IXTAPA Zihuatanejo - YOUR NEXT VACATION DESTINATION?!
Hola! Bienvenidos! Welcome to beautiful Ixtapa! Buenos dias! Good morning Country Collectors. If you tuned in last week you know we explored Zihuatanejo. Well this week we are taking you to its neighbor Ixtapa which is located about 10 kilometers northwest. Ixtapa is completely different and we cannot wait to show you around. But before we get started make sure to hit that subscribe button and ring the bell so you don't miss out on any of our future adventures! To get here from Zihua is very simple. We ended up hailing a cab for 80 pesos. You can also take a colectivo one way for 14 pesos as well. If you've been following along you know that we love renting Airbnbs but this week we got super lucky when a couple of subscribers Sarah and Tony, hey guys! They reached out to us after seeing our Acapulco video and said if you're heading to Ixtapa you can stay in our parent's rental unit and let me tell you it is awesome! The bottom room is very comfortable and is equipped with a tv, ac as well as a nice big bathroom and an outdoor kitchen with access to the rooftop and pool.
Up the stairs you will find the second bedroom with great natural light, its own bathroom and a beautiful terrace outside overlooking the nature below. So you can either rent one room or the entire space and they are looking for long-term renters. So if you would like to inquire more information about this I will put Sarah's information in the description below. All right
let's go exploring! From where we're saying it's about a 20-minute walk through this neighborhood down to La Costera and the hotel zone. While we were doing our research we actually learned that this land here where Ixtapa is actually used to be a coconut plantation and mangrove estuary. But back in the 70s the Mexican government organization also known as Fonatur came in and developed this into a planned resort town like Cabo, Cancun and Huatulco. And check it out they have the camouflage cell phone tower so it looks like a huge palm tree. You're not fooling anybody people! And
there are some absolutely gorgeous homes in this area we've seen some for sale and some for rent as well. It's very fancy and I like it! And what we're really enjoying is the nature here. There are so many birds. You can hear them chirping in the background. And it's just so peaceful! A lot of the trees you're going to see are fruit trees so keep those peepers peeping people because you might get a free mango! I want to go see if I can grab one! Be careful. That one's not even ripe. And I don't have the ups for it! Ain't no MJ! And right in the center of this development is the Palma Real Ixtapa golf course. There is another one done by the marina as well. So if golfing is your cup of TEE, they have options! Was that
a golf pun? It was! Nice one babe! You're rubbing off on me! Let's keep going! I can see the start of the hotel zone right here and I'm getting so excited to go and check out that beach. We haven't actually been there yet so we're going to be exploring it for the first time together! Welcome to La Costera. This is the main road through town. On one side you have the hotel zone that runs along the beautiful playa palmar. And then on the other side you have restaurants, bars, nightclubs and shops. But first let's go check out that beach! And because of the large hotels here it can be a little difficult to find beach access. But don't worry we've got
you covered. Right here next to the Barcelo hotel on the eastern end of the hotel zone you can get down to the beach. And there's another way a little bit farther down we're going to be exiting from we'll show you in a little bit. Now let's go check out that playa! Wrong way! Let's go check out that playa! And if you're driving yourself it looks like they have some free parking here as well. They even have some public restrooms here so don't worry about that little bladder! Oh it looks like right before you get to the beach they have a bunch of little vendors selling some snacks and cold coconuts! Oh that's nice! There's another little parking area over here. Oh they got a little bar down here. You can get a coco loco! I like it! And this beach is a designated
blue flag beach which means it is just about the best that you can get. It's clean, they have facilities, there are no dogs or bikes allowed on it. And I think the designation of a blue flag also extends to like its environmental standards as well. So you can see here they have all these
bins so you can recycle, throw trash away, and organics to separate them which is very cool. And they don't permit drinking or smoking of cigarettes. Yeah there's a lot of rules but it's to keep it this way. You know what? Rules are good when you're keeping my playa clean! Right here they have a little sanitation area where they're gonna spray us down before we head on. Let's go get clean so we can get down and start having some fun! Let's do it! When you're dirty clean him up! There you go! There we go, I'm ready! They actually weren't doing this to everyone, just your hands but... they know Adam! Yeah well I may not have taken a shower this morning! Let's go! And here's a the traveler tip. When they're spraying you down close your mouth.
