Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo is Mexico's answer to having your
cake and eating it, too. Looking to while away your time at a
friendly, picturesque fishing village? Or in the mood to
unwind at an ultramodern resort?
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo has both. Few destinations
offer visitors these two strikingly different options--each
within minutes of the other, both with unique
attractions.
Ixtapa's
coastline is home to several world-class hotels, condominium
developments, a marina and two golf courses. An impeccable,
tree-lined boulevard divides the high-rise hotels on one side
from a string of small-scale malls on the other.
Visitors can
enjoy typical small-town life in neighboring Zihuatanejo, a
once sleepy fishing village that began to attract visitors
with its wonderful hilltop views and palm-strewn beaches, and
now offers charming hotels, restaurants and shops.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo has become such a popular
destination that on holidays or during the tourist season it
is hard to get hotel accommodations and airplane seats.
U.S.
and Canadian tourists who visit the dual resort are delighted
by the fine climate, warm surf, and absolutely breathtaking
sunsets. The mean average temperature is 82 degrees F. and
it's almost always sunny, because even during the rainy season
showers are brief and usually in the late afternoon or
evening.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo is just a three-hour drive from
Acapulco, or about a seven-hour drive direct from Mexico City.
By air it is a scant 40-minute flight from the capital, and
there are also direct flights from the U.S., including nonstop
service from Houston via Continental Airlines, and from San
Francisco and Los Angeles via Alaska Airlines. Mexicana offers
service out of Los Angeles through Guadalajara.
