Hurricane Vance has had us under its cloudcover for most of this Saturday since daybreak. For locals, this is great weather. Extremely comfortable with mild temperatures. Lupita and I enjoyed running our morning chores that included a trip to our favorite tortillera near the mercado municipal.

Sadly, our municipal government doesn't have enough education to know to moderate the volume of sound at public events so as not to harm people's hearing, especially of the children; nor do they know better not to send leaf blowers at 5:30 in the morning, on a Saturday no less, to work in front of residences and tourist lodgings. I keep hoping for the day, but they continue to disappoint.

The pier was busy with folks seeking water taxis to Las Gatas even though the port was closed to small vessels, meaning the fishermen won't be leaving the bay tonight to work the sea mounts and islets along our coast. So no fresh fish this Sunday. For folks who don't mind frozen food, no problem.

It only started to sprinkle later in the day and only very lightly. Visitors and locals continue to be seen out'n'about enjoying the evening. The storm looks like it's sending plenty of clouds our way, but once again they don't seem to hold much rain, same as the last hurricane. It looks like we'll continue overcast and with the possibility of rain this Sunday, too. Sounds like a great day for reading as well as watching sports and movies.

I forgot to mention that yesterday was our daughter's birthday, and we bought her a delicious chocolate cake from La Boquita bakery. The daughter of the owner, also named Lupita, used to be a student of mine around 30 or so years ago. Her cakes have always been the best I've ever tasted, though I don't think I've ever tasted a bad cake here in Mexico where they DON'T come from a box. No Better Crocker or Dunkin Hines for over 37 years!

The arrival of the tall ship Cuauhtémoc will be delayed due to Hurricane Vance. Possibly by 2 days. Gee, I guess the ticket scam didn't work out for the municipal government so well after all.

Imagine your vacation in this beautiful 3-bedroom oceanfront villa called Casa Kokopeli. This tropical-style beachfront home with a pool offers plenty of comfort, privacy and relaxation. Located right on Troncones Beach within easy walking distance of the village as well as several convenience stores and numerous restaurants. It can easily accommodate up to 8 people comfortably. (click to enlarge photo)
Vacation Rentals in Troncones

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Un atardecer como fuego en el cielo visto desde el muelle municipal en Zihuatanejo.

It barely sprinkled briefly Thursday night in spite of forecasted probabilities. Friday morning was sunny and humid. As soon as we stepped outside two gentlemen visiting from north of the border came up to Lupita asking her in English about where to get information about the hurricane. I had to laugh because they never asked if she spoke English, and she just looked at me with a twinkle in her eye knowing I'd have to answer. They apologized graciously and I suggested they check my website for the latest info. "Oh, you're Rob," one said and told us they knew my website and had shopped at our boutique. I hope they read this, because they didn't introduce themselves so I don't know their names, but they seemed quite nice and excited to be here, possibly because they might be experiencing a hurricane, which I guess they don't have where they come from.

So it looks like visitors are beginning to arrive and our tourist season is getting underway. I hope so. Since we rather stupidly rely 100% on tourism, things have been rough with a meager influx of mostly only weekend visitors who mostly only spend their money on a meal at a beach restaurant and then leave. We see almost nothing from the folks who visit the Ixtapa hotels.

Hurricane Vance looks like it may give us some much-needed rain and some big waves. Earlier in the day its projected trajectory seemed to bring it in our direction, but this evening it looks like it may hit the coast as a tropical storm along the coast of Michoacán or near Manzanillo in Colima. This could be the last rain we get for the year, though I hope not. The folks in Coahuayutla in the sierra say their corn crops failed due to a lack of rain. Bummer!

But the waterfalls at Mesas de Bravo, La Vainilla and Posquelite look to be flowing full force. Now's a real good time to visit those places with one of the guides I recommend on my ACTIVITIES page.

No local lodging better represents the true magic of Zihuatanejo than the Hotel Catalina at Playa La Ropa. An oasis in a garden of paradise. Comfortable rooms with privileged views, delicious food at their restaurant, extremely warm and friendly staff, and the truest ambiance of old Zihuatanejo. (click to enlarge image)
Zihuatanejo Hotels, Inns & B&Bs

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La estatua que simboliza la región de la Costa Grande, una piedra gigante que es todo que queda de lo que antes fue Plaza Olof Palme, unos cocodrilos de bronce y el puente que cruza el canal La Boquita con un cielo dramático en el fondo durante el mediodía en Zihuatanejo.

Oh, and as far as I know most of the restaurants are open.

Was wondering what is the current status of Barra? Are the enramadas functioning as well as the vendors of water taxis or boat rides?

The waterfront has been severely altered by the storm surge and extreme tides. I'm sure someone will still sell you a boat ride there, if you like.

Last night's storm to our southeast turned out to be another dud, another tease, another letdown. ¡Tamos saláo!

