Travel guide
La Ropa vs La Madera vs Las Gatas: which Zihuatanejo beach?
Short answer: for a full beach day and the sunset, La Ropa, the longest beach on the bay, with gentle to moderate waves. With small kids or for snorkeling, Las Gatas, sheltered by a natural breakwater with clear, shallow water; you get there by boat. To mix the beach with downtown, La Madera, right on the Paseo del Pescador.
The three beaches compared
| La Ropa | La Madera | Las Gatas | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Longest on the bay, about 1 km | Small | Small, inside a rock barrier |
| Water | Gentle to moderate waves; bigger in the rainy season | Usually calm, though open to the surf | Most sheltered: shallow, clear, no big waves |
| Best for | A full day, swimming, sunsets | Combining with downtown and the Paseo del Pescador | Small kids and snorkeling |
| Getting there | Along the Carretera Escénica | On foot from downtown | By boat from the Playa Principal pier, about 100 pesos round trip |
| From Hotel Bonito | 5-minute walk | 5 minutes by car or about 30 on foot | 11 minutes by car to the pier + 10 minutes by boat |
La Ropa Beach
The biggest beach on Zihuatanejo Bay, about a kilometer long. It has beachfront restaurants and usually gentle to moderate waves that get bigger in the rainy season. It's the favorite for spending the whole day and watching the sunset. Its name ("clothes beach") comes, as the story goes, from a galleon whose cargo of fabric washed ashore.
La Madera Beach
A small beach next to downtown, connected to it by the Paseo del Pescador walkway. The water is usually calm and shallow, though the beach is open to the surf. A good pick if you want to mix beach time, lunch downtown and a stroll.
Las Gatas Beach
A natural rock breakwater shelters it from the open sea, so the water is shallow, clear and without big waves: the easiest beach for small kids and for snorkeling. Visibility is usually better in the dry season. You get there by boat from the Playa Principal pier (about 10 minutes, roughly 100 pesos per person round trip); confirm when the last boat back leaves.
Where to stay?
Staying at La Ropa puts you within walking distance of the bay's biggest beach and a few minutes from downtown and the boats to Las Gatas. Hotel Bonito by Arans is a 5-minute walk from La Ropa Beach, with rooms from 800 pesos per night, taxes included.
FAQ
What is the best beach in Zihuatanejo for kids?
Las Gatas, for its sheltered, clear and shallow water.
What is the biggest beach on the bay?
La Ropa, about a kilometer long.
Which beach is closest to downtown?
La Madera, right on the Paseo del Pescador.
Sources checked in October 2026: Lonely Planet, Ixtapa Zihuatanejo México, Frommer's, Earth Vagabonds and Lo de Hoy. Prices are approximate.