About 200 miles north of Acapulco, Zihuatanejo is a charming fishing town with cobblestone streets packed with little restaurants. Ixtapa, on the other hand, is a large modern resort area some four miles away.
Zihuatanejo offers a small town experience, with a traditional Mexican ambience. Ixtapa has a Cancun-like feel, with all-inclusive and large first-class beach resorts.
If you’re traveling to Zihuatanejo for a sun-soaked Mexico vacation, here’s all you need to know about the beaches in Zihuatanejo and neighboring Ixtapa beaches.
Playa Principal is the main beach right in front of the town of Zihuatanejo. While the beach is sandy with calm water, it isn’t suitable for swimming because of the amount of boat traffic.
This small Zihuatanejo beach is sandy, and the water is relatively calm closer to the shore. Bodysurfing is one of the most popular activities here, next to swimming.
All those great beach quotes like Life’s a beach and Happiness is a day at the beach! were probably dreamed up after spending time on a beach such as Playa La Ropa.
Named for the harmless cat-whiskered nurse sharks that once hung out on the sandy bottom years ago, Playa Las Gatas is the perfect beach to get away from it all.