Airport Name:
Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo International Airport; code ZIH.

Location:
21 km. Southeast of Ixtapa; 14 km. From Zihuatanejo.

Facilities:
The airport has a small restaurants, three snack bars, a half dozen souvenir shops, three bars, and five rental car agencies.

Improved air service now includes several airlines and flights in addition to Aeromexico and Mexicana’s direct service from LAX, HOU, DFW, CHI, MIA and NYC. Continental now flies non-stop from Houston with convenient connections from some 100 US cities. TWA has added flights from St. Louis and North west from MSP, during high season.

Alaska Airlines offers seasonal daily non-stop service from LAX with convenient connections out of the Pacific Northwest. America West Airlines now offers Wednesday and Saturday direct service from Phoenix loads of U.S. connection cities.

Getting Around

From the airport a new fort-lane highway was under construction . This will shorten transit time. Frequent van and bus transfers area available at reasonable rates. Rental cars (from jeeps to sedans with automatic transmission and air conditioning) are available from major rental car agencies with locations at the airport and in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo.

Airport Transfer Rates:

To Zihuatanejo: around $4 US; private taxi $13 US. The return trip to the airport costs about $8 US per vehicle.

To Ixtapa: $5 US; private taxi $16 US. The return trip to the airport costs about $8 U.S. per vehicle.

To get around the area, taxis are plentiful and cheap. The average fare from the hotel zone in Ixtapa to downtown Zihuatanejo is about $3 US. There is also regular minibus service between the two cities about every half hour, up until 11pm; fare is 2 pesos. Cabs charge a 50% surcharge for trips after midnight. Mopeds can be rented by the hour or day in Ixtapa at a couple of locations. The are also pedicabs (known locally as cuatriciclos) and bikes for rent by the hour in Ixtapa.

Electric-powered golf carts can be rented in Ixtapa from Tropical Transportation, (755) 3-24-88, at the Las Fuentes Shopping Center. They are for local transportation only (not to Zihuatanejo) and cost from about $12 for one hour to $55 for 24 hours.

EXCURSIONS

There are a few ground operators offering both local tours and trips to Mexico City (5 hours) and Acapulco (3-4 hours). Inquire at your hotel’s travel agency or ground tour operator.

INFO IXTAPA & ZIHUATANEJO

State Tourism Office, Ixtapa
Tel/Fax.52-755-31967

Municipal Tourism Office Zihuatanejo
Tel/Fax. 52-755-42001

Convention & Visitors Bureau
Tel. 1-888-248-7037
www.ixtapa-zihuatanejo.com.mx

Some exploring is best done on your own. The region is a microcosm of the best of Mexico’s famed Pacific Coast, offering scenic seclusion, beauty and lots of authentic Mexican charm. Here area a few suggested things to see and do.

IXTAPA

Since Ixtapa is essentially a string of beach-front hotels backed by several attractive village-like shopping centers and restaurants, there’s not a lot of sight-seeing here. Visitors often enjoy "hotel hopping" along Ixtapa’s beachfront. All properties have distinct, exotic settings, and a diverse assortment of bars, outdoor restaurants, shops, and splashy free-form pools.

There’s also the new Marina Ixtapa complex just up the beach from the hotel zone. This collection of canals, islands, shops, villas, boat slips, and restaurants is one of Mexico’s premier marina developments. Sports enthusiasts enjoy the Marina’s tennis facilities and the new 18-hole golf course. (See ZIH-4 & 5 for details.)

TOUR OPERATORS

TURISM CALETA
Tel. (755) 30444; Fax (755) 32024

EXPO TOURS
Tel. (755) 30872; Fax. (755) 30872

AMERICAN EXPRESS
Tel. (755) 30853; Fax, (755) 31206

CONTACTOURS
Tel. (755) 43590; Fax. (755) 45486

IMC
Tel. (755) 32677

ZIHUATANEJO

When the mood strikes to see Mexico in a far different light, the nearby village of Zihuatanejo will satisfy your urge for a more authentically Mexican setting. In fact, few places in Mexico can match this tropical char-mer for simple seaside pleasures, languid pace and sincere friendliness.

Zihuatanejo has a population of nearly 35,000, and traces its past back to Pre-Columbian times. It was a sacred sanctuary for Mexican nobility. Artifacts, ceramics, and stone carvings area still being found in the area (including for small temples discovered near the airport in 1997), indicating that the settlement dates back to the Olmec civilization. Close to a thousand pre-Hispanic pieces as well as murals, and maps, are on permanent display at the Museo Arqueológico located at the east end of Paseo del Pescador. Open Tues. Sun., 10am-6pm, (755) 47552.

The area may once have been a matriarchal society-the city’s name means "place of beautiful women". The Spanish later used the port for trade with the Orient. Today, the city serves as a commercial center for the region’s substantial agricultural wealth. In addition, it is home to dozens of affordable restaurants, interesting shops, a traditional marketplace, and shady quiet streets.

The village rests on the horseshoe-shaped Bahía Zihuatanejo. The are half a dozen splendid beaches lining the bay (see "Beaches" section), and a municipal pier where boat rentals and fishing charters can be arranged. The city’s seaside Paseo del Pescador stretches along the main beach, with shops, restaurants and cafes.

BOAT TRIPS

Two interesting and distinct water-bound excursions await visitors; best of all, both trips involve 10-minute water taxi rides.

PLAYA LAS GATAS

From the Municipal Pier in Zihuatanejo, take a skiff across to the outermost southern tip of Zihuatanejo Bay. (Cost is $15 pesos/person, round trip; keep ticket stub for return trip. Operates daily until 5pm.) You’ll find one of Mexico’s most enchanting coves. This beach is of white coral sand, with a shallow shoreline and gentle surf. Las Gatas offers excellent sunbathing, swimming, and some of the finest snorkeling on Mexico’s Pacific. A rock breakwater of mysterious origin provides safe haven for divers and snorkelers. (It may have been built by a Purépecha king to create a safe swimming cove for this daughter. Another explanation is the rocks were ballast from a Spanish galleon.) When the urge to eat strikes – as it always does in Mexico – Las Gatas is lined with simple open-air eateries serving fresh seafood and offering lounge chairs for sunning. Note: Beach is very crowded on weekends and during holidays.

ISLA IXTAPA

Just minutes north of the hotel zone in Ixtapa is Playa Linda. From here launches depart for Isla Ixtapa. The ten minute boat ride costs 15 pesos/person, round trip. (Note: Look for boats displaying the "Cooperativo" mark; keep ticket stub for return trip.) This wooded island is home to diverse wildlife: raccoons, armadillos, deer, iguanas, and dozens of species of native birds. The island’s four beaches each have their own character. The best swimming and sunning beaches face westward. Playa Coral is best for snorkeling. For lunch there are several open-air seafood restaurants. Highly recommended are Restaurant Ixtapa Island for fresh seafood and El Marlin. Or…

Head to the Municipal Pier in Zihuatanejo and charter a panga (a motorized skiff) with experienced guide for your own private excursion to one of the area’s many secluded beaches. Bring your own cooler with beverages and food; cost for the charter should not exceed $40.00 U.S. Fun!

YACHT CRUISES

Tri-Star trimaran, (755) 43589, offers several fun water excursions. A six-hour cruise, sailing from the Puerto Mio hotel marina in Zihuatanejo includes open bar, live music, dancing and a fresh-fish lunch at Ixtapa Island (about $60 US). There is also a two hour sunset cruise of Zihuatanejo Bay as well as a four-hour cruise to Playa Manzanillo, just outside the mouth of the Bay, for great snorkeling and swimming.