Zihuatanejo Trip Report 2006
A Spring (Feb 14 – 21) and Fall (Oct 25 – Nov 15) combination.
Well I didn’t write a trip report during 2005 even though I’d taken copious notes and a pile of pictures. Seeing how most of the trip was spent lounging on the beach and eating in our favorite familiar restaurants, I figured the 2005 report would be the same or similar as the previous ones submitted. There is no guarantee that this missive won’t be much of the same.
This past February, I managed to latch onto a cheap flight out of Vancouver (thanks to a tip on Zihua Rob’s message board by Larry from Duncan) and got away for a week during February. The non-stop return flight was C$123. + taxes so it was too hard to pass up. I attempted to make last minute reservations at the Catalina but they were unable to accommodate me for the entire week without having to move me from room to room during the stay because it was the busy season. I decided to stay in a downtown hotel and commute to the beach.
Finding a hotel wasn’t that difficult – finding a hotel that had a toilet with a seat was a bit more of a challenge. I stayed the first night at the America Hotel for 250 pesos and then the next 2 nights at the Posada Michel which had A/C for 280 pesos a night. The air conditioning was available from 9 PM ‘til 9 AM but the staff took pity on moi and switched it on (it was all controlled from the lobby desk) whenever they saw me go into my room during the day. Living in the downtown area did not seem to be much of a penalty and I particularly enjoyed getting up early in the morning and wandering down the deserted streets watching Zihuatanejo slowly come to life.
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Posada Michel |
Zihua in the AM |
I had breakfast with Celso (from the Catalina) my first morning and he mentioned that he was on his way with his taxi driver friend, Omar, to visit Valentin Beach near Petatlan. A new road to the beach had just opened and they invited me to join them. Getting to Petatlan by taxi was a new experience for me since all of our previous trips to that area were knuckle whiteners done in a local bus. The new road to the beach was in excellent condition and it was an interesting drive as it wound through small villages and a number of cocoanut plantations before terminating in an area close to Valentin Beach. One had to then take a small boat from the parking area, across a lagoon to the beach at a cost of 50 pesos (for the 3 of us). The beach itself is a long deserted one with only a single small restaurant and amenities are nothing to speak of. If one was planning on spending any time there, they would be well advised to take along a lot of the “necessities”.
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Omar, Celso and el Captain |
Deserted Valentin Beach |
The next day (and thanks to Celso) I lucked into complimentary accommodations in a beach hut at the end of La Ropa. The owner was away and needed someone to look after the place so I was invited to do so. It is a tough job minding a place right on La Ropa, mere yards away from the water, but I managed. It was a busy location close to where the bus loops on its return to Zihuatanejo and there was a lot of foot traffic to/from the beach during the day and for the earlier part of the evening. Nevertheless, it was close to Rossy’s plus there was a small tienda just up the street to purchase the cold cervezas and snacks.
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Bungalows Roberto! |
Stocking tienda for Roberto! |
I noticed quite a difference during the spring vs. our normal fall visit. I found the temperature to be marginally warmer in the spring but without the accompanying humidity which we experience during the fall. Also quite noticeable was the lack of “greenness”. During the fall, it is just at the end of the rainy season so the vegetation is quite lush, which was quite a contrast to the rather burnt out quality I experienced during the spring.
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Spring |
Fall |
The beach was much busier than the fall, plus there were a lot more sailboats at anchor in the Bay during the spring. Speaking of a busier beach, there were also more “sights to be seen” on the beach during the busy spring season too.
