 |
|
|
 Travel & Outdoors | January 2007 
A Vacation in Zihautenejo
 Michael Rule - yourhub.com
| | Playa Madera at sunset (Michael Rule) |
Susan and I recently returned from a 10-day vacation in Zihautenejo, Mexico.
I hadn't been there in a number of years, and with Frontier now offering direct flights out of DIA, it seemed to be time for a return visit. Every year we take our company managers (and their significant others) on a vacation out of the country, and so this year we decided on Zihautenejo.
We were not disappointed!
First, let me say, if you are looking for information on some all-inclusive resort, stop reading now! I have never been to one and don't see it happening anytime in my near future.
I don't normally even trust destinations offering direct flights! When I travel I like to get off the beaten paths a little, mix in some fancy dining with grabbing a fish taco at the local dive, search out a great margarita to go with a sunset, and find the best watering hole for a cold beer. I'm not much of a shopper, though while in Mexico I have a weakness for the beautiful handmade wool rugs from the Oaxaca region.
For night life, well I'm getting a little old for the craziness you find in many resort towns, but give me some local happenings and I'm all over it ... Zihautenejo (or Zihua, as it is often called), sits on a beautiful bay on the Pacific side of Mexico, between Puerto Vallarta to the north and Acapulco to the south.
Originally a fishing village, tourism and modern roads have brought prosperity to the area, but it still retains a feel of its roots. Five km north of town sits Ixtapa, a Cancun style development created by the government, like Cancun, as a tourist destination. Enough said about that place; if you want more info about Ixtapa I am not your source!
There are three beaches (called Playas) around the bay. Playa Madera, closest to town, attracts more of a local crowd, and is a good place to watch a pick-up game of soccer. Playa La Ropa has the nicest beach and lots of places to grab a beer or a bite to eat.
Buy your cervesas or margaritas from the restaurants, and you can sit under their beach umbrellas all day. This is where you will find most of the tourists, as a number of high-end hotels sit directly behind it. Playa Gatos is small and a bit rocky, but is a good place to introduce kids to snorkeling. You reach it by taking a boat ferry from the town docks.
The people we met around town were, almost without exception, great. La Casa Café, located back behind Playa Madera and down the hill from our hotel, Hotel Palacios, quickly became our favorite place for breakfast. Owned by Pedro and Lorna, two expats from the States, their restaurant is warm and friendly, and the food and coffee were excellent. They and their staff (including their son and son-in-law) were also excellent sources of information and recommendations about the area.
We enjoyed an excellent dinner at Il Mare,an Italian restaurant on the hill between Playas Madera and La Ropa. The food was excellent, the view spectacular, and the staff friendly and attentive. If your tastes run to local cuisine cooked fabulously, try their calamari appetizer, followed by the Catch of the Day, or any of their other entries. Yummy!
Just down the road from Il Mare is Jimmy Mamou'sBlues Club. You can't miss the club - it's painted completely blue on the exterior. Jimmy is originally from Louisiana, and told us he has been in Zihau now for about three years. If you are a blues fan like me, make a point to stop in and catch a set or two of Jimmy's music.
Down by the waterfront in town, I discovered a new favorite libation: the Mango Margarita. When I first saw it on the menu I was a little dubious, but from the first sip I knew I had found a classic.
Our waiter was an enthusiastic young man named Wallace, and we found ourselves there more than a couple of times during our vacation. The margaritas were always excellent. I don't know the name of the place, but if you're adventurous, just work your way along the bars near the fishing boats and close to the town docks, and you'll eventually find it. Say Hi to Wallace for us when you do.
We did take a couple of excursions out of town. Isla Ixtapa is reached by taking a taxi north past Ixtapa to Playa Linda. There they have an estuary with crocodiles, which I found mildly interesting, if that's how you can describe looking at chicken fed crocs laying around while tourists gawk at them ... Anyway, at Playa Linda you catch a boat for the short trip to the Isla (island).
This is a great place to hang out, do some snorkeling, swim or rent jet-skis. We spent a great day there.
Toward the end of our stay we took a taxi south of town to Playa Larga. Huge waves crash here making it a little risky for swimming, but we had the 8 or 9 mile beach almost to ourselves.
We had fun walking the beach and relaxing under the palapas set up by the few small restaurants there. On the way to and from this playa you go through a huge coconut palm tree grove. It was interesting seeing the workers using a long pole to remove the coconuts way up in the palms.
In summary, if you are looking for a destination easy to get to, not totally overrun with tourists, where the weather is great and the people are friendly, I would not hesitate to recommend Zihautenejo.
As with anyplace in Mexico, I urge you to do some exploring on your own. Get off the strip of tourist shops and dive into some hole in the wall for a bite of the local cuisine. Make an effort to meet the local people, even if your Spanish leaves a little to be desired.
Try a taco from the taco cart set up in the plaza on Sunday nights, when the town comes out to socialize. The night we were there a band from Cuba was playing on the stage. Susan set the place on fire, dancing to the salsa with the clown.
Get back a few blocks and find a place like Adeline and Crisantema's, a local couple running a small restaurant where their friend Antonio played guitar and sang romantic Mexican love songs for us. And have a mango margarita for me, will ya? |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us