Zihuatanejo: The Mexico Andy Dufresne Dreamed Of

The Tender Landing

Your ship drops anchor in the outer bay while tenders ferry passengers to the municipal pier in the heart of downtown Zihuatanejo. This intimate arrival – bobbing across open water in a small boat, stepping onto a working pier where fishing boats outnumber tour vessels – sets the tone for everything that follows. You're not arriving at infrastructure built for cruise ships. You're arriving at a town that existed long before tourists and will exist long after, a town that happens to welcome visitors without reorganizing itself around them.

The tender pier deposits you at Paseo del Pescador, the waterfront walkway that curves around the bay. Within thirty seconds of stepping ashore, you can see the entire downtown grid – perhaps ten blocks by six blocks of low-rise buildings, restaurants with open fronts, shops selling hammocks and huarache sandals. No terminal building, no duty-free gauntlet, no manufactured welcome. Just Mexico, immediate and real.

Getting Around: A Walkable Paradise

Zihuatanejo's compact downtown unfolds from the waterfront in a simple grid pattern that takes perhaps twenty minutes to cross on foot. Most cruise passengers never venture beyond walking distance of the tender pier, which means most cruise passengers access everything worth seeing without wheels. The town was built for feet, not cars, and the distances prove it – five minutes from the pier to the market, eight minutes to the church, twelve minutes to the south end of town where water taxis gather.

Taxis wait near the pier if heat or fatigue overwhelm you, charging set rates to destinations around the bay. Playa La Ropa, the crescent beach that defines Zihuatanejo's leisure appeal, sits about two miles southeast of downtown – walkable if you're ambitious and the afternoon sun hasn't peaked, but most passengers take a cab for roughly eight dollars. The ride takes ten minutes through residential streets where laundry hangs from balconies and corner stores sell cold drinks to locals.

Water taxis offer transport to more remote beaches – Playa Las Gatas, Playa Manzanillo – departing from the pier near the basketball court on the south end of Paseo del Pescador. Negotiate rates before boarding; expect to pay somewhere between ten and twenty dollars round-trip per person depending on destination and your haggling confidence. These pangas bounce across waves with captains who've made the journey ten thousand times, delivering you to beaches accessible only by boat.

Downtown Zihuatanejo: The Working Waterfront

Paseo del Pescador – "Fisherman's Walk" – lives up to its name every morning when fishing boats return with the night's catch. By the time cruise ships tender passengers ashore, the fish are already being sold, cleaned, and loaded into restaurant kitchens. But the remnants of commerce remain visible: scales, buckets, elderly men discussing the day's luck, pelicans scavenging scraps. This waterfront functions as workspace first and tourist attraction second, which grants it authenticity most Mexican resort towns abandoned decades ago.

Restaurants line the walkway with open-air seating facing the bay, tables set under palapas where ceiling fans churn humid air. These aren't fine dining establishments. These are family-run operations where the owner's grandmother dictates the recipes and the owner's teenage son delivers plates. Huachinango a la talla – butterflied red snapper grilled with chile paste – appears on every menu because the snapper was caught this morning in this bay. Fresh dorado, grilled octopus, ceviche prepared to order, shrimp in garlic butter that you'll taste in your dreams a week later.

Behind the waterfront restaurants, the town's commercial streets reveal daily life unperformed for tourists. The municipal market occupies a block on Calle Benito Juárez, a concrete building where vendors sell produce, meat, prepared foods, pottery, embroidered blouses, and kitchen supplies. You'll see more locals than visitors, more Spanish than English, more authentic prices than tourist markups. The chaos feels deliberate – vendors calling out specials, music from competing speakers, the smell of fresh tortillas competing with grilling meat.

