Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa Message Board - Thank you everyone!

Thank you everyone! (reply)

Zmon01 — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 01:00:29 +0000

Hey Osteo> a few days late and a few dollars poorer, I'll give you my dos cents worth. Never stayed at Catalina but have stayed at VM. What makes the ocean view room well worth the price is the terrace. Big and roomy with a gorgeous view. Plus their restaurant is really, really good. We made up for a lack of fridge by going to Commercial and picking up a cheap styro cooler. It feels a bit like camping if you go that route!

Thank you everyone! (reply)

Oeste Hermoso — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 20:18:15 +0000

Still dealing with reservation and not sure where I'll be. I have stayed in the Playa Linda suite and quite enjoyed it. As for how much time one spends in a room, I am a night owl so I am up to 2:00 pm reading in my hammock , smoking a Havana and having a tequila. The stairs don't really bother me there, my big concern is a beach chair.

Catalina & VIlla Mexicana (reply)

Fran — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 19:11:05 +0000

I have not stayed at VM but since we stay at Catalina and enjoy Dona Prudencia, I've spent some time on the property. It seems that Catalina has a more quiet and relaxed feeling and that you can opt for more privacy on the beach and in your room. I think the two places have a very different feel and it's a question of what you want in your vacation experience.

Catalina does have stairs but the arrangements of groups of rooms along the hillside garden rather than in a more typical beach motel structure is part of the appeal for me and you get that privacy and quiet along with stairs. If you can't do stairs, VM is definitely the choice but if you can do some stairs, you roll your eyes, suck it up and find that you adjust to the layout pretty quickly

Catalina & VIlla Mexicana--time in room (reply)

Timmac — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 18:07:18 +0000

A couple of folks in this thread have raised the question, "How much time do you spend in your room/" For us the answer is quite a lot actually. The day is spent at the beach, but at night after walking downtown for dinner we come back to our room and read/and or watch movies or TV shows for a couple of hours. It is very nice to have a sitting area, with a refirgerator for chilled beverages and snacks with a TV where we can relax. First thing in the AM before breakfast we brew some local coffee (Catalina has coffee makers-you just have to ask) and sit on our deck and catch up on email and news before heading up to the restaurant for breakfast. Although the VM has chairs close to the beach, they are quite crowded in comparison to the individual palapas at Catalina. The location of VM is great, but for us it is too basic.

Catalina & VIlla Mexicana (reply)

Big Daddy Wags — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 17:27:27 +0000

As a frequent visitor to the VM, I can highly recommend it. As it is said, how much time do you spend in your room. Be aware, However, an oceanview room, whether upstairs or downstairs, carries with it a charge of around US$20 per day. That isnt advertised anywhere on their site, just to give you a heads up. Have fun

Catalina & VIlla Mexicana (reply)

qwerty — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 15:46:28 +0000

Since it is your birthday week, I assume you are willing to "splurge" a little. I would definitely recommend the Catalina. VM is definitely more reasonably priced than Catalina but you get much more for your money at Catalina. Having a refrigerator is very important to us because we are big on using our leftovers (would love to have a microwave also!). We have never stayed in the Linda Vista suites - we actually prefer the rooms closer to the beach, which does make for quite a hike to breakfast and other meals we choose to eat there. We generally eat lunch somewhere on LaRopa but go into town for dinner. To get into town we go down to the beach, head for the street behind Elvira's/Paty's (where the VM entrance is) and pick up a taxi there to take us into town. We used to try to catch the combi, but at our dinner time they are usually full with residents trying to get home from work and we don't want to take up space they need more than we do.

Catalina & VIlla Mexican (reply)

Commander Barrett — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 15:06:53 +0000

Mrs. B and I have been staying at VM for ten years now and are very pleased. The easy access to the beach (especially if you forgot something from your room) is fantastic. The property is very well maintained and modern. Another plus is the convenience of the restaurant on the property.

Catalina & VIlla Mexican (reply)

JoAnna — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 04:00:24 +0000

Yes, the rooms at Villa Mex. are very basic, but how much time do you spend in your room?
The beach is right there! Not 300? Stairs away!

Catalina & VIlla Mexican (reply)

Timmac — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 23:15:50 +0000

It's been a long time since we stayed at VM. When we were there the rooms were VERY basic. The only chairs were plastic outside. No refrigerator. The bathrooms were nice, and bigger than the older rooms at Catalina. The beach at Catalina is clearly better. At VM folks are right on top of each other. We have stayed in the LV suites and prefer the rooms in the 40's. Linda Vista is at the top, and the sitting area is outside. At night we like to watch movies after we come back from dinner and being from the NW, it's a bit toasty still.

Catalina & VIlla Mexican

Oeste Hermoso — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 21:15:38 +0000

How does a VM ocean view room compare to the nicer rooms (Linda Vista) at Catalina? Booking my birthday trip (Easter week and the week after so I am in "I wanna take you Higher!!" season). I definitely want a hotel on the beach so I can have a good chance of getting a lounge chair.

Boom-lakka-lakka!

Can you tell I just bought Sly and the Family Stone live at the Filmore 1986?