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Spring thong |
Old folks on fall 25th Anniversary strut |
The week went by quite quickly with a lot of time spent wandering the beaches and through the various streets of Zihuatanejo. The drier weather was quite conducive to walking and picture taking so a few days were spent walking through the back streets of Zihuatanejo taking a variety of pictures. Some of these (including Valentin Beach) can be accessed by clicking HERE:
This fall, Wynn and I were a bit late buying our airline tickets. We, like a lot of people, were waiting around for an Alaska Airlines seat sale which never really happened. By the time we made our reservations, seats were at a premium, especially the LAX – ZIH leg for the day we departed. One recurring problem for us is getting someone to drive us to/from the airport because our flight was scheduled for 7:10 AM and we live about 80 Kms (well over an hour) from the airport. In previous years, we took advantage of family and friends to get us to/from the airport which usually meant getting up at 3 AM and then waiting anxiously for our ride to arrive. Last year we showed up at the ticket counter just an hour before our scheduled flight time and were almost denied boarding because we also had to clear US Immigration and Customs which is usually a zoo at that time in the morning – we just made the flight too. This year Wynn spotted an ad in a local Vancouver paper which was a “stay and park” special. By staying one night at the Richmond Best Western Hotel, we were entitled to 3 weeks of complimentary parking. This turned out to be an ideal situation for us because we got up later, and then took the airport shuttle so we arrived at the check-in much earlier than normal with less stress and no tired friends. During check-in, we were informed that even though we had booked 2 seats apart from each other because the airplane was totally full on the LAX-ZIH segment, they could seat us together but it was in the absolute last row of the airplane. I jumped at that opportunity because I remembered that they usually open the rear door for unloading the airplane in Zihuatanejo.
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Sunrise |
La Barra de Potosi |
Sure enough, as soon as we came to a stop in Zihua, the rear door was opened. We bounded down the stairs, hustled across the tarmac, around some of the people huddled near the entrance getting instructions from an Immigration Official about making sure their forms were filled out correctly, passed a few people still filling out their forms in the line-up and were about 5th in line to clear Immigration. Once through, we were the first ones to retrieve our luggage, got the green light at Customs and we were off dodging the time share sharks and taxi hawkers clustered around the Custom’s exit (more about those time share types later under the “Weasels at Work” segment of this report) then through the airport entrance and out onto the road where we climbed into a combi and our Zihuatanejo holiday was officially started. The total time from getting off the airplane to the combi was under 19 minutes – certainly a “best ever” for us. We took the combi downtown and then lucked into the La Ropa bus which deposited us at the Catalina. Next, it was just a matter of being checked in by Xavier and Senora Eva, got caught up on the happenings since our last visit, then it was down to the room and the mandatory visit to the Sunset Bar. Only this time there was no sunset – rain instead! Nevertheless, it didn’t dampen our spirits and we hoisted “a few” Margaritas in the direction of Portland as promised to Curly (Rizado) & Suzie who won’t be down to Zihua until the new year. It was a bit of a chore to get down the stairs to the room after our visit to the Sunset Bar, but that seems to be a standard and expected for our first day in Zihuatanejo.
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The Combi |
Nada la luz del sol o puesta del sol |
Our first full day consisted mainly of getting downtown to the market and the Comercial Mexicana to purchase our supplies and changing a few traveler’s cheques for pesos. Banamex has a new thing going when it comes to cashing in traveler’s cheques. Everyone should be aware that it is necessary to have a passport when cashing traveler’s cheques and the signature on the passport has to match exactly the signature on the traveler’s cheques. However, the new wrinkle is that one also must produce a photocopy of their passport to the teller before the transaction starts. We managed to have the bank photocopy our passports the first time but on other occasions, we presented them with photocopies we had obtained elsewhere, which they accepted.
Once we got all of our supplies back to the room, we then settled into our usual routine of breakfast, beach, pool, room, Hora Feliz and then out to dinner. Some days, the beach time was substituted by trips downtown to pick up more supplies, visit the Internet, laundry, or souvenir shopping – but usually not when there was a cruise ship in port.
Catalina Beach Resort
This was our 9th year staying at the Catalina and once again we were not disappointed with our accommodations or the service we received from the staff. The Catalina continues to metamorphous as newer rooms (Linda Vista) are being added and older rooms upgraded. It is a long, slow, costly and laborious process but we have witnessed the improvements throughout the years. Rizado has written an excellent article on the Catalina and rather than duplicate a lot of his observations, I can only add that the Catalina is a special place for us to visit. We have already made reservations for the following year and if all goes according to plan, we are hoping to introduce Wynn’s two grandsons (11 & 8) to Zihuatanejo and the Catalina.
