Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo Villa Mexicana Hotel
Written: Sep 01 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Clean, economical, above average restaurant, ideal location, friendly and competent staff.
Cons: Hard beds (typical of many Mexican hotels), some rooms do not have balconies.
The Bottom Line: I recommend the Villa Mexicana - it is an extremely good value for being right on one of the better beaches in the area. Clean, good service and pleasant staff.
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| minnesotamike's Full Review: Ixtapa |
The Villa Mexicana hotel is located on Playa La Ropa just south of Zihuatanejo. It is a smaller, two-story hotel right on the beach. I have stayed there two years in a row, giving up a very good hotel in Ixtapa (the Posada Real) for this one. The owner and staff are very friendly and accommodating. I have asked them to call different restaurants and make reservations for me, and they bent over backwards to assist me.
One must walk up a small hill to get to the bus stop for a bus that will take you into town. Taxis are available right at the front door of the hotel. The walk to town is about 30 minutes and involves walking up one very steep hill. The route is a bit complicated if one takes all the short cuts. However, I recommend taking the walk in order to burn off all the calories you are likely to put on in the event you eat at any of the fine restaurants in Zihuatanejo.
Note: We were totally satisfied with ALL the restaurants we tried. We had exceptional meals at the Sanka Grill and the Puerto (or Puesto) Del Sol, so much so that we ate at those places twice. I may have left out a few places. We ate at the following restaurants in January 2004:
Tamales Any y Atole located downtown Zihua near the Brassero and the Sanka Grill
We ate there on Wednesday the 14th. They had their floorshow on Wednesday that week instead of Thursday. It was wonderful! They had a marvelous tenor who sang wonderfully, they had a troop of young dancers who did typical dances from each of the Mexican states. We enjoyed the floorshow. We both ordered pozole, I started to order some appetizer, and the waitress suggested that we should just stick to the pozole, that we would both have enough to eat. She was right. We enjoy pozole, and we have to rate this as one of the better pozole meals we have had. We had several shots of mescal during the performance and during the meal. It was very nice. This restaurant features totally authentic Mexican cuisine and the prices are low to moderate. We only ate there once, and next year we intend to eat there more often.
Elvira's on Playa La Ropa next to Patys Y Mar
My wife had the tuna steak and I had the shrimp. The restaurant is located right on the beach and the tables are on the sand. They had candles on all the tables. We had a nice bottle of Mexican white wine, plus drinks. The prices were reasonable, and the service was terrific. We enjoyed the meal.
Puerto Del Sol (Puesto Del Sol)located on Playa La Ropa
I called for reservations Thursday the 15th. We asked for a table on the balcony for six o'clock for two people. We walked up the hill and arrived at 5:45. We were warmly greeted and led to our table. We both had a straight shot of very nice tequila. I enjoyed a cervesa (Dos Equis) as I chased my tequila. The owner of the place came over and told me he had acquired some fresh lobster that morning. So I ordered some. My wife ordered the beef flambé. I ordered a nice bottle of wine ($190 pesos): I was okay with having a red wine even though I was having lobster. The wine was Mexican and marvelous. The owner came out, showed me the bottle and awaited my approval. He removed the cork and handed it to me after he sniffed it. I sniffed it again to make sure the wine hadn't spoiled in the bottle, and nodded my assent. He poured a dash of wine into my wineglass and I took a little sip, swirled it around in my mouth and told him he could serve the wine. It is so cool to have that kind of elegant service at a restaurant! I love it! He prepared the beef flambé right at the table, fire shooting around all over! My lobster came right at the time my wife's beef was completed. The meal was wonderful! Plus, we got to enjoy the panoramic view of the bay and the beautiful sunset. We received a free shot of a liquor "from the house" that tasted like Amaretto. It was a nice finale to a wonderful meal! The bill was $480 pesos. That means without the wine, we had drinks, lobster and beef flambé for a mere $290 pesos! Plus, it was one of the best meals we had! Needless to say, we came back for another meal on Thursday the 22nd. Again, we called for reservations and asked for a table on the balcony. We arrived a few minutes early, and we were greeted by name! Smiles and handshakes and an even better meal! We highly recommend this restaurant. The reason for the dichotomy of names is that both names are used. One name appears on the menu, another appears on the outside of the restaurant. I think the proper name now is the Puerto Del Sol, but I may be mistaken.
