Zihuatanejo – a little corner of Mexico previously made famous by The Shawshank Redemption.
And after visiting the beaches and soaking up the vibe of the city, I can see why it was name-dropped in the film.
What I particularly loved about Zihuatanejo was the accommodation choices. This isn’t your typical high-rise beach resort and neither was it filled with sub-par hostels cramming visitors into bunk beds. Instead, the focus seemed to be much more on quaint B&Bs, small, friendly hotels and an emphasis on feeling like a local.
This was were Quinta Camelinas fitted in perfectly. It was far enough out of the main centre of the city to feel secluded and yet only a ten minute walk into the action.
We arrived in Zihuatanejo at around 6am, after taking an overnight bus from Mexico City. It was dark and humid and we were tired and looking forward to just dropping our bags off in the room. Unfortunately for us, we asked a friendly local for directions and got pointed in…well…the wrong direction.
It’s often like that in Mexico; instead of feeling as though they are letting you down, locals will give you directions, even if they have no clue where the place is that you are looking for. They will also tell you that your destination is only two or three blocks away, when really it’s another twenty minute walk.
Finally, after confusedly walking round in the heat for an hour, we found the hotel, down a small side street (and once we had gotten our bearings quickly realised that it should have taken us only ten minutes to walk there. Damn you Mexico, and your over-zealous kindness!)
Luckily for us, the hotel owner was happy to let us check in as soon as we arrived, which meant that a snooze and shower were in order after our long journey (both on the bus and the subsequent walk).
We finally had air conditioning – a luxury which had so far been denied to us during the rest of our travels across Mexico. And even better…there was a swimming pool!
After a nap and an unpack, we headed out to the pool to top up our tans and sip a pina colada or two.
We also made friends with some of the cutest little neighbourhood dogs who would greet us out on the street every morning.
We only managed to get to the beach once during our stay, even though it was only five minutes away from the hotel, but I loved the fact that it was almost deserted at this time of year. It was a great spot from which to watch the sunset.
Zihuatanejo is a perfect-sized town with several bars and restaurants (serving lots of fresh seafood) and a long, sandy beach. If you are planning a visit there, I would definitely recommend the Quinta Camelinas, mainly because of its proximity to said beach and also the fact that for the price, you cannot beat the fact that there is a swimming pool, kitchen, courtyard dining area and air conditioning in the rooms.
Oh, and there’s a great little pizza restaurant up the hill from the hotel which has a wonderful patio overlooking the hills of the city. Need I say more?
We were offered a discount on our two night stay at Quinta Camelinas, but that did not mean that I had to write a positive review. This is an honest account of my impressions of the accommodation, which were of high quality. And the local puppies didn’t hurt, either.
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