Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo - Ziwhat? Hard to Say, Not Hard to Like
 Theresa Storm - Calgary Herald
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February 18, 2010
 |  | Zihuatanejo is authentic Mexico at its charming best. Ixtapa, on the other hand, is a purpose-built, luxury tourist resort. |  | | |
On my worldwide journeys, rarely do I discover a place that is so appealing, so perfect just the way it is, that I wish I could keep it to myself, fearing that next time cheap-package vacationers, time-share sellers and tacky souvenir hawkers will have overrun it.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo is such a place.
Nestled along picturesque bays deeply cut into the hilly western coastline of La Costa Grande (The Big Coast) in Mexico's Guerrero state, just 225 kilometres north of Acapulco, sits the lovely duo.
Despite its attractiveness, this destination has never topped western Canadians' Mexican "sun screen" like hot spots Puerto Vallarta and Cancun, in large part because it has been harder to get to.
WestJet's new seasonal nonstop, twice-weekly service from Calgary may change that. The commencement of bargain-priced flights in November was our incentive for a one-week pre-Christmas break.
In just over five hours, we were landing among scenic coconut plantations filling the valley between the lush (rainy season had just ended) Sierra Madre del Sur Mountains and the inky Pacific.
The first order of business for English-speaking visitors, preferably with a frosty cerveza in hand, is learning how to pronounce the rather difficult place names: eeks-TAH-pa and see-wah-tah-NEHho, often abbreviated to Zihua (see-wah).
Fourteen kilometres west of the airport, Zihuatanejo, where most locals live, is a centuries-old Mexican fishing port, its low-rise buildings tumbling downhill to four beaches lining the beautiful horseshoe-shaped Bay of Zihuatanejo.
Shops, boutiques, cafes and art galleries, as well as an artisan handicraft and municipal food market, line the cobblestone streets of its charming small downtown, stretching several blocks north of main beach Playa Principal and the municipal pier.
In the morning, fishermen sell their bountiful catch on the beach alongside the Paseo del Pescador (fisherman's walkway), tempting seafood lovers back in the evening to dine on succulent chocolate clams, oysters, lobster, shrimp, traditional seafood tacos and ceviche at inviting open-air restaurants like the magical, fairy-lit garden of Coconuts or eccentric La Sirena Gorda (The Fat Mermaid).
Like La Sirena, where bright paintings of ample-fleshed mermaids adorn the walls (for sale, along with other quality handicrafts in the on-site gift shop), several restaurants display the work of native and visiting artists. Many are members of Arte Nativo, working from a garage studio in central Zihua, where founder Alfredo Tapia is the local Robin Hood. With no government support for the arts, Tapia charges only those who can afford his lessons, currently teaching 10 children gratis.
With eyes and tummies sated, live salsa spilling into the night invites visitors to join fun-loving Zihuas in a dance. On Sunday evenings, the Plaza de Armas town square is the place to be for Cultural Sundays, a colourful scene of vendors, street food and entertainers.
Zihuatanejo is authentic Mexico at its charming best.
Ixtapa, on the other hand, is a purpose-built, luxury tourist resort.
More than 30 years ago, FONATUR, Mexico's tourism development agency, identified it as one of five sites with prime tourism potential. Fortunately, so far, Ixtapa has escaped the development craze that transformed some of the other once-sleepy fishing villages, like Cancun and Los Cabos, into megaresorts.
Just seven kilometres north of Zihuatanejo, the highway morphs into a pleasant, welcoming, tree-lined boulevard, similar to Maui's manicured Wailea (others compare it to the Mediterranean). An adjacent 12-kilometre paved walking/ cycling path runs from Playa Linda near the northern end of Ixtapa to Zihuatanejo.
Contramar Las Brisas, the area first reached, is home to luxury condominiums and the iconic, pyramid-shaped Las Brisas Ixtapa, all spilling down a jungle-covered mountain to a secluded bay lined by Playa Vistahermosa, the private playground of hotel guests. Designed by renowned architect Ricardo Legorreta, the region's sole four-diamond property (with all-inclusive option), including the only four-diamond restaurant, is where we spent a contented - and delicious - week.
