Ixtapa is a Brightly Polished Jewel on the Pacific Coast
Written: Mar 14 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very clean, modern, well maintained beach resort: perfect resort for many Americans
Cons: Almost antisepticly American feeling: but nearby Zihuatenejo is very Mexican
The Bottom Line: People who love luxurious resorts in a clean, orderly town will adore Ixtapa. It's new...it's got good, inexpensive restaurants, and it's affordable.
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| mrkstvns's Full Review: Ixtapa |
Late winter is the perfect time to pack up and head to Mexico, where the weather is warm and the hammocks are waiting! I was lucky to be able to spend most of early February this year in Mexico, including a glorious week of rest and relaxation in Ixtapa -- one of the most modern beach resorts in the country.
That Ixtapa isn't completely overrun by American tourists is a bit of an enigma to me. It would be a mistake to say the place is dead, but after having spent vacations in resorts like Cancun and Acapulco -- which teem with life 24 hours a day -- Ixtapa's slower, more relaxed pace can be refreshing.
Ixtapa appeals to American tastes for a lot of reasons. To begin with, it's not a real city -- it's an upscale beach resort. The Mexican locals live in nearby Zihuatenejo. There is really no low-cost housing in Ixtapa itself. There are also no lower-class amenities. Older, smaller hotels, hostels, bungalows, and similar places that appeal to more adventurous travelers are all located in Zihuatenejo (or in outlying beach areas). Ixtapa is the domain of the multi-million dollar beachfront high-rise hotel. In Ixtapa, things are generally very clean and well maintained. Things are also very modern. After all, Ixtapa didn't exist at all back in 1976, when it was just the gleam in the eyes of Mexican tourism officials. Most of the hotels were built in the 1980s. The entire resort has a somewhat antiseptic feeling to it, but there's no doubt that most Americans find the resort to be every bit as comfortable and familiar feeling as the poshest Florida resort (but with more reliably good weather, better beaches, better food, and more local color).
If you like the big hotels and chain restaurants of Cancun, but you think the place is too big and crowded, then you might prefer the slower pace of life in Ixtapa.
COOL STUFF TO DO:
It's the BEACH, Dummy! That pretty much sums up life in Ixtapa...if you love life on the beach, you'll love Ixtapa. If you love sightseeing and experiencing "culture," you'll hate it. I love the beach, and there's really nothing quite as relaxing to me as sitting back in a chair under the shade of a palapa, digging my toes into the warm sand as I sip giant margaritas....ahhhh!!!
I spent a couple days just laying out in the sun, and never venturing more than a couple hundred yards from my beach chair.
Tons of water sports were available, but I managed to avoid all of them (except for the parasailing -- which is a real hoot!) Some of things you can do:
* Jet ski: There are several places along the beach where you can rent these babies (in 30-minute increments). Prices started around $30.
* Parasail: You could pay somebody $20 for a little parasailing action. Sure Dad might question your sanity, after all, he'd probably pay NOT to have someone strap him into a harness connected to a parachute that's going to be dragged behind a speeding boat -- but what's a vacation without giving Dad a few more gray hairs?
* Scuba and Snorkel: I usually don't think that Pacific coast beaches are as good for scuba diving as are Cozumel or Cancun, with their calmer, crystal-clear waters, but there were certainly a lot of places around Ixtapa and Zihuatenejo that offerred dive trips. A snorkeling cruise was being offerred through the hotel for about $40 (all day, including lunch and drinks).
Die-hard golfers would probably rather spend their day out on the links than baking in the sun, and for them, Ixtapa offers two 18-hole courses. There's a course at the Marina, and there's the Real Palma course at the opposite end of the hotel strip. Greens fees run about $50-70. (Youch! That sure would buy a lot of beer!)
One day, we took a day-trip over to Playa las Gatas (Cat Beach). To get there, catch a taxi over to the dock in Zihuatenejo and buy a ticket for 20 pesos ($2). The launch we were on held about 10 people, plus the boat operator. It had a roof to help beat back the sun. (We met a couple guys from Minnesota who tipped us off to a good bar downtown near the Malecon where we could get draft Dos XX for 10 pesos ($1) all day, or 2-for-one during happy hour.)
Las Gatas is very cool in that it's a protected cove. Centuries ago -- long before the Spanish invasion -- a local king wanted a safe place for his daughters to swim. He ordered slaves to build a protective stone breakwater across the entire mouth of the cove (you can do things like that if you are the king), not only to keep the currents and waves at bay, but to also keep out wayward sharks. The result is a beautiful, semi-secluded beach that offers the safest swimming in the area. The beach is lined with about 20 small restaurants, all with beach umbrellas and lounge chairs for their customers. We chose one based on the exuberance and humor of the waiter who regaled us with the most grandiose boasts of culinary greatness, and settled in for the day. We ordered a bucket of beers and a couple plates of fresh seafood. I had the huichinango al mojo de ajo and it was incredible! Slightly crunchy on the outside and absolutely studded with huge chunks of sauteed garlic, the fish itself was so tender and flaky that it just melted in my mouth. Washed down with a couple bottles of ice cold Sol, and I was in heaven...
When we got off the boat at the end of the day, we walked past the huge scale where they hang up trophy fish that people catch off the day fishing boats. There was a guy having his picture taken next to an enormous marlin that must have been 15 feet long. I was admiring the size of the fish when the guide mentioned that it wasn't even the biggest of the day...if he was trying to hook me into a charter, he was wasting his time since I'm not much of a fisherman. Still, I can see why people come to the area for the sport fishing!
