Jasmine stretches out on the deck

Hammocks outside the rooms

We arrived at Cabañas Ziga at 5:30 in the morning, thoroughly exhausted. Although the owners sleepily acknowledged our arrival, we waited almost an hour until the hotel officially opened. Luckily, the bathrooms just off the restaurant were free and clear.

The hotel was decently priced for the beach, at 300 pesos for a triple. The deck/restaurant was covered in lovely tropical plants, while the steps and areas around the room appeared to be under construction. We got a true triple, with one double bed and one twin, both with mosquito nets. The bathroom was quite basic, with an uncovered shower and not much water pressure.

The first morning after our chilly stomach-turning bus ride, we were so happy to lay down that the room temperature felt fine, but that same night it was oppressively hot. We left the screen-less window open—my theory was, I was the furthest from the windows anyway so the other girls would get robbed first—but there was very little breeze.

The family that runs Cabañas Ziga is perfectly polite, but not friendly...especially compared to people we met in the capital. It was also quite obvious the reception area was not continuously staffed, even during the day, so the concept of leaving the key behind the desk was sometimes worrisome. Luckily, we really never had a rush to get anywhere and the reception/restaurant area was a comfortable place to wait.

Cabaña Ziga's deck restaurant

Our room, complete with mozzie nets

The restaurant was great for breakfast. Quesadilla was pretty good, but the best dish was a fresh fruit salad covered in yogurt, honey and avena (oatmeal). Absolutely delectable with a tall glass of chocobanana.

We'd arrived in the morning and paid upfront for the first night, but the second day we planned on taking the overnight bus back to Oaxaca. The owners were adaptable, and charged us half price for our second day. We actually had until 8pm, which was pretty generous and allowed us to visit the beach well into the afternoon and shower before heading out.

The road is much higher than the beach here, so the hotel is a few flights of stairs down to the sand...might not be conducive to night swimming, especially for klutzy types like myself.

Cabañas Ziga is located in a nice quiet spot of beach, although Mazunte is so small it doesn't seem like any part of it would be noisy. Not super-budget if you travel with fewer people, but I doubt there's much competition here; there are far more hotels along the beach than the guidebooks imply, but Cabañas Ziga is definitely recommended for those looking for something relatively inexpensive.

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