This is a problem for me because I'm always talking, but I got some in there and it was not very pleasant. Sorry for you! Wow this is so beautiful! While you're walking down to the beach you notice they have some salvavidas venus or lifeguards from nine until five. I'm sure you can hear those waves crashing in the background. It can get a little dangerous here swimming because it's on the open Pacific so it is prone to having some rip currents. There's some signs up right now that say prohibito nadar which means no swimming but a little bit farther down it looks like it is okay to swim so we're gonna go down and check that out right now.
Down here you can see people are in the water having a good time. It is less turbulent. Remember, riptides can be anywhere but they are not everywhere so this is obviously one of the places that it's okay for people to be in the water. Over here on the left they have a golf course right on the beach. I don't know if I've ever been to a golf course in the beach, but I like it! I'm sure it's a
part of that golf course in our development. Oh right! Right in our development. Yeah Palma Real. At the end here we've run into a private hotel so we can't pass this way. But I did talk to this gentleman here. They do have tubing, banana boats and parasailing. He said the tubing was 300 pesos per person. The banana boats 250 per person. And the parasailing was about 800 pesos per person. So if you come down here and want to partake in that that could be a lot of fun. All right let's keep going down the beach! Oh and I know what this is! That's right. It looks like they're doing some turtle conservation right
here. When the turtles come in and lay their eggs they collect them, bring them here to keep them safe from predators and people alike and when they're ready they get released back into the ocean. Maybe you can sign up and do a turtle release here. That would be so much fun! And we highly recommend it! All right I tried to keep my shoes on but I'm just collecting the beach in here. So they're coming off and the tootsies are going in the sand! Peace ✌️ shoes! As we mentioned this is the hotel zone. And I was just curious so I popped into the Barcelo hotel and found out some prices. They do day passes here for 900 pesos. You can use all the facilities, pools, bars and restaurants.
And it's all included. Everything but the rooms. If you do want to stay here a two-person stay which is all-inclusive is $262 US dollars and it looked absolutely beautiful inside. So if that's your thing, this is definitely a good option! Check it out they gotta Hyatt here. I've seen
a Holiday Inn. So they have some of the main hotel chains you know from home and a whole bunch of Mexican ones as well. It's a good bury! So as we've been walking we've noticed it's mostly domestic tourism and we were like wondering why there wasn't more foreign tourists here. But have you ever heard the name Ixtapa? I know I hadn't. I couldn't even say the name until a couple of days ago. Yeah so maybe it's just because people don't know about this place. And I think what's so great about it is you have this very tourist designed area and right down the road is Zihua.
Where you can go for a much more quiet and relaxed trip. So you get the best of both worlds here! Yes we definitely recommend it! Oh and look at this. Someone drew a big heart in the sand! They must have known we were coming because we wanted to let you all know just how much we love all of you! Yes ,that's so cute! All right when you see Tanta Vida beach bar right next to it is the second public beach access so we are gonna head down here and across the street and go show you all those restaurants, bars nightclubs, and shops. So come along! And they have a parking
lot down here so whether you want to come on where we did at the beginning of the beach or down here they got you covered. We really enjoyed that beach. We would love to hear your thoughts. I liked it because it was very accessible. Like going from your hotel to the water. The beach isn't very wide so that was great. Yeah you just kind of get out of bed and fall into the ocean! Yeah!