Playa La Ropa: The Crescent Beach

The beach spreads in a long arc southeast of downtown, backed by palms and low-rise hotels that never quite became resorts. Playa La Ropa earned its name – "Clothing Beach" – centuries ago when a Spanish galleon wrecked offshore and its cargo of silks washed ashore. These days the only silk comes from tourists' vacation wardrobes, but the beach remains stunning: soft sand the color of toasted almonds, gentle waves that invite swimming rather than demand caution, vendors walking the shoreline with cold drinks and grilled fish on skewers.

Beach clubs and restaurants front the sand, offering chair and umbrella rentals, full bars, and menus focused on seafood and Mexican standards. You can claim a spot for the day and never move except to swim, ordering drinks and food brought to your chair while waves roll in and palm fronds rustle overhead. This is Zihuatanejo's primary beach experience – not wild, not exclusive, just reliably pleasant in the way that makes you understand why people return year after year.

The southern end of Playa La Ropa curls toward rocky points where the bay opens to the Pacific. Walking the beach from north to south takes about thirty minutes, the sand firm enough for easy passage. Water temperatures hover around eighty degrees year-round, warm enough that you never think about the temperature, just the pleasure of being in the ocean. Snorkeling offers modest rewards near the rocks – tropical fish, the occasional ray, coral formations that survived development pressures.

Playa Las Gatas: The Snorkeling Beach

Accessible only by water taxi from downtown, Playa Las Gatas tucks into a protected cove at the southwest corner of the bay. A reef running parallel to shore creates calm water ideal for swimming and the best snorkeling in the immediate area. Underwater visibility reaches twenty to thirty feet on good days, revealing schools of sergeant majors, parrotfish grinding coral, angelfish patrolling their territories, and the occasional octopus tucked into rock crevices.

The beach itself runs small – maybe three hundred yards of coarse sand backed by a handful of palapa restaurants. This limited space fills up by late morning when tour groups and independent travelers converge. Arrive early on the first water taxi if you want prime positioning and uncrowded snorkeling. By noon the reef grows busy with swimmers and snorkelers, which doesn't ruin the experience but does reduce the sense of discovery.

Gear rental stalls line the beach, offering masks, fins, and snorkels for a few dollars per hour. Quality varies – inspect before paying. The restaurants serve fresh fish, cold beer, and the inevitable margaritas, their tables set in sand under shade structures. You're essentially spending your beach day at a small cove that feels remote despite being a ten-minute boat ride from the tender pier.

Ixtapa: The Resort Alternative

Five miles northwest of Zihuatanejo, the planned resort city of Ixtapa represents everything its neighbor resisted. High-rise hotels march along a manufactured beach, golf courses consume water in quantities that make environmentalists weep, shopping centers sell designer brands at prices that make locals weep. Ixtapa was created in the 1970s as a government-planned tourism development – orderly, modern, profitable, and utterly without the character that makes Zihuatanejo compelling.

That said, Ixtapa serves specific purposes. If you crave resort amenities – swim-up bars, groomed beaches, air-conditioned shopping – it delivers reliably. If the heat and authenticity of Zihuatanejo overwhelm you, Ixtapa offers climate-controlled retreat. Taxis run between the two towns constantly, charging about twelve dollars and fifteen minutes of travel time. Many cruise passengers split their day – morning in Zihuatanejo for atmosphere and lunch, afternoon in Ixtapa for resort comfort.

Playa Palmar, Ixtapa's main beach, stretches two and a half miles with golden sand and consistent surf. The swimming here requires more caution than Zihuatanejo's protected bay – waves and currents demand respect. Beach clubs offer day passes granting access to pools, loungers, restaurants, and bars. You'll trade authenticity for convenience, local flavor for predictable quality, discovery for the known quantity. Some days that's exactly the right trade.

Dining: Where Fishermen Eat

Zihuatanejo's restaurant scene divides cleanly between establishments facing the bay on Paseo del Pescador and neighborhood spots where English appears nowhere on the menu. Both categories deliver excellent food; the difference lies in atmosphere and price. Waterfront restaurants charge tourist rates – not exorbitant by U.S. standards, but noticeably higher than the taco stand two blocks inland where construction workers lunch.

