I wasn’t quite ready to return to the city just yet, but generally, I’ve done my best to sidestep the spring break crowds on the beach. Zihuatanejo, affectionately dubbed ‘Zihua,’ had been on my list beckoning to me for some time. After a little research, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it’s not a spring break magnet. It seemed like a perfect time to check it out.
Playa La Madera Neighborhood
I chose an AirBnB in the area near Playa La Madera, which looked like it would be close to both the center and the beach. As it turned out, it’s also a very quaint part of town, with colorful streets and some good restaurants, one of which my hosts owned.
Playa La Ropa
Playa La Ropa is a long, beautiful stretch of beach with a gentle swimmable swell along the entire stretch. I explored the beach for a while and then ended up at Paty’s Miramar for happy hour, some decent seafood tacos, and a lovely sunset. A couple of different people had recommended Paty’s to me, and I wasn’t disappointed.
There’s no trail along the water to get there from Playa Madera, but I walked there along Escénica La Ropa in about a half an hour. The road winds up and down but it wasn’t too bad. It’s also easy to grab a cheap taxi both ways.
Groceries
To stock up for the week I ended up at the Soriana Hiper. It was about a 30 minute walk along the canal path, and then I caught a taxi back to my place. The Soriana is a nice big supermarket, and there are a couple of specialty shops there as well, such as a Radio Shack and a GNC.
Coffee
There are a few good spots to grab a coffee in Zihua. My favorite for doing a little work was Cuattro Cycle Coffee & Tea. It is a bit of a walk through the center, but has a good amount of space, air conditioning, friendly service, and yummy pastries. Another nice option near Playa La Madera is Boxha Café. And while I couldn’t get any work done there, check out El Cafecito on Playa Principal for relaxing ambiance and a great view.
Workouts
Zihua has a nice deportivo (sports complex), and I was planning to go there for my workouts. The deportivo is indeed nice, but it was a little further away from my place than I had hoped. I opted instead for a couple of workouts at the skate park, which has some monkey bars (and some cool wall art).
