LoriandTom

Puerto Vallarta sounds like the place to go for sun, beach, shopping, eating etc. We are going to Mexico mid-November for a week most to sight-see and relax. Can anyone tell what Ixtapa-Zihautenejo is like? We'd probably do the resort thing our first time.

Thanks, Lori

TioGringo

Sure. Ixtapa-Zihua has kind of schizophrenic split personality.

Ixtapa is the highly developed, modern, clean-cut tourist area with lots of big modern high-rise hotels on a beautiful stretch of beach.

Zihua is the older, traditional, quintessential Mexican town with lots of funk and some VERY good high-end hotels (like Casa Que Canta).

If you want to see a few photos, check out my web page:
http://www.tiogringo.com/ixtapa.html

Have fun!
Mark
www.tiogringo.com

suze

I'd say PV has this same duo-personality although less geographically defined. The high-end resort hotels are in the newish developments north of town called Nuevo Vallarta, also The Marina (near the airport), and the Hotel Zone. Then you get into downtown proper - El Centro and continue south of the river to a neighborhood dubbed Zona Romantica in recent years (or Old Town or the Southside).

I think either would serve you nicely, and would probably be quite similar if you are spending time mostly at a resort.

garyrbeck

Suze has it exactly right, fully aware and right on! I love the OldTown area but also like to travel north by car to Bucerias, La Cruz and Punta de Mita/Sayulita and south to Boca, Las Animas and Yelapa. I can offer assistance if you like plus my free restaurant guide. Have a blast!

Gary
San Francisco, CA.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Puerto...Town_SouthSide

Tatu

If you're going for the beaches, Ixtapa has the better ones in my opinion. Zihuatenejo and PV have very similar 'ho-hum' beaches.

TioGringo

Tatu is correct. The beach in Ixtapa is outstanding....orders of magnitude better (wider, longer, cleaner) than anything in PVR. Even though the beach in Ixtapa is also better than anything on the Zihua side of the hill, it's still a lot of fun to just head out to places like los Gatos for a few hours of loafing.

Have fun!
Mark
www.tiogringo.com

nichal

I think the beach in Ixtapa is nicer but I prefer PV. You can't go wrong you will love either

Minnesota_Mike

If, by doing the resort thing, it means you are doing an all-inclusive (i.e., all meals included), you might miss out on opportunities for some wonderful dining experiences at either location. I've been to PV twice, Ixtapa three times and Zihuatanejo twice. Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo are close to each other but quite different. For either place, companies have all kinds of tours available to help sight-see. It is considerably cheaper to do the tour yourself (that is, ask around, take a bus, etc.), but it is easier to spend the money to take the tour and not worry about anything (you're on vacation, remember?). The first time I went to PV, a Mexican businessman invited my wife and I along, and we got the royal tour of PV. Another day we took a cab for a day and paid the driver to take us around the bay heading south and tour the area. Had a great time. First time in Ixtapa, we took tours. Now that we are veterans, we just buy a ticket for a passenger boat and travel to different places. Cheaper and more fun, but we would have had a tough time making that happen on our own. No matter what you choose, you will be happy. The beach on the strip at Ixtapa is absolutely the nicest beach I've seen on the Pacific west coast of Mexico. There is a bit of a current and undertow and some rugged wave action, so you should use common sense when swimming. Boogie boards rent for about $5 US an hour, and that can be fun. The beaches at PV aren't nearly as nice. Ixtapa has warmer water to boot. You can charter a fishing boat from either place. My advice - go to a non-inclusive resort on the strip at Ixtapa. Talk to other folks there and you'll find out what is fun to do. Pay for a snorkel trip (probably about $50 US apiece) to Ixtapa Island. If you are brave, instead of paying the $50, take a bus to Playa Quieta, buy a ticket for the water taxi to Ixtapa Island and do the tour yourself - you'll save $40 apiece! Another day, take a bus to Zihuatanejo, find your way to the ocean, and wander around. Great places to shop, eat and just look. If you are there for one week, that would take up two days of time. Spend the rest of your vacation enjoying the beach, don't try and crowd too much in. Come back next year and do some more fun stuff. By the third year, you'll know your way around, you'll speak six times as much Spanish as you do now, and you'll be wanting to spend more that one week at a time! Have fun!