What a fantastic tour.
We requested Luis for our tour, and boy did he come through! He indeed took the time to listen to what we wanted and planned the tour around that. My family wanted to see the town, eat authentic local food, shop a bit but also see some of the areas less traveled, like boating and visiting the turtle farm. During these tours, we were also able to play along the beaches of La Ropa, Zhua/Ixtapa, Petatlán, and Playa las GataI.
We started our first day learning about the history of Zhua, Ixtapa, La Ropa, and many more areas. We toured both the cities and the countryside. We stopped at Cancha Municipal for a bit of shopping. Then we tried a few different restaurants and taquerias throughout the tour and enjoyed some delicious gelato and ice cream. The time was so good that we ended up booking Luis two days later, and then again the next day.
After a few hours of touring the cities, Luis took us to a lovely turtle farm near Petatlán; after about an hour's drive, we arrived at a nearby location. Getting to the actual turtle farm was an enjoyable ride through a coconut, sesame, and fruit plantation while riding on ATVs. This ride was incredible! Once we arrived at La Tortuga Felix, The Beautiful Turtle, we learned about the local turtles, their habitat, their life span, and we also got to release a few hundred baby turtles into the sea. It was magical and an experience you cannot miss!
On our second day, we went on a private boat tour out into the pacific and around the beaches of many local towns. Then we went snorkeling for over an hour, and during this time, Luis was able to show us much different fish, but the best one was the up close and personal pufferfish. Later we went to the beach of Playa las GataI so my daughter could swim in the ocean while we all enjoyed a great lunch and a tropical drink.
On our last day with Luis, I wanted to view the historic Partenon del Negro Durazo. The structure and artwork of the building left behind we're breathtaking. We walked around for about an hour and then headed into town for a late lunch at Bandido’s Restaurant after realizing Carmalita’s was closed for the night. The food was delicious! He then wanted to take us to location to see large Crocodiles and iguanas, but we were too tired but then. I wish we would have done, though.
Luis is very knowledgeable about the towns and always had an exciting story to tell us. With Luis being a local, he has a lot of historical narratives of the cities and was able to teach us the history behind them. When we go back, we hope to book Luis again.