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Catalina Hibiscus |
A Catalina View |
One thing I never really tire from is the stairs. There are 183 stairs from our casita to the lobby (after the 69 from the beach) but if one takes their time and stops to take in the views, the climb is more rewarding and easier to accomplish. There are an incredible number of things to see when transiting the stairs and every day one is rewarded with new sights, sounds and outstanding vistas. For those who have difficulty with stairs, there are lower entrances where the cabs can drop you off to make access to the lower rooms a bit easier. We usually had the cabs drop us off at that location when we were returning with our bags of supplies. Another pleasant thing that we enjoy about the Catalina is meeting a number of people who continue to visit the Catalina during the same time we do. It is quite enjoyable to see the familiar faces year after year and to hear about their adventures since the last time we chatted. This year was no exception and a number of new folks we met added to our vacation pleasure.
Restaurants
One day when I was busy bobbing in the surf, one of the Catalina’s guests asked me if I could recommend some good restaurants to him seeing how we have spent so much time in Zihuatanejo. I prefaced my remarks by pointing out that it is always difficult to recommend restaurants especially when one doesn’t know of others likes, dislikes, price points etc. etc., however, I did have some suggestions for them to try. Before I could start suggesting places, he told me that he always judges a restaurant by the quality of their wine list. I pointed out to him that now I was in a real quandary because the only wine list I’d seen in the type of restaurants that we generally frequented consisted of “tinto y blanca” so if those guidelines were adequate for him, then I had some suggestions.
I guess we are creatures of habit because we ate at a lot of our familiar places such as;
Rossy’s (excellent filet of fish w/ garlic, chicken brochettes)
Elvira’s (bacon wrapped tuna steak, chilaquiles, pescado veracruzana)
Puerta del Sol (chicken brochettes)
Banana’s (breakfasts)
Los Braseros (superb shrimp tacos, chicken quesadillas)
El Mango (burra necia, tostados)
Pizza Locos (pizza)
Catalina Restaurant (tuna tacos, chicken enchiladas, chicken fajitas, breakfasts)
Capricho’s (Our regular hamburguesa y papas fix)
La Condesa, Barra de Potosi (breaded abalone, spicy guacamole)
Paty’s (breakfasts)
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Los Braseros Shrimp Tacos |
Rossy’s Chicken Brochettes |
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Catalina’s Tuna tacos |
Alaska Airlines Cheeseburger |
We also tried a new restaurant this year. La Casa Vieja on Calle Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez (DGZ), just off Calle Adelita in the La Madera area – (“G” on Jared’s La Madera map). The restaurant had an excellent atmosphere, nice menu choices, reasonable drink and food prices – 115 pesos for a tuna brochette (enough for 2 to share) and 115 pesos for a bacon wrapped tuna steak. Now for those ladies who may be still pining for/wondering where Raymondo who worked the beach area at the Catalina is – well, he told us he is now managing La Casa Vieja and he certainly looked after us well during our visit.
Weasels at Work
The prospect of having to face the turmoil and jumble which meets and greets the uninitiated newcomer to Zihuatanejo once they have cleared Customs is, in my opinion, quite formidable and a bit of a turn off. I can appreciate that people have to earn a living, but the conduct of some of the time share types I’ve witnessed leaves a lot of room for improvement. The blatant bellowing of “where are you going”, “where have you been” is designed to confuse a newcomer and some of the time share types even purport to represent the establishment where you are going. I even saw a time share weasel grab a taxi voucher out of a person’s hands and made them follow him over to the time share presentation table and attempted to mislead them into thinking that they were going to pick up the cost of the transportation. Maybe they were, if the hapless person signed up for the time share presentation. I was gratified to see the individual grab the ticket back and told the weasel to get lost -- not quite in those terms, but in the same manner which I tell them what they can do every time one of them approaches me.
Another thing which continues to annoy me is Elvira’s (on Playa La Ropa) attempt to mislead you into coughing up more for a tip by hiding the fact that they have already added a 10% tip to your bill and then obscuring it with a felt pen. They’ve been doing this trick for a couple of years now and it is annoying to find out after you’ve left a tip that it was already included. I don’t know why they do it because we generally leave a tip which is more than their concealed 10%. They never seem to do that during the dinner hour, but we’ve always been nailed at breakfast. I can’t comment on lunchtime because we generally eat elsewhere.
