Driving MEX-ZIH

If I were arriving in the morning, that would be a theoretical possibility, but the flight arrives at something like 3:30 p.m. Wait for my two pieces of 62 linear inch luggage and my maximum size carryon, and my dog in a large crate. Then get my dog’s paperwork done. Then clear customs. Then get a van, (because my luggage wouldn’t all fit into a sedan and I would be lucky to get out of MEX by 6:00 p.m.

Google Maps says 13 hours from Benito Juarez Airport to Zihuatanejo, arriving at about 7:00 a.m. At that point I would have been up for over 24 hours.

I have more sense than that.

My experience with one-way car rentals to Zihuatanejo has been that the drop fees are horrendous. I have vivid memories of renting a small sedan in Guadalajara in 2012 and dropping it at ZIH. The cost was $1200 (dollars, not pesos). The drop fee was as much as the rental fee. I understand that Hertz’ drop fees is M$9 (plus IVA) per kilometer. At ~650 km the drop fee alone would being the range of M$6,700.

I shudder to think what the total cost would be from MEX to ZIH… And then there is gas and cuota fees.

I’m starting to convince myself that the hotel option looks good. ???? Or maybe I,could rent a van for one day and sleep in it. Hmm, that might not be the safety level I would prefer.