Zihuatanejo From Z to O, Part Z

Token Zihuatanejo Beach Photo

For this years' customary December visit to Zihuatanejo, we stayed at a hotel on the edge of  Centro, in the mercado district, a 15 minute walk to the beach, to which we didn't go anyway. (With one exceptional moment.)

Through an exhaustive process of in depth research, I chose this particular hotel, the Fiesta Paraiso, on the basis of a 15 minute inspection visit I'd made last year, while on the way out of town. Hotel website here.

Calle Los Mangos and our hotel

Hotel Fiesta Paraiso patio, parking and pool area.

It's on Calle Los Mangos #5, a short distance from the Municipal Mercado. That suited me very well, for one of my goals was to more throughly explore the mercados. In fact, the small, Mercado Campesino was almost across the street, where Los Mangos and Los Tamarindos meet. (Sounds like a chutney I made last year.)

As you can see, the street is "down to earth" and "del pueblo", while the hotel provides simple but comfortable accommodations in a centric location. Best of all, the hotel management is a congenial family with Sra. Paty at the helm, aided by her two sons, Rubén and Omar and some pleasant employees. Later, I may review this hotel separately.

Part of the family that manages the Hotel Fiesta Paraiso

The Fiesta Paraiso was well located for me to explore the Mercado, plus, it is only one street north of the deservedly famous Fonda Doña Licha. We had our first Z-comida of the visit there, Caldo de Pollo for Doña Cuevas and Barbacoa de Res for me. We also had a small pitcher of agua fresca and a mineral water, and left satisfied, after paying a bill of only $105 pesos.

Fonda Doña Licha Calle Los Cocos #5, Centro
Food: ****
Service: ****
Price: $-$1/2 BARGAIN!
Key words: "Comida de tu Mamá"

Hardly anything beats serendipitous food finds, and the first came within the Mercado Municipal Campesinos. I went in looking for special tomatoes, and found at least two tamales vendors (on Sunday, at least), and we bought five, $10 pesos, each some of carne and the others of pollo, accompanied by thick hot atole de avenas. (Oatmeal drink. Other flavors were available.)

Tamal de carne

Tamal de pollo

There were special tomatoes, also.

Tomates "cherry"

Our second significant meal was at Carmelita's Cafe (about 5 blocks north of our hotel.) on Sunday afternoon. I had filete de dorado al mojo de ajo and Sra. Cuevas had a plain filete de dorado a la plancha. We both had very nice ensaladas verdes, with greens, avocado slices, sesame seeds and Granny Smith apple slices.

Carmelita's is often erroneously located, as in TripAdvisor reviews, and described as "hidden" and hard to find", which is nonsense. It's here. See below.


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Ensalada Verde

Filete de Dorado al Mojo de Ajo

Carmelita's Cafe
Food: ****
Service: *****
Price: $$
Ambience: Friendly, gregarious.
Key word: "FRESH"
Location: Heróico Colegio Militar s/n,
between Super Cacahuate and a carwash

During an afternoon stroll into Centro, looking for Café Caracol, we came upon "Zen Wishes", a café offering light fare. Only later we realized the corny pun inherent in its name. We stopped to refresh ourselves from the sultry afternoon heat. I enjoyed a very good brownie, but the coffee was just so-so. The people in charge were very friendly.

Earlier, we'd lunched at Fonda Valencia, on the edge of the Mercado on Calle Los Cocos, near the corner of  Av. Benito Júarez, but the food was mediocre or worse. The service was brisk but rote. My Tiritas de Pescado were o.k., but the Señora's Camarones al Mojo were oily and had more shell debris than shrimp.

Tiritas de pescado

Shrimp shells in garlic oil

Fonda Valencia
Food: **1/2
Service: **1/2
Price: $
Key word: "mediocre"

This ends Part one. In Part "O", I get some tacos de cabeza and eat an over the top hamburger and more too much more. The greatest serendipitous prizes still lie ahead.