Across the Gulf of California from the Baja
California Peninsula lies the beginning of what cruise-ship operators now
call the Mexican Riviera, or the Gold Coast. The coastline for the next
1,400 km (870 mi) is Mexico's tropical paradise. The Gulf of California, or
the Sea of Cortés, as it is also called, ends just below the Tropic of
Cancer, leaving the Pacific coastline open to fresh sea breezes. The coast's
resorts - Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, and
Acapulco - are therefore less muggy than gulf towns to the north. The water
is colder, too, and waves can get very rough.
Mexico's Pacific Coast doesn't have the rich cultural heritage of the
country's inland colonial villages and silver cities, and its history is
sketchy at best. This is not the place to see ruins, museums, and
cathedrals; it's a gathering spot for sun worshipers, sportfishing
enthusiasts, surfers, and swimmers. Not far from the resort regions are
jungle streams and ocean coves, but the majority of visitors never venture
to these isolated sites, preferring instead to immerse themselves in the
simultaneously bustling and restful resort lifestyle, where great dining,
shopping, and sunbathing are the major draws.
The southernmost of the Pacific Coast resorts, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo is in the
northwestern part of the coastline of the state of Guerrero, some 500 km
(300 mi) south of Manzanillo. It is the newest kid on the scene - like
Cancún, it was developed by the Mexican government in the early 1970s - and
comprises two distinct destinations only 7 km (4½ mi) from each other.
Ixtapa is the glitzier of the two, with international chain hotels lining
its hotel zone, but it's far smaller and more low-key than older resorts
such as Puerto Vallarta and newer ones such as Cancún. Its development put
neighbor Zihuatanejo, a sleepy fishing village virtually unknown even among
Mexicans, on the tourist map. In Zihuatanejo, La Casa Que Canta is one of
the finest small hotels in the world.
