Now that it’s nice out, let’s talk about one of my favorite getaways from the cold weather. My family has long been in love with one specific location in Mexico. While several of us have visited other locations, we keep coming back to Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo.

Ixtapa is located on the Pacific side of Mexico. While you might see a few raindrops on occasion, this sort of weather is very rare in March, which is when we tend to visit. We love this locale because of the weather, the beaches, and the easy walk to the markets and restaurants.

While the water is a little rougher on this side, you can still spend time sunbathing and playing in the waves. Last year, while riding the waves, I had to choose between my new sun hat and my swimsuit bottoms, so obviously, the waves claimed my hat. You definitely need to be a strong swimmer to endure the current. If you get too far out the life guards will make you come in. I imagine somewhere there is a very trendy seagull with a black and white floppy brimmed hat.

If you are into massage, there are several tents setup on the beach where community massages take place. Be sure to bring pesos, because they charge you more if you give them cash, which makes no sense at all since cash is worth more than pesos to begin with. These massages will run you anywhere from twenty to thirty dollars for an hour. I still give a tip, but you can’t really beat the price. A word of caution, if you are a male, the women have been known to get a little up close and personal with their massages. It’s not a traditional happy ending, but you could be someone’s next husband if you aren’t careful.

When we visit Mexico we tend to do an all-inclusive stay so that we don’t have to leave the resort unless we want to. Some of the beach front hotels are definitely nicer than others. I have stayed at the Holiday Inn, which was previously El Presidente, and while they had nice accommodations and a beautiful property, I have been to resorts with better food options. The first resort I ever stayed at in Mexico was the Park Royal, and I very much enjoyed my stay. The food was excellent and they had this cool club where you could have drinks, play pool, or lounge on the lounge beds. I have fond memories of this resort, although one person in our party did have an ant problem in their room. Some of my other family members have also stayed at Kristal, Tesoro, and Barceló. Any one of these resorts would be a nice option.

While in Ixtapa you have many options for activities. I recommend visiting the little activity hut down the street from the hotels, they have given us great deals on many different excursions. Some of the things you can take part in are as follows: horseback riding, kayaking, ATV tours, snorkeling, tours of Zihuatanejo, and fishing. The two snorkeling excursions I went on included pickup at our hotel and drop-off at our snorkeling location, with lunch and one beverage, as well a return to our hotel; it was roughly twenty-five dollars per person. You can’t really beat that price either.

While I am sure that most tourist destinations in Mexico provide a great time, I will continue to visit Ixtapa. There is just something about Ixtapa that makes it feel extra special to me.

For more information on Ixtapa, please visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixtapa

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/central-pacific-coast/ixtapa