Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa Message Board - First Zihua Trip!

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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

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Avoid the time share sharks offering you a free ride and go right to the taxi counter and buy your "ticket" for the taxi there. If you don't have Pesos on arrival, head to your left out of customs/immigration and get them at one of the ATM machines. Use Pesos to pay for everything, especially with the current exchange rate.
Walk along the beach to Las Gatas for a nice beach day. We like Otillia's and Franco's antics. Although it has never happened to us, others have commented that his math on checks is sometimes "fuzzy." We've heard good things about all of the restaurants there.
Go to Barra de Potosi one day. You can taxi ther, but it would be mor fun to bus downtown then bus to Los Achotes and the take a Pasero from there to the beach. You'll save quite a bit and its a lot more fun to go that way.
The archeological site to the south of Los Achotes is well worth a trip, you really need a guide for this. The guide that took us there is sadly no longer able to provide the service. I'm sure others here can give you some tips.

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I'll just second what Tim said. Unless you are interested in a timeshare, the only place to get a taxi is at the taxi ticket booth. Some of the timeshare guys will be less than honest about what they are offering. As you exit the arrival area, the taxi booth is to your right.

Great exchange rate for us right now. Nice for visitors who can catch it. We will see how long it holds.

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Libby, Go to the site index at the top of the page and have a look at some of the activities etc. you are going to have a blast!

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Have your local bank get pesos for you in advance. There are not any bars or restaurants that accept credit cards. Take a water taxi to Las Gatos for a really nice time on the beach. You won't be disappointed!! A sunset cruise on the Picante is nice to view. Enjoy your stay.

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Jared there are many restaurants that take credit cards. Just not the inexpensive ones.

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Before we learned to use the ATMs to get money, we got the worst exchange rate from a bank in the US. Be sure to advise your bank that you'll be traveling.

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OK. CONFESSION. I've got big shoulders. When we were in Zihuatanejo recently, we recalled that in our chaotic rush to get out, neither of us remembered the credit card and the ATM card. Oh, crap. So we spent our first morning on the beach frantically calling and emailing financial folk.

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.

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There are really only two rules about exchanging dollars for pesos to get the best rate.

1.) Always get your pesos from an atm.

2). Always get your pesos from an ATM!

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Went to the bank here yesterday to order pesos. Rate was barely over 13 so decided to wait a little longer and not get as many. Just get enough to get us through the first day or so and hit the ATM's there.

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Just before we leave for the States, we go to a ATM to get pecos for our next trip down. The exchange rate varies from trip to trip but it is the convenience of having pecos on hand when we arrive in Z". When we get home, we put our pecos in our pass port folder.
One other item about the Global Pass- not only does it speed you through international flights but all so helps on your domestic flights also. Kathie flew SW from Louisville to Midway Chicago and she said by having Global Pass registered she went through security much faster. GP has turned out to have been a good thing and worth the cost.

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The ATMs at the Zihua airport are to your left as you exit Customs. Forget the bank.

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Good advice Tim.

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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

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For new years eve, one of the most beautiful fireworks display we saw was New Years Eve 2012 at El Faro's at Pacifica. Watching the burst just about eye level over the water in front of the other hotels was simply beautiful. This was the first time I had seen the balloon flares and watching them launch from the edge of the golf course and float up and hit a little wind and float north along the beach front. This was a Bucket List option for us for Kathie wanted to have New Years Eve at El Faro's and celebrate her birthday in Ixtapa on Jan,5- when we were down earlier in Oct/Nov we were invited by the food service manager to a taste at 3 pm one afternoon of the New Years Eve Dinner at El Faro's( we were the only couple at the taste and the other 8 people were managers). Something to experience was the kitchen staff lined up with each entree at a time then sitting the dish down between 2 samplers in unison with the head Chef explaining each dish to the table and the owner explaining in English what the Chef had say- what a wonderful afternoon.

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Every Sunday evening there's a fiesta in the Town Square, also referred to as La Cancha, the Zocolo, or simply the Basketball Court. It's pretty hard to miss....Kind of the centre of gravity for all the major and minor doings in Z/Ix.

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

[image]

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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?

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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.

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Eat the food fed to you, if a drink has ice in it, don't worry about it. The days of ice being made of non-potable water are past, the same as restaurants serving you bad food-at least here.
Mayonnaise??? Check out the cremerias here. It is sold from an open tub that is never refrigerated. Commercial mayo does not have egg or perishable ingredients. Do I buy it that way? No. Do I refrigerate mine? Yes. Realize that the mayo rules that we have all been taught are based on egg based mayo-homemade!
Typical (not to say all, just vacation issues) causes of gastro intestinal upsets are too much tequila, too much hot sauce, eating foods you are not accustomed to, lack of sleep, drinking the water from the tap, and TOO MUCH PARTYING!!!!!
Welcome to Zihua, have a great time.

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:megusta:

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I would say you are pretty much dead on in your recommendations...salads are a bit tricky based on where you buy them but in most cases these days almost everyone use the same techniques to clean their products and use some antibacterial agent in the wash...I'm someone that has been all over Mexico and eat food at small, out of the way places and barely ever get sick. But it can happen and did a couple years ago...Often, it's a case of too much of a good thing and that applies especially to fruits in all forms. A lot of folks will find the fruits here more more flavorful and will eat more of them, including fruit juices and fruit plates. As fruits here being picked fresh and not like what you buy generally in N/A stores, they are also loaded with vitamins/minerals and it's easy to overdo it and get some gastro issues from that...The first few days, eat light meals and stick to fresh food and go easy on spices and use plenty of lime juice and you will do just fine...Eating some yogurt daily is a good recommendation...

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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. I agree that too much fruit can cause trouble. It just tastes so darn good but, even with fruit, overindulgence does a number on my stomach.

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.

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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.

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> > 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.
[quote]
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.[/quote]

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

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Harry, I've had many salads at Daniels, Coconuts, well, really lots of restaurantts & never get sick. Also brue my own coffee at Villa Mex.. With tap water.

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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 [image]

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That looked almost good enough to eat!

[image]

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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?

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Wash hands frequently and keep yourselves hydrated.

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For nightlife, you might try Bandido's in town across from the tourist market for some late-night salsa dancing. For breakfast of great Eggs Benedict and fresh squeezed juice, try the Zihua Pancake House (on a sleepy street in town and not at all what the name sounds like). By all means, don't miss the basketball court on Sunday night. And most of all, just enjoy the peace that being in Z. brings. You're going to love it!

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Try Bandidos also. Go early to hear the best songstress in town. Michelle Lavallee. They have a great kiwi and goat cheese salad, great rib eye, fabulous mojejete's. We haven't had a bad meal there yet. Julians is fabulous . Great tuna and eggplant parmesan and pastas. So many good places to eat. So little time.

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btw "Julian's" is El Mediterraneo...just down the street from Bandido's, past the church. Great food and service. I highly recommend going there.

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.

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