Zest For Life in Zihuatanejo

Living la vida loca was my dream getaway come true as we reached Zihuatanejo Bay, the magical oyster-shaped natural harbor on the Pacific coast of the Mexican Riviera in the State of Guerrero.

The whirlpool of hectic and exciting activities related to our family’s birthdays and wedding anniversary celebrations, school programs, and four weeks of babysitting our two adorable (but very inquisitive and energetic) grandkids, left us craving a great escape. The coast is clear: our paradise was found in Zihuatanejo, an enchanting vacation destination in Mexico.

In ten days of tranquility we traded our Palm Pilot for the palm trees as we watched our life’s tensions wash away with playful tides reaching the golden sand beach. No wonder one of the top luxury hotels located just a few steps away from the ocean is named ‘‘The Tides.’’

We were fortunate to find extraordinary accommodations at Playa La Ropa’s front-beach Club Intrawest with its stunning architecture of cascading tiers of rooms and suites, beautiful swimming pools with well-stocked bars, a spa, gourmet and casual restaurants, verandas with hot tubs and balconies overlooking the gorgeous Zihuatanejo Bay.

The hotel’s friendly and overzealous activities desk personnel was eager to perfectly orchestrate numerous tours and outings of water sport activities such as swimming with the dolphins, fishing, scuba diving, sailing, as well as horseback riding, exceptional bird- (and crocodile, turtle, and iguana) watching, visits to a butterfly observatory, golf, and for the pièce de résistance – the lively Mexican Fiesta on one of Club Intrawest’s terraces under the moon.

But we were on vacation, remember? The rules for our personal solar energy were to rest, relax, rejuvenate, refresh and reenergize where the only fitness exercise allowed was the squeezing of the sunscreen tube.

While lounging on the hotel’s private beach, we met Diane and Mark from Detroit who became our companions for a few fulfilling outings to downtown Zihuatanejo’s culinary establishments. Mark, who is an avid deep-sea fisherman, returned successfully from his expedition into the sea with a splendid 60 pound dorado, the star of the local fish family. With this treasured cargo, we zipped to downtown’s Bandido’s Restaurant and Bar where the chef offered to grill our freshly delivered catch-of-the-day, served with stuffed mushrooms with mozzarella cheese and Bandido’s secret sauce and salsa and guacamole prepared at the table. Uncorking Mexico’s vibrant wine produced by the country’s award-winning boutique wineries exclusively for the restaurants added a local gourmet flair to our dining experience. Dancing Salsa, Trova and Bolero to the restaurant’s live music band, we all agreed Diane was definitely the dancing star of the night.

While Mark and his friends were fishing, Diane and I decided to try our hand at cooking Mexican delicacies at Monica’s Cooking School located in her restaurant’s private patio. Joining Monica and seven students in our cooking class on a brisk 20-minute morning walk to the downtown’s market, we cozied up with fresh vegetables, fruits, and baked breads by Armedas, a local bakery, while selecting all the necessary ingredients for the preparation and the tasting of our food du jour creations. In addition to running the cooking school, Monica serves wonderful breakfast and lunch with organic coffee from her plantation in the mountains above the city. Managed by Monica’s husband, the restaurant is also open for dinner. To the sounds of Spanish guitar played with melodic interpretation by a local musician, our introduction to the authentic local gastronomy and culture was a delightful find.

The name Zihuatanejo comes from the Nahuatl word «Zihuatlan» which means «Land of Women.» No wonder many of the artists saluted women by creating many outdoor sculptures spread around the maze of small streets in downtown Zihuatanejo. My favorite sculpture of a beautiful woman sitting high on the rocky boulder is located on the scenic winding promenade along the Playa La Madera beach. It somehow reminded me of the famous Little Mermaid statue in the harbor of Copenhagen in Denmark.

