 4-5 times & enjoyed our vacations there. Ixtapa = Cancun and Zihuat = Playa del Carmen .Zihuat is not a small village but does offer a beautiful beach (La Ropa). Ixtapa beach is often "black flagged" so people often head to Zihuat from Ixtapa. Snorkeling is limited. Food & culture is very different from Mayan and very enjoyable . Looking for a different type of Mexican trip ? Zihuat might be for you. We never felt that crime was a problem .
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RE: not our side of Mexico but... - 12/14/2012 7:06:08 PM
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dougboyd
Posts: 58
Joined: 10/4/2004
From: Franktown Colorado
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O.K. I wasn't going to do this. Mostly because my typing skills are extremely suspect. If you are like me and looking for a cheaper alternative to Zihuatanejo's high airfare prices, ever heard of Rincon de Guayabitos? From south to north the 3 towns of Los Ayalya, Guayabitos ,and La Penita lie on a nice 3 mile stretch of beach about 45 miles north of Puerto Vallarta. I think because of competition the airfare to Puerto Vallarta is $200 to $300 p.p. less than Zihuatanejo. Fly into Puerto Vallarta and arrange transportation for about $65 one way to these towns. The towns are so close to each other they almost seem like one town. A fit person can walk to the other two without to much trouble. Otherwise cabs are cheap and plentiful. If you are used to the restaurant prices in Akumal you will be amazed at how cheap food and beer prices are there. I spent this past month of March there and rarely cooked in my casita because I could save so little on cooking my own.
Los Ayala is a small town with a nice 800 meter beach. Fresh fish is sold on the beach early every morning and has a mix of gringo Mexican population of about 1000 people. Larger Guayabitos has a nice mile long beach. Has a more touristy feel and is a little more gringo .La Penita is definitely a working Mexican town with most of local Mexicans living there. The beach is not as good as the other two towns, but has tons of great restaurants. If you are looking for a place to immerse yourself in Mexican culture this is the place.
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