HGV Zihuatanejo

[monkey47]

Hello everyone! I've been trying to book Zihuatanejo but no dates seem to be open at anytime. Any tips to booking this property? I did a search on this HGV forum but didn't see anything. Thank you in advance!

 

[GT75]

That is expected. There will only be availability if an Embarc HGVMax owner releases dates to book something in Max. There isn’t many Embarc Max members. You can book via DeX. You are interested in regularly booking Zihuatanejo then I would suggest picking up Embarc trust system points on the resale market.

 

[ocdb8r]

It also pops up on II occasionally. We're heading there in November on an II trade for the first time and looking forward to it!

 

[JohnnyO]

Has anyone been here? It seems nice and DeX EU has June 26 dates available. Is it too hot in June? Other recommendations? No reviews on TUG.

 

[geist1223]

The High today was 92°F. It is further South than San Jose del Cabo. Both coastal towns. We were in San Jose del Cabo in May a few years ago and it was over 100°F every day. Today the High in San Jose del Cabo was only 83°F.

 

[SmithOp]

It will be unlikely to see winter dates, lots of Embarc members are from Canada and they like the warmer weather during winter months. It's very popular with Embarc owners.

 

[cd5]

Has anyone been here? It seems nice and DeX EU has June 26 dates available. Is it too hot in June? Other recommendations? No reviews on TUG.

Zihuatenajo is an Embarc resort (rebranded to HGVC but separate nonetheless). May to October has lots of availability due to the less desirable weather, quite hot (but some like that) and then the rainy season that starts in mid-August. That said, I've been in late October (end of rainy season) and while there was rain, it was not all day, just scattered showers.
It's my favourite of all the Embarc resorts, small, more intimate than larger resorts, directly on the beach and with long-tenure staff who give excellent service. The town is less "touristy" than Ixtapa and has no large resorts. It does have however a large variety and quantity of smaller "family" restaurants within walking distance of the Club (going towards town) as well as directly on the beach. Excellent food in general. Definitely more affordable than Los Cabos (was there in December and then Zih in Feb). La Ropa Beach, where the club is located, is the best one in the area.
It's booked solid by members in Dec-Jan-Feb-March (booked 11 months out) so not likely available in Max with its 6 month timeline. November and April can be great weather-wise and more likely to have availability.
SmithOP is correct, it's extremely popular with Canadians - over half of the Embarc Members are Canadian, US about 30% and other countries such as the UK, Australia for the rest.
It's a favourite with Canadian members looking for the sun in winter months.

 

[JohnnyO]

The place sounds fantastic. How are the non-OV units? And which units have a plunge pool?

 

[cd5]

All the oceanview rooms have the plunge pools (and amazing views). I did get one first time I went however never again because you just don't spend any time in the room and the "cost" is substantially more. I prefer to stay longer instead and get the "non-oceanview". Some of the 1 bedrooms in building 5 have a "side view" of the beach but I don't count on it. I just rather get 2 weeks for the point price of 1 and get my views from the restaurant or lobby which are open and face the bay.
Attached are photos of views

 

[cd5]

 

[h2oflyboy]

I booked a 1BR BF (1ZX) for August. The Pictures and the map are greatly appreciated.

 

[amsunshine]

I booked a 1BR BF (1ZX) for August. The Pictures and the map are greatly appreciated.

Whoo boy, it's going to be hot in August! But, the resort is gorgeous. Enjoy!

 

[cd5]

I booked a 1BR BF (1ZX) for August. The Pictures and the map are greatly appreciated.

You'll be in building 4 (Villas) or 8 (the ones with the foundations closest to the beach) . Don't expect a view - you may or may not be high enough to have one. This is the terrace for room 803 which is a beachfront 1 bedroom / 2 bath

 

[amycurl]

*grabby hands*

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Zihuatanejo is still a commercially active fishing town. The fisherman typically go out at night, returning early in the morning (~ 5 am, if I recall correctly). The fisherman then sell the catch in an open market along the Paseo del Pescador (Fisherman's Walkway). The market closes up about 9 am. If you head out first thing in the morning you can see the market in action. And if you so desire, you can buy some fresh fish for yourself. Most of the restaurants and fish markets in the area get their stock at the market.

Paseo del Pescador is shown on the map below; it's right next to the pier. As you can see, it's pretty much across the bay from HGVC. Your options to get there are:

1. walk the main road from HGVC north to town and Playa Principal. Then go west along the waterfront to Paseo del Pescador.
2. take a taxi.
3. stroll to the south end of Playa de la Ropa and take the shoreline path to the north end of Playa las Gatas, where you can catch a water taxi that will take you to the muelle (pier) next to the Paseo del Pescador. If you take the water taxi, there will probably a couple of guys at the end of the pier who will help you in and out of the taxi. It is common courtesy to tip them, especially if you're a tourist. (We rode the taxi one time with a local family and a couple of local men. When they disembarked, they didn't tip, so I didn't. They politely let me know that I overlooked something.)