Up the road at the 16-suite boutique Loma del Mar Resort and Spa, the new outdoor thalasso pool is the centrepiece of the hotel's focus on wellness. Thalasso, the therapeutic use of sea water, is popular in Europe, but Loma's pool is the first in North America. A series of stations deliver an invigorating hydro massage, including spraying streams from above and jets from below.
On Ixtapa's main hotel strip, called Zone One, just nine modern highrise resorts and a few condos line Playa Palmar, a threekilometre stretch of brown sugar sand. Across the boulevard there is a tourist market, shopping and restaurants, including tourist favourites like Mexican chain Senor Frogs and local burger joint Ruben's.
Two golf courses anchor the strip: Palma Real, which my golfaholic husband found too expensive, and more challenging Marina Ixtapa, which he enjoyed far more. It is part of the Marina Ixtapa project, which, in addition to a large marina, includes condos, shops and restaurants.
More luxurious, still developing Zone Two is where new hotels are located, including the to-die-for year-old cliffside Capella Ixtapa. The area's stunning natural attractions play centre stage here -- best enjoyed from your private outdoor plunge pool or the heavenly spa that lets the beauty of nature in.
For us, the dynamic duo of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo is perfect, at least at first glance.
With a friendly population of nearly 120,000, it is the right size, blending authentic Mexico with all the comforts.
It is not overdeveloped, too busy or a party place, but there are plenty of things to do (see sidebar), varied international cuisine and fun nightlife. It has good roads and seemingly sane drivers, is safe, clean and scenic, has nice beaches and warm water (surprisingly so, for the Pacific), capped by picture-perfect sunsets.
I should keep it to myself.
• • •
If You Go
• Getting there: WestJet's new seasonal non-stop, twice-weekly service from Calgary flies Tuesdays and Saturdays, westjet.com.Air Canada's non-stop service from Vancouver, aircanadavacations.com.
• Where to stay: Las Brisas Ixtapa, the only four-diamond property, is one of seven hotels offered by WestJet Vacations, with an all-inclusive option. Six on-property restaurants, with great food and service that exceeds the usual all-inclusive. All rooms have an ocean view and a private terrace with hammock, brisas.com.mx, 1-888-716-5862; westjetvacations.com or call your travel agent.
• Where to dine: Coconuts bar-restaurant, live music some evenings, Central Zihuatanejo, Pasaje Agustin Ramirez #1, 554 25 18. Las Brisas Ixtapa, four-diamond Portofino and three-diamond El Mexicano and La Brisa 11 (see above). Bandido's Mexican and seafood restaurant and bar, live music some evenings, Central Zihuatanejo, Avenue Calle 5 de Mayo #8, 553 80 72.
• • •
Things To Do
• El Refugio de Potosi: Eco-park is 21 kilometres south of Zihuatanejo, near Barra de Potosi. Features flora and fauna, including talking native macaws, hummingbirds, butterflies, snakes and more. Panoramic tower offers great vista. $40 pesos ($3.25 Cdn) adults, $20 ($1.62) children. Open daily except Tuesday, elrefugiodepotosi.org.
Pablo Reyes, the Refugio's biologist, owns Adventours, and offers biking, kayaking, snorkelling, bird and crocodile watching tours, ixtapaadventours.com.
• Lagoon boat tours & kayak rentals in Barra De Potosi: Show up or call Orlando Nava, 100 16 42 or 121 94 94.
• Aventuras en ATVs: Ride an ATV through three ecosystems, including pristine beaches. Tour starts in the village of Pantla. Phone 553 57 51 or 120 25 76 or e-mail ixzitours(at)prodigy.net.mx.
• Spas: Loma del Mar Resort and Spa, 555 04 60, lomadelmar.com.
• Oriental Spa at the Emporio Ixtapa Hotel, 553 10 66. Capella Ixtapa Spa, 555 11 50, capellaixtapa.com.
• Scuba diving: Ixtapa Aqua Paradise, 555 20 78, ixtapaaquaparadise.com.
• Golf: Marina Ixtapa: $97 US, book at info(at)marinaixtapa.com,553 14 24. Palma Real: $120 US, book at teetimepalmareal(at)fonatur. gob. mx, 553 10 62.
• Dolphin swim: $119 US, plus $8 per photo, and you can't bring your camera or video; Delfiniti Ixtapa, hotel zone, 553 27 36, delfiniti.com. |
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