Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Mexico

Mexico to refund taxes on visits to Ixtapa Zihuatanejo

But... not on your hotel bill!

[Excerpts]

In light of slow economic growth in Mexico, the Tourism Ministry announced a tax credit on May 15 in the hopes of maintaining tourist interest
...
Starting in June at five main airports, foreign tourists who have spent at least 1,200 pesos ($115) in approved shops will be able to use kiosks to claim back the 15% tax that had been charged on souvenirs and other goods they bought at various resorts and cities, the Mexico Tourism Ministry said on May 15.
...
Benjamín Díaz, the Tourism Ministry official charged with improving regulations governing the industry, says 80% of foreign tourists visiting Mexico were from the U.S. The move is aimed largely at keeping working- and middle-class Americans flocking to Mexico's pristine beaches and Mayan ruins.
...
The break will apply to shopping, not to hotels or restaurants. It will first be available at Mexico City, Cancún, Guadalajara, Los Cabos, and Puerto Vallarta airports. Five more airports, including those at Cozumel and Mazatlán, will join the list by the beginning of 2009, followed by the rest of the country's airports and cruise ship maritime ports.
...
Of the money they can claim back at airports, tourists will be able to get half in cash pesos, up to a maximum of 10,000 pesos ($955). The rest will be credited to their bank accounts or credit cards within 40 days. Officials are hoping the windfall will tempt some returning tourists into the country's own duty-free shops.


Good start. Too bad you won't be able to claim the refund on your hotel bill, but something is better than nothing. There is also no mention of a date as yet for the Ixtapa Zihuatanejo airport, but it will make flying through Mexico City a little less onerous.

Some tips on getting discount hotel rates in Ixtapa Zihuatanejo.

If you arrived at this page looking for list of super discount hotel rates, you are going to be disappointed. There are a bazillion sites offering the “Discount Rates on Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Hotels”. Yeah, right. On the other hand, if you want a little free advice on finding your own hotel discounts, read on.

As a hotel owner, I am perhaps slightly qualified to pass on a few tips on getting a discounted rate for your next visit Ixtapa or Zihuatanejo. You make also want to check out my article on how to How to Choose a Hotel in Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Or Choosing a location.

Anyway, if you are still with me, here are some ideas to try:

• Call the hotel directly.

If you know exactly which hotel you want to stay at, see if you can find a local phone number for them. This advice is especially true for the small bungalows or boutique hotels. Calling direct will generally put you in touch with the owner of the hotel, and rest assured that they are perfectly aware that they do not have to pay a commission to an on line reservation service, (or a local taxi driver). Expect at least 10% flexibility – it costs them nothing to give you a discount equal to the commission they would otherwise have to pay. TIP: All local telephone numbers in Ixtapa Zihuatanejo have an area code of "755". If you see a number published like any of the following, you know it is a number local to Ixtapa or Zihuatanejo (I will leave the explanation of what the prefixes mean for another post). Very soon I will be posting a list of all the hotels, casas, condos, bungalows, villas, hostels and rooms that I have telephone numbers for. 755 555 1212 01 755 555 1212 045 755 555 1212 044 755 555 1212 011 52 755 555 1212 011 52 1 755 555 1212

• Make a reservation in the evening.

Virtually every hotel in the world will cancel a reservation if you don't show up by 6pm, unless of course your room is secured by a credit card. This of course will only work if you are already in Ixtapa or Zihuatanejo, or are planning to arrive within a few days or so. With the smaller hotels, especially in Zihuatanejo, a canceled reservation may also mean that the owners have withheld some or all of the guest's deposit. You may find the owner more inclined to give you a discounted rate. A very typical policy is to require a 50% deposit up front and then only refund 80-90% of it if the room is re-rented.

• Make a “high-season” reservation in the “low-season”.Again, from personal experience! The months of May/June and September/October are the lowest seasons in Ixtapa Zihuatanejo. Everyone is out, or running out, of money and are therefore more motivated to discount at these times. Hotel maintenance is expensive and never stops! Neither do the staff salaries! Be prepared to leave a substantial deposit though – you will get a better discount in the future by leaving them with cash-in-hand now.
  
  
• Negotiate.

Mexican commerce is built on negotiation. There is nothing inherently insulting or wrong about negotiating a better price. If fact, to the contrary, it is expected. I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of Mexican guests who have stayed in my bungalows in Zihuatanejo who have not negotiated a rate (or at least tried to!). On the other hand, the reverse holds true for American and Canadian guests. I am never offended by this. It is a way of life. Obviously a guest wants the best rate they can get for their accommodation, as does the owner. As a guest, remember one thing: the owner will never rent a room for less than they are happy with receiving! This of course is impossible with the large, chain hotels.

• Settle for second best.

