Ali and I recently took a trip to La Saladita, a small surf town 40km north of Zihuatanejo. We had previously only spent a few hours there, so it was fun to actually get 24 hours to explore. My parents were in town, so it was fun to visit with them. We showed up on the beach without a reservation, and after about 15 minutes of asking around, we settled on Villas Jacqueline. Two rooms cost a total of 3,300 pesos. They had a great location across the street from the beach, but it was definitely a bit rustic. There was also only one key to one of the rooms, and apparently it was the last key in existence for the lock, so Jacqueline asked us to leave the key on the tree branch outside the room when we left. The other room did not have a key, so you could lock the door before you left, but you needed to jump onto the balcony and enter the room to unlock the front door. Seemed like a safe enough town, I guess.
Whereas Zihuatanejo has a bit older demo, La Saladita is a younger demo. All ages were welcome, but it’s a surf beach. We saw more women surfing then men, and some families with young children, too. Ali and I walked the beach at 7:15am our second day and the surfers were already out in large numbers. This explains why there are limited options for dinner after about 7pm. The other past time of visitors to La Saladita appears to be yoga. We saw plenty of signs for yoga classes, too. The beach is long and there are a handful of beach bars and restaurants along the beach. On one end of the beach there’s a cool little restaurant and bar called Jovita y Pancho. To get there you have to cross a river the opens into the ocean. You hop in a panga tied to a rope and pull yourself to the other side where the restaurant is situated along the river.
Walking around the community there were a few things to note. There are some really nice houses on the beach. And in my view there is more new home and business construction happening in La Saladita compared to other beach towns throughout the state of Guerrero. It feels a bit like Troncones for backpackers.
If we were to buy another rental property in Mexico, which we aren’t, I would consider La Saladita. It is clearly safe, considering keys aren’t really needed for hotel rooms, the beach is nice, and it’s growing. But the beach is wide open and there is plenty of space to carve out a little area to relax with a book. If you enjoy surfing and yoga, and perhaps sitting on the beach, then visit La Saladita.
