Taking a week to check out Ixtapa and Zihuanejo.
The bus ride down takes ten hours and only goes through the night. After all the rocking and rolling in our sleep, we figure the reason for the night trips is that they do not want the passengers to see the narrow twisty highway on cliff tops!!
No worries, we are here in a wonderful resort on the mountain separating Ixtapa from Zihua. The view from our cliff side room is incredible, a four mile sandy beach with many morning walkers and lots of ocean swimmers.
The welcome evening was the lighting of the Christmas trees by a third generation member of this Pacifica Club resort, a private resort idea with options for all inclusive. We are not all inclusive travelers, prefer eating in local restaurants and having our breakfasts on our own balcony. The choice is there to have a sunset dinner in El Faro, on the very peak of the mountain, here on the property as well as the three other restaurants. Toget from the pool area to our section of the resort, we take a cable car up the mountain and this cable car continues on to the restaurants on top.
We often choose the walking route and have counted 75 steps on our building alone but the climb is well worth the private view of the whole surrounding area.
Families are arriving daily from Mexico City and Guadalajara, so neat to see three and four generations enjoying their time together. I love Great Grandma in the pool with all the ninos!!
Yesterday we did the walkabout of Ixtapa, the tourist town of the area with the high rise resorts and restaurant plazas. This area was built in the 1970s to accomodate all the visitors coming to Zihua since the road had been built from Acapulco in the 1960s. It is 5 miles from Zihua, the pearl town of this end of the coast and buses, collectivos and cabs make an easy trip to the "real" Mexico pueblo.
Apparently Zihua was popular long before Columbus and a royal bathing house resort had been built on Las Gatas Beach around 1400 AD.
We loved the malecon and walk to the piers and lovely beaches, Playa Principal, Playa La Ropa and Playa Los Gatos.
The Mercado was a real experience, both the artisan Mercado as well as the Mercado Commerical.
PicKed up our vegies and fruit... 4 tomatoes, 3 carrots and 3 avacados for 80 pesos, works put to 64 cents! And our friends wonder why we do not make guacamole in PA!
Pottery is now being excavated that dates back 5000 years ago. We check out that site on Thursday.
Organized bike trips to Ixtapa Marina and Playa Linda prove to be easy going and scenic. This certainly is an area of beaches and sunshine.
Dave and I went on our own the second time out to Playa Linda, a 10 km ride on beautiful paved ciclopista, bike route. will do a seperate post with those photos.
We booked a tour to Playa Potosi instead of following the advice of friends who wanted us to the back of the truck ride! Details in next post.
the four mile beach for morning walks
poinsettas everywhere
the two pools at one beach area. Most units on the mountainside have their own private pool!
Painting the unit next door.
Dave is NOT to try this trick!
from our balcony
The tram takes us down to the beach and up to the mountain top restaurant.
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