We have one more day on the Island but the Island won’t let us leave, we’re LOST! There are strange aliens out here and they keep calling us in their eerie voices “baaaaah, baaaaah, baaaaaaaah!” And then there are the OTHERS, who call this their island…. The OTHERS are openly friendly but very different!

Zihautanejo is a fishing village close to Ixtapa. The main street in Zihuatanejo is Cinco de Mayo. Cinco de Mayo is the artisans market where tourists can bargain for souvenirs. At the end of Cinco de Mayo is the beach Playa Principal. Most of the restaurants along the waterfront offer excellent food. We ate at La Sirena Gorda, Casa Elvira, El Mediterraneo, and Bandidos. The prices are reasonable and the portions are healthy. One of my favorite dishes is the whole red snapper cut in half seasoned and grilled. It’s a little messy to eat but quite tasty.

While eating on the waterfront it is common to see fishermen harvesting their catch. We saw several six foot marlin being carried off to local restaurants. After dinner we walked along the waterfront to the city center where it was common to see volleyball matches, school children performing dance, local musicians, and street performers.

The images in the slideshow above are from the waterfront and Cinco de Mayo area in Zihautanejo except for the final 3-4 images which are at a nearby white sand beach, Playa la Ropa, most suited for swimming.

The people are openly friendly. English is spoke by many but it helps to know a little Spanish. We felt extremely safe walking the streets even late at night. A great destination, highly recommended for families and couples.

Sunset in Ixtapa, Mexico (30 sec exposure, HDR processing)

Part I – Las Brisas Hotel and beach

It was Janice’s birthday so I booked us for a week of rest, relaxation, and romance not to forget the cervezas and enchiladas!

We traveled to Ixtapa, Mexico for the week of March 20 – 27, 2010 and stayed at the Las Brisas hotel. We flew Continental Airlines from Atlanta to Ixtapa connecting in Houston with a total travel time of about 6 hours (gate to gate). The Atlanta leg of the flight was on an Embraer 135 jet which was fairly comfortable though small with its 2+1 seating configuration. Once in Ixtapa, the immigration and customs processing took about an hour then we caught a cab and were off to our hotel.

Tourism is off significantly due to the slow economy and the Las Brisas was practically empty when we arrived on Saturday afternoon. By the time we left the hotel was getting more visitors as families on Spring break began to arrive. Our check in was a breeze. The reservations made through Orbitz were all in order and the hotel stay was confirmed as prepaid upon arrival. This hotel is built onto the side of a cliff so the lobby is pretty much at the top of the hotel with most of the rooms below the lobby level. We stayed in room 1633 which is two floors below the lobby and six floors above the pool level. The bellboy was very friendly, showed us how everything in the room worked from ceiling fans and thermostat to the safe and patio doors. He also gave us good recommendations for restaurants in the nearby fishing village, Zihuatanejo. Although the bellboy did not recommend we drink the tap water, we later discovered the tap water was purified and fine for drinking.

The hotel room was fairly typical in size and floor plan. The decor was less than would be expected for a highly rated resort like Las Brisas but the view made up for the lack of artwork on the walls. Every room at Las Brisas faces the ocean and has a spectacular view of the sunsets. From down on the beach, the soothing sounds of pounding surf can be heard day and night. The AC, TV, water pressure/temperature, etc were all fine. Our only complaint about the room is the bed. The bed was so uncomfortable, I could barely wait for morning to roll around so I could get up and stop the back pains – it was like sleeping on a bag of golf balls. I mentioned my discomfort to the front desk and they put a mattress pad on the bed which was still of no help. The mattress is plain cheap – it is constructed of a square grid of widely spaced wires which can not evenly support or distribute the weight. Eventually these wires get bent out of shape and create pressure points on your ribs, vertebrae, kidneys, hip joints, etc. The photo of the room in the above slide show gives a hint of the poor quality mattress.

The pool area and beach are spectacular! Once you take the elevators down to the tenth floor, you can walk along a sidewalk through the jungle to the far side of the resort where the pool is located or you can venture further down the side of the cliff to the beach. There is another elevator that takes you down to the beach level or you can meander down the paved pathways. Towel service, food and beverage service, and lounge chairs are provided by the hotel at both the beach and pool.

The pool area has four interconnected pools on different terrace levels. One pool is reserved for adults which can be a welcome retreat from kids splashing and throwing balls. Although the sun is hot the pool water remains cool as if it is somehow refreshed with spring water. There are several water features ranging from a large waterfall and several fountains to a vanishing edge wall facing toward the ocean. At one time, the view from the top of the vanishing edge wall was astonishing. In recent years, the underbrush has overgrown the hillside and the view is mostly obscured.

The beach is private due to the geography of the site. The sandy beach is about half a mile long and ends with steep craggy rocks at each end of the property. The surf is powerful and was too strong for us to swim during our stay. I understand the surf calms down and provides a very nice place to swim at different times of the year. The sand is not pure white and has a fair amount of black volcanic content which makes it very hot to walk on during the middle of the day.

The hotel has built a restaurant, Las Brisas II, slightly above the beach level. Las Brisas II serves a pricey Mediterranean menu of minimalist cuisine. The menu looked pretty good with a wide variety of ala carte items. Although the restaurant was quite pricey, I would have eaten there and enjoyed the romantic ocean view had the portions been of sufficient size to satisfy my American appetite. We did eat at the poolside Solarium restaurant on our first day. The food at the Solarium was rather bland, pricey, and very small portions.

Overall the hotel is a masterpiece of architectural design, integrated into the environment to afford the greatest enjoyment of the oceanfront property. The staff are helpful, friendly, and accommodating. Although everything at the hotel is overpriced, that would not dissuade me from recommending this hotel. But, because of the mattress alone, I can not recommend this hotel if you are concerned about getting a good night’s sleep or aren’t used to sleeping on rocks while camping in the woods. On the other hand, if you want an incredible view, excellent pool, exclusive dining, friendly service, and a convenient location then this is the place to stay.

NEXT: Places to eat and things to see in Zihuatanejo!