You are certainly right on with that. We were lucky when we built that we were smiled on and got a great location.

And those quiet spots are worth their weight in gold. Staying right down in Centro certainly has its advantages.

Where we live downtown there does not seem to be a problem with us sleeping, enjoying our days out on the balcony reading or just living our lives. Noise is not a problem. Occasionally when there is a big band on the lot in La Salinas we do hear the music, but never have had the problems you are referring to. I live very close to the pier and wherever you are and live (if it is downtown) must be very different than what I see and hear.

There definitely are areas in Centro - little pockets, if you will - where noise levels are tolerable, depending on location, building height, orientation, etc. It'd be smart to pay for only a night or two, just to make sure.....and make those nights a Friday and a Saturday !

Rather than clogging up your board with more discussion and a reply to your comments against me, that at the end of the day, does not serve any useful purpose other than airing our thoughts and opinions, I have sent it directly to your email. Saludos, Jaui.

Yes, I post a lot of pretty pictures and try to keep from harping on the negative because I don't believe this is the correct place for complaining about a lot of that stuff. The local government has a website and a Faceook page that are much more appropriate for the types of complaints you seem to have. That's one of the methods I have used to get several problems attended to. This forum is mostly a place to answer questions from potential and return visitors. Not so much for airing our dirty laundry that doesn't affect visitors.

Noise does affect visitors, so reading your letter I see you complain quite loudly about the bar named "Carlos" across from the Cancha Municipal. They USED to make noise that bothered us, but not for the past several months. They have turned their music down considerably, and frankly I cannot hear it from a block away as I used to be able to. Only the stupid "sports bar" that pretends to be a disco with mostly terrible music and a jerk for a manager next to Coconuts makes a lot of noise on my block, but my wife and I have decided it's time to let others of our neighbors get involved and take some responsibility, especially the ones who have hotels whose guests are affected by it. We don't need to be the only folks taking care of things. We have achieved quite a lot between us, but the noise problem needs to be EVERYONE'S concern. We sleep well at night listening to the sounds of the waves and the occasional drunks passing by. Such is downtown life. But the thumpity-thump that used to reverberate our walls all night especially on weekends is no more thanks to actions taken by my wife and I and dozens of our friends and neighbors. The government has been taking action on the matter for the past several months.

One theme I find consistent in your complaints is you seem to want to apply a USA-style remedy to everything. You want things to be done here the way they are up north across the border. For example, you suggested that cops should fine boombox cars on the spot. There are numerous reasons why that isn't done here, but the simple answer is that it isn't the way our police are empowered to operate. You're confusing cultures and imposing one upon the other, and I believe that is one of the causes of your discontent with so much. Perhaps in the future something like that will be a possibility, but it's a long ways from being possible at the moment and so not worth worrying over.

You repeat over and over that you are simply expressing your observations, but as a smart feller once said: "En este mundo traidor, nada es verdad, ni mentira; todo es según el color del cristal con que se mira."

Where we live downtown there does not seem to be a problem with us sleeping, enjoying our days out on the balcony reading or just living our lives. Noise is not a problem. Occasionally when there is a big band on the lot in La Salinas we do hear the music, but never have had the problems you are referring to. I live very close to the pier and wherever you are and live (if it is downtown) must be very different than what I see and hear.

I agree with Rob, (although I don't remember exactly how he said it) that I was surprised to read your review.

Hello Lady M:

My comments are based on first hand personal real life observations as I see them. I don't invent anything.

As I mentioned on a previous message to you, I live in La Noria, and in the worst part. Alcohol, and the noise thay typically goes along with it, are the rule here, not the exception.

If noise is not a problem for you, that's great. Consider yourself very fortunate.

Hi jaui, Nowhere did I say in my post that you were making up the noise you hear. The conversation was about centro and so I just assumed that is where you were referring to. I used to live in La Noria right in front of the statues and we did have noise from a couple of bars that were on the corner there. They are long gone but it was very noisy when they were there.

Noise is a problem for me. We just do not have any most of the time.

Have you and I talked? Maybe one day down at the gazebo at the basketball court?

My comments and opinions are based on first hand real life daily experience here in "Z". If you, or anyone else has a different "take" on it, that's fine. I do NOT invent anything or make up stories, and tell it as I see it.

I never meant to infer anything else, but we all have different perceptions and we all react differently to such situations.

Where we live downtown there does not seem to be a problem with us sleeping, enjoying our days out on the balcony reading or just living our lives. Noise is not a problem. Occasionally when there is a big band on the lot in La Salinas we do hear the music, but never have had the problems you are referring to. I live very close to the pier and wherever you are and live (if it is downtown) must be very different than what I see and hear.

