Restaurants change - so what was there 6 months ago when I was last there may not be there when you go.

A couple of good maps though:

streets - http://www.zihuatanejo.net/images/maps/owenmap.html

hotels/condos - http://www.zihuatanejo.net/images/maps/ixtapamap.html

restaurants - (keeping in mind what I mentioned above) -
http://www.zihuatanejo.net/restaurants.html
We liked Bandidos when we were there the last few times - satelite TV so all the games

Don't snorkel so can't help you with that.

All of these are from the website - http://www.zihuatanejo.net/

Lots of good info and a message board. We LOVE Zihua - have a great time!

Snorkel/Scuba is fair at best. Las Gatas, Ixtapa Isle & Manzanillo Beach are the best of below average spots.
From your hotel all El Centro Cafes are a 25 peso ride so not expensive. Several in your area including Salvador's, Ruffo's & Chendo's to name three.
I must disagree with Pam as Bandido's IMO is basically a bar with below average food but above average costs.
Some of my favorites in El Centro are The Marina Café, Leo's, Papa Locas, Daniels & Menos. But Many Many more!

PS The Only area to stay out of is NORTH of the Elecktra Store on Juarez. Thats where the druggies, hookers Ect hang out.

<so popular that no one goes there anymore, or is it just that these forums are so poorly organized?>

Neither one. There just aren't that many posters here on the Mexico forum for many of the destinations. Even for Puerto Vallarta which I consider pretty mainstream, there's 3-5 people max. who chime in.

Have you tried Trip Advisor? I don't know about Zihuat but many of the Mexico destination forums there are very active (the forums section, not the hotel reviews or travel guide part).

Thanks for the links and specific recommendations. Should at least give us a place to start. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't happily accept more recs.

Have been twice and love Zihua - we found that as long as we could 'run the gauntlet' of restaurants along the beach (meaning the English-speaking staff waiting on the sidewalks to try and convince to you eat at their place) and get a couple blocks in to El Centro, we were pretty happy. But then, we're the type who know we have found our perfect restaurant when the staff speak no English, the place is packed with locals, and there's no menu in English. Your comfort level may vary!

The only other thing I can think to mention is that some of the hotels/bungalows along Playa Madera are set higher up on the hill along the beach, so you might find stairs and/or a bit of an uphill/downhill trek on your way to town - don't know how your wife's knee will cope with that. But taxis are cheap!
Enjoy your trip!!

"But then, we're the type who know we have found our perfect restaurant when the staff speak no English, the place is packed with locals, and there's no menu in English."

Thanks, txgirl, that pretty much describes us too. Except that neither of us speaks Spanish. Might that create a problem? Not that we couldn't somehow communicate, but moreso that we wouldn't want to be seen as encroaching on the locals' turf. Don't want any of what Hawaiian locals call stink-eye.

Few places in Zihua were no English is spoken except perhaps Pozole Alley & Papa Loca. Maybe a few others.
These with simple menus that are easy to translate.

We never had a problem feeling out of place. In fact, it seemed like the locals enjoyed having us, were helpful and patient and welcoming.
(Of course, having a curly-headed, blue-eyed toddler with us didn't hurt! You can borrow her if you want -she's a great ice-breaker!!)