Our trip report

A little intro - we are a mid to late fifties couple from Montreal who first visited Ixtapa for 2 weeks in Y2K and stayed at Pacifica Club before it became all-inclusive. Fondest memories are of a day at Barra de Potosi and daily trips to Zihuatanejo for lunch or dinner. We always said that the next time we came, we'd stay in Zihuatanejo. Thanks to this great message board, we have gleaned a lot of information over the past 16 years and this is our trip report.

Tuesday
Arrived in time for happy hour at Hotel Irma - yay! Walked down to Rufos for an enjoyable dinner, I had the red snapper and Brian had the Spanish mackerel.
Early to bed as travel days are long and tiring.

Wednesday
Up at dawn, walked the walkway to Centro and had breakfast at Casa Marina and watched the fish market goings on. Walked to Playa la Ropa for the afternoon and ate a whole red snapper and Brian ate tuna steak with bacon at Elvira's. What a beautiful beach! Walked back to the hotel for happy hour. Decided to skip supper as we were still full from lunch, although we were desperate for coffee. We were approached by a waiter at Nardos to eat there. We explained that we were simply on a quest for coffee and they were happy to oblige. Walked around Centro - second time for the day but both times shops weren't open. Picked up dessert at Panaderia El Buen Gusto.

Thursday
Breakfast at Margaritas. Overcast day so we made it our shopping day - saw Lupita & Lola - both so sweet! Mid-afternoon, needed to cool off so headed to la Ropa for a few hours. Watched all the restaurants transform from day to evening on the beach. Man these guys work hard bringing in all those loungers, cushions and tables to make room for more beachside dining. Back to the hotel to prepare for dinner at Nardos as we had promised to return to eat there the night before. Thoroughly enjoyed our meal of tuna carpaccio, stuffed mahi-mahi and catch of the day al Diablo and my Spanish coffee made table side.

Friday
Very cloudy day. Did some more shopping in centro in the morning and La Ropa for the afternoon and a disappointing lunch of fish tacos at Elvira's. Headed back to Centro for dinner at Los Braseros, Brian decided to give fish tacos another go - success! I had chile rellenos. Picked up dessert at the bakery and stopped at El Cafecito for the best coffee we'd had since arriving. There were bats doing their thing in the trees in front of us - they are much larger than those we have back home. La Cancha had all kinds of activities for kids - sat and watched the fun for a while and headed back home to have our dessert.

Saturday
We fell into a routine on our vacation. We walked into Centro through the neighbourhood and back to the hotel on the beach walkway every morning. Coffee at El Cafecito. It was time to withdraw more funds and pick up a bottle of tequila to bring back home so I can enjoy an occasional margarita. A few more incidental purchases and off to Rossy's at La Ropa for the afternoon for a change. Enjoyed the food and the hustle and bustle of Saturday at the beach. Much busier than it has been all week. Picked up some stretchy cheese - love the stuff! Went to El Cafecito for a before dinner coffee. La Cancha and town also much busier. Had dinner at Las Adelitas and called it a night.

Sunday
Walked into Centro for our morning coffee - closed. Ended up at Casa Elvira - coffee is not their game. Breakfast was okay. Came back to our hotel and planned on walking to Playa las Gatas from the end of La Ropa - tide was too high. Walked the entire beach looking for a place to park for the afternoon and ended up back where we started. Rossy's it was again. Too much boat activity for our liking, but we had no choice on this busy day. Walked into Centro earlier than usual - had a fantastic dinner at La Katrina. Had mahi-mahi carpaccio, smoked fish tacos and sailfish tartar. I tried a tamarind margarita that was to die for. Spent some time at La Cancha - it is definitely the place to be on a Sunday night. Walked around the flea market, bought a tablecloth and stopped at Panaderia del Antigua to pick up our dessert on our way home.

Monday
Our last full day and also a Mexican holiday. Taxi driver told us the day before that Las Gatas would be very busy, so we will save this for another time. Skipped walking in to Centro so we could have more time at the beach. Party's Marimar was our parking spot for the day. Tiritas and tuna for lunch. Walked back up from the beach to work up an appetite for dinner at Agave. Delicious - Brian had snapper Veracruz and I had fish filet wrapped in holly leaves. Walked around town and of course picked up dessert on our way home.

Tuesday
Finished packing for our trip back home. Breakfast at Bistro del Mar. Last walk in to town - it was a great week. We will miss Zihuatanejo!

And then there's Jaui.

Sounds like a perfect vacation! Thank You for sharing

Hi Patty and Brian!

Nice to see some fellow Canadians enjoying pretty much the same spots as me. You missed a few but I hear you when you say getting into a routine...And a week goes so fast. I was just there at the same time as you almost but there for 2 weeks and I did not see the time flying by until I had a couple days left. Glad you enjoyed the coffee at El Cafecito. It is my favorite spot for espresso and espresso based drinks. Margaritas and the coffee shop inside Commercial are as good and a good back up, especially on Sundays, the only day El Cafecito closes. Thanks for the report and now time to plan your next trip here

Wonderful trip report -thanks!
So glad you loved Zihua as much as I do.

I really enjoyed reading your trip report! Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences and your good advice. Thanks also for the kind words about my Message Board and my girls Lupita & Lola.

I'll try to hold the fort down until you all are able to return.