I agree with Rob, (although I don't remember exactly how he said it) that I was surprised to read your review.

Hello Lady M:

My comments are based on first hand personal real life observations as I see them. I don't invent anything.

As I mentioned on a previous message to you, I live in La Noria, and in the worst part. Alcohol, and the noise thay typically goes along with it, are the rule here, not the exception.

If noise is not a problem for you, that's great. Consider yourself very fortunate.

I agree with Rob, (although I don't remember exactly how he said it) that I was surprised to read your review.

I have no idea what your comments about riots or rioters have to do with anything. We've never had a riot in Zihuatanejo that I'm aware of and as far as I can tell we are very unlikely to experience one in the near future. Maybe what you're calling a riot is what most of us here call a protest, which occur for so many reasons that it would I find it rather silly to say the authorities are afraid of them. Our protests in Zihuatanejo are fairly tame compared to the rest of the state, with the exception of the birth of the PRD 24 years ago when they blocked Zihuatanejo's road to Ixtapa and there was a death or two. Things are rarely what they appear to be in Mexico, especially in Guerrero. What authorities are most afraid of is that folks won't pay their taxes or participate in elections. Other than that, most protests are political in nature and feature the same old adversaries as always. Unrest in Guerrero translates into all kinds of benefits for the caciques, influyentes and parties. It justifies their very existence.

The booming bass, and loud vocals until 4am continue from El Charo. I have tried calling the police. Sometimes it helps, for about 5 minutes, then they crank the volume up again. I have lived on the hill in La Madera for over 10 years now, and the problem with noise (I won't call it music) until the wee hours has gotten much worse in the past two years.

When was the last time you reported El Charco to the police? Have you also reported them to Dirección de Ecología who are the folks in charge of regulating noise pollution and closing businesses that violate those regulations? Things won't get better by themselves. It takes persistent citizen involvement. As a smart feller once said: life is what you make it. Another smart feller also said: for evil to triumph only requires that good men do nothing. So PLEASE get involved and get your neighbors involved.

We would like to go back to Centro again.
Is it as noisy as before on the street that Rick's Bar is on.
We really like the convenience the Centro offers but could not take the noise till 4am.

Also the Host of this website commented that:

"The noise problem is being attended to. If anyone is bothered by noise from any of our bars just report them to the police (066) and they'll take care of it. Really the main problem now is simply getting folks to make the phone call."

I notice absolutely ZERO improvement as far as the decibel level. Besides that, the police here are COWARDS! In this aspect, and many other problems, the supposed "Authorities" in charge, have NO authority! Generally speaking, they're afraid of the population, and don't care to stir up the water and make any turbulence for fear of a riot, rebellion, or other disturbance. One can see what most of the rioters get away with in other parts of México almost on a daily basis.

The ambience, especially in the core of the "Centro" continues to be boom-boom-boom, bam-bam-bam, thump-thump-thump, pounding high decibel noise. And, add to that, the "mobile discotheques" (=cars with high db thunderous sound systems) that cruise around, which are constantly present, making it virtually impossible to not be "assalted" by some form of noise contamination.

My first hand observation as a permanent resident here is, that it's nearly IMPOSSIBLE to find a relatively QUIET AND PEACEFUL area, e.g. in the "Centro", which is one of the reasons I enjoyed it here in the early to mid 80's.

Those of you who come here as your "R & R" (rest and relax) destination, you WON'T find it in the "Centro". Maybe in an isolated area at La Ropa, or, in Ixtapa, you can have that luxury.

Enjoy your visit and have a great vacation.

El Charco

I assumed as much, but thought a little clarification wouldn't hurt.

How about the original El Charco on Alvarez? Because it faces/faced the canal, their outrageous noise wasn't an issue for much of Centro, but it was definitely a factor in driving us from our room overlooking Playa La Madera.

The noise problem is being attended to..... the main problem now is simply getting folks to make the phone call.

I'll certainly chime-in with a BIG on that reco.... and with its apparently subsequent A+ Results..... as from our vantage point, "Noise in Centro" has dramatically reduced (that we can hear) compared to just a few months back!!

Hopefully, such "phone calls" have been and ARE predominantly / deservingly from local Mexican national downtown residents (and not just foreign tourists).

Though, whatever The Mix, its definitely working!!

Double check with Francisco or his sister. That same bar across from La Tertulia still makes the most noise even though they have no customers, but if they keep getting reported they are supposed to get closed down and fined.

"That same bar across from La Tertulia" could describe Zorro's, or the transsexual place, El Charco de las Rana Dos, or even the bar upstairs above La Flama del Tizon taqueria. I realize the response might be "all of them", but which one is the real problem?