Hotel Sotavento Beach Resort Zihuatanejo

The Sotavento offers a graceful luxury of bygone days. Directly on the beach with marvelous verandas and spacious rooms, it is the oldest hotel on the beach. One cannot help but think of the Sotavento in its glory days.

This was my lst stay at the Sotavento, however I have visited Zihuatanejo over 10 times. I thoroughly enjoyed my peacful vacation there. My bed was comfortable, I dont know what anyone is complaining about, they must have gotten new beds-it was a mixture of firm and soft-Perfect. I stayed at the least expensive room, there are about 5 or 6 of these rooms which are called singles (they actually All have at least a double And a single bed, a couple with one small child would be comfortable in one of these). My view was not as spectacular-lots of palms-I still had a nice veranda, but I think I paid about 62/night and you couldnt beat that location and price anywhere else in Zihua.

The ony drawback was that the stairs pretty much were exhausting, but they are beautiful. You are reminded of Mayan ruins climbing those lovely stone stairs up to the top. The restaurant at the top/and lounge/computer access room/has a spectacular view of the entire beach. Really lovely looking out over the entire bay and beach.

The buffet breakfast is Fantastic. Several types of fresh fruit, egg dishes, sausages or bacon, etc. potatoes, breads, etc etc. oj and coffee-as much as you need, a veritable feast-included in the room. It is a terrace looking out over the bay and it is quiet and peaceful. I never heard any annoying noise in the entire hotel except for a tiny bit of music on a Friday night coming from the Huge monstrosity of a resort built nearby (luckily a nice grassy lawn is between the two).

The pool is private and secluded and rarely anyone there. It is easy to have a peaceful swim...with nice chairs for sitting around. The beach is okay, I actually prefer to swim in front of La Perla, a palapa restaurant down the beach. But, if you sit in front of the hotel you will get a free towel (some a bit tattered unfortunately) and service from the restaurant and eat right on the beach in your lounge chair in their private beach area-old world luxury...they have an on-site massage area, which is great, right on the beach, curtained off for privacy.

The food basically at the restaurant (other than breakfast buffet) did not thrill me and after one lunch and one dinner I looked elsewhere. Drinks at sunset are fun though on that veranda. If they got a better chef, fancier drinks and more lively bartender-this would the THE best restaurant/bar on the beach because of the Spectacular view.

In summary, the old world lushness of this lovely old resort hotel is still wonderful. There are a few cracks here and there perhaps in the bathroom wall or so, but it is a HUGE bargain to stay here, spacious and quiet, considering what you get. Just remember the stairs...It is up for sale now. Let's hope someone comes along and recognizes what a Huge bargain this hotel is and restores it to its old Chintz and Palm glory days, does the restaurant up a bit. It would so fabulous.

We keep going back to this hotel even though its not a top of the line hotel

It needs repairs and the showers are trickles of water, but they promised they would check on them before we go back in April.

A large hotel condominium was placed next door so that might have been the problem with the water during its construction.

The hotel is clean but old, but the verandas are wonderful and relaxing and the view is magnificent. The restaurant is empty even though the food is good, My teenage daughter thinks its better than the beach restaurants all around the hotel.

The fishermen are very friendly and costly because of gas, we caught so many tuna and big fish. We saved the life of a turtle that was caught in a line way out to sea. We also were followed by schools of porpoises who jumped and played right along side for miles.

The sunrises on the pangas are amazing, I dont even swim, but loved the mornings and we were back by 1:00.

This area is on a bay that is very calm ( no big waves)

I can honestly say I love this place. If you can handle 70 or so steps from top to bottom you will love this hotel also.

My son, who is an avid athlete is looking forward to this hotel for his first time. The steps were one of the reasons he wanted to stay here.

We spent a week (7-14 March) at the Sotavento and enjoyed every day. This was our second stay there after an absence of 30 years. Much has changed in the area over that time, including many more people, but the hotel has only gotten better over that time. The staff was very attentive and helpful, and the views and beach still fantastic. The hotel is quirky and eccentric in several ways, but we find it only adds to its charm and enchantment. It is definitely not a Holiday Inn and we would rate it only 2-3 stars, but wish we were still there. It is for the 40+ crowd at the hotel and on the beach. Very few younger people and almost no college spring breakers. It is much less crowded than Ixtapa and the beach is much better for swimming.