Thursday morning was bright and sunny. Not hardly a cloud in the sky. But the humidity continues. And it built up again today along with the clouds, though it still hasn't rained for about 2 weeks since Hurricane Simon. The outer bands of Tropical Storm Vance have arrived, and there's a decent chance of rain this evening and a higher chance of rain this Friday. We certainly need it. This storm could bring the last rains we receive this year. We can expect some wind gusts over 40 km/h this weekend as well as some large swells and possibly more flooding from another storm surge. Vance is expected to be a Cat 2 hurricane when it passes closest to our port. If you're here or planning on being here, I urge you to keep an eye on our local weather.
https://www.zihuatanejo.net/html/weather.html

Lupita and I were both lamenting today the Disneyfication of Día de Muertos here. For us, like for many local families, it's a very solemn and sad commemoration of the lives of people we've loved and lost. We'll go to the places where we've buried family members or saved their ashes and remember them. But it's a painful time for us. Not a reason to get drunk, have parades, wear costumes, have parties, and generally turn it into some kind of perverse caricature of Halloween. But alcohol vendors and merchandisers use any excuse to push their wares, and our local politicians seek popularity and legitimacy while they enrich themselves. So please excuse us if we don't share the "party" mood with you. While I post the local events here on my website, I don't necessarily agree with them. The only part that is local culture are the altars some families place along the waterfront or in the plazas where we share some of our personal life with friends, neighbors and visitors.

A favorite location for many visitors, Amor del Sol located overlooking Playa La Madera is an extremely comfortable and nicely appointed condominium that offers from 1 to 3 bedrooms (only pay for what you need!). The complex has a pool, but the ocean at La Madera is often calm enough for easy swimming. (click to enlarge photo)
Vacation Rentals in Zihuatanejo

¡Cuidemos nuestro patrimonio!
#JusticiaParaAlexSerna
#MásSeguridadPúblicaMenosCemento
#NoPlayasBlueFlag
#PreservemosPlayaManzanillo
#DenunciaElEcocidio

Una tormenta se forma hacia el sureste durante el atardecer en la bahía de Zihuatanejo.

The fishing cooperativa is remodeling/replacing the building (originally, the members didn't want to but have changed their minds) since we've been told the building was 70 years old or so and needed repairs - figured this was the time to do it.

Amazing they found the money to do so after complaining the weather affected their income and they wanted help from the government, whom they also get to buy their new motors for them.

And it just happened to coincide with the so-called remodeling of the pier entrance, the biggest waste of public money we've seen for years after the Capricho del Rey road.

This Friday Night kick back and enjoy live wonderful Music from Rock, Blues, Country, Latin and more. Listen to the sounds of many of your Favorite songs and some originals. Make plans to Eat, Drink and be Totally Entertained at El Leñador (The Lumber Jack) Restaurant in Zihuatanejo. Try our Wood Smoked Oven Pizza, and also our Burgers, Ribs, Assorted Tacos, Taters, Fries and so much more, plus a Large variety of drinks. Start the season off with a great time, so come on over ! No Reservation needed and Bring the family. The Fun Starts at 7pm This Friday Night the 23rd (barring any heavy rain)

Don´t Miss Out!

Address: El Leñador Restaurant. Av. José María Morelos Y Pavon 31, Centro, Zihuatanejo. Located right across from the Zihua Olympic swimming pool next to Pops Bubbles with walk-in front and rear entrances and plenty of parking in rear.

Question What happened to the web cam at playa principal specifically the pier project??

The building was torn down yesterday. No idea why. It happened rather quickly. More of Zihuatanejo's history gone in a snap. I suspect it has something to do with the mayor's pier entrance remodeling project that no one asked for or wanted.

The Tuesday evening storm over the sierra never reached Zihuatanejo. Barely a few drops. It rained in Lagunillas according to a video I saw posted. Lucky them. This evening there's a huge thunderhead to our southeast that could bring us some rain. The forecast for this evening says the chances are good.

This Wednesday was another spectacular day. Plenty of sunshine and some picturesque clouds. The seas calmed down considerably later in the day. A shame there were almost no visitors in Zihuatanejo, though Ixtapa's hotels continue doing a decent business even though their guests mostly never leave the hotels, and Ixtapa's shopping district and restaurants are hurting worse than ever. I guess the local government wants Ixtapa's businesses to fail since it continues doing nothing but pouring more cement and promising falsely that the new cement will attract more visitors. Only foolish people believe such nonsense.

A lot of people are also angry at the local government for what appears to be a scam related to the "free tickets" to take tours of the tall ship Cuauhtémoc when it arrives. All the promo said the tickets would be available on the day of the ship's arrival, but without warning they were made available yesterday, and in less than 10 minutes the tickets were gone. Most folks here assume the mayor's "friends" got most of them. So don't bother going to Casa Zihua seeking tickets. Bummer, but it's something I suppose we should've expected.

