Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa Message Board - Zih Paraíso Atrevido

Zih Paraíso Atrevido (reply)

cd69 — Wed, 15 May 2019 19:48:51 +0000

Zih Paraíso Atrevido (reply)

Paulf — Wed, 15 May 2019 16:30:20 +0000

We travel all over to Europe and do Cruises ever couple of years. In all our travels we always come back to "Z" for 4 weeks every year in Jan & Feb. We have a Time Share with Pacifica and could trade our Luxury Unit for any where. In all our 21 years we have never traded a week. We have only missed one year and that was when Kathie fell and broke her back in December and we had to miss a year for her recovery. Something about the calling- like no other.

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Charlybby — Wed, 15 May 2019 07:22:01 +0000

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Charlybby — Tue, 14 May 2019 08:15:27 +0000

Your pics are amazing!! They do make us very homesick!! Hast a luego!!

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Doozer — Tue, 14 May 2019 04:46:38 +0000

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Susan G — Tue, 14 May 2019 01:21:01 +0000

I am with you, cd69. We've been coming here since 1976 and moved here full-time in 2015. We've traveled in every Mexican state (except five) and tourist destination except Cancun, which is now 750,000 -- too big for us.

My husband and I are here because Zihua is our choice. Last month, we had a family reunion of Zihua first-timers. They absolutely loved it. They've all been to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, and partial reunions in Bahia Kino, San Carlos, Manzanillo, Acapulco, Guadalajara and Mexico City. Zihua won hands down. They'll all be back because this is their niche. Our family includes those in their 20s!

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cd69 — Mon, 13 May 2019 23:25:36 +0000

I am home that have been coming to Zihua first for work about 35 years ago and then back as a tourist for a long time. I have seen a lot of changes, some for the better and some not so good. But it remains a special place unlike any other resort town in Mexico at the moment. Yes, I wish it had the population of the 80's at around 50 000 people with Zihua a busy town during the day and early evening but a sleepy one after 10 p.m. and Ixtapa a more touristy town with several busy clubs after 11:00 p.m. and stores and restaurants busy all day and late into the evening. Sadly Ixtapa is a shell of itself with the all inclusive hotels that have killed the clubs, restaurants and stores. Having said that, it is still my favorite Mexican winter destination and I have been promoting it for as long as I have been coming here and many people that tried the place after hearing me talking about it are now long time return visitors. We need a renewal of the tourist crowd, with more of the under 50 years old coming down and making Zihua their favorite vacation spot. I was happy to see a fair amount of folks under 40 and even under 30 this past winter, something I have not seen much of for many years now. Let's face it, without some younger people, eventually this place will be in serious trouble. And it needs to be folks with a certain buying power like Rob stated, not the bus crowds.

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frostbite — Mon, 13 May 2019 23:23:26 +0000

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cd69 — Mon, 13 May 2019 23:15:22 +0000

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Aunt Chelada — Mon, 13 May 2019 22:01:03 +0000

I come to Zihuatanejo because I want Zihuatanejo. I've been to all those other places mentioned and they are what are and fine for those that wish to return to them, but I am not one. And just for record, in my dictionary, the name Zihuatanejo means "home away from home".

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hromero — Mon, 13 May 2019 20:09:21 +0000

Well said Rob! Many of our guests say something very similar to that. We also have many potential guests, all from within Mexico, who ask us if we have meal packages. I make an effort to tell them that we have many excellent restaurants in the area where they can experience some of that local culture. Hopefully we can eventually convince those who are in charge of promoting our area to understand that.

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Zihuaholic — Mon, 13 May 2019 20:06:06 +0000

I have been visiting ZIH for ~20 years, and have introduced numerous friends, family members, and colleagues to it, many of whom now also return every year.

I continue to love the town and its people. It is a special place. Those that want Cancun should go to Cancun.

I am, however, concerned that the dramatic increase in the number of tourists arriving in buses and jam-packed cars from neighboring cities is placing a huge strain on the town and runs the risk of making it a less desirable destination.

It would be helpful if the local government would take steps to, for example, restrict where buses are allowed to park and the number of them, to provide (free, but supervised and clean) public restrooms, and to increase the number of garbage receptacles and efforts to clean the streets and beaches during peak season (which now seems to extend well beyond what it used to), and to place some limits on the noise generated by bars and events at La Cancha. I fear that may not happen, but hope to be wrong. If there is anything that those who love the town and want the best for it can do to influence those officials or otherwise assist (other than continuing to return and support local businesses and organizations), let us know.

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ZihuaRob — Mon, 13 May 2019 19:40:11 +0000

You being a Floridian should especially know what I mean. I loved so much about Florida. Especially its nature and older culture. From Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key to Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, from Sanibel and Captiva to Tallahassee and Gainesville, from Orlando to Christmas to Titusville to Canaveral National Seashore, from the Everglades to Ichetucknee to Cedar Key to Lido Key to St. George Island. All places now suffering from overexploitation and too many people. Remember what happened to Florida’s oldest cypress tree?

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kjgco — Mon, 13 May 2019 18:58:38 +0000

Well said indeed! We’ve been asked on numerous occasions why we visit Zihua regularly, and we usually say something like “well, because it’s different. It’s NOT Cancun or Vallarta or Mazatlan. It’s just Zihua.” Not very eloquent, but the truth

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JPinFL — Mon, 13 May 2019 18:53:48 +0000

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Susan G — Mon, 13 May 2019 18:45:48 +0000

Bravo! The niche of Zihuatanejo is where we now call home. Well said, Rob!

Zih Paraíso Atrevido

ZihuaRob — Mon, 13 May 2019 17:26:45 +0000

Obviously living, visiting or vacationing in Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa and the surrounding region isn't for everyone, just like anywhere. The problem is there are still too many people who think Zihuatanejo should imitate somewhere else, and they'll name places like Cancún or Puerto Vallarta or Mazatlán or Los Cabos. To paraphrase a popular saying, they can't see the forest for the trees. They can't see the niche where Zihuatanejo fits into the tourism scheme. Folks often criticize me for wanting to preserve Zihuatanejo's nature and culture, but I've lived in quite a few tourist resorts, not just visited them. I've seen what worked for different circumstances and what didn't. And I've also heard enough feedback from tourists in all these places to have a better than average grasp of what tourists and visitors were looking for when they visited. Obviously folks visiting Zihuatanejo or Ixtapa and expecting to find Miami Beach or Cancún picked the wrong destination. The happiest tourists have historically been those who picked Zihuatanejo precisely because it WASN'T like those places. Hopefully Zihuatanejo will never lose so much of its identity as to imitate those places. Nevertheless, too many folks who have been entrusted with promoting Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa have cited those places as examples our community should strive to emulate. I say HELL NO! Zihuatanejo has its own identity, and it has always been more successful and attracted better tourists by being itself than by trying to imitate anywhere else. By "better" I mean folks with some money to spend, who stay in hotels, dine in restaurants, hire taxis and/or tour guides, and who don't leave trash on our streets and beaches. So I especially want to thank all those folks who come to our region because it's laid back and rustic and NOT a Disney World plastic paradise attraction. Thank you for loving us for what we are. And please keep spreading the word so your friends, family and neighbors will come visit us.

There it goes. Piece by piece.

Typical morning in May. Red sun. Smoky skies. Utter tranquility.

The iconic Casa Marina. A place where good vibes abound and quality products can be found.