On another day, I succumbed to the subtle demands of one who demands to be obeyed, and we spent the afternoon shopping. We started off in the artesenia market in Zihuatenejo, just strolling through the labyrinths of little shops. There were plenty of good deals to be had there, and one of the best places was a little place at the very back of the last row of shops. The guy had a huge selection of carved wooden masks and other similar things. My wife is a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to Mexican folk art, and she snapped up several pieces. My personal favorite is a huge, fierce wooden tiger mask that has boar hair extruding from its whiskers and eyebrows! Too cool!!
The side streets throughout Zihuatenejo offer lots of little shops that just beg to be explored. I don't care for shopping, but even I liked some of these places. We found one that had tons of great stuff including lots of calaveras (skeleton sculptures).
Later, we strolled through the smaller artesania market in downtown Ixtapa. We found a few interesting things there, but not as many as in Zihuatenejo. More T-shirts, souvenirs, and things like that.
GOOD SLEEPS:
This is my first trip to Ixtapa, so I can't really tell you much about different hotels. I stayed at the Pacifica Resort, which is pretty nice, but very spread out and hilly. (You can see my complete review of the Pacifica in this category.) Some friends were staying downtown at the Ixtapa Palace. This is also a pretty nice place, but it's about 2 blocks from the beach. It does have its own water park though. I didn't like my friends' room because it had the air conditioner above the door out to the balcony -- you had to stand on a chair to switch it on!
I think the best locations for most people will be those right on the main beach in Ixtapa -- on the hotel strip. You can step out the back door and be on the beach, or go out the front door and be close to restaurants and shops. Some of the hotels on the main beach include the Radisson, the Inter-Continental, the Krystal, the Continental Plaza, the Dorado Pacifico, and the Barcelo.
If you're looking for an upscale, unique, romantic small hotel to stay in, look at Casa Que Canta in Zihuatenejo.
If you're looking for a way downscale, earthy, camping-like experience, look at Owens Bungalows (which are smack dab on the point of Playa las Gatas (I picked up one of Owen's cards while strolling past his "rustic" places. If you're the outdoors type, you can call Owen for info at +52 (7) 554-8307).
GOOD EATS:
There's plenty of good eats in Ixtapa and Zihuatenejo, and to do justice to all the eateries would take a review much longer than this one (maybe later). I will mention that there are a bunch of very good, and a bunch of very casual places in the plaza area on Ixtapa's strip (near Carlos n Charlies). I was surprised by the number of places with italian food -- much of it very good and quite inexpensive. For casual and fast, try Rubens hamburgers. For good Mexican, we enjoyed el Bigote de Pancho Villa. We ordered a pizza one day from Pizza Paraiso and were unimpressed by the floury tasting crust with its crunchy cardboard texture. We enjoyed several of the beachfront restaurants, where you can get some wonderful seafood. We had dinner one evening at Casa Elvira on the malecon in Zihuatenejo, and the food was excellent (as was the ambiance of sitting outside on the sidewalk on a warm winter evening). Probably anywhere you go, you'll be sure to find some good eating. Bon apetit!
GETTING AROUND:
From the Airport...
Taxis are cheap in Zihau, but airport taxis easily cost twice what city cabs cost -- such is the fate of a captive audience.
Clustered around the taxi stand inside the airport will be a small army of timeshare salesmen. They will offer to pay your cab fare to anywhere, provided you agree to sit through a sales presentation. Thanks, but no thanks!
By the way...if you travel like I do, you always get cash out of ATMs when you get where you're going. There IS an ATM in the Zihuatenejo airport, it's just not near the arrivals area. It's next to the departure gates. After you clear customs and go through the glass doors towards the taxi stand, hang a
left towards the ticketing counters and you'll see it.
Around town...
Taxis are plentiful and cheap -- a ride from Ixtapa to Zihuatenejo ran us about $3. It was about $2 between places within Ixtapa or within Zihuatenejo. Most taxis are Nissan Tsurus (Sentras).
There are also mini-buses that run from Zihautenejo, through Ixtapa to the Marina, and back. These cost no more than 5 pesos. (I think I paid 3 pesos to go from Casa Bonita to the Marina.)
Boats to beaches and islands...
Small boats shuttle people out to the beaches on Isla Ixtapa or to nearby Playa las Gatas (and maybe to other beaches). The boats leave from the main dock in Zihuatenejo (near the malecon). A round-trip fare to Playa Las Gatas cost us 20 pesos ($2) per person. Boats leave every 15 minutes or to Las Gatas, and less often to Isla Ixtapa.
Excursions to other areas...
There are at least 2 big bus lines (Estrella Blanca and Estrella de Oro) that serve Zihuatenejo. It's at least 2 hours to the next city of any size (probably Acapulco or Lazaro Cardenas). A one-way fare to either will cost about $12. Unfortunately, there's not really any interesting archaelogical sites within easy day-trip range.
PURE R AND R
If you're looking for a nice, clean, modern resort area where you can enjoy reliable summer sunshine, even in the deepest depths of winter, then Ixtapa might be just the place you're looking for. The town is very clean and orderly, there are no vendors on the beaches, and the hotel and restaurants are mostly similar to what you'd find in upscale resorts in U.S. beaches. On the other hand, if you want more of a Mexican feel, you can explore Zihuatenejo. Either way, it's hard to beat a winter vacation in which you're lying on the beach absorbing the warm sunshine while your colleagues are back home digging their cars out of snowbanks. Yes, life is sometimes very good....
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec - Feb
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