Tormenta tropical Vance is expected to become a hurricane this Friday. So far the forecast shows it keeping well off our coast, but it could follow the footsteps of Trudy and get quite close. Still too early to tell, so everyone here needs to remain alert.

Enjoy your jueves pozolero!

Enjoy spectacular views from almost every part of this comfortable and spacious 1-bedroom multilevel condominium, Villa Vista. Located at the Punta Peñasco complex on a small hill overlooking La Ropa Beach and Zihuatanejo's bay. The condo features 2 full bathrooms, a modern fully equipped kitchen, high-speed Wi-Fi, a Smart TV, laundry service, a reserved covered parking space, and a pool.
Zihuatanejo Vacation Rentals

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El ocaso sobre el cerro El Almacén y la entrada de la laguna Las Salinas en Zihuatanejo.

Padrino, do you know anyone who has stayed there and if so, did they say it was ok for the price? Looks nice for what I expected my limited hotel resources to be. Honestly, thanks for that.

I haven't stayed there myself. I have spoken with a few Mexicans tourists who have. They mentioned that it was fine. It is very popular with Mexicans tourists as it is very close to the the tour bus drop off.

Thanks in advance.

Thanks to both for the ideas.

I usually stay in the Citlali but fancy a pool for the pm after fishing this time. I don't mind if there are kids flying around in the pool. Just a bit extra to unwind before the next day's fishing.

Rob, nice ideas but looks a little bit too classy for my budget. Thanks though. I didn't see the Paraiso place on your list, which is my go-to listings. Any opinion on the place, Rob? Thanks.

Padrino, do you know anyone who has stayed there and if so, did they say it was ok for the price? Looks nice for what I expected my limited hotel resources to be. Honestly, thanks for that.

Thanks both! I once went to the Irma but that was when I had more $. This is all about panga trips with a ok place to stay. Miss Z and will be there soon enough.

¡Saludos a tod@s!

Neighbors to both sides of Posada Citlali have pools, and both are listed on my website.

We enjoyed a beautiful Monday night, though a bit warmer than previous nights. Tuesday morning was bright and sunny. Lupita and I decided to go to Carmelo's at the mercado municipal for breakfast to take home. She got picaditas and I got a huge torta de jamón. We also got some delicious jugo verde to wash it all down with. They always make everything to perfection! And it's always a pleasure to go there. They're good people.

The downtown beach remained mostly empty today. Hardly a visitor around, though the municipal government's tourism office says Canadians are already arriving. We saw a few extranjeros on our evening walk, but not many. Mostly just our neighbors and other locals.

Locals are anxious for a good tourist season after the poor ones we've had recently. I'm still not seeing any advertising for Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa, so it's up to people like you to spread the word, and we definitely need your help. Tell your family and friends. Share my website with them.

It almost rained this evening. The sky darkened and clouds covered the top of Cerro Viejo. There was thunder and lightning in the hills. Even felt a few tiny drops while we were out walking, but then nothing happened downtown. And I was surprised to read today that Coahuayutla not far from us in the sierra is at risk of losing their corn crops because of a drought. But we may get something from the next storm that seems to be behaving similarly to Trudy, but so far it looks like it's staying farther away from our coast. The long-range forecast shows it hooking back towards the mainland, but well to our north. Worth keeping an eye on, but nothing to be alarmed about. We'll be fortunate if we get any rain from it, though we're certain to get some more big waves.

You'll find quality Mexican hats for sun protection in many styles, comfortable beachwear, light tropical shirts for men and women, handcrafts, and hand-made jewelry at the lovely Boutique Sunset. Located in the first block from the waterfront in downtown Zihuatanejo next to Plaza del Artista, in the same block as the museum. Currently offering a 15% discount on everything (click to enlarge photo)
Stores, Shops, Galleries & Boutiques in Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa

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#NoPlayasBlueFlag
#PreservemosPlayaManzanillo
#DenunciaElEcocidio

Casa Arcadia y el hermoso árbol amate frente a Plaza del Artista durante el atardecer en Zihuatanejo.

I usually stay in the Citlali but fancy a pool for the pm after fishing this time. I don't mind if there are kids flying around in the pool. Just a bit extra to unwind before the next day's fishing.

Rob, nice ideas but looks a little bit too classy for my budget. Thanks though. I didn't see the Paraiso place on your list, which is my go-to listings. Any opinion on the place, Rob? Thanks.

Padrino, do you know anyone who has stayed there and if so, did they say it was ok for the price? Looks nice for what I expected my limited hotel resources to be. Honestly, thanks for that.

Thanks both! I once went to the Irma but that was when I had more $. This is all about panga trips with a ok place to stay. Miss Z and will be there soon enough.

¡Saludos a tod@s!