And also, there were very few vendors. That's true and I think that sometimes people really enjoy vendors getting little snacks and stuff. But here you're only going to find them down at the beginning where we got on the beach. But there is an artisan market in town if you are looking for some souvenirs. Oh good tip! Check it out there's a huge iguana right here on the walkway. And right behind me here you can see this bike path. It runs from Zihua all the way through
Ixhtapa I believe about 25 kilometers so stay tuned because we are gonna get on this in just a little bit. And this path right here isn't just for bicycles. You can also walk on it among this nature. It's really nice. And we are here in June which is the summer so it is very muggy and you do get some rain. December through April I believe is the high season here. That's when you're going to get more cooler weather and it's going to be a lot more dry, but also the prices are going to be higher as well. And something we've noticed is it is pretty handicap accessible and so so clean. I mean it really, I don't think I've seen one piece of trash since we've been here. I know they
really take care of it. We've made it back to the main shopping area of town here. Let's go take a stroll and see what we can find. And throughout here they have some plazas you can see like this with boutiques. I know when people go on vacation they like to go shopping. I mean who doesn't like to know they can get whatever they want? And I feel like this place has been set up, I mean it has been set up for tourism. So you go to your hotel, you go to the beach, you need anything... a new bathing suit or some souvenirs. You walk right across the street and it's all set up right here. You don't even need
to take a cab. You just walk your little tootsies right over here and grab whatever you need! We definitely recommend stopping by one of these tourist booths. They do speak english here so if you don't speak spanish they can definitely help you out. They have these great maps right here that tell you all the best places to go around here. They even have information about Zihua if you need it. It's a must-do stop so you know all the best things to do! Right next to the tourist information
booth you will find a small supermarket called Merza, and then there are pathways that kind of extend beyond it. And it's this huge compound/complex that you can just kind of get lost in. Maybe you'll even trip into an afternoon of margaritas by chance... We're not gonna do that today but maybe tomorrow! Come with us! So as you can see here's the shops and the restaurants. And these this path kind of just continues along and around. Oh yeah and they even have a little zocalo or a little kiosk right here. The center plaza. And like Adam said earlier there are fruit trees everywhere. Even here at this little plaza. Does anybody know what this fruit is right here?
It's kind of got an acquired taste. If you said papaya I think you're right. Honestly I didn't like this fruit at all when I first tried it and then somebody taught me to put some lime on it and it changed its entire flavor profile. So if you're the same as me we recommend doing that! This cracks me up! Husband Daycare Center at the General's Sports Bar! You need to go shopping? You want to go to the beach, and you don't want to have that pesky husband around. Drop him off here. He'll be happy, you'll be happy. It'll be a great vacation! And it says down here It'll only cost you for
his drinks! That's fair enough. As you can see this area has a lot to offer so we definitely recommend coming over here from your hotel and just walking around and grabbing yourself a snack or maybe some souvenirs. But my belly is rumbling right now so we're gonna go find something to eat come with us. We have found ourselves here at Restaurant Chili Beans! We walked by earlier and it was packed so we made sure to remember it so we could come back. I got the fish tacos! Look at that. There's three fish tacos and it's grilled fish with grilled pineapple which I love for 130 pesos. And then I also got this fresh mango juice. And Adam got... The pastor burrito with some fresh guacamole on the back here and man it looks delicious! Let's jump in! I don't know if it's legal but I'm putting some of that fresh guacamole right on the front of there. I think it would be illegal. That's a good point. Oh
and some spice! Oh man let's do this thing! Mmm wow! The pastor has such great flavor. The pork is so tender. And there is some cheese in there as well. I'm digging it! And just a tip here in Mexico. A lot of the time the tacos will come con todo, and that means with onion and cilantro.So just keep that in mind if they ask you that. Here they put it all on the side which is great. Let's give it a taste. And i was just talking to Adam about these fish tacos and I used a lot of expletives. These are so bleepin' good! We definitely recommend popping down here when you're here and say hi to Alberto our waiter. He is so sweet. And he gave us a bunch of tips for the best things to do
around town, so we appreciate you Alberto. Yeah we actually heard that you have to rent a bike and go... Look at that car! You have to rent one of those. I wish we were, but we are actually gonna go run a bike and take it to the marina and then through Parque Aztlan I believe. It's an ecological reserve here. And then it takes you out to another beach called Playa Linda. Linda we're coming for
you girl! Let's go get... Linda means beautiful! I know, I know, it was a joke! Linda, Linda, Linda! Well let's go get some bikes! We have found ourselves at Bi-Zihuanas. It is in Plaza Ixpamar the interior dieciocho, it's 18. And we met Lucy here. She is absolutely wonderful. They have a ton of really nice bikes that go for 100 pesos per hour or 500 pesos for the day and they also offer e-bikes. I think this is a wonderful shop so when you are here in Ixtapa definitely come down, say hi chat with them a bit, and rent your bike from them! It also comes with a helmet included and a bag to put your lock in to keep your bike nice and secure.
