Cruises to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo

If you aren't taking an excursion or going off to the upscale shopping and hotels of Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo provides some fabulous "hanging around" spots. Just walk to the end of the tender dock, turn right on the Paseo del Pescador, and you'll see several small bars and bodegas fronting the beach. There's also an Internet Cafe and some shops. For serious shopping, keep walking to the end of the path that fronts the beach, turn left and walk about three blocks to the open marketplace.

In Ixtapa you can hang out at any of the beaches in front of the hotels or at any of the bars, or simply shop, shop, shop.

You don't need transportation to take advantage of Zihuatanejo, as everything you need is within walking distance. If you want to explore Ixtapa, taxis are readily available and not very expensive (about $4 each way). Several shore excursions feature bus transportation to Ixtapa. Buses have the destination listed on the front so you can easily tell which one to board. There are water taxis to the little snorkeling beaches of Las Gatas and La Ropa.

The Mexican peso is the official currency of Mexico, but the U.S. dollar is widely accepted. Note, though, that the symbol for the U.S. dollar ($) is also used for the peso, so make sure you know which currency you are being charged for goods and services. The peso is currently trading at about 10 to one U.S. dollar.

Zihuatanejo has a few banks with ATMs in its "downtown" area, about a 15-minute walk from the dock. Ixtapa has several. Credit and debit cards are accepted in most locations for purchases.

Spanish is the official language of Mexico. Most of the shopkeepers in Zihua and almost everyone in Ixtapa speaks and understands some English, so communication is not a major problem.