There's probably also a bus route that operates on the main road on the north side of HGVC and goes into town. There should be a stop within easy walking distance of Paseo del Pescador.

Here's an aerial view snip from Google Maps showing all of the fishing boats lined up along Paseo del Pescador. The shadow angle indicates this photo was taken late morning.

 

[amsunshine]

You'll be in building 4 (Villas) or 8 (the ones with the foundations closest to the beach) . Don't expect a view - you may or may not be high enough to have one. This is the terrace for room 803 which is a beachfront 1 bedroom / 2 bath View attachment 124534

Chantal: how are you able to decipher which building OP might be in? (We are going toward the end of the year, and are always curious how they assign rooms). Thx!

 

[cd5]

Chantal: how are you able to decipher which building OP might be in? (We are going toward the end of the year, and are always curious how they assign rooms). Thx!

Beachfront is named that way because of the building locations so those are easy. There are other rooms types I really couldn't tell you which building (other than 3 bedroom units). Oceanview are in 5, 6, 3 and 2 but sometimes if they are lower down, the trees block the view... They always have a large terrace though, larger than the photo I posted.
I've been to Zih many times and you learn just from chatting with other members usually during Bugle Hour (3:30-5). It's pretty small and intimate, majority Canadians (we're pretty chatty during happy hour , the pool is small) that go during peak months.
If you tell me what you booked, I might be able to give you some info. He mentioned "BF" so I knew that meant beachfront.

 

[amsunshine]

Beachfront is named that way because of the building locations so those are easy. There are other rooms types I really couldn't tell you which building (other than 3 bedroom units). Oceanview are in 5, 6, 3 and 2 but sometimes if they are lower down, the trees block the view... They always have a large terrace though, larger than the photo I posted.
I've been to Zih many times and you learn just from chatting with other members usually during Bugle Hour (3:30-5). It's pretty small and intimate, majority Canadians (we're pretty chatty during happy hour , the pool is small) that go during peak months.
If you tell me what you booked, I might be able to give you some info. He mentioned "BF" so I knew that meant beachfront.

Ah, I missed the “BF” abbreviation. Makes sense. We have no abbreviated unit designation so it’s always up in the air. This will be our third trip!

 

[h2oflyboy]

Ah, I missed the “BF” abbreviation. Makes sense. We have no abbreviated unit designation so it’s always up in the air. This will be our third trip!

I use way too many Abbreviations/Initialism! @Eric B thought my CA (Cabo Azul) abbreviation was for Canada!

 

[melissy123]

We went on an exchange last year and loved it. However not sure I’ll go again because of the following. During the week, when walking the beach, we would come across several dead fish washed up on the beach. Now I’ve walked different beaches around the world and never come across that many dead fish. And this was every single day. So later this got me thinking that did the fish wash up because of some kind of toxicity in the water. And this is the same fish I had been eating all week.
Now I accept I could be wrong and maybe one of you who go regularly can explain the dead fish to me. Also, why the water seemed a murky brown and was never truly a blue color like I see in Hawaii. (Water was so murky that I couldn’t convince hubby to go in, no matter how hot it got (even in December) and even though other people were in the water)

 

[amsunshine]

We went on an exchange last year and loved it. However not sure I’ll go again because of the following. During the week, when walking the beach, we would come across several dead fish washed up on the beach. Now I’ve walked different beaches around the world and never come across that many dead fish. And this was every single day. So later this got me thinking that did the fish wash up because of some kind of toxicity in the water. And this is the same fish I had been eating all week.
Now I accept I could be wrong and maybe one of you who go regularly can explain the dead fish to me. Also, why the water seemed a murky brown and was never truly a blue color like I see in Hawaii. (Water was so murky that I couldn’t convince hubby to go in, no matter how hot it got (even in December) and even though other people were in the water)

What time of year did you go? Was it just following a hurricane or was there some other storm activity going on around the area? That could be an explanation.

We’ve never seen dead fish on the beach. We travel extensively throughout Mexico and have for many years and have never seen that. However, we were in Zihua when Hurricane Rick hit and for days afterward, the water was very brown and murky. All other times, the water was blue and clear. Sorry to hear you had what sounds like a bad experience!

