Villa Mexicana is simply the best hotel for the money my wife & I (43 & 50 ) have ever stayed! It is in the middle of the best beach in zihuatenajo. The grounds and the beach are kept imaculate. Staff is always around to help with anything you need or want. It is not a big fancy place or have jaccuzzi's in the room but it lacks nothing you need. You walk out your door and your on the beach where you eat, swim, and relax all day. Restaurants are all within walking distance so no shoes required here. If you want a fantastic place to lay on the beach & lounge around for your vacation, this is the place. I can not say enough about this hotel which I will gladly return to next year. (and the year after that!) May 5th - 15th 2008

The Hotel Villa Mexicana is a hidden treasure - I almost didn't want to write this review because I don't want the secret to get out. The hotel was gorgeous, the staff was friendly, the food was delicious. We were there attending a wedding and all the other people (staying in condos) decided Hotel Villa Mexicana was the perfect meeting spot. Right on the beach, with air conditioning and maid service. I have heard people complain about the hard beds, but ours was very comfortable, and - NO BUGS!!! Several people staying in nearby condos turned up with mysterious bites all over their arms and legs (bedbugs?) But, again, we had no problems with insects of any kind. This hotel is very accessible and the beach is only slightly crowded on Sundays (only). 30 pesos will get you to the best retaurants in the area. We also felt very safe at al times. We will definitely be returning.

We stayed at the VMH 3/30/08-4/4/08 - Very happy with our stay. We had a first floor room on the ocean-side, with a patio near the kid's pools. Noise was never a problem- we didn't want to request a balcony room because we were spoiled with being able to walk from our room to the beach in less than a minute!

First the great things:
The best location of any hotel on La Ropa. Just a few feet and 1 stair from the beach. There are 3 shops adjacent to the property that sell snacks/drinks/etc. 3 decent restaurants adjacent to the property (Paty's was our favorite). The pool was warm and didn't smell of too much chlorine or salt. There was a safe in the room free of charge. The AC in our room was very good. The bed & pillows were a bit hard- but clean. The plumbing in the showers/toilets was better than at our Seattle home. Free coffee & tea in the morning at the restaurant bar. Very friendly staff and desk service- happy to converse in Spanish or English.

There are only a few simple changes that I think would make the VMH perfect.
-There was no fridge in the room.
-The curtains on the sliding glass doors were basically see through. This pushed our modesty button a bit when it came to changing/etc at night with the lights on in our room.
-The lounge chairs & pool area didn't appear to ever get cleaned or even wiped down.
-They slapped a big blue braclet on our wrists when we check in (ours "fell off" in the ocean on day 2).

I would absolutely recommend the VMH to a friend. We plan on returning to Zihua next fall. We may split time with the Brisas Del Mar next time just so that we can walk to town along the sea walk at night.

Stayed here with a friend at the end of March for a girl's getaway. We wanted quiet, clean, and safe. Definitely got it here. Most other guests were Mexican families and over 30's couples. We fit right in without feeling like everyone around us was on their honeymoon.
Good location on La Ropa, no steep hill or countless stairs to get to the beach. I sunburn easily, so I appreciated all the palapas for shade. Yes, we had to claim our beach chairs by about 9 am. We walked the beach from end to end a few times a day. Their were lots of families who set up umbrellas and chairs beyond the hotel grounds, on the public part of the beach. It was crowded but manageable, and they left around dinner time. The pools on the interior of the hotel were great for cooling off.
Like many other establishments in the area, if you want something you have to ask for it. We got little to no information at check-in so we came back to the front desk numerous times asking about the basics: extra room key, beach towels, a key to the safe, exchanging money, calling a taxi. Just a heads up that things run at a laid-back pace. Breakfast at the restaurant Dona Prudencia was great every morning.
A few amenities I would have liked would be a coffee maker and some sort of clock-radio or cd player in the room. If I could do it over, I would buy these in town to have in the room. Also, the shower and toilet are seperated from the rest of the room by a half-door. Since I stayed with a friend, it was weird to not have enough, um, bathroom privacy when I wanted it. We worked around it.
I liked the orange and blue decor. It was cheery and family oriented, not romantic and honeymooney. We had a 2nd floor oceanview and the balcony was huge. Yes, the beds are ridiculously hard. Maybe it would have helped if I brought my own pillow. I did get a 45 minute massage for $15 USD that was wonderful, the tent is on the hotel grounds and really close to the beach.
Overall, it was a great vacation and good value. But I should mention that our focus was less on the amenities and ambiance of our hotel, and more on exploring Zihua and relaxing on the beach.