I've learned to seek the places where fishing crews gather after morning work, where elderly couples occupy the same table they've claimed for forty years, where the menu is written on a whiteboard and the day's catch dictates the offerings. These neighborhood restaurants hide on side streets away from the waterfront, marked by hand-painted signs and plastic chairs. The food tastes better not because the ingredients differ – the same fish swims in the same bay – but because the cooking carries generations of refinement focused on flavor rather than presentation.

Street food thrives throughout downtown, particularly around the market. Taco stands serve carne asada, fish tacos, and al pastor carved from vertical spits. Elotes – grilled corn slathered with mayo, cheese, chile powder, and lime – appear from wheeled carts. Fresh fruit cut to order and sprinkled with Tajín seasoning offers sweet relief from afternoon heat. These aren't sanitized food court versions. These are Mexican street foods prepared the way Mexicans prepare them, which means occasionally challenging for sensitive stomachs but reliably delicious for adventurous palates.

Shopping: Hammocks, Handicrafts, and Haggling

The commercial streets radiating from the waterfront host dozens of shops selling crafts, clothing, and souvenirs ranging from genuine folk art to mass-produced tchotchkes. Hammocks woven from cotton hang in shop doorways – these range from cheap tourist versions that will fray within a season to authentic Mayan-style hammocks that justify their higher cost through quality and longevity. Ask about materials and construction if you're serious about purchasing rather than just browsing.

Silver jewelry claims significant retail space, most of it sourced from Taxco, Mexico's silver capital several hours inland. Quality varies wildly. Look for the ".925" stamp indicating sterling silver, and don't hesitate to walk away if vendors resist providing documentation. Prices invite negotiation – initial quotes typically start thirty to forty percent above what the vendor will ultimately accept. Haggling isn't rude here; it's expected. Offer half, meet somewhere in the middle, smile throughout.

The municipal market offers the most authentic shopping experience, particularly for food items and utilitarian crafts. You'll find hand-painted pottery, woven baskets, embroidered textiles created for local use rather than tourist appeal. Prices here reflect what locals pay, which means significantly lower than waterfront shops. English becomes optional. Payment in pesos becomes mandatory. Your willingness to navigate these conditions determines your access to genuine value.

Practical Considerations for Your Visit

Tender Timing: Because Zihuatanejo requires tender transport, your time ashore depends on tender schedules. Ships typically run tenders continuously during port hours, but the last tender back to the ship departs well before sailing time. Missing this final tender creates expensive, complicated problems. Know your ship's all-aboard time and build buffer into your return schedule.

Currency: Mexican pesos deliver better value than U.S. dollars throughout Zihuatanejo, particularly at markets and street vendors. ATMs cluster near the plaza and waterfront, dispensing pesos at favorable exchange rates. Small denominations prove most useful – breaking a five-hundred-peso note at a taco stand creates friction. Waterfront restaurants accept credit cards reliably; neighborhood spots and vendors operate cash-only.

Heat and Hydration: The Pacific coast runs hot and humid year-round, with temperatures commonly exceeding ninety degrees. Shade becomes scarce midday, particularly if you're walking downtown streets. Carry water, wear sunscreen, and respect the heat's cumulative effects. Afternoon thunderstorms arrive regularly during summer months, delivering brief downpours that cool temperatures and vanish within an hour.

Safety and Common Sense: Zihuatanejo's tourist areas maintain visible security and welcome millions of visitors without incident. Standard travel precautions apply: watch your belongings in crowds, use official taxis, stay in populated areas. The town's economy depends entirely on tourism and fishing; locals protect both industries vigilantly. Problems typically arise from excessive alcohol consumption or wandering into residential areas after dark, both easily avoided.

Port Map

Tap markers to explore Zihuatanejo's highlights