Las Gatas Beach. Cristal clear water special to snorkel. Several fresh seafood palapas - restaurants and Owen's bungalows are located here. There is a dive shop where you can rent snorkel gear, or where you can arrange a diving trip.
La Ropa Beach, is one of the largest beaches in Zihuatanejo, and one of the most friendly ones. Hotel Villa del Sol, Hotel Sotavento - Catalina Beach Resort and Hotel Paraiso Real are located here. There are many local famous restaurants like Rossy Hotel and Restaurant at the end of this beach. You can arrange diving trips at this beach in the Hotel Paraiso Real with one of the national most known ecologist and divers: Juan Barnard. He also runs the Paraiso Real Hotel. Tell you heard here about him (from Roberto Guerrero - the webmaster), and ask for a discount instead him to pay me a comission.
Friendly Playa La Madera Beach at Zihuatanejo. 10 minutes walking from downtown. Several small hotels on site. This photo was taken from "Bolero Restaurant" at Brisas del Mar Hotel.
Another beutiful sunset from La Madera Beach Hill
Main Beach at Zihuatanejo downtown, near the pier. Lots of typical seafood restaurants in front of this beach, and some gourmet restaurants, too. In this beach you will find the basketball court, the fishermen area where they sell the catch of the day, and the main pier where you can ,rent a fishing trip.
Ixtapa Main Beach: El Palmar. in this area, you can find first class hotels and resorts such as Barcelo Hotel, Continental Hotel, Riviera Beach Resort, Posada Real Hotel Best Western, Radisson Ixtapa Beach Resort, Dorado Pacifico Hotel, etc. This beach is a little rough. Is not reccommended to swim if you are not an expert. Please pay attention to the flags anouncing the sea conditions.
A beautiful place to spend a day, and maybe come back for another good time within the same vacations! There are several beaches here. One of the most popular is Playa Coral where you can practice the snorkel. The beaches here are friendly. From Zihuatanejo, will take you about 30 minutes to get here by bus (look for the sign - route: Playa Linda. As soon as you get off it, look for the Crocodiles lagoon!). From Ixtapa, is arbout 15 minutes by bus, too. At the end of the route of the bus either coming from Zihuatanejo or Ixtapa, there is a pier where you can take a water taxi (aroun 35 pesos per person round trip). The last trip to come back to land, is at 5 p.m. Do not miss it. You do not want to slepp at the island with the mosquitoes !
Playa Linda, a large beach some kind of rough, but you still can swimm, at least at the south part of it. At this beach, the surf is practiced by lots of local and international surfers. In some parts of the year, there are Surf contest with local and international participants.
Playa Troncones is about 35 minutes from mZihuatanejo. This is a large beach with few houses and no big buildings. Lots of restaurants managed by locals and some of them by foreigners. Some mountain - jungle and rappel tours are arrenged at this area. This is a kind of sole beach in some parts, so, if you are looking for relaxation, the sea, the sand and the birds, will welcome you.
Barra de Potosi is a rustic place, inhabited by fishermen, same that have some palapas - restaurants where they offer fresh sea food. There is a lagoon and the sea. This is a very large beach, that, at the north side, you will find Playa Larga. Open sea. Be careful when swimming. Some small nice lodgings here. The most of them runned by foreigners. To get here, takes like 1 hour from Zihuatanejo. Look downtown for the bus station behind the seafood - fruit market. The route is toward "Petatlan" (my birth city!), get off at "Los Achotes" (like 15 minutes from Zihuatanejo) and take a colective truck (another 20-25 minutes: 12-15 of paved road and the rest of enjoyable rustic, dusty road ). Total dues per person: about 15-20 pesos one way. If you preffer, you can arrange the round trip with a taxi driver. At first, they will try to charge you like 60 up to 80 bucks, but, if you bargain, usually you get a better price.
Las Gatas Beach. Cristal clear water special to snorkel. Several fresh seafood palapas - restaurants and Owen's bungalows are located here. There is a dive shop where you can rent snorkel gear, or where you can arrange a diving trip.
LAS GATAS BEACH
Settled in a small
cove, at the south end of the Zihuatanejo bay, is maybe the most distinctive
beach in Zihuatanejo. It's name comes from the lots of tiburones gatos (cat
shark), inoffensive that used to inhabitedte the
crystal clear water of this beach.
How to get there.
