The Quiet Side of Paradise
article by Nick Gallo from the Sunday Vancouver Sun
Puerto Vallarta Alternative: Rincón de Guayabito & Villasbuenavida
Cancun Alternative: Isla Mujeres
Los Cabos Alternative: Todos Santos
Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Alternative: Troncones
Nick Gallo is a Seattle writer with a special fondness for Mexico.
Don't be put off by Mexico's big beach resorts. Dive right into the tourist maelstrom and wade out to its palm-studded fringes
Nick Gallo Citizen Special
Saturday, December 06, 2003
Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Alternative:
Troncones (www.troncones.com.mx)
A decade ago, Troncones was simply an isolated beach 30 kilometres north of Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo where ex-Seattleite named Dewey McMillin ran a funky beach café called Burro Borracho. Today, the Drunken Donkey is still there, but it's got company. A few dozen B&Bs, guest inns and vacation homes have sprung up. They're here for one reason: Mexico's holy trinity of sun, sand and sea.
Backed by jungle-covered foothills, Troncones boasts five kilometres of beach that stretches to the village of Majahua. Just a bit north, the open sea presents world-class breaks, attracting serious surfers.
Not surprisingly, Troncones exudes a beach-bum, watch-the-world-go-by-from-a-hammock flavour. (Electricity arrived in town just four years ago.) While you can check e-mail in town, many bungalows don't have pools or TVs. Some don't accept credit cards.
What to do: Bask in the sun, though swimmers need to be careful of the Pacific's undertow. Playa Manzanillo is the safest beach. There are other activities: Snorkelling, kayaking, mountain biking, horseback riding on the beach. The highlight of the day often is dinner at one of the "barefoot-beach" restaurants, where the star is fresh-from-the-sea fish -- grilled huachinango (red snapper) is a treat -- and sweeping vistas of the sea.
Don't miss: Jaguar Tour company's jungle-adventure trip. A three-hour tour (about $50), it includes a nature hike, cave exploring, and a zipline canopy ride in the jungle.
Where to stay: Small, upscale properties and luxurious houses are popping up. Two good ones with rooms that cost less than $100 a night are: Casa Ki (www.casa-ki.com), set in a shady coconut grove with nicely furnished bungalows steps from the ocean,
and Eden Beach Hacienda (www.edenmex.com), also with pleasant rooms, along with a respected chef and the perfect angle for sunset dinners.
How to get there: From the Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo airport, it's a half-hour ride northwest on Highway 200. Take the turnoff for Troncones and follow the road three kilometres to the beach. A one-way taxi fare should cost about $45.
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