Celebrities in Zihuatanejo from Timothy Leary to Britney Spears

The first celebrities that visited Zihuatanejo date back more than four hundred years ago when it was the favorite retreat of Tarascan kings, one of whom "built a stonewall breakwater in the shallow cove so his daughters could swim in a sheltered lagoon" (1). With the passage of time, the stonewall has grown into an active coral reef that offers great snorkeling.


Fast forward to the early 20th century, when the American author famous for his Westerns, Zane Grey, wrote his 1925 book, "Tales of Fishing Virgin Seas," inspired in Zihuatanejo, where he caught a year earlier a 135-lb. sailfish that was then a world record catch. The author, enamored with the place, wrote on the back cover of his book: "Zihuatanejo has more authentic South Seas atmosphere than the South Sea islands themselves."


Around 1963, Timothy Leary, an icon of 1960 counterculture, dismissed from Harvard for experimenting with psychedelic drugs, established in Zihuatanejo the "Mexican Freedom Center", where he and his followers aimed to give continuity to his life project of "Turn on, tune in, drop out".


Five years later, Owen Lee, a member of Capt. Jacques Cousteau's diving staff, got hooked by the magic of Zihua-- "In 1968, he sailed into Zihuatanejo Bay aboard an old wooden sailboat. He has lived here and loved it ever since" according to the back cover of his 1996 guidebook, entitled "Owen´s English Language Guide". Lee owns the Las Gatas Beach Club.


In 2005, Daniel Kennedy released "The Cooking School at Z," subtitled "a novel of romance and food in Mexico." Reviewing the book editor Catherine Krantz said it "reminds us why we love Zihuatanejo, the beauty of the place and the people here." Kennedy says his best-selling bookstore is the international airport in Sacramento, "where people want a novel for a long plane ride to shift them into a vacation frame of mind." (2)

A short time later, Canadian snowbird Elizabeth Ashe released "The Jade Pendant," totally set in Zihua. Ashe says she feels "Zihuatanejo is the most romantic and inspiring place on earth, particularly for women, and it will always hold a special place in my heart no matter where my future takes me." (2)

A moonlit beach in Zihua is the ideal place for love, as it was the place chosen by Mark Burnett, producer of hit shows such as Survivor and The Apprentice, to get down on his knees in 2006 and propose to TV actress Roma Downey. (3)

Last year it was Britney Spears´ turn to enjoy Zihuatanejo. The Princess of Pop Music, her beau, the actor and musician, Jason Schwartzman and her two sons, Sean and Jayden relaxed and enjoyed a few days under a splendorous sun.

Tom Morley, renowned yoga instructor to film celebrities such as Oscar winners Reese Witherspoon and Helen Hunt has also chosen Zihuatanejo to offer his health and healing therapies.(4)

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Sources:

(1) NYT Travel Section, Sunday, May 19, 2002

(2) Michel Janicot, a writer who lives in Grass Valley, CA in http://www.adip.info/2005_2006/jan/01-history.html

(3) http://www.starblogs.net/archives/2006/11/index-p2.html

(4) http://www.travelixtapazihuatanejo.com/libraries/uploaded/general/file/press/BP10_en.pdf

Zihuatanejo among the best places to retire in the World

International Living magazine has evaluated and compared the World´s best retirement destinations for the past 15 years.

This year thirty countries were analyzed and ranked according to the following variables: cost of living, health care, quality of life, climate, safety, stability, and infrastructure, among others.

And the results were... Italy in the third place with its historic sites and beautiful cities. Ecuador came in second because of its low cost of living, great weather, beautiful landscape and a growing economy tied to the US dollar.

So, what´s the best country in the World for retiring according to this study? Well its... MEXICO! in part due to these powerful arguments:

• Extremely convenient because it´s so near to the US and Canada
• Mexico´s Senior Citizens´ Benefits Program offers up to 50% discounts on many services to retirees over the age of 60
• Mexican government has enacted many new laws encouraging foreign investment

In brief, "Mexico has become an incredible place to enjoy retirement that offers the quality of life that North Americans are accustomed to with numerous other extra benefits".

The study goes on to mention that some of the best places in Mexico to retire are located in the Pacific Ocean coastline which seldom sees hurricanes or troublesome storms and offers more than a thousand miles of incredible views with a climate similar to Hawaii´s.

The most desirable locations are: La Paz, Todos Santos, Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Escondido and... our gem of the Mexican Riviera, Ixtapa / Zihuatanejo!!

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Source: http://www.lartp.org/seven-world-wonders/looking-for-the-best-place-in-the-world-to-retire

The NYT in Zihuatanejo

The NYT and its Travel section recently visited the enchanting town of Zihuatanejo in an article entitled "Dreamy Days on Mexican Sands".

The author, Megan Harlan, compares this jewel of the Mexican Riviera to other more famous resorts like Acapulco, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta, praising "Zihua´s authentic small-town charm".

