Traveling with kids
My family is Mexico bound this fall & we're starting to get excited about planning. This will be our 4th time to the area except this time we have 4 kids (ages 2-9 yrs). We've never done AI before because we love food & want a variety but we are doing it this time out of pure convenience - if you've ever been on vaca with 4 hungry kids you'll understand 
we are fairly familiar with the area though it's been a few years since we've been. Any suggestions for things to do specifically for the kids? Swimming & sand castles is our staple but we may want to do a little exploring. Safety is a key for us and navigating the city a lot isn't an option (we live in a very remote area so my kids aren't used to crowd safety). Our kids are great travelers though & we love for them to see that our tiny bubble is just that! Activity/sight seeing Suggestions ? Ideas? Thank you!!
Traveling with kids
by katherine 
, Monday, February 17, 2014, 13:29 (4270 days ago) @ AKislandmama
Be sure and take them to Las Gatas for a day. The rock breakwater makes a shallow, protected place good for small children to swim. And if they ae interested in snorkeling, this is a good place to start. Several outfits offer snorkeling tours from the beach there. And a wide variety of restaurants to choose from for lunch.
Traveling with kids
by tja , Monday, February 17, 2014, 14:57 (4270 days ago) @ AKislandmama
We stay on Playa La Ropa in Zihuatanejo. We have just had two of our sons families and 4 grandchildren (ages 8 months – 5 years) visiting us for a couple of weeks. Previously other grandchildren up to 13 years old have visited. It’s a great destination for kids – lots to keep them easily and thoroughly entertained and busy.
I am sure your kids will have fun in you AI Hotel pool, but for beach days, the surf/undertows/riptides are usually too strong on Playa Palmar to be to be very safe for young children. Others may have a different opinion.
I would suggest a number of day-trip excursions.
Playa la Ropa. One of the best, dare I say it, family beaches in the world. No safety issues. Calm clear water. Nice sand. 1 km long for walks. Reasonable snorkeling at north and south ends. Super “feet in the sand” restaurants for inexpensive shade/snacks/cerveza.
Ixtapa Island. A 40 peso panga trip ( which the kids will enjoy). Good safe snorkeling at Playa Coral and the best (again my opinion) swimming beach for kids in the whole area at the beach to the west of the panga dock beach. Lots of restaurant choices. We like Ixtapa Bar Restaurant. Great service and the the bill always correct to the peso.
Playa las Gatas, by panga from the pier in Zihua.
A little longer excursion with kids would be to la Barra for lunch at one of the beachfront enramadas. Usualy big waves but a great beach for walking. Kids really enjoy a panga trip through the mangrove channels in the lagoon (about 1 hour).
If you want to get away from your hotel for some evening meals there are a multitude of on- the- sand restaurants in centro and along Playa la Ropa that are easy easy with kids and very kid friendly. (Some favourites – Daniels, by la cancha in Centro and Rossy’s or Patys! on Playa la Ropa.
All of these day-trips, or trips from Ixtapa to Zihua are easily done by taxi, but MUCH more fun using the local buses/combis/pasajeros.
Have a great holiday.
Traveling with kids
by frostbite , Hamilton MT, Monday, February 17, 2014, 15:11 (4270 days ago) @ tja
Good advice, but be very careful snorkeling at Playa Coral on Ixtapa Island. We like to fish for a few hours on the way there and have one of the restaurants cook up our catch while we snorkel and then feed some of our left-over tortillas to the fish in ankle-deep water. If the surf is too strong on the Playa Coral side, you can walk about 200 feet to the other side where it'll be quite calm.
Traveling with kids
by tja , Monday, February 17, 2014, 15:24 (4270 days ago) @ tja
"the best (again my opinion) swimming beach for kids in the whole area at the beach to the west of the panga dock beach". Just to clarify, I am referring to the beach west (200yds +/- on a short trail) of the main dock on the island, and not the beach on the mainland.
Traveling with kids
Thank you everyone! We are so excited. Our kids are great swimmers compared to most their age but will note your advice on best beaches for swimming/snorkeling.
