In 2022, we were looking for a getaway, but prices were outrageous! A friend and travel editor suggested a hidden gem in Zihuantanejo. It is called Amuleto, and when we stayed, it was a boutique hotel that felt like a private residence. They are currently in the process of changing their business model and the villa will in fact be available for rent as an entire property—which makes a lot of sense! I reached out to the owner and got all the details!
There is a 5 day minimum stay to book Villa Amuleto. It sleeps 12 people (6 private suites). Rates during high season (Jan 6th to May 31st) are $2595.00 plus taxes per night. Low season (June 1st to Oct 15th) per night $1795.00 per night plus taxes, Holiday Season (Dec 21st to Jan 5th) per night $3395.00 per night plus taxes. Amenities include concierge services, complimentary breakfast, infinity pool with view of Zihuatanejo bay, 2 kitchens, bar, library and lounge room, garden area with daybed, organic toiletries, on site gourmet food and beverages (upon request), well equipped gym, on site yoga and massage (upon request), airport transfers (upon request).
Read on for our experience when it was a boutique hotel, and if you’re looking for a luxury villa rental for friends and family, I highly recommend Amuleto!
Zihuantanejo is a three and a half hour flight from LAX nonstop. The Amuleto hotel is a 22 minute drive from the airport. I arranged car service ahead of time through our hotel just to be on the safe side. Taxis are easily available, but our hotel warned against people claiming to give free rides to the hotel saying they work with the hotel (they do not). I decided I didn’t want to take the risk of having a “Taken” situation. Besides, the roundtrip cost of the private car was 2500 pesos or $123.00 = worth it.
Most people I know who have been to Zihuatanejo stayed at The Thompson. It is located at sea level, whereas the Amuleto and Casa Que Canta (another popular choice) are located high up. Casa Que Canta was booked, so it made our choice easy. While I would recommend Casa Que Canta for dinner one night (scroll down for photos), I prefer the secluded and exclusive feel of Amuleto. For us, three nights was the perfect amount of time.
What I Loved: With only six rooms, this boutique hotel feels like your own private villa with a full staff rather than a hotel. It is independently owned by a couple who lives in town, and every detail feels personal. Although there isn’t a spa, you can book an in-room massage for $50 (USD). Highly recommend!
Something to Know: All of the bathrooms in this hotel are “open air,” a fancy way of saying outside except for Room #6 (the shower is outside, but the toilet and vanity are inside). Unlike our luxury hotel in Tulum, you can flush the toilet paper in the toilet though, whew! This hotel is adults only—something a few friends asked about on Instagram.
Suite Dreams: We loved our room, which you will see below and after visiting room #3 and room #6, I would be happy with any of them. If you really want an indoor bathroom, book room #6. Each night at turn down service, we came back to rose petals configured in new ways on our very comfortable bed.
Stylish Sips: The margaritas were the best we have had anywhere, but we didn’t love the ceviche, which we learned is the style they serve in Zihuatanejo. It’s cooked (at least it seemed cooked) in a very heavy sauce unlike what we’re used to in LA and other parts of Mexico. All other meals are served at the hotel, including a 3-course dinner each night, which was very good. We only left the hotel one time for dinner.
Cool Factor: The hotel is located high above sea level, so the views from the infinity pool are breath taking with tons of boats down below. You can do an all day boat tour, which we decided would be most fun to do if we went back with friends.
Hero Shot: In front of the infinity pool from any angle.
We stayed in Room #5 pictured above. Our bathroom was open air, which I loved during the day, but didn’t love at night. Even though it felt safe and secluded, there was something about having to go outside to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night that felt a little scary to me. Luckily we had no bugs. We did have a tiny little gecko that didn’t bother me at all.
Above is the open air bathroom in Room #3. During the day, you can slide open all your doors in the bedroom too, but at night they do close and lock.
Plunge pools always looks so enticing, don’t they? But why are they always filled with water from the Arctic?!
The second night, we took a taxi to Casa Que Canta for dinner. While Zihuatanejo was put on the map by the movie “The Shawshank Redemption,” this particular hotel was made famous by the movie “When a Man Loves a Woman.” While our dinner was lovely, and would definitely recommend it, Zihuatanejo does not have the thriving culinary scene that Tulum has. We did not get the sense that we were missing anything by not trying other local spots—except for maybe coming home with a parasite (me on our last trip to Cabo). (Dave still didn’t feel great for about a week or so after we got home from this trip, so still be very careful with the water.)
You should arrive at Casa Que Canta at least an hour before sunset, so you can take photos and enjoy the boats coming into shore. If you time it just right, the sun will set just as your entree arrives.
Perfecto!
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