The big hotels, like virtually all the hotels in Ixtapa, always have a few rooms out of service. Perhaps they are on the maintenance list to fix an outlet, replace a tile in the bathroom and so forth. If you let the manager know that you are will to accept this sub-standard room, for a discount of course, you may just get it! Along the same lines is the idea of choosing a lower-priced hotel in the same area. Let's say you want to be on Playa La Ropa (in Zihuatanejo), but your hotel choice is charging $350 a night – well outside your budget. Next door is a perfectly decent, but not as fancy, hotel that is charging $200 a night. Don't forget, the beach is the same, the sun is the same and you probably won't be spending that much time in the actual hotel itself. Get out and explore! If you are staying in Ixtapa, jump on a bus to Zihuatanejo for the day, you won't regret it.

• Book one night and wait-and-see.

• Decide whether the area you picked is where you want to be. Perhaps Ixtapa is not to your taste after all and you would rather have a room in Zihuatanejo, for example.

• Ask around and explore other options and negotiate a rate you are happy with. The previous advice about cancellations now applies.Another Caution: DO NOT TAKE ADVICE from the friendly guy on the beach, the taxi driver or the waiter that offers to show you his “amigos” hotel. They almost invariably are in it for the commission. On the other hand, if you do strike up a conversation with someone who is not trying to hand you a flyer, bundle you into a taxi or worse yet, trying to sell a time-share, listen to them.

This really belongs under the topic of choosing a hotel, but can also help in finding a better rate. Caution: Do NOT attempt this at Christmas, New Year's, Easter or during summer vacations. All the hotels, and even the crappiest rooms, fill up during these holidays in both Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo. You could well find yourself sleeping on the street (no, not on the beach, it's not allowed). If you don't know the Ixtapa or Zihuatanejo areas well, or suspect that you can get a better price while you are “on the ground”, consider booking just one night at any likely looking hotel. Once you are here, you can then:

• Consider other accommodations.

A lot of us feel more comfortable booking a room in a large, well-known hotel. In Ixtapa, you will find all the large hotels. Zihuatanejo on the other hand, generally has smaller places to stay. There are a myriad of 1 to 10 room properties available. There are also condos, houses, apartments, bungalows, guest houses and the like. Playa La Ropa and Playa La Madera, in Zihuatanejo, are full of choices like these – and yes there are a few larger hotels too.

Thanks for reading and yes, I promise to have a list of phone number posted here Real-Soon-Now. Why not click the “Subscribe via RSS” or “Subscribe via Email” above – that way, you'll be the first to know when a new article is posted.

A rough guide to choosing your specific Hotel in Ixtapa or Zihuatanejo, Mexico

OK, so you've read my post on choosing a location “Best Hotel Location - Ixtapa Or Zihuatanejo?” (if you haven't, perhaps you should do so now!).

You've settled on a location, perhaps even have your plane tickets in hand, now how in the heck to decide which Hotel is “best” for your specific needs? First question:

1. 
   
   Travel Agents.
   
   
2. 
   
   Specific hotel or chain sites.
   
   
3. 
   
   On-line reservation sites.
   
   
4. 
   
   Specific Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo sites and forums.
   
   

Travel Agents

Easy right? Walk in, pick up a brochure and squint over the 5x5 cm pictures. Choices? Let's see (I am actually looking at a brochure as I write this). 8 hotel choices in Ixtapa and 3 in Zihuatanejo. Not bad you say? There are hundreds of hotels, bungalows, villas, condos etc. In the Ixtapa Zihuatanejo area!

Why these particular Hotels? I am not saying there aren't any good ones in the list but the one and only criteria for being listed in a travel agency or package vacation company brochure is the following:

Hotel Web Sites

Obviously, you can't expect a Hotel's website to give you fair unbiased reviews of their properties, but they do have one distinct advantage:

• 
  
  Better rates -- they don't have to pay a commission to anyone.
  
  
• 
  
  Last-minute cancellation deals – who knows better than the reception or reservations clerks?
  
  
• 
  
  More room options. Especially with package deals, you choices may be limited. For example, the rooms with the best view may not be offered in a package deal as it would “break” their $999 super saver deal.

On-line Reservation Sites

There are dozens, even hundreds. Why? Easy... it is a very lucrative market to be in. Think about it, no inventory, no physical product to deliver, just collect commissions.

