The best advice I ever received was from my grandmother, who told me throughout my childhood and more importantly my teenage years, “Life is about choices”. When my husband had a surprise bypass heart surgery, we chose to put our retirement plans on fast forward. The old plan involved retirement and traveling to all the places on our bucket list before settling down after we found our perfect place. The new plan was to start early and before we actually can retire. We were given time, so we decided to take advantage of it.
Why we chose Zihua?
For years, my husband’s grandmother Dottie shared stories about her time spent with her husband vacationing in the sleepy fishing village in the middle of nowhere in Mexico. As she spoke, her eyes would light up and you knew it was a place that she held close to her heart. We love Mexico but had never traveled to Zihua. For our first month away, we thought it was the perfect destination and we could carry on the family tradition. Plus, it is where Morgan Freeman escapes to in Shawshank Redemption. (If it’s good enough for Morgan, it was good enough for us.). And it turns out our grandmothers know best!
Playa La Ropa
About one hundred years ago, a textile ship capsized leaving brightly colored silks floating to shore and this is how Playa La Ropa, “Clothing Beach”, earned its name. It is a mile long white sand beach, where you can get a palapa and two chaise lounges (for $5US for the day) along with a friendly server willing to keep a steady stream of cervezas and pico de gallo and freshly made chips coming your way. The beachfront restaurants all offer this service, our favorite was La Perla. The service was great, good food, and they get the cleanest restroom award (always a bonus). La Perla, Playa La Ropa
My husband’s grandparents stayed at Playa La Ropa, so we did too. Our wonderful condo was just a very short walk to the beach.
Casa Que Ve Al Mar
Hotels are great but for a month? And, with a child. Not so much. We found Casa Que Ve Al Mar on VRBO and discovered the rooftop penthouse with a pool in the living room. Okay, it was the size of a large hot tub. But, still! It was the perfect place to watch the sunrise and sunset. Below is the view from the open air living room. (The bedrooms are air-conditioned. A must.)
I know it’s strange but my favorite day of the week is Sunday. People usually look at me very confused, not Friday? Nope, Sunday. I believe this is in my DNA, blue eyes and a love for Sundays. You see, my family is Southern and while I was raised in the North, my families dedication to being Southern was something I could run from but by no means hide. The significance of this involves the matriarch of my family, Lula, my great-grandmother, who took the part of the bible that states that God rest on the 7th day, quite literally. I frequently visited her and all we did on Sundays was eat and talk on the porch. Lula was a talented quilter and gardener but not on Sundays. Sundays were for God and family. I throw away a lot of tradition but this is one about being lazy, I kept.
My favorite day in Zihua was? You guessed it, Sunday. On Sunday night, the town turns into a festival-like atmosphere with food vendors, musicians, and plenty of soccer games.This is where you will experience real Mexico, it is where you forget about what you read about in the news or what your neighbor told you they heard. It is where you see busy families like yours, take a moment to treasure what is most important in life. This is where you want to be on Sunday night.
What about the day? Head to one my favorites, Paty’s MariMar at Playa La Ropa. You will most likely meet Paty. Before turning expat, she was a fixture in the Studio 54 days in New York City. She is friendly and feisty. We spent a lot of time at Paty’s, either doing yoga (an open air studio overlooking the ocean is right above the restaurant), eating breakfast, or having a wonderful dinner with our toes in the sand. http://www.patys-marymar.com/
Okay, now get ready for this! You have already seen Playa La Ropa, you have felt the soft sand under your feet and taken a dip in the warm water that is unreal shades of turquoise to a deep navy. You already looked at your significant other and said with the same passion you may have said your vows, “I’m not going back! EVER!”. Then, a lovely woman points to a small tent on the beach and says, “Massage? Only $20 US dollars”.
I know what you are thinking, on the beach and will the sheets be clean, etc. etc. Then, you remember you are on vacation. Go crazy! And then you get one of the best massages for one hour for $20!! Then you take your place back on your coveted lounge chair and look your husband in the eye and say, “I WILL NOT GO BACK!”. You make an announcement on Facebook that now you may be in your thirties but damn it, you are a SNOWBIRD! After all those years of trying to figure out what you should be, or do with your life, right there listening to the waves crashing as magical hands work out the knots gained by spending hours on a computer, you have found your calling. Your have only a couple questions, “Does Mexico have a lottery or is there a casino nearby?”.
Being lazy is AWESOME! When you never, ever get to do it. But do you know what is not awesome? When you have eaten your weight in homemade tortilla chips and cannot fit back into your clothes. So, we did exercise. We did a little yoga and walked everywhere. Most mornings, we walked into town for breakfast or supplies. There is a huge modern grocery or if you are feeling more adventurous head to the market. The market is inside and you can find anything you need and a few things you didn’t know existed. It is crowded and packed with merchandise from the floor to the ceiling. And if you are not into the walk, take the city bus it is always coming by and cost about $1.50.
After our visit to town, on most days we headed back to our happy place at La Perla. We spent most days staking out the perfect palapa, (If you want the front row, get there early. Those snowbirds take their seats serious.) getting advice from the expats and locals on where to eat (besides La Perla since we ate there almost every day for lunch because I wouldn’t leave my front seat), and swimming in the gorgeous ocean.
But guess who does not like to relax? Our then 6-year-old and my twelve-year-old nephew (who came to visit for a week). I will be forever thankful to the local little girl who absolutely had no idea what Myah was saying yet would play with her in the ocean and the sand. And, lucky for us right in front of La Perla you can rent jet skis, snorkel equipment, or ride the big red couch. The big red couch is a big red couch (inflatable) pulled by a speed boat. My brave then 6-year-old will list it as one of her favorites. As I stood on the shore, you could hear her yelling, “Mas Rapido!”, as my poor husband and nephew held on for their life. And, if that is not exciting enough for you, we watched the sea turtles be born and make their way to sea! And, one day a fisherman having a slow day took us out snorkeling and we got to hold a puffer fish.
After our first week, my husband was ready to explore and asked me to leave my coveted seat at LaPerla (where I proudly was perched in the front row). The fellow front rowers had shared that if we wanted to experience something truly different to take the 20- 30 minute taxi ride over to Troncones.
Troncones
The taxi cab driver dropped us off at what was nearly a deserted town (this is a theme for us) with only a few very small restaurants and a couple of surf shops. I tried to keep my dirty looks inside and be a team player but my heart was back at my first row palapa that now was occupied by god only knows who. My husband sensing my aggravation made the smart decision to suggest we walk the beach. It was deserted and completely different from Playa La Ropa with huge waves. If you are running from the law or have a crazy ex, this is where you should go to hide.
Then, in the distance as if it was a mirage… we saw this!
Of course, we stopped! We had wonderful fish tacos and cervezas! We learned this is the place for surfers and the eco travel set. Everyone was so friendly, so nice, and they told us all about what would be going on in town later that week. It was a place oozing peace and love, a place that was worth leaving my palpa for!
Where do the locals go to enjoy the beach? Head over toward Ixtapa and tell the taxi you want to grab a boat to Playa Linda. It is a small island that is a wonderful spot to spend the day, have lunch, and has incredible snorkeling.
All this activity is probably making you hungry, the good news for 30 days we ate our way around Zihua! Find our our Favorites!
A MONTH AWAY & Some shorter stays 