Zihuatanejo, Mexico

~by Dena Burroughs

A WEEKEND IN ZIHUATANEJO, MX - July 10-13, 2008

Zihuatanejo is a coastal town, fronting the Pacific Ocean on “La Costa Grande” of the State of Guerrero, Mexico, about 144 miles north of Acapulco.

Most people in the U.S. think of Zihuatanejo as the place where Morgan Freeman (as Red) met up with Tim Robbins (as Andy) at the end of the Shawshank Redemption. It fact, this movie may have done wonders for the tourist influx into the town.

While Zihuatanejo is simply home to many, its shores are built up for visitors. From hotels in town that start at $50/night to luxury suites in La Ropa that will cost $700/night, Zihuatanejo is a tourist servicing machine. The locals are trained to welcome and cater to the visitors and most hotel staff, cabbies, and waiters are bilingual. The hotel staff doubles as information agents and the taxi drivers as tour guides.

A cabby will thank you for visiting his town and will explain how lucky the men of Zihuatanejo really are. “Zihuatanejo means ‘Place of Women’” he’ll say. “And we’re lucky not only because we have so many of our own, but we also get all of you visiting!”

Another one will tell you about the history of Zihuatanejo, whether or not it’ll match anything else you may read online [http://www.zihuatanejo-beachfront-villa.com/history.html] He will tell you, for example, about the King of Spain who came to Mexico and whose vessel shipwrecked just before he reached the bay, and how the wood of the wreck ended up in the beach now called “Playa La Madera” (The Wood Beach), and how his royal clothes were found in the bay today known as “Playa La Ropa” (The Clothes Beach), and how the King named “Playa Las Gatas” (The Cats Beach), on account of .. you guessed it… all the cats he found there.

Whether any of the impromptu historians have their facts straight or not I won’t be the judge of, but I can testify that they are all endearing, and that a few of them will get your heartfelt hug and good byes when it’s your time to come home.

As far as Salsa dancing, “Bandidos” is the place to go to in Zihuatanejo. That’s where most party people will gather, and if you’re lucky, where the few Colombian and Angelino Salseros visiting will meet you and dance with you. And never, ever, underestimate your waiters! I’m not sure how it works exactly, but certainly they have something worked out with the management. Every so often you’ll see a waiter ask a patron to dance, and lo’ and behold’, they are pretty good at it!

Hotel Barcelo, in Ixtapa, about eight miles north of Zihuatanejo, has tropical music every week of the night, as well. Ixtapa is a bigger town, more built up, very much geared towards the visitor, not as colorful as Zihuatanejo, but a good option for anyone who appreciates a more conservative adventure.

No Salsa band in the area comes even close to the quality of musicians we enjoy in Los Angeles. Both groups we saw played over a sequence. However, the choices played by the DJs are great…. Grupo Niche, Guayacan, Polo Montanez … and …. am I about to make L.A. proud!... you got it... Orquesta Tabaco y Ron!

Following are my pictures. I have my friend Shelly to thank for this fabulous weekend. What a way to have a "girls only" time!

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