More and more there is very little difference between the big boys. The price differences are marginal between say Expedia and Travelocity (no endorsement implied!). By all means, use them, just keep in mind the following:

• Know who you are dealing with. The big sites are well established and trustworthy, but some of the little guys... who knows. Save yourself some trouble and do a little research. As a Hotel owner in Zihuatanejo, I can tell you from experience that not all booking services are alike. There are times when I haven't been paid, or it has taken ages to get paid. Meanwhile of course, the guests have arrived, they have paid and have every expectation of receiving what they paid for, and rightly so.
• Ignore the star ratings. Well, to a point. Bear in mind that star ratings are entirely subjective. Especially in small towns like Ixtapa or Zihuatanejo, there is no, repeat no “star rating authority” (AAA for example). I have seen Hotels here that rate one star on a particular site and 3 stars on another!
• If the site boasts reviews or user-forums, use them. Read the reviews or comments with a grain of salt to start. If a Hotel only has one review... well, obviously it can't be the consensus opinion can it? Also, depending on the site, the user comments can be a little suspect too. Not on the big sites, but the smaller ones. It is pitifully easy to “seed” positive comments about your own property.
• Not all hotels are listed. The biggies in Ixtapa sure, but the majority of smaller ones, especially in Zihuatanejo, are not. Nor will you find apartments, bungalows, private villas etc. Look to the local sites for them.

Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Sites and Forums

These are not booking services per se, although they all have links and advertising. I am now going to break my rule about not giving anyone a free plug, but if you don't already know the site, you should: TripAdvisor. They have forums for both Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo.

Check it out. By far the vast majority of people are honest and helpful and the site makes it very difficult to engage in self-promotion.

Lonely Planet can be good too, but they just don't have the volume. There are also forums on some of the local sites but they tend to be populated with two types of people – those looking for information and locals trying to promote their businesses. Not useless by any means, but again, take it with a grain of salt.

In summary, the more homework you do, the better chance you will have of being happy with your choice. If you haven't done so already, make sure you read “Best Hotel Location - Ixtapa Or Zihuatanejo?”. If you have, move on to "Finding a cheap hotel".

The best hotel in Ixtapa or Zihuatanejo? That's a question-and-a-half. There really is no "right answer" as it depends on a lot of very personal factors. Some of the questions asked are:

• Is a hotel in Ixtapa better than one in Zihuatanejo simply because Ixtapa is the resort that built up beside the town of Zihuatanejo?
• Is there a big price or service difference between the two?
• What is better for children?
• What are the beaches like?
• What is better for singles?
• What about Saladitas, Troncones, Playa Larga, Playa Blanca, Barra de Postosi, or other places in the area?
• Where is the night-life?

This is not intending to be a complete treatise on the subject, and is obviously somewhat biased as it is based solely on personal experience and comments from many visitors. However, it should help to orient you to the myriad options available in the area.

Is a hotel in Ixtapa better than one in Zihuatanejo

Short answer: NO!

Go to a travel agent and ask them for information or hotel bookings in Zihuatanejo and they will probably greet you with a blank stare (or perhaps refer you to a speech therapist!). Ask them for a booking in Ixtapa and they will asking for your credit card before you have even finished speaking!

Ixtapa is the resort area built specifically as a tourist destination in the 1970's. Zihuatanejo is the town that provides services for the resort area.

In both destinations you will find world-class hotels, restaurants and a host of services. So what is the difference? Here are a few major differences:

• Price.
  
  
  • Ixtapa is more expensive than Zihuatanejo. For just about everything -- from the price of a beer, to hotel rooms, although Zihuatanejo has it's share of very expensive hotels too -- and more are being built all the time.
  
  
• Beaches.
  
  
  • The bay of Zihuatanejo and it's associated beaches -- Playa Las Gatas, Playa La Ropa, Playa La Madera and Playa Principal are much safer for swimming than the beaches in Ixtapa, or for that matter, most of the other beaches within 30 minutes north or south of town. Ixtapa is on the open ocean and thus has much bigger waves (at times) and strong currents.
  
  
• English.
  
  
  • You will find much more English being spoken in Ixtapa than in Zihuatanejo, although you will find quite a lot of English (of varying levels) in both places.
  
  
• Mexican.
  
  
  • Without a doubt, Zihuatanejo is much more typical of Mexico than is Ixtapa. The hotels in Ixtapa tend to be somewhat "anonymous", like any resort area anywhere.
  
  
• Night-life.
  
  
  • If you are looking for a huge choice of night-life -- 57 varieties of dance-and-drink-til-dawn type places, you should probably look at Cancun. Sure, there are 3 or 4 discos in Ixtapa -- of the Carlos & Charlies type, but generally things are pretty quiet. Quiet, but not dead.
  
  
• Activities.
  
  
  • Apart from hanging around your hotel, the choices of other activities, such as fishing, horseback riding, snorkeling etc. all require a bus or taxi ride. Horseback riding is available for instance in Playa La Ropa (in Zihuatanejo), Playa Linda (close to Ixtapa) or Playa Larga (halfway to the airport). Your choice of hotel really needn't be based on your choice of activities, bearing in mind of course that transportation to and from Ixtapa is always more expensive.
  
  

Got a location in mind? Move on to Choosing a hotel.