ETA: actually I recall last year was a very active season for tropical storms/hurricanes for that part of Mexico. We were in Loreto at the end of the year (further north) and it was the greenest we’d ever seen because of how much rain they got last year.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

During the week, when walking the beach, we would come across several dead fish washed up on the beach. Now I’ve walked different beaches around the world and never come across that many dead fish. And this was every single day. So later this got me thinking that did the fish wash up because of some kind of toxicity in the water. And this is the same fish I had been eating all week.

Which beach we were you visiting? There are some big differences in water quality.

 

[cd5]

We went on an exchange last year and loved it. However not sure I’ll go again because of the following. During the week, when walking the beach, we would come across several dead fish washed up on the beach. Now I’ve walked different beaches around the world and never come across that many dead fish. And this was every single day. So later this got me thinking that did the fish wash up because of some kind of toxicity in the water. And this is the same fish I had been eating all week.
Now I accept I could be wrong and maybe one of you who go regularly can explain the dead fish to me. Also, why the water seemed a murky brown and was never truly a blue color like I see in Hawaii. (Water was so murky that I couldn’t convince hubby to go in, no matter how hot it got (even in December) and even though other people were in the water)

As amsunshine says, this is not a usual event. I've been many times and no dead fish or murky water at LaRopa, the water is usually very nice unless there's recently been a tropical storm in the area. In that case, the waves get pretty strong and swimming isn't advised. It's the best beach in the area.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

The Mercado Municipal is also worth a visit. When we've stayed in Zihua (at Pacifica), that's where we've picked up our food.

The Mercado Municipal is the principal shopping area in Zihua. You can get anything you need at the Mercado. It's all vendor stalls, but it's also like a department store. The stalls are generally organized so that similar goods are available in the same area. So there will be separate areas in the market for areas such as clothing, hardware, food, appliances, electronic goods, home furnishings, drugs and medicines, sundries, etc. The food area is further grouped such as fruits and vegetables, beef, chicken, fish, dairy, etc. The market also spills over into some surrounding blocks. On market days (Saturdays and Sundays?) it can be very crowded. The quality of the produce is silly good. I think that using the market is a good way to get connected with local customs and activities. Which is why we much prefer to Zihua to Ixtapa and other locales that are custom-crafted as tourist locales that create a cloistered setting.

The Mercado is where pick up our food. Last time we picked up a couple of kilos of fresh yellow fin tuna at a fishmonger. We there about mid-day, doing our other shopping first so we wouldn't be toting fish around for a couple of hours before we got back to Pacifica. As we got to the counter, we noticed that there was not much yellow fin left in his trays and bins. We made our request, and he reached below the table and pulled out the second half of a yellow fin that was fresh that morning. He flipped it over and cut off a couple of choice filets right there, wrapped them and handed them to us. We dined on yellow fin much of that week, and even had some left over at the end of the week for the housekeeper to have.

Below are some photos of the market. FWIW - these are pictures from Google - not my own shots.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

More on Playa las Gatas

We enjoyed Playa las Gatas when we stayed in Zihua (vs Ixtapa). Here's a photo I took of Bahia de Zihuatanejo looking northward from Playa las Gatas. I believe that HGVC is the reddish resort built into the side of the hill in the middle right of the photo.

It seemed to us that there were more locals at las Gatas than la Ropa. I thought that was understandable. The water quality at Playa Principal and Playa Madera is visibly much worse; the stream that runs through the center of Zihua enters the ocean there and the quality in the stream is marginal. The stream isn't fetid (unlike Sayulita, the weirdly popular locale north of Puerto Vallarta where the stench of sewage wafts over the beach and gulls and herons graze on the "floatables" in the stream estuary), but it still looks unpleasant to me. The crocodiles tolerate it, though.

I think that for locals las Gatas may be easier to get to than la Ropa; you can get there easily on the water taxi. Whereas at la Ropa public access is available only in a small sector at the southern end of the beach, and available parking gets filled quickly. If you take a bus or taxi to la Ropa, the southern area of the beach is where you will be dropped off.

Another feature of las Gatas is that las Gatas isn't fronted by large resort complexes. So, it's more a series of waterfront establishments with palapas, lounge chairs, and tables, open to anyone who comes up. As you reach the south end of the beach (further from the water taxi dock), that thins out.

I haven't snorkeled in Zihua, but I understand that Playa las Gatas has the best snorkeling of any of the beaches. That's logical, since it is furthest beach from where the stream enters the bay between Playa Principal and Playa Madera. That's not to say it's great; just the best locally. There is a submerged statue of Christ off las Gatas (Cristo Sumergido) that is a popular snorkeling and diving site.

Below is a pic I took of Playa las Gatas from the peninsula that marks the south end of the beach.