Places We’ve Been: Zihuatanejo, Guerrero MX

Let’s get this out of the way first:  Use this post for information or entertainment only, please do not use this post for navigation.

We pulled anchor on a beautiful still morning, starting the short trek from Isla Grande to the harbor at Zihuatanejo.  There is a marina at Ixtapa (we passed Ixtapa on the short trip to Zihua) but some cruising boats (like ours) just can’t get into the marina with its shallow draft requirements.  So we skipped it and went straight to Zihua.  The bay at Zihua is large and offers several different anchoring options….with most boats opting to go over the same bay we stayed in….near the pier and main bar/restaurant zone.

What can I say about Zihua that’s not already written and out there….people love the area and cruisers love to stay here because of the warm weather, white sandy beaches and cheap beer and tacos.  + the area has a warm and welcoming atmosphere for most cruisers and a sheltered bay to take refuge in when needed.

We were in Zihua specifically for Christmas, the furthest south we had been on the boat and we knew we were headed even further, very soon.  We took the opportunity to spend time with friends from a multitude of other boats who were also here at the same time (heading south) and catch up on some provisioning…making sure we were stocked up as much as possible for the run further south.  Luckily for us, there were two other kid boats here at the same time, so we had some other kids to hang out with for the Christmas season.   We had a good time here making sure to sample the local speciality foods (Pozole) and sampling local varieties of Raicilla.  The Pozole dish is a speciality here….usually described as a thick spicy stew.  Pozole can be made with seafood, pork or chicken and comes in red, green or white specialty colors.  There’s corn (hominy) in the dish and it should be made with peppers (jalapeño).  One of the best places for this dish is right in middle of Zihua, at the restaurant called “La Casa Vieja“.

Here’s more info:

Ease of anchoring:  We anchored over mud in 22 feet of water with 125 feet of chain out, well dug in.          

Noise at anchor:  Yes.   There was a little noise from shore because it was the Christmas season. 

Provisioning:  Yes, there was good provisioning but we had to take a taxi to get there.  We didn’t get any fuel here, but the panga delivery services would have brought it out if we had wanted to put on fuel.  We also ended up buying 10 garaphones (plastic water bottles) of water from a panga delivery service while we were here because I was too lazy to get out the water maker and run it….but we filtered the water as it went in the tanks.     

Cellular reception at anchor:  Yes. 

Wifi in the anchorage:  Nope. 

Water Clarity:  Nope, because of the swells and or muddy bottom. 

Protection:  Yes, the bay is well protected from most weather unless it’s blowing right in on you.  

Bugs:  None.  

Beach:  Yes.   

Would We Go Back:  Yes

We would end up staying here for about nine days total, including through Christmas, leaving on the 27th of December to make the run down to Acapulco so we could spend New Years there.

-Although we loved the spot and would go back, there were two incidents here that should be mentioned.

First, upon check-in with the Port Captain just after we arrived….we were charged for our stay.  This is not normal business in Mexico and we were never charged money by a Port Captain except here in Zihua.  So this was the exception.  But when the Marina Manager at Chiapas heard the story and saw the receipts, that money was refunded.

Second…while out on a run during this same Christmas holiday I mention above, a friend – LeeAnn from the sailboat Juliet, was violently assaulted by a male trying to rape her.  This was reported to the local authorities and has been the subject of a Women Who Sail Presentation, you can see the presentation if you click the link.

We had a great Christmas in Zihua but knew we would move south again soon, so we prepped for that while also making sure the family had some time to rest and relax.

We are a small family website and blog who write about our travels with family because we think if we can do it….you can do it too (if you want).  We’d love to hear from you with questions or comments and welcome you to FOLLOW our website as we continue to travel.

Other stories we’ve written about the area: 

Places We’ve Been: Major Stops Along Mexico’s West Coast

No more tracks! Manzanillo to Zihuatenejo: Slow or Fast?

Places We’ve Been: Isla Grande (Ixtapa), Guerrero MX

Great Dane On A Sailboat: ¡Feliz Navidog!