The Sanka Grill - downtown Zihua (near the Brassero and Tamales Any)
We had been planning on coming to the Sanka grill for a while. We'd read so many nice things about it. We didn't get there until Wednesday the 21st. What a shame! I wish we would have taken half our meals there - it was awesome! This had to have been the best meal we have ever had in Ixtapa or Zihuatanejo! We started out with a straight shot of their house tequila. I followed it with a Dos Equis and later had a margarita. We had a bottle of white Chilean wine for $190 pesos. My wife ordered the pork chop with mushroom sauce ($80 pesos) and I had the garlic shrimp. The pork chops were to die for - fantastic! My wife gave me a bite of her pork chop in exchange for a half of one of the large butterflied shrimp. It was outstanding! And the shrimp was awesome as well! My wife is fairly new at Spanish, in fact this is her first year she has used the language on a regular basis. The waiter enthusiastically listened to her Spanish and gave us both some free lessons! He explained some pronunciation things that helped us both and gave us some phrases that we found useful! There was interesting music playing in the background, so we found a clear area and got some dancing in! We did a swing and a cha-cha-cha and totally enjoyed ourselves! The restaurant was surprisingly empty that night. We walked back to the Villa Mexicana. We started telling other people at the hotel about the Sanka Grill - we usually don't do the promotion sort of thing, but in this case we did! We took our own advice and came back for our last meal on Friday the 23rd. Again, we started with a straight shot of the house tequila ($25 pesos each) and I added a Dos Equis for a chaser. My wife enjoyed a sangria. We both had the pork chops. I ordered a very fine Mexican red wine for our meal -I can't get over the wonderful quality of the Mexican wines I have had everywhere! They are wonderful! Our waiter greeted us by name and was delighted to see us. He gave us the same table we had two nights ago. There were a lot more people in the restaurant that night - we both were happy to see that. I talked to some other people there and learned they come to the restaurant every year and order the tuna steaks. They raved about them. We received more Spanish lessons and learned about the days of the week being named after the planets - we also think he explained to us about a lunar eclipse that was to occur that night. Did Mexico have an eclipse that night, or did I just misunderstand him? It was a wonderful meal, awesome. The bill was $380 pesos.
Patys Y Mar - on Playa La Ropa next to Villa Mexicana
We took our first meal on Saturday the 10th at this restaurant. It is located on Playa Del Sol right next to the Villa Mexicana. We had drinks and my wife had the tuna steak (this is a great dish!) and I had the shrimp. The prices were on the lower end, the meal on the upper end, the service and ambience also on the upper end. It was great.
Daniels - located on Fisherman's Walk next to the basketball court in Zihua
I had a couple of breakfasts at Daniels, a couple of lunches. I met Daniel, the owner. He greeted me and promised me a bottle of wine on the house the next time I would eat there. My wife and I made it for dinner and had a wonderful time. There are a couple of guys playing music - they started out with Blue Dolphin Street and just rocked! The played stuff by Antonio Carlos Jobim - mostly from the movie "Black Orpheus" and other great Latin jazz. They were awesome! We had our white wine from Daniel, a nice touch. We both had seafood. We always get great service there - last year we came there on one of our first days, I asked the Highlander (one of the waiters there) where I could get a good cigar - he ran out of there and came back with a fantastic cigar! He got some money from me and actually ran over a couple of blocks and bought one for me! Great food, prices were a bit toward the upper end of the moderate scale, great place to sit and watch people!
