American Express -- The main office is in Av. Colegio Heróico Militar 38 in Plaza San Rafael, Loc. 7, Centro (tel. 755/544-6242; fax 755/544-6242). It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm.
Area Code -- The telephone area code is 755.
Banks -- Ixtapa's banks include Bancomer, in the La Puerta Centro shopping center. The most centrally located of Zihuatanejo's banks is Banamex, Cuauhtémoc 4. Banks change money during normal business hours, which are generally Monday through Friday from 9am to 3 or 5pm, Saturday from 10am to 1pm. ATMs and currency exchange are available during these and other hours.
Climate -- Summer is hot and humid, though tempered by sea breezes and brief showers; September is the peak of the tropical rainy season, with showers concentrated in the late afternoons.
Drugstore -- There's a branch of Farmacías Coyuca in Zihuatanejo, open from 8am to 11pm -- hours that will also deliver; call tel. 755/554-5390.
Hospital -- Hospital de la Marina Ixtapa is at Bulevar Ixtapa s/n, in back of the artisans' market (tel. 755/553-0499). In Zihuatanejo, there's the Clinica Maciel (tel. 755/554-2380; La Palmas 12), or Hospital Hernández Montejano, Juan Alvarez s/n (tel. 755/554-5404). Dial tel. 065 from any phone for emergencies.
Internet Access -- Ixtapa has many Internet cafes. Comunicación Mundial is in Local 105 (tel. 755/553-1177). Go to the back of the shopping center and take the stairs to the second level; Comunicación Mundial is to your right. The cost of Internet access is $3 (£1.65) per hour. Access is cheaper in Zihuatanejo; the most popular is Zihuatanejo Bar Net, Agustín Ramírez 9, on the ground floor of the Hotel Zihuatanejo Centro (tel. 755/554-3661). Offering high-speed access for $2 (£1.10) per hour, it's open from 9am to 11pm daily.
Post Office -- The correo is in the SCT building, Edificio SCT, behind El Cacahuate in Zihuatanejo (tel. 755/554-2192). It's open Monday through Friday from 8am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 1pm.
