Tenancingo to Zihuatanejo

It was time to get warm(er) again and head to the coast for some scuba diving. The shortest driving distance between Tenancingo and Zihuatanejo was also the slowest driving time so, taking advice from a local, we opted for the quicker and safer toll roads.

We stopped at Patzcuaro again, choosing the Eco Hotel Ixhi on the outskirts of the city which looked nice and advertised that they had a restaurant so we wouldn't have to fight the downtown traffic. It was a lovely place but, unfortunately, the restaurant at this hotel and at the much fancier hotel next door were both closed for supper! So we found a local pizza joint nearby that had not much more to recommend it other than cold beer and a reasonably decent vegetarian pizza.

The courtyard of our hotel in Patzcuaro

Lovely room with "lion" table.

Andrew trying to convince me that the small lawn was a perfect paragliding launch site. 

Even from inside the vehicle, we could feel the temperature going up and up and up as we got closer to the coast. 

Because we knew we'd be in Zihuatanejo for at least a few days scuba diving, we opted to try an airbnb place even though our luck with them has been a bit hit and miss. But we found one right near the water that looked lovely and unique. Built into the rocky hillside, multiple levels, a swimming pool, and open air concept. Our suite was two levels with kitchen, dining counter and living room on the main level with bedroom on top level and both areas looked out over the water. Plus, it was about a one-minute walk to the dive shop we decided to use. 

Some of the views from our airbnb. 

Sadly, however, the place was filthy! While the absentee "host" listed on the airbnb site is a woman from Chicago, the on-site host/manager (possibly owner??) is a 70-year-old hippy who obviously doesn't care about cleanliness or client satisfaction. We should have paid more attention to a couple previous reviews but they were vague and people tend to complain about things that we normally wouldn't. However, when we arrived, there was a full ashtray of cigarette butts and a half empty beer bottle on the bedside table; the floors hadn't been cleaned or swept in some time; there were cobwebs in the kitchen cupboards and the dishes were so old and worn there's no way we would have used them; just to name a few things. It was sad because it has so much potential to be a really lovely place! 

Long story short . . . I didn't pull any punches in online review, included specific details, and sent photos and comments to the Chicago-based host. Of course, we didn't get a reply to that email! We noticed a few days later that the airbnb listing had been pulled. I guess that's one way to get rid of negative reviews and start over! 

Thankfully, the rest of Zihuatanejo was good. We had some great restaurant meals, especially at El Mediterraneo where we listened to a very talented local musician, Sebastian Maciel, and bought his CD. Cuattro Cycle Café & Té is a nice bicycle-themed coffee shop that was our daily afternoon (and sometimes breakfast) stop. 

Note the panda design in Andrew's latte.

More about the scuba diving in another post!