Rick' Bar - downtown Zihua
We ate there on Friday the 16th. It had been raining all day so we ate downstairs. There were interesting people there, including Linda Fox! A young lady sang. My wife ordered the filet mignon and I had the rib eye. Frankly, we could have just ordered the filet mignon and there would have been plenty of meat for both of us! The steaks were huge! Of course, the meal was absolutely marvelous, and the beer was cold. We couldn't have asked for better cuts of meat. My wife was feeling a little under the weather that particular day (nothing to do with Rick's) so we left a little early. I noticed that there were laundry facilities there, as well as Internet access. There was a shower there as well. The folks who ran the place, Canadians, were extremely hospitable and pleasant. We met a couple who were staying at Owens Beach Club at the end of Playa Las Gatas. They were very nice, and they talked about the hardships they found - Owens is not a five star hotel. They were really enjoying themselves, but found the isolation to be tiresome. They also commented on the dogs barking. I walked over to Owens myself once, and checked it out. I think it would be fun to stay there - I don't think it would be right for everybody, but if you like "roughing it", it would be worth a try.
Dona Prudencia - Playa La Ropa
This is the restaurant at the Villa Mexicana Hotel. My wife and I had breakfast there almost every day. We fell in love with the sincronizadas. They kept our coffee cups full. We had lunches on the beach and snacks on the beach as well. Of course, their cheeseburgers were wonderful. What is a vacation if you don't have a cheeseburger in paradise? They had a seafood cocktail that was great. Their soups were wonderful. I especially enjoyed their black bean soup. We ate there for dinner one time, I had shrimp and my wife had baked fish. They feature a full menu and their service is prompt and attentive. Their prices are pretty much standard for Zihua restaurants. We recommend this restaurant, it is not well publicized but it rocks. The atmosphere is quiet and offers a nice view of Playa La Ropa.
La Perla - on Playa La Ropa
What can I say about this place? Don Francisco operates one of the finest restaurants on Playa La Ropa. We had shots of the most marvelous tequila - sipping tequila! We had soup for an appetizer and seafood. Service is friendly and laid back. Note: if you are in Mexico, please relax and get used to the notion of "laid back". We Norte Americanos tend to be in a hurry, anxious to get to our next place on our checklists. If you are at a restaurant, relax! Enjoy yourself and realize that you are on vacation - you don't have to hurry anywhere! In addition - they have the best cigars in a gigantic walk-in humidor. It is really an amazing sight.
Capri - located across the street from the Radisson in Ixtapa
The Christian Fellowship meets there at 6:30 p.m. on Sundays. Last year, we ate most of our breakfasts there and enjoyed several lunches and dinners as well. This year, we went upstairs for dinner after the church service. We were warmly greeted by name by the owner, his wife and the waiter! We had spent a lot of time there last year and got to know them pretty well. What a pleasant surprise! For those staying in Ixtapa, it is located right across from the Radisson. Their prices are on the moderate side and their breakfast is second to none. The owner is an Italian, and they have the best pizza and pasta I've had in the area. If you attend church there, try their dinner upstairs after the service. They have wonderful food! I ordered the shish-kabob with a side of spaghetti. I was very happy with the meal. I enjoyed a couple of Dos Equis and we split a nice bottle of Mexican red wine.
El Brassero - downtown Zihua near Tamales Any and the Sanka Grill
This is a must-visit restaurant. They sell great food for low prices. They have pork tacos pastor for 3.5 pesos - yes, that's right, three and one-half pesos! They are delicious two-small-bite-sized tacos - order several of them for appetizers! Their food is great - they have great breakfasts and a great lunch/dinner menu. You can get take-out tacos there as well. Quick, friendly service - we both enjoyed it a lot!
La Casa Café - next to the canal on the Playa Madera side, up a couple of blocks
We had a wonderful breakfast here! A quaint, small, out-of the-way café. Great coffee - we had a wonderful breakfast there! The owners are a couple of former social workers - they traded in their high-stress life for a busy life in a laid-back community. They are interesting to talk to! We spotted a hummingbird in their garden! They said it was a bit on the rare side, I'd never seen one quite like it. I'll have to get out my bird book and look it up. They have a couple of kids working there - the kids seem to have adjusted quite nicely to life in Mexico! I suppose one could say they are living out their dreams - they certainly seemed to be happy!
It was hard to find a poor restaurant!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
minnesotamike
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Member: Mike Frich
Location: Fergus Falls, MN, US
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Goes with wife to Mexican Pacific West coast every winter.
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