There is to ways to get to Las Gats Beach: by water taxi or walking by the
path at the end of La Ropa beach.
If you want the fast and easiest way, you can go to the main pier near the
downtown area, at the end of the Paseo del Pescador, and buy a round trip
ticket that will cost you 30 pesos (around 3-4 dollars). Water taxies are
collective, and they begin around 9 a.m. to take the people from the main
pier to the pier at Playa Las Gatas. Keep the ticket because you can be asked
for it in the way back to town. The last panga to come back is officially at
5 p.m. from Las Gatas.
If you like walking, is not a bad idea to take a bus or a taxi all the way
down to La Ropa Beach, then, walk the road toward the south side. Is a kind
of rough way, but, if you have time and you are a bit adventurer, you can do
this nice walking, that is more used by locals than for tourists.
Once there, you will be offered from the waiters and owners of the
restaurants to take a beer or a margarita in their palapas. Prices there are
a bit more than in the rest of Zihuatanejo beaches, due to the cost of
transportation the people have to pay to take all beverages and vegetables
there.
At the end of Las Gatas, you will find Carlo's shop, where you can rent
snorkel gear. They also offer diving facilities.
PLAYA
LARGA,
is a beautiful, sparsely
crowded beach, located between Zihuatanejo and the airport, with several
small palapa restaurants, hammocks, and wading pools for children.
In Ixtapa--Ixtapa's main beach, Playa
Palmar, is a lovely white-sand arc on the edge of the Hotel Zone, with
dramatic rock formations silhouetted in the sea. The surf here can be rough;
use caution and don't swim when a red flag is posted. Several of the nicest
beaches in the area are essentially closed to the public, as resort
developments rope them off exclusively for their guests. Although by law all
Mexican beaches are open to the public, it is a common practice for hotels to
create artificial barriers (such as rocks or dunes) to preclude entrance to
their beaches.
LA ROPA BEACH:
Is told that, when a ship runned aground in that beach, it's
cargo of fine silks was pushed to the sand beach, spreading it all over. This
large beach is located on the center of the Zihuatanejo bay, where people go
to enjoy it's clear and calm water, and the water sports that can be arranged
there: parachute rides, water ski, wind-runed
surf and water moto rides.
MUNICIPAL BEACH:
This beach, approximately
900 meters of length, is located in front of downtown center, is very well
visited by the people who likes to walk around, see the fishermen coming back
from fishing, or just to enjoy the sea near the village. In this beach on
"Paseo del Pescador", you will find several restaurants dedicated to serve
fresh seafood on the walk side and on the sand , where they also have palapas
and lounge chairs.
It is very common to see local people at this area, where there is a
basketball court, to watch friendly basketball competitions.
The "Mercado de Conchas" (shells market) is settled here, and the "Teniente
Jose Azueta" and "Benito Juarez" Cooperative Offices, that offer facilities
to deep sea fishing, diving tours and special trips.
ISLA ENCANTADA:
Isla encantada, is a
very interesting warm and small beach in a very little cove at the northern
end of Zihuatanejo Bay.
There is a restaurant-Bar managed by the owner,
Ing. Miguel Farias, who will offer you a free ride from your hotel to this
very interesting project, where you can snorkel in it's
real crystal clear waters. In fact this place is still unknown even for
lots of local people, being a great alternative to dive, rest, or have your
preferable fresh seafood.
Is more than worth to visit it.
PLAYA QUIETA,
on the mainland
across from Isla Ixtapa, has been largely claimed by Club Med and Qualton
Club. The remaining piece of beach was once the launching point for boats to
the Isla Ixtapa, but it is gradually being taken over by a private
development. Isla Ixtapa-bound boats now leave from the jetty on Playa
Linda, about eight miles north of Ixtapa. Inexpensive water taxis here
ferry passengers to Isla Ixtapa. Playa Linda is the primary out-of-town beach,
with water-sports equipment and horse rentals available. Playa las Cuatas,
a pretty beach and cove a few miles north of Ixtapa, and Playa Majahua,
an isolated beach just west of Zihuatanejo, are both being transformed into
resort complexes. Lovely Playa Vista Hermosa is framed by striking rock formations and bordered
by the Westin Brisas Hotel high on the hill. All of these are very attractive
beaches for sunbathing or a stroll, but have heavy surf and strong undertow.
Use caution if swimming here.
