Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa Message Board

Just got back from 2 weeks with the family (kids 3 and 6) on La Ropa. Will spare the day to day things, but here are a few highlights/observations.

1. Not to beat a dead horse, but no issues regarding safety. We were up and down the coast, and everyone we encountered were polite and welcoming. (Got that out of the way.)

2. I know it is the slow season, but it sure seemed REALLY slow. We pretty much had Playa Larga to ourselves a few days, and even Ixtapa Island on a Sunday was fairly deserted.

3. Ixtapa: What happened? We stayed here on our Honeymoon 12 years ago or so. It was a tidy, lively resort area. This past visit, el centro was in shabby shape, a lot of things for lease/closed etc. I guess to answer my own question, I am sure the AI stuff is keeping everyone at the hotels. The roadways and landscaping is still kept up well all the way to Playa Linda, but downtown is getting a bit scruffy looking.

4. Surfing: Whether or not you have never surfed or just need to rent a board, look up Leon in Ixtapa at Catcha L'ola. He is a great guy, and he has a good selection of boards for rent. He also does lessons and can get anyone up and surfing in a short time. If you are experienced, he can give you a ride to some of the better spots that aren't accessible via bus/taxi. Give it a try....

5. Dining, a few memorable eats: Fish tacos al Pastor at Popeye's on Playa Larga, Regular tacos al pastor at Braceros, Mulcajete at Bandido's is always good. Other than that, the usual suspects.

6. Car rental: Used Dollar, no problems, with liability it came in a bit under $500 for 14 days. I thought that was a fair price. We usually go out and about exploring, so buses/taxis would not be practical.

Once again, everyone was friendly, great with the kids, helpful etc. Hope to return again next year if all works out.

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Thanks, John.

Today is when the madness starts and summer vacation season goes into high gear as millions of city dwellers hit the roads and mostly head for the beaches, so if you'd just stayed a little longer you would have seen the transformation. But yes, AI is killing Ixtapa and I'm not having much luck getting the message across to the "responsible authorities" who should be imposing an AI tax on hotels within walking distance of the shopping areas that practice this exclusively.

The lack of police presence has also hurt Ixtapa's businesses in the shopping areas. For the few doing any business, after they get robbed a few times they just can't keep re-opening. The increased police presence currently being implemented with more to come and the promised 50 surveillance cameras to be installed over the next few months should help the authorities crack down on the types of crime affecting the local businesses. Unfortunately with the toll road to Morelia and the endless land invasions we've seen an increase in various types of crimes that cause a lot of folks to simply close up their businesses and move elsewhere. I guess once the criminals realize there's no business left for them here they'll move on to somewhere else more prosperous... the cucaracha effect.

As for Fonatur, during election years all kinds of government money suddenly becomes scarce. Hopefully now that the elections are over Fonatur will get back on track. What bugs me most about what they have done is they have developed and allowed to be developed once green areas that are not selling and probably will never sell successfully. They've gotten too far ahead of themselves and screwed up so badly trying to justify their jobs that they've allowed developments, including the ecocidal Lomas de Playa Linda, that should never have been allowed in the first place.

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