The
ABC of Zihuatanejo Beaches
What
do Fodor's Travel Guides Online have
to say about Zihua's magical beaches:
Let´s start with Playa Las Gatas.
This is what Fodor´s has to say about
this beach: "Legend has it that
a Tarascan king (from an indigenous,
pre-Hispanic community) built the breakwater
on Playa las Gatas to create a sheltered
area for his daughter's exclusive use.
This beach is bordered by a long row
of hewn rocks that create a breakwater.
Snorkelers scope out the rocky coves,
and surfers spring to life with the
arrival of small but fun summer swells.
The beach is lined with simple seafood
eateries that provide lounge chairs
for sunning, as well as kayak and snorkeling-
gear rentals, and guiding services...
Overlooking the beach is El Faro (the
lighthouse); the view from the top is
marvelous."
TripAdvisor adds in reference to the
scuba diving , "King's Reef is
a coral formation just offshore now
being granted national protection as
a natural reserve."
Secondly, Playa La Ropa.
This beach is "touristy",
with several hotels and restaurants.
Fodor´s describes it as "One of
the most beautiful bays in Mexico....
small in scale and giving good, protected
swimming... there's parasailing, water
skiing, snorkeling, banana boats, catamarans,
kayaks... and a whole kilometer of wide
sandy beach lined with palm trees to
just hang out on...up and down the beach
are open-air restaurants—some with hammocks
for post-meal siestas—and a handful
of hotels
And the word about Playa Madera
is:
"This is a small, flat, dark-sand
beach with a sprinkling of restaurants
on the sand (which provide just about
the only shade, and facilities) and
a few more hotels on or just above it.
Bobbing boats and the green headlands
make for stunning vistas. Waves are
small or nonexistent, and as there's
no drop-off it's a great place for the
kiddies", reads Fodor´s
Continuing with Playa Larga:
"This actually is only a small
part of a 9 1/2 mile beach that charges
to Playa Blanca & finally Barra
de Potosi a small native fishing village
that also has a large Lagoon filled
with wildlife & Kayaks for rent.
The beach its self has the occasional
restaurants & small Inns scattered
about but mostly it's wide open spaces.
I often see Dolphins playing a short
distance off the shore", explains
Fodor´s
And finally, Playa Blanca
"Playa Blanca is actually a stretch
of contiguous beach that is about 14
miles long. It is a great beach that
has no people on it is still a virgin
beach. it is clean and has a lot of
hidden beauty.... you will love it and
the sun set that is always breath taking".
Yes, there are other beaches in Zihua,
but the ones above are what makes this
place the paradise of the Mexican Riviera.
Sources:
(1) www.fodors.com/world/mexico-and-central-america/mexico/ixtapa-and-zihuatanejo/sights-nam_class:30983.html