Harlan, a writer and poet from San Francisco, writes about Zihuatanejo´s unique natural gifts -- "sheltered, diamond-shaped bay... fringed by creamy beaches" with "red foothills of the Sierra Madre, leafy with coconut palms and mango trees" and "by night... little lights from the adobe buildings studding the hills and the sailboats bobbing on the water".

La Ropa, "Zihuatanejo´s most stunning beach" is described by her as a "half-mile crescent of powdery sand snugly bookended by glistening cliffs [where] restaurant tables spill onto the sand, inviting quick dips in the warm ocean waters between refreshments".

Zihua, she recounts, also appeals to the "city people" inside her because of the "good selection of restaurants and shops". The fresh ingredients of the restaurant menus, a delight just like the shopping for local quality artwork.

Harlan enjoys and portrays a fascinating World of palapas, brilliant blue days, large black-winged gulls, dachshund-size iguanas posing motionless on a branch, coral reef lagoon with feathery turquoise, iridescent violet and tiger-striped fish, sunset streaked water...

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Taste the Flavor of Zihua with the recipe for "Tiritas"

Authenticity is inherent to any time spent in Zihuatanejo. One way to taste the flavor of the town is through their popular "Tiritas", (fish strips) thah that celebrates the freshness of the sea.

A popular Zihua recipe for "Tiritas" consists of:
- Fresh fish, tuna, dorado, gruper, sailfish, marlin, bonito
- Lime juice
- Red onion
- Chiles serranos
- Salt

Cut the filet of fish in thin strips ("Tiritas"), then cut the red onion and the chiles the same way. Cook the fish in the lime juice by allowing it to marinate for about 20 minutes. Place the fish strips on the plate, then on the fish, lay the red onion, chiles and salt. Pile on to corno chips or crackers.

Buen provecho! (Enjoy!)

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Direct flights from USA and Canada to Zihuatanejo

In recent years, more tourists in North America are discovering Zihuatanejo and as a result there has been an increase in the number of airlines offering nonstop flights to this beautiful and picturesque town in the Mexican Pacific.

Among the airlines with regular flights are: Alaska Airlines from Los Angeles, Continental from Houston, US Airways from Phoenix and Air Canada from Vancouver.

Those with seasonal flights especially offered to escape the freezing-cold winters are: United Airlines from Los Angeles and Denver; Apple Vacations flying in from Minneapolis and Milwaukee; MLT (Worry Free Vacations) from Minneapolis; Mark Travel (Funjet) from Chicago and Minneapolis; GoGo (Liberty Travel) arriving from to sunny Zihuatanejo from Chicago, Houston and Kansas.

The charters from Canada are the following: Conquest from the cities of Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal; Sunwing from Toronto; Sunquest departing from Calgary and Vancouver; Vacances Air Transat from Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary, and Tour Mont-Royal from Montreal.

And just a few days ago, Frontier Airlines announced adding seasonal (Jan. 15-March 26) direct flights from Denver to Zihuatanejo starting in 2011.

The other good news is that the flying times to Zihuatanejo are very accesible:

East Coast and Vancouver: 6 hours
Chicago: 5 hours
Denver: 3 hours
Los Angeles: 3.5 hours
Houston: 2.5 hours

So... reserve your seats now on the next flight to Zihuatanejo!

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So very many things to do in Zihuatanejo!

Zihuatanejo is one of those vacations spots so blessed that you can practically do everything you dream of.

Of course, as soon as you hit the beach, you´ll be tempted to try the parasailing and "ride like the wind".

The warm blue sea will seduce you to swim, surf and kayak. And you can also snorkel or scuba dive the colorful Pacific coral reefs.

Anything more inspiring and romantic than sailing to the sunset?

Or if fishing is for you, Zihuatanejo is the fisher´s paradise...

But Zihuatanejo is not only blue, but also green and the spirit of the lushious mountain will call you with ecotourism activities like hiking or bicycling.

"Tennis or golf anyone?" Spas, Jacuzzis, infinity pools...

And for the "night creatures", there´s fine dining, picturesque bars and dance-until-the-sun- comes-out discotheques.

Already salivating for Zihuatanejo?

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Seaside Wedding in Zihuatanejo

A Seaside Wedding in Zihuatanejo, Mexico is for you if:

• You always envisioned your wedding dress softly dancing with the sea breeze while sunlight highlights your hair
• If you close your eyes, you can hear the murmur of the waves in the background while you say "I do!"
• If you think the best treat to your senses are lush gardens and tropical flowers
• You always dreamed of your maids of honor barefoot in the sand
• If you think wedding banquets in hotels are for people that lack imagination

To top this all, another great advantage, according to Lorin of San Francisco is what you can save by having a seaside wedding in Zihuatanejo: "I spent half of what my friends did on their weddings" (http://www.bride.com/)

So, honey, check out these faaaabulous Villas in Zihuatanejo and... make your dream come true!

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