Traveling with kids
by ZihuaRx , Monday, February 17, 2014, 16:51 (4270 days ago) @ AKislandmama
Where did you stay your other times? Your post reminds me of the first time we took our four kids (~16years ago) ranging from 3 to 12 with the 3 oldest being boys. We stayed at a Las Urracas a wonderful one star (if that)bungalow complex right in the middle of La Ropa beach. The boys boy's day included a good breakfast, then soccer with their new Mexican amigos (one is an amigo with my oldest to this day), then bimbo bread and peanut butter and jam, boogie board, bimbo bread etc, soccer, bimbo bread, boogie board, bimbo bread, soocer, .....what I'm getting at is that it's pretty nice staying at a place sandwich making distance from the beach. Very convenient. It was really handy having a fridge. Either way, I hope you have a great time. Mexico and Zihua is our family's favourite place. PS. Las Urracas might be a little rustic for you, but as they say...we didn't have a pot to pee in, but we loved the place and kept going back. There are other nice places with nice pools walking distance (one is about 200 yards) from the beach. ....now it might cost you about $125 to $150 for a 3 bedroom (in low season). Sorry for being so wordy, but we just got to 39 day mark to go and I'm getting a little excited.....yeah I know...pathetic.
Traveling with kids
by tja , Monday, February 17, 2014, 17:43 (4270 days ago) @ ZihuaRx
Enjoyed reading your post. Similar history to us. We started coming to Zihua with our sons (4) about 30 years ago. Stayed many many Christmas and spring break vacations at Hotel Tres Marias in la Noria (which at that time made las Uraccas look palatial but we all loved it. Now spend 4 months here at a nice 3 br condo, south end of la Ropa, 200 flat steps to the beach. It doesn't get any better!
Traveling with kids
My son and I came here the first time when he was 10 years old. He has been here many times since but he was just here for 31 days. We talked of many days gone by. Lots of places he remembers have not been here in many years but he still remembers them fondly. 40 years of traveling to here and he still remembers some of the smallest places.
Traveling with kids
by Bonnie , wherever you go, there you are..., Tuesday, February 18, 2014, 10:52 (4269 days ago) @ LadyM in Zihua
but he was just here for 31 days.
Carol, since (as you know) I travel with the "oldest" kid ever! -- we'll have to flip a coin to see who is going to break this news to Ken. He was so pleased to see you posting about Alan (sp? sorry) being in town and our paths finally crossing again. Will there be a chance of meeting Paul when we finally arrive in a few weeks? or has he gone north too?
Now me, I'm looking forward to catching up with you and maybe even losing a few dollars at cards with you and Judi. Must be the men are from Mars thing....
Where did you stay your other times? Your post reminds me of the first time we took our four kids (~16years ago) ranging from 3 to 12 with the 3 oldest being boys. We stayed at a Las Urracas a wonderful one star (if that)bungalow complex right in the middle of La Ropa beach. The boys boy's day included a good breakfast, then soccer with their new Mexican amigos (one is an amigo with my oldest to this day), then bimbo bread and peanut butter and jam, boogie board, bimbo bread etc, soccer, bimbo bread, boogie board, bimbo bread, soocer, .....what I'm getting at is that it's pretty nice staying at a place sandwich making distance from the beach. Very convenient. It was really handy having a fridge. Either way, I hope you have a great time. Mexico and Zihua is our family's favourite place. PS. Las Urracas might be a little rustic for you, but as they say...we didn't have a pot to pee in, but we loved the place and kept going back. There are other nice places with nice pools walking distance (one is about 200 yards) from the beach. ....now it might cost you about $125 to $150 for a 3 bedroom (in low season). Sorry for being so wordy, but we just got to 39 day mark to go and I'm getting a little excited.....yeah I know...pathetic.
Is this the place next to the volleyball net? We saw these but didn't see a name. I'd stay there now if it meant I could go more often and for longer. Do you have a link? Thanks!
Traveling with kids
by ZihuaRx , Monday, February 17, 2014, 23:31 (4270 days ago) @ Jenny<3Zihua
I haven't been there for a year so I'm not sure where the volleyball net is. Not sure if you mean Las Urracas or the place 200 steps from the beach. Las Urracas is right beside (north) La Perla. Just beside that is Va Pao (sp? sorry), another great place....the place about 200 steps away from the beach is Residencial la Ceiba ..just up from Rosy's.....might be able to match it, but I'm not sure you can beat it. It is all good..
Traveling with kids
by BL , Tuesday, February 18, 2014, 10:16 (4269 days ago) @ AKislandmama
Couple of thoughts:
- Bike rental at Ixtapa Ciclopista, they have a cart-like thingie for the young ones. You could go all the way to Playa Linda and stop at the viewing area, always interesting and see the crocs at the end
- Zip lines at Parque Aventura, not my favorite zip lines, good enough for the area
- Visit to Refugio de Potosi
- Stroll at the Marina in Ixtapa, if you are lucky you will see the crocs across the bridge
- "Calandria" ride in Ixtapa
Let me see if I can think of anything else..
