Playa La Madera

Playa La Madera is the beach just east of downtown Zihuatanejo, between the Playa Principal and Playa La Ropa, below the hillside neighbourhood of Colonia La Madera. It is the easiest beach in the bay to reach on foot: a seafront walkway leads from the town beach past a string of small rocky coves, including the tiny beaches of Lerdo de Tejada (also called La Almeja) and Las Manzanillas (or Playa Caracol), and arrives at La Madera in about five minutes. Bay-view hotels, bungalows and condominiums climb the slope behind the sand, and a walkway runs the length of the beach.

The name, "Wood Beach", dates from the colonial period, when timber such as mahogany, pine and oak was brought down from the Sierra Madre and loaded here onto Spanish merchant ships. The area has older roots too: so many pre-Hispanic clay figurines have been found on the Cerro de La Madera, east of the port, that archaeologists think it may have been a shrine, possibly linked to Cihuatéotl, the goddess of women who died in childbirth; pieces from the site are on show in the town's Museo Arqueológico de la Costa Grande.

The water is usually gentle, with the occasional wave good for bodysurfing, and you can wade a long way out before reaching the breakers. Part of the beach is covered in pebbles. A handful of seafood restaurants and snack bars put out palapas on the sand, and strolling trios and troubadours make the rounds. La Madera received the international Blue Flag in August 2022, and the municipality lists it among its certified beaches. Behind it, Colonia La Madera, with Calle Adelita and the footbridges over the La Boquita canal, is a favourite place for visitors to stay and eat.