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Elvira’s Chilaquiles |
Elvira’s Cuenta |
Another annoyance
There was a lady who came down to the beach at 10 AM one morning and put two towels on the lounges under a palapa on one side of me along with some flip flops and a “T” shirt under another palapa on the other side of me. Then she announced she was off to finish her coffee. Some coffee! Both lounges sat vacant until 2:30 PM when I spotted a couple of fellows looking for a place to sit down. I invited them over and pointed out that no one had used the lounges since 10 AM. They took me up on my offer after I warned them someone might turn up later bitching about the fact “their” palapa was taken. It happened a lot sooner than I anticipated because another guy on the other side of the palapa claimed that he was saving that palapa for his family and they were out shopping. I pointed out to him that it hadn’t been used for 41/2 hours and told the other fellows just to stay put. A bit of a dust up ensued with me doing a fair amount of “beaking off” until Wynn told me to take a hike. So I did before I blew a head valve. Well the two fellows held their own and refused to move and when the other guy told them that they’d better tell their friend (me) that “he’d better not be giving away the furniture”, apparently Wynn joined into the fray and suggested the guy could “go pound sand or go pound salt”. Now them was fighting words from Grandy! There doesn’t seem to be any limit some people will go to in order to be inconsiderate of others though……
Other Non-Combative Adventures
Twice, during our 3 week stay, we joined a group of people and spent a pleasant day at La Barra De Potosi. It is our favorite get-away and the trip there is always an adventure. We pick up a bus going to Petatlan from the bus depot on Calle Las Palmas and ask to be let off at Los Achotes. The bus trip itself can be quite the white knuckle adventure too. On one trip, the driver decided to do a speed test and we were hitting 120 Km which made me wonder if we were on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Following the flat out speed test, we were shown the braking test (they worked) and luckily we got behind some slow moving traffic so we couldn’t try to go supersonic. I did notice the St. Christopher statue on the dashboard had its hands over its eyes. I would venture to say that a rough guide to judge the driver’s ability to handle the bus is by the size of the crucifix stuck to the windshield inside the bus. On another trip, a young fellow boarded the bus with what looked like a cardboard or bamboo tube with string wrapped around it and he scraped a plastic fork over it as he sung a multitude of songs. It was quite impressive, never recognized a song, but rewarded him generously for his effort, ingenuity and entertainment.
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Live bus entertainment |
Bus to Zihua, note size of crucifix |
The fare is 9 pesos and once off the bus, we walked over to a pasajera (truck with a stockade surrounding the back, bench seats and a tarp cover). This costs 10 pesos and usually the driver will wait until he has at least 10 people to make the trip worthwhile. Then it takes about 20/25 minutes to grind your way to the beach area depending on how many detours there are and what condition the road is in. In our case, there was a detour because a new water line was being installed and the detour took us through fields and peoples’ back and side yards. Once at La Barra, we chose to stay at La Condesa where one just picks a spot at a table under the huge palapa and can order food or drinks to their heart’s content. We particularly enjoy the water at La Barra. There is a gold fleck to the water and most times the waves are fairly moderate. There is an abundance of sea life and occasionally one can feel small fish run into you while you’re out in the water. During our second visit, Wynn and David were still in the water close to shore when a number of sea birds suddenly started diving all around them. Wynn was caught up in the midst of a school of flying fish. In the meantime, pelicans, cormorants, frigate birds, terns, etc. were diving all around her like demented lawn darts as she struggled to get out of the turmoil. It was like something out of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. Soon there were a bunch of workers who appeared with a net and ran down to the surf to cast the net. They hauled out 4-5 nice sized fish. The roiling boil continued down the beach and a boat with 3 people on board went roaring down to the area where the birds were dive bombing the water. Two guys jumped right out of the boat with nets, while it was still moving, as the boat approached where the birds were feeding. When things calmed down, the fellows had netted over 160 fish.
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Boarding the pasajera |
La Barra bird action |
I enjoyed the breaded abalone they served at La Condesa and Wynn the guacamole. The beer was cold and the prices quite reasonable. I think everyone who came to La Barra enjoyed themselves and it is always a trip we remember and look forward to.
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Workers/Fishermen with catch |
La Barra bikers |
The return trip to Zihua was just the reverse of getting there – the only difference was the fare for the bus from Los Achotes. We paid 9 pesos to get there but only 8 to return, however, one of our gang paid 11 pesos. Ah, Mexico!
