It is my honest belief that romance should not be regulated to Valentine’s Day. The onus is on us to romanticize our lives as much as possible. A daily regimented practice of pouring into oneself through the provision of a good meal and a luxurious trip abroad to decompress from the incessant realities of life. And there is no better place to unwind and rest than the Thompson Zihuatanejo. The luxury beachfront property resides on La Playa Ropa, home to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and The New York Times listed the “laid-back beach town” as No. 5 on its list of places in 2022. There’s no better place to fall in love by yourself than here.
Zihuatanejo is not Cancún or Tulum. The all-inclusive resorts that have become synonymous with a Mexico vacation can be found in the neighboring town of Ixtapa. The former has always existed as an enclave for individual or couple travelers, with the majority of the rental properties consisting of two-person units. The atmosphere in Zihuatanejo lends itself to more of an immersive experience, than isolated to a resort. Locals shared recommendations on the best restaurants to enjoy pozole, a hearty meat and hominy stew served on Thursdays. The dish is traditionally made with a chicken or pork base, but a seafood version is found in the region, because of its proximity to the Pacific Ocean.
Another local recommendation is a mezcal tasting found in the city’s downtown center that featured a selection of Mexican spirits harvested from jimadores, skilled farmers who harvest agave plants in the region’s mountain highlands. The region-specific tequila is a point of pride among many artisans and vendors in the center. A local jewelry store owner offered samples of his own family’s signature tequila, as I looked over potential silver rings to bring home. At the Thompson Zihuatanejo, I received a proper tequila education, as the instructor explained the fundamentals of tequila, from harvesting to distillation to barrel aging, in addition to the benefits of citrus and spice, to bring out the notes in the tequila. Not to mention, cricket salt.
It is a small town with a global tourism scene and abundance of local pride. On my tour of the region, I was told that Zihuatanejo loosely translates to “place of women”. According to legend, the women in the town were highly sought after for their power. The Cuitlatecas, the Indigenous people who first ruled the land, were a matriarchal society.
The respect for women, especially women travelers, is felt throughout the town and resort, where I received a lovely in-depth massage that included a full body exfoliation routine with assorted therapeutic oils, to bring my body back to balance, while being centered in sensory experience, of both scent and touch. The female massage attendants were extremely knowledgeable about which portions of my body were in need of treatment, and tailored the message to attend to the needs that I was unaware of, but was extremely thankful for their unspoken initiative to care for my body. I felt trusted in the hands of skilled practitioners who appeared to know the weight of what my body was carrying and needed to release.
The kindness and hospitality extended unto me by the spa staff was also extended by me to numerous staff members on the property, such as scheduling drop off at the airport, keeping my luggage at the front desk until the departure, and treating me to a send off lunch at the beach. On my last day at the property, I saw the hotel transform into a micro wedding venue, where the bride and grooms’ guests congregated along one of the hotel’s two beachfront bars to celebrate the upcoming nuptials. It felt fitting for my stay to end at the beginning of a destination wedding weekend.
Because of the hotel’s size, I’ve grown accustomed to seeing the same guests at breakfast or lunch. On one walk from dinner, I heard a guest whistling the theme song to “The White Lotus”. Thankfully, my stay did not transform into a Mike White Production, the hotel is not the place for a vacation romance, unless the suitor is yourself or your plus one. Also, the lack of a nightlife and early closing times on the hotel bars makes the Thompson Zihuatanejo more of a calm and unwind vacation, than a rowdy one.
Still, I feel as if life has enough erraticness on its own; there’s no need for me to add anything else to it other than a relaxing vacation abroad in Mexico. After I checked out and found myself at the currency exchange, I overheard an expat and traveler in conversation behind me. He asked about her plans in Zihuatanejo. Her reply: A wedding at the Thompson Zihuatanejo, which led him into a tirade about his years-long love for the property, along with a series of unasked-for recommendations for things to do in the area. She thanked him, before I shortly went on my way, with plans to already return at a later date and time.