2/17/23 3* La Casa Que Canta restaurant…read moreSince Covid, the place has lost part of its charm While there is a token Mexican presence, the restaurant caters to tourists The table side demonstration of homemade chile may be a novelty to foreigners, but not to natives and certainly not as good Overall, the food was bland. The tuna was really not fit to eat The service was okay, but the waiter was pushy in trying to get us to order Nice wines by the glass Tasty desserts. Probably will not come back

Beautiful stay, beautiful grounds and beautiful people! We had the best time at La Casa Que Canta,…read morethe grounds are so stunning. The real life Encanto house! Incredible food and the staff was so attentive. Wether we stayed in at our private pool with room service or dined in at the hotel restaurant the food was always too notch. Best hotel in Zihuatanejo! Five stars!

This is not a "modern" hotel, per se. It has all the modern amenities but is designed to feel like…read moreyou have stepped back in time to a tropical paradise. The Garden of Eden comes to mind. The staff was excellent, esp the wait staff in the beach front restaurant! Martin is an amazing head chef and was very attentive. He gave us a cooking class, which was a total blast! We booked a cooking class with Martin and it was soo fun to walk to the local farmers market with him, pick out all the fruit and veggie ingredients than go back to the hotel to have him cook it all for you. Then - you get to eat and drink everything you made as a group! The beds were super comfy and each room has an ocean front view. The pool is also beautiful and immaculate. It's huge, with a slide and plenty of chaise lounge chairs. They even have some hammocks and chaise lounge chairs facing the ocean, on the 2nd level of the pool deck area. Every room has a private hot tub, but you must re-fill it daily if you want it to have hot water. There is a store right across the street to buy beer, wine, booze and water from. Cabs are incredibly easy to get out the front of the hotel lobby. Downtown Zihu is just a 15 minute walk (or less, if you are a fast walker) along the beach. There is a cement path that will take you straight there. Loads of shopping and restaurants are there. It is also where you will find the best deals and a pier, to watch all the fishing boats and yachts come in and out. Going the other direction, you can walk to Playa La Ropa Beach, which is also loaded with restaurants and some shopping. You can't get there by beach, but a road right out front of the hotel. There are stairs and a very steep hill, so if you have a hard time with 1 mile hikes you would want to take a cab. That would cost you about $3 USD. I would not advise booking your transportation through the hotel. That will cost you $48 USD, instead of $15 USD from the cabs at the airport. I'd also recommend getting your beach massages on the beach, 100 feet from the hotel restaurant, because they are $10 USD and the hotel charges $50 USD. They have a loud, onsite parrot, so if you are a light sleeper, ask for a room far from it's habitat. She is huge and absolutely beautiful, but becomes talkative at about 9:30 am. If I was to come back to Zihu, I'd definitely stay here again. It's in the middle of everything and right on the beach. The staff doesn't get any better either.

I was in Zihuatanejo for 3 days and I had one of the best times of my life. I've been traveling…read morearound Mexico and the U.S for the past 3 years and I have to say that Zihuatanejo is definitely on my top 10 favorite places. The hotel is absolutely amazing and it really feels like paradise. The rooms were clean, nicely set up and the views were breathtaking. If you travel with little kids I would recommend to always have an eye on them. My sister and I were approached by an older man who offered us to take us to a different beach to "see baby turtles hatch" he looked really suspicious and under the influence of drugs. Other than that, this hotel and the area around it seemed really safe and friendly. I made a little video about it in case anyone wants to check it out. https://youtu.be/XgJwITTp48I

Canceled our trip 2+ weeks in advance, emergency cancer surgery…read more The hotel denied a refund.

Excellent view and food is great! The happy hour is wonderful and I appreciated the service too.read more

I cannot say enough great things about the Catalina Beach Resort. It is an amazing resort with…read moregorgeous lush grounds, in a beautiful spot on La Ropa (with an easy walk to Madeira or downtown). It is close to a lot of restaurants on La Ropa and headed into downtown area. EVERY SINGLE STAFF MEMBER WE ENCOUNTERED WAS OUTSTANDING. From Alfred, Javier, and Hector. Everyone was professional, friendly, efficient, and made you feel at home. From the moment we emailed to book our room to the minute we left, we