See. I told you it was my weirdness. I have some food issues.

No matter how often I hear that salads are fine to eat, I still avoid them. Probably my own weirdness but I avoid them. old habits die hard.

If you shopped the produce section at Commercial you would spot all the chefs and restaurants buying the prewashed three pack of romaine for their salads.

I also think people OD on avocados and guacamole. Anything avocado tastes so much better in Zihuatanejo. It tastes so much better because the avocados are so rich in oil. Unlike the anemic things I get in Chicago.

Fruit and guacamole both seem so good for you but moderation is the most prudent course at least until your digestion adjusts.

I would also recommend Sunday afternoons at Il Pirata (on La Ropa before Rossy's) with live latin music. Tuesday evenings at La Canta de la Sirena (by the bus station) to hear more "local" music. And, perhaps, Daniel's (by the basketball court) for a lovely New Year's Eve dinner accompanied by Jimi Mamou.

Best salad on La Ropa if not in Zihuatanejo is at El Manglar. Also available with chicken, prawns or a filet of fish.

My favourite

That Is a really good Manglar salad. I always have a really good Moho de Ajo fish fillet salad @ La Sirena Gorda when I'm there. They have The Best dressing and Habanero Sauce for your chips!
Can anyone tell me what night they're closed, please? I just got myself all worked up for arrival in Feb! Is there a list of restaurant closure nites? Anyone?

My favourite

Thanks for the ideas, Harry.

On the note of Montezuma's revenge, my sister got very sick after her recent trip to Mexico city. She thinks it was from the water. Any other tips for avoiding it? Is it safe to order drinks with ice, or should that be avoided?

It's tough to suggest what your sister became sick from. In Z/Ix the city water goes through a modern processing plant that I expect eliminates the worst things that can infect a municipal water supply, like killer protozoa and E Coli, but the pipes delivering that water can be dodgy and it's not unusual to run dry at different times of the year, so that will mess with the water quality too. But bottled water is everywhere, and the hotels have cisterns and buy trucked in water with consistent quality, so you should be OK that way. I won't drink the tap water, but I have brushed my teeth with it with no apparent ill effects so far. You must also guard against food poisoning which is very easy to happen with cooked, especially starchy foods are allowed to stand in tropical temps which multiply bacteria literally in minutes. So just be sure to eat freshly cooked and not re-heated foods, avoid stuff mixed with mayonnaise (unless you opened the jar) and I avoid leafy salady things and non-acidic cut veggies unless they are piping hot. Salsas are fine. They are acidic by nature. Squirting lime juice on your meat or fish is a good idea for more than just the taste.

When served a drink with ice, as long as the cubes have the holes in the middle o they were machine made, and therefore generally sterile. That's standard in Z/Ix anyway.

On the note of Montezuma's revenge, my sister got very sick after her recent trip to Mexico city. She thinks it was from the water. Any other tips for avoiding it? Is it safe to order drinks with ice, or should that be avoided?

De rigeur are also spending time in the Mercado Centrale, or central market. Fun and exotic place to do your basic food shopping and pick up up an inexpensive meal rubbing shoulders with the locals.
May as well cruise the artesanal market area too for crafty stuff.

Stroll the beaches, try the chilled drinking coconuts, and give the strolling musicians some business. 100 pesos buys a couple of songs.

Above all, stay hydrated, try not to overdo the booze and food and unless you are very accustomed to the sun, I would ration my exposure to it.

You don't see a lot of stories on this board about MONTEZUMA'S REVENGE, and that's because the restauranters in the tourist areas take care to rinse the veggies they cut up in clean water to which an antibacterial agent has been added. When I bring home fruits and veggies to eat I usually wipe them with a washcloth soaked in vinegar and then rinse them off which effectively does the same thing. Eat yoghurt a few times while you're in Z. too.....

Basically it's a pretty safe place to walk around and even though it really helps if you can speak a little Spanish, you'll still get by really well. You'll bump into all kinds of Gringos who are multiple repeat visitors. Many of us who frequent this board are totally enchanted with the place. For myself, I could easily choose to vacation in Fiji, Paris, Amsterdam or Israel, but this has become my happy place and I think about it a lot..even when I'm not there... &
Trip # 9 is only 46 sleeps away

Hi,

I will be traveling to Zihua next week with my husband and two other couples, and none of us have ever been before! I have a few specific questions, and I'm also interested in any general advice. We will be there 12/27-1/2 and are staying at Casa don Francisco.

First, the specific questions. It seems like the best way to get from the airport to the hotel is to just get a taxi at the airport. Is this right? Do we need to do anything ahead of time, like make a reservation?

Also, we will be there for New Years Eve. Any recommendations on where to go? We are six adults in our late twenties/ early thirties, and we'd like to go celebrate somewhere fun!

And finally, any other tips on where to go, what to see, and what to eat would be much appreciated. I'm sure we'll spend plenty of time at the beach, but are up for other adventures as well!

Thanks!
Libby

Hello Libby,

Erica is the proprietress of Casa Don Francisco. She is lovely and very attentive. Also I believe you will receive some of the best recommendations from this board. Stay tuned and search ZihuaRob's board to its fullest. Overlook ALL the sales people inside the airport, exit building and look to your left and airport taxi drivers will assist you. don't remember fares but for six people you may need a van $$. I would recommend to ask here prior to arriving. You will be at Casa Don in under thirty minutes.
We will be driving in on New Years Eve, and will stroll over to La Perla to watch the Sugar Bowl that evening,
Have a great trip. Cathy and Mike, Roll Tide

We always leave with pesos so we parsed them out until we got the "all clear" from the banks. Small stress. Capital One credit and banking were most accommodating and prompt but I don't recommend it as a travel plan. Call ahead. We now have the message to call the banks programmed into our calendars.

So, like, you won't forget? A cautionary tale.

1.) Always get your pesos from an atm.

2). Always get your pesos from an ATM!