Also make sure not to forget your id because they need to see that in order to give you the bike. All right let's get on the road already! Here he comes! Ride or die baby! Let's do this! And I know sometimes helmets can make people look dorky, not that that matters because safety is the most important thing here. But they actually made this one look even cuter! Oh my gosh how did I not know you were gonna say that? We gotta protect this cute little cabeza! Yes we do. Right now we are
actually gonna head to the marina which is at the farthest end of the hotel zone. So come along! Oh this is nice! This bike path right here is really smooth. We got this beautiful weather today. It's a little hot but I'm not complaining. We are so glad that you're here with us today experiencing everything Ixtapa has to offer. Wow and down here on my left we are seeing a lot
more hotels. I believe this one is called Monarch. It's humongous! And right before you arrive at the marina you will see the other golf course in town here. So like Heidi said earlier, if golf is your thing this is a great place for you to come on vacation! All right let's get down to the marina. Wow so beautiful! But you want to be careful here because it says that there are crocodiles so there is no swimming, diving or getting into the water here. And it looks like there's a couple restaurants down here right along the water as well as some really nice boats. I like just sitting
and picking out which one I would like. I'll take them all! And we were just checking this out because it looks so cool but we had no idea what it is. Adam just went and asked. I got the scoop. It used to be a very posh restaurant but unfortunately it has gone out of business forever. Oh no hopefully someone can come in and you know remake it into something really nice. I mean it's got a 360 view up there, how cool is that? Very cool! And it looks like over here I'm not sure if that's a hotel or some condos and then they run up into the hill area there. But my golly these boats are gorgeous! Adam look at this one right here. I'll take it! All right so
we are gonna head along the marina here and over this bridge through the ecological park which is right over here. Come along. I love this! It feels like we're going on a grand adventure with you. And along the way make sure to stop and just take it all in. Feel the breeze on your face. Breathe this fresh sea air and enjoy your time because that's really all we have is time. Exactly it is the most precious thing that we do have. Once you leave the marina area there is a hill that starts to go up
at the end. That's where we're heading, we'll see you up there! Alright babe you got a shift, remember? I'm a shiftin'! Woo it was a little bit of a climb there. Look at those beautiful mountains behind you! Those are beautiful. And then there's a couple of turns. You're going to come to a T you're going to
want to stay to the right and then the next one a little roundabout stay to the right there as well. That was like no joke. That was no joke. I mean it was hard for us because we haven't been on a bike in a while, but it looks like we have made it to the bike path. And we are going to cross the road over here and that's going to take us to the park. So this is the ciclopista and we are right here. t=This path is going to take us all the way out to Playa Linda which is at kilometer 9.7 (actually at km 8). So it looks like we have about six kilometers to go! And right here are the hours of the ciclopista so we better get going! This is so nice. I can see butterflies and dragonflies. There's birds flying around
everywhere. You are gonna hear the leaves rustle on the side. Don't be scared those are just some little lizards. Ah this breeze. It's just perfect! This board right here has all the mammals, birds and reptiles that you can find here. We do have a tip though. Make sure to bring bug repellent because we didn't and right now as the sun is starting to go down all the mosquitoes are coming out. I think it's all day long. Oh maybe it's all day long here it is a little humid so they must love it here! Yeah. We better get back on the road before we get eaten up. Yeah let's go! I see an OXXO right there. Looks like we made it to the other side. I see a sign right there for Playa Linda.
