I wrote a blog about three years ago on Playa Larga, but since then we’ve visited a few different restaurants, so I thought I’d write a bit about those.

Puerta Paraiso is a boutique hotel and beach restaurant located close to the north end of the beach. From Zihuatanejo it’s only a twenty minute drive away. The hotel is a bit hidden as you must leave the paved road and travel the last 300 meters or so on a dirt road. But upon entering the hotel grounds it almost feels like the place doesn’t belong on this beach. This is a high end hotel. It’s a large property with well-manicured grounds, a large pool, and suites for rent. There is no fee to visit, so you can stop by, spend an afternoon at the pool and in the lounge chairs, and just pay for your food and drinks. The beach is awesome, white sand, but the waves are a little rough.

There are a dozen or so other hotels located on the beach and across the street, from high end like Puerta Paraiso to more budget friendly. An additional 20 or so beach restaurants are lined up along the main street that runs along Playa Larga. The beach and restaurants are generally fairly quiet, with the beach bar employees waving in any passing motorist. But on weekends the beach parking lot fills up with buses and most restaurant workers are working overtime to keep the drinks coming.

The last time we visited Playa Larga we first tried to spend the afternoon at Aquarena Restaurante. It’s another very nice restaurant / beach bar. The pool is really pretty, and they had no problem with our dog tagging along. But the lounge chairs did not look comfortable, and there was a party going on next door. We wanted a relaxing beach afternoon, so we lugged the dog down the street to Restaurante El Dorado. It’s not as fancy as Aquarena, but more our speed. There were only a few customers at El Dorado, and we received great service. Pricing-wise, all the restaurants charge about the same.

It’s not advisable to swim in the ocean, but otherwise it’s a beautiful beach and not overly developed with condos and houses. The pricing is fair, and most of the restaurants have pools for guests to use. If you are visiting Zihua and looking for something to do, a trip to Playa Larga is a great change of pace.