3/11/09 – 3/14/09

Known to the locals as Zihua, this former small fishing town has grown into a tourist spot, but still retains charm and appeal.  Although Zihuatanejo is nothing like the pre-fab resort Ixtapa next door, the downtown area centered around the basketball court (instead of the Zocolo) and the pier(muelle) offers many possibilities of entertainment, shopping and dining.

Having driven all day from the Butterflies, we went straight to Playa La Ropa, which is south of downtown and separated from Playas Principal and Madera by a high rock cliff.  Playa La Ropa is home to the only campgrounds in Zihua, most of which were full or nearly so upon our arrival.  We happened into the parking lot of the Catalina Beach Resort where the owner, Eva, greeted us and promised us a special price.  While we thought the price was still pretty steep at $75 USD, the property was gorgeous and the rooms were spacious and inviting, with big balconies overlooking the ocean. 

The Catalina Beach Resort (formerly the Hotel Catalina) was built in 1952 and is supposedly the first hotel built in Zihuatanejo.  Carl Breuer and other investors bought the hotel in 1956, but by 1973, Carl and his new wife Eva had sole ownership of the property.  Together they improved and expanded the property to include an infinity pool, restaurant, bars and other amenities, while maintaining the grounds and tropical hideaway atmosphere.  In its heyday, the Catalina has been a respite for many famous guests such as King Umberto of Italy, Mick Jagger, John Wayne, Liz Taylor and Peggy Guggenheim.  Since the passing of Carl in 2002, Eva is the sole owner and operator of the Catalina and intends to keep improving the property.

The Catalina is located on a cliff with many stairsteps linking the office, parking, restaurant, pool, rooms, and beachfront.  The rooms are built into the hillside in groups of four spread throughout the property. We settled into Casita #18, which was closest to the beach, but without A/C.  The balcony was private and secluded with trees surrounding it and peekaboo ocean-viewing, but lacks the open sweeping views of the rooms situated higher on the cliff.  One of the beds in the room was good and firm, but the other was lumpy with springs you could feel on your back.  The hammocks and patio furniture were comfortable and the room was shabbily but functionally furnished with a dresser, desk, TV with no remote (not even from the front desk), closet, nightstand and a wicker luggage bench.  The bathroom was big, but rundown and a bit dirty.  However the showers were hot – right away too, which is a rarity in Mexico.  I was disappointed to see ants of at least three different sizes in various parts of the room, the smallest of which invaded my purse and backpack hanging in the closet.

The palapas and beachchairs are very comfortable and perfectly located on a wide stretch of beach.  The palapa area is set back from the beach and is surrounded by palms which makes it a great spot to people-watch yet private enough to really relax.  Vendors are available but aren’t pushy – for more vendor action walk toward the public beach access, which is further south along the flat area of the cove. 

The staff and service was very hit or miss.  We got good service at the sunset bar on the first night and excellent service from the beach bar on the first day.  Our waiter on the beach gave us some history of the hotel along with the news that now that Carl was gone, the place was a lot more relaxed and easier to work for.  His examples were that the employees could stand around and talk, plus they didn’t have to keep the beach as clean as before.  While this might be a plus for employees, the lack of attention to detail and service can only be considered a minus for the customers.  Also, the beach bar at the Catalina shuts down before sunset, which we found strange and irritating since we were all set up on the beach.  (However, we have found this to be a somewhat common practice in Mexico.)  I suppose the Catalina wants to funnel people upstairs to their sunset bar, which had a 6-8pm happy hour sign posted.  We watched the sunset from the pool, changed and headed up to the happy hour a little after 7, to be greeted by a surly waiter who refused to bring us any peanuts because it was “after that time”.  Odd, because they had served me peanuts the night before around 9pm.  I know it’s just peanuts….but still!

There are many other restaurants in the Playa La Ropa area, including Elvira’s which is right next door to the Catalina and open much later in the evenings – including sunset.  The beach is also packed with vendors selling everything from nuts to fishing trips.  Boogie boards, jetskis, parasailing, snorkeling and other typical resort sports are available.  There are various massage spots and even yoga classes at Paty’s Miramar, complete with a gorgeous upstairs open room, mats, blocks and hot washcloths at the end of class.  A hefty price of 120 pesos though, which is way more than double any price we’ve seen for yoga in Mexico so far.

From Playa La Ropa, you can walk (over the hill!) into the main part of Zihuatanejo or take a cab for about 30 pesos.  We splurged at one of the restaurants on the pier and enjoyed some fresh greens, seafood and a national white wine (X-A Blanc de Blancs) we had tried in Teotihuacan a few nights before.  Of course the wine was 60 pesos more, but it was still delicious, as was the food.  Our waiter informed us that there were very few tourists in town this year and the restaurant used to serve 150 dinners a night but now only did 30 or 40.  While we have certainly heard there are less tourists this year, it was very evident that Zihuatanejo is used to a lot more people and money.  Many of the shops and restaurants along the pier were closed for the evening – I had hoped to try the famous fish tacos at La Sirena Gorda, but unfortunately she too was not open.

Wanting to try out a different perspective in Zihuatanejo, we arranged for “camping” at Estacionmento Marisqueria Mary which is pretty much a parking lot with bathrooms and showers in the back of a house. The family also runs a store and a restaurant from the frontside of the property on the artisan walkway between the beach and the road.  After a bit of haggling, we set on a price with the owner for 110 pesos per night for four nights.   However, when we arrived the next day the parking lot was filled with cars, banquet tables and balloon arches – presumably for a wedding.  Not exactly the camping experience we were looking for, not to mention we wouldn’t be able to fit until the party was over, which would probably be the next day.  Unfortunately it was now somewhat late in the day and we were now without a plan. 

We traveled further south to Playa Larga near the Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo airport.  This beach was fairly deserted, especially for a Saturday.  It was beautiful and wild, with huge crashing waves and white sand as far as the eye could see.  We stopped in for a drink at one of the palapa restaurants, most of which have small swimming pools.  There are a few accommodations on Playa Larga, but they also were mostly full, save for a room off the bar of a restaurant.  Although it was getting late, we decided to press on and hope for something along the coast…..