There is a glow of pride for many local and international artists whose artwork is showcased in many galleries as well as in the traditional handcraft markets, Mercado de Artesanias and the Mercado Central. Facing the town’s beach is the renowned Archeological Museum of La Costa Grande. It illustrates human evolution from pre-historic to pre-Hispanic eras, according to the findings from fifty-four archeological sites discovered nearby and elsewhere along the Costa Grande, named after the expanse of Guerrero coastline which encompasses Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa, and Acapulco. The museum surrounds a central patio and houses six exhibit rooms with a remarkable array of artifacts, stone carvings, jewelry, figurines of ceramic, clay and seashells, as well as murals and maps which attest to Olmec, Teotihuacan, Tarascan and Mexica (Aztec) presence and influences in this coastal region.

The outdoor splendor of morning and early evening walks or jogs along the broad, mile-long, soft sand of Playa La Ropa Beach, considered one of the most beautiful on the Costa Grande, presented an opportunity to stay in shape and enjoy some of the wonderful beachfront restaurants: Patty’s Marimar Restaurant, serving the best shrimp omelet with home made fresh mango spread on toast with Zihutlan Mexican organic coffee for breakfast; fresh grilled red snapper for lunch or dinner at La Perla Restaurant; and fresh lobster dinner for two at Rossy’s Seafood restaurant’s second floor terrace in order to admire the sunset and moonrise, sometimes occurring simultaneously. With countless cheers of Corona, the crown of local beer, there was no need to worry about driving back to the hotel since the gorgeous Playa La Ropa was our highway to heaven.

Returning to the hotel’s beach for an afternoon swim in the tropical, warm temperature of the ocean with a calm surf and sandy bottom, I relax with my Kindle, my newly-acquired friend, whom I abandon shortly after as I blissfully fall asleep to the sounds of the gentle dialogue among small birds sitting on the magnificent environmentally-protected trees, and the sounds of playful waves of the sea. This is paradise.

Venturing on a ten-minute trip by boat (pangas) to visit Playa Las Gatas, a small picturesque cove on the south side of the bay, talked about as the dream ‘‘getaway’’ in the movie ‘‘The Shawshank Redemption’’, we uncovered and stumbled upon the surprising sight of a submerged bronze sculpture: twelve feet tall and weighing one ton, of Christ King, named ‘‘King of Kings’’ and created by sculptor Marco Antonio Rivero, a native of the State of Guerrero. With the townspeople’s support, a great number of keys were collected, which created the raw material of this masterful handwork of the bronze figure. The sculpture can be explored by snorkeling in the area where the statue is submerged.

Zihuatanejo may offer an old-fashioned small-town atmosphere, but it definitely knows a thing or two about life on the big stage of romance and joie de vivre. The jewel of luxury and a honeymooner’s dream, as well as mine, is La Casa Canta Hotel, also located on Playa La Ropa. The hotel has an extraordinary architectural showcase of twenty-five suites, some with private swimming pools, the Claris Spa, as well as the infinity-edge pool – made famous by the romantic drama ‘‘When a Man Loves a Woman’’, starring Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia. Our sunset dinner on the hotel’s Outside Terrace restaurant overlooking Zihuatanejo Bay made our culinary journey worth a splurge. According to Luisa Sánchez, the hotel’s Sales Manager, ‘‘La Casa Que Canta’’ means The House That Sings in Spanish. We decided to complement the sounds of the natural environment of the ocean’s waves and the singing of the birds by naming all of the hotel’s suites with the titles of popular Mexican songs: ‘‘Besame Mucho’’, ‘‘Sabor a Mi’’, ‘‘Mexico Lindo’’, ‘‘Peregrina’’.

My friend Fernando asked me, ‘‘Why write about it? If you liked it so much, keep it a secret’’. But I am ready to share my memories of Zihuatanejo with my friends. After all, what are friends for?

After a ten-day sampling of the many pleasures of Mexico’s Pacific Coast, it is not adios Zihuatanejo, but gracias, amor and hasta luego.

Photos by Lina Broydo.

Lina Broydo immigrated from Russia, then the Soviet Union, to Israel where she was educated and got married. After working at the University in Birmingham, England she and her husband immigrated to the United States. She lives in Los Altos Hills, CA and writes about travel, art, style, entertainment, and sports. She hardly cooks or bakes, not the best of ‘‘balabostas’’ her beloved beautiful Mom, Dina, was hoping for. Therefore, she makes reservations and enjoys dining out.

By Lina Broydo