I guess we're gonna go over this bridge and go find it. And if you're not interested in riding a bike down here, and you might not be. They do have colectivos that come here from town and will also bring you back. I believe they're around 14 pesos each and you just wave one down hop in. It'll say Playa Linda on the windshield. Yeah it's pretty easy! Wow this is a busy place. I wasn't really expecting that. I know and you can hear all those birds! And then across the street
is supposed to be a cocodrialrio I believe. Like where the crocodiles are. Let's go check that out. Yeah! So right to the left side of Playa Linda there is this cocodrilario which is just this free little area on this viewing platform where you can come and view the crocodiles below and you can see a lot of birds nesting as well. And there are so many crocodiles here. This one is humongous! I see one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen... seventeen I think! Oh my
gosh that crocodile ate a bird. You can see the wing coming out of the side of its mouth. And look at all of these iguanas down here just soaking up that sun! And right down there there's babies! It's definitely awesome coming down here and just looking in the trees at all these birds. You can see pelicans flying overhead. There's a little noisy blackbird right down here. So yeah really cool. Come check this out. But we are gonna go head over to Playa Linda and see what it's all about so come with us. And right out here it looks like this is where you can get the buses back to Ixtapa. Those
colectivos. And on the way in here there's a ton of shops selling souvenirs and beach stuff. If you forgot your bathing suit they got you covered! Looks like the beach is just right ahead of us. Oh wow this is super cool right here. They've got a lot of little restaurants set up here selling mariscos. I like this vibe. This is like you know that traditional Mexico. Very cool. And then in front over here is the pier where you can get boats out to the famous Isla de Ixtapa which we are not going to go to today but we're hopefully going to take you there next week. We're only in the parking lot and I am really enjoying it already. The beach runs all the way down here. There's a pier that
goes out into the water here. And I believe that the main Playa Linda is over here on the left so we should go over there and check it out. And I really appreciate that this parking lot is filled with cars and boats. Yeah I know! It's like a car parked, then a boat parked then a truck parked. It's funny. This beach looks so nice right here these gentle rolling waves coming in. A lot of people swimming in the water and then a bunch of restaurants going all the way down. And while we're down here listening to this music and enjoying the atmosphere we have to give a heartfelt shout out to our new patrons: David, Jose, Ken and Jeannie! Thank you so so much for your contributions. We appreciate you immensely. Honestly without you
this wouldn't be possible. You're with us every day in every way when we're out here. And we appreciate you from the bottom of our hearts. Yes if you would like to join our Patreon community we will put the link in the description below. I was just looking in our bag for something and look what I found! Those were surprise cookies in case we got low. Oh he always does that like I'll find little snacks like up in the cupboard and I'm like, are you hiding these from me? But these when you come to Mexico you need to try these they're called príncipe, I believe. It is a delicious cookie.
It has chocolate in the middle. You can see right there. But the chocolate consistency is like nutella. It's so good. Hey save some for me! No you weren't gonna save any for me! Delicious! Those are my emergency in case Heidi gets grumpy cookies! He's smart, he's learned over the years! All right we are gonna hop on our bikes and head back into town we'll see you there! And how does every great bicycle ride end? With ice cream! Or in this case gelato. Yeah we are here at Fragolino. It's gelato italiano. From Fragolino. Fragolino! And it looks so good. Mine is melting. I got the coconut. And I got the menta and ferrero rocher! They also have a stevia option so if you don't eat sugar come down to this place because they'll make you very happy. Yeah and also something else since we started our bike ride at the marina we kind of took a shortcut through like that back way. If you want to do that, just stick to the right and
then you'll end up finding the bike path. But if you want to go all the way from kilometers zero up to 9.7 you start at the marina and kind of head back towards the hotels and it'll take you around the marina golf course there. At I think kilometer eight is where we ended at Playa Linda but it does continue so you could always do that. You also don't have to do that if you you can just go to Linda and enjoy your day. Yes, but thank you so so much for coming along with us today. We had
a wonderful time and a heck of a workout. Man it was a great day and the weather really turned up for us. Yeah it was amazing. So thank you so so much for joining us today if you enjoyed this video give us a big thumbs up, subscribe and don't forget to... DLING, DLING, DLING, DLING the bell! We'll see you, next time! Adios!
2022-07-05 03:37