The rates are very low, increasing the higher up you stay, but include breakfast. There are LOTS of steps, about 200 from beach to lobby/restaurant level, but they kept us from gaining weight! The rooms all seem to have somewhat different floor plans, but all have large glassless windows. Most, but not all, face the beach and these also have large common balconies with sitting area and hammocks. Most rooms also have large glassless windows on the hallway side with only drapes to provide privacy. Some have screened hallway windows only higher up. In either case the sounds you make are shared with passersby. The bathrooms have only screen-covered windows high up as well, with the same result. Little harmless geckos were sometimes encountered in our room. Also, in our room the interior bathroom wall did not go all the way to the ceiling and there was no bathroom door, only the shower wall to separate the toilet area. Other rooms we looked at had both full walls and doors. Not a big deal to us. The food was OK at the hotel but not great. There are several restaurants within walking distance on the beach and more downtown, a short taxi ride away.

A few words about negative comments in other reviews. The construction next door was finished and it was very quiet. Beds appeared new and were very comfortable. Towels, both in the room and on the beach, also appeared new. For us, the negatives were being constantly bothered by peddlers on the beach and in restaurants, and the touristy additions of things like parasailing, banana boat rides, and jet skis that to us detracts from this paradise.

My wife and I just returned from the Sotavento and we had a wonderful time there. We paid just $70 per night and from what else I saw that was available, we got a great deal. The places was very clean, great staff and views that you won't get from any other hotel in the area. The Sotavento also has the largest area of beach for any hotel on Playa de Ropa and I really can't think of anything bad to say about the place. There is no air conditioning, but it got nice and cool in the evenings. The rooms have no glass, only screens, so the breeze comes right in and you even need a blanket to keep warm. The sounds of the waves crashing below will put you right out. The Sotavento was perfect for us.

We just returned to the US from Zihua and this was a wonderful property. Lots of stairs so if you aren't in good shape, you may want to look at other options.

Wonderful breakfast and lunch but not the place to eat dinner.

Wonderful beach front and the Jose Luis, who runs the beach is a great guy!

No A/C but you don't need it.

The staff is first-rate and very friendly; everyone is quite helpful.

We will be back.

Sandy

We just got back from our sixth time at the Sotavento. Actually, the new name is Royal Sotavento. Our first trip was almost twenty years ago, so we've seen the spectacular views from the terrace before. Those views are perhaps the best on La Ropa, however, we know why they can't charge for the view. We won't complain about the lack of air conditioning, because we go to Zihua to warm up, however, it sure would be nice if management would replace the beds that have been there for at least the last fifteen years. The towels are the originals from over twenty years ago. Sure, it has a bit a charm to see the old initials on those mustard orange towels, but they are so thin and tattered! Come on, spend some of our higher rates on new beds and towels, and you'll keep us coming back!

we stayed on the third floor. the wall facing the ocean is screened windows and a door with a screen door. you sleep with the ocean breeze and hearing waves breaking. i would not recommend the rooms next to the steps as there are screens about 6 inches for air circulation on that side and you hear conversations plus the steps are well lit and that comes into your room, too. i loved everything else and would return again in a minute.

We stayed here 11 years ago on our honeymoon and we loved it - especially the views. We returned this year but chose the Catalina Beach Resort which seemed to be more kid friendly. It was a good choice - the Sotavento has changed management and looks like it is falling apart - very disappointing. Also, BEWARE, there is major construction going on next door which looks right over the pool and starts very early!

We just returned from our first trip to Ixtapa/Zihuatenjo and we loved it. I would definitely recommend staying in Zihuat if you like the authentic non-resort experience, but if you're travelling in the next few months, avoid the Sotavento. The facility itself is rather Spartan, but OK. However, they are constructing a new hotel or something next to it and while we were there, the loud excavation of rock began at 7 am and continued until 8 pm. We felt bad for the very courteous and helpful staff, but had to move to a different hotel after a couple of days to escape the noize. Would spend the extra dough and stay down the beach at the Hotel Villa del Sol.

It's not a fancy place, there are tons of stairs to walk up and down, and the food isn't great, but it s somehow still a wonderful place. Get a high floor with a balcony. Every day after getting baked on their excellent beach, I would go up to the room, take a cool shower and put moisturizer on, then sit on the balcony looking past the bouganveillia out over the bay, listen to Band of Gypsies and watch the sun set over the pacific. It was a profound ritual, and guaranteed to ease all the stress right out. Sotavento isn't deluxe, but it has a really special quality all its own.