Nightlife
At our age, it isn’t much ;~) but we did get down to the basketball court on Sunday nights a couple of times – the last one we met Rico from PDX who was staying for over a month to do some work for the library project in La Barra. He is quite the dedicated individual and I always enjoy meeting with him either in Zihua or Portland whenever we have the chance to visit. Our first visit to the basketball court was during the Dia de Las Muertos celebrations and the area was quite crowded with a number of displays and packed with people.
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Dia de Los Muertos display |
Dia de Los Muertos display |
Rick’s grand opening was held on Halloween night so we were in attendance that evening. Some of the patrons came dressed up in costumes plus there were quite a few children coming through the place looking for treats. We were kept busy handing out treats to the children while Rick was kept busy handing out special treats to us older folks. There is nothing like free beer and Rick’s own brand of tequila to put one in a party mood. The entertainment was, well, quite entertaining but I have to admit I did miss the performance of Rizado and Suzie from the previous years. Nevertheless, those there attempted to fill the void. At least there was more tequila to go around for everyone in Rizado’s absence.
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el Mummy |
Patron as Zihua’s Parrot Lady |
One evening, we decided to walk down to the Puerta del Sol for dinner. When we came through the door, we were greeted by one of the staff. She welcomed us and said “I was thinking about you folks last week. Welcome back.” We thanked her and as she walked over to pick up some menus Wynn opined that was a unique greeting. The lady returned and reinforced her greeting by pointing out that the table where we usually sat was available. As she ushered us to our seats she questioned whether we needed the menu or were we going to have the chicken brochettes (which we always order). To say that we were totally surprised is an understatement. Then to cap things off, after she had taken our drink order, she asked if I wanted the potato (the previous year I wasn’t eating them) and if we still liked the brochettes well done (they way we usually order them). Wow – what a memory! It wasn’t as though we had danced on the tables or set fire to the restaurant during previous visits to bring attention to ourselves either. I wish I had her talent during my days as a Sales Representative.
One of the reasons we enjoy the Puerta del Sol is their view. Unfortunately, there is a huge condo project being built next to and down from their location which will probably impair the view of the Bay from the Puerta del Sol. I believe the name of the complex is Villas Xiguacan. I asked Jorge, the owner, about it and he mentioned that he will probably just build his restaurant higher. I hope for his sake (and everyone’s too) that he is able to do so.
Roberto!’s Observos
This year’s weather was the strangest that we have encountered. Normally, the rains are over by the time we arrive but this year was an exception. There were quite a few nights when we watched lightening dancing across the horizon and on some occasions, it was followed by a heavy rainfall. Most of the rain was during the evening but a couple of times it rained off and on during the day. The rain made for extra humidity and there were days when the high humidity reminded me of eastern Ontario during the summer months -- only with no black flies or mosquitoes.
The water quality in the Bay varied from day to day. Earlier on there were numerous bits of plastic and junk floating around and it wasn’t unusual for me to come out of the water with both pockets of my swim suit stuffed with debris I pulled from the water. As the holiday progressed, so seemed the water quality. Some days we were subjected to huge breakers which seem to spring up suddenly and a few people got tossed about. There were other days when the water was crystal clear and one had no difficulty seeing their feet on the sandy bottom.
One day, we witnessed the end of a boat race which consisted of a bunch of boats circling around some buoys placed in the Bay. Unlike 2002, this event was fairly short lived so we weren’t subjected to the loud noises for very long.
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Boat race |
Beach vendor |
There also appeared to be an overabundance of cruise ships visiting Zihua this year. We saw 2 leaving as we flew into Zihua and another 9 visited by the time our three weeks were up. We rarely went downtown if a cruise ship was in town because the prices in most of the stores went up. Sometimes avoiding downtown was tough to do because once there was a stretch of 3 days in a row when the cruise ships were in port.
There was a fair amount of construction going on at the Sotavento. The noise was barely audible from the Catalina palapa area but was more noticeable when in the water. Beach rumor has it that the Sotavento has been sold to a Canadian company and the plans are to turn the rooms into condos. One day, I stuck my nose into the Sotavento and watched as workers were starting to dismantle the beach restaurant (close to the pool). While I was standing there, a foreman came over and thinking I was a guest, went into great detail about the improvements undertaken and how they were going to be building a path for golf carts so the guests will be able to access the beach area without having to use all the stairs. I inquired as to how many condos they planned to build but he was unable to come up with a definite figure and suggested I inquire upstairs. He did indicate that I would definitely notice the improvements they were working on by next year and more so the other changes in 2008.
It looks like the Villas Mexicana will have new big pool opening soon. There was quite a bit of construction going on and completion shouldn’t be too much longer. I’m sure it will be a welcome addition for those who stay at the VM but one individual said it was right in front of their favorite room, so noise was going to be one of their concerns.
Prices have increased moderately – the fare for a taxi is now 30 pesos vs. 25 from last year, the la Ropa bus is up 50 centavos and we noted some of the establishments have increased the prices on their menus, but nothing outrageous. Internet access continues to be a bargain – the place we used was charging 10 pesos an hour - and it was air conditioned. Some restaurants were closed (or only open on certain days) during our visit but that was mainly due to the time of the year. Speaking of taxi increases, the fare from Zihuatanejo to the airport has increased to 150 pesos (from 130p) and if you want the air conditioning turned on, then be prepared to fork out 200 pesos. The extra 50 pesos A/C charge is somewhat questionable since the price of gas has only risen by about 40 centavos since last year, nevertheless, we sprung for the extra comfort.
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New VM pool |
Sotavento construction |
I have to mention a special “Atta Boy” or “Good Try” award should be given to one of the Catalina’s guests Dick (from Tucson). We’ve had the pleasure of meeting Dick and his wife Catherine a couple of years previously and were happy to see them again this past visit. Dick told me about his adventures shopping at the Comercial Mexicana. He had completed his shopping and had a grocery cart full of supplies when he was approached by one of the young kids who offer to push your buggy to the taxi area and help you load them into the cab. Dick was waiting for other friends so he asked the young fellow to wait for his” amigos” to join them. The young fellow waited patiently for the others to arrive then pushed the grocery cart outside, arranged a taxi for them, unloaded the groceries and stored them in the trunk. Dick paid the young fellow for his efforts and off they drove to the Catalina.
Once back to their room, they started to unpack their groceries and were startled to find a small plastic bag containing a bunch of coins in small denominations. They realized this belonged to the young fellow who assisted them at the Comercial Mexicana and was probably what he had earned that day. Upon hearing the story, we put some extra pesos in the bag because Dick was determined to go back to the Comercial Mexicana to find the young fellow and return his money. Dick made 3 special trips back to the CM at different times during his attempts but was unable to find the fellow. He also contacted the manager and tried to explain the situation to see if they could identify the boy, but to no avail. Time ran out but Dick is still determined to find the young fellow next year and return his money. We wish you the best of luck.
Homeward Bound
I wasn’t looking forward to the flight home, especially with the hassle we were expecting to go through in LAX. The previous year, the security area in Terminal 3 looked like an insane asylum with all manner of people running about with no socks, shoes or belts to hold up their pants, guys with no shirts on and security personnel with the command of 2 words of English “Go Back” every time the metal detector squealed. I’ve got a bit of a short fuse whenever I get entangled in those types of fiascos and last year was no exception. I had a pretty good exchange with one of the security types and didn’t spare any of my opinions, so this year I was lectured by “La Patrona” to “button the lip, or else”. Well, was I pleasantly surprised! We cleared Immigration quickly, our bags appeared without delay and even moi, has to give someone credit for the smoothness in which we went through security. Finally, it appears that someone has managed to straighten things out and improve the transition to/through Terminal 3. We arrived at our gate on time but then were informed our flight to Vancouver was 40 minutes late because of weather delays. Oh well……
Once again we had a pleasant time during our holidays in spite of some of the “iffy” weather. Our thanks to the staff at the Catalina who made our stay enjoyable and to all the folks we had the opportunity to meet, chat with and exchange information about Zihuatanejo during our holiday. A special “thanks” to Rizado for all the effort he has put into getting this report together. Gracias amigo – we really missed you and Suzie this year.
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Jose-Luis’ puppets & things |
Zihuatanejo Sunset |
Until next year, adios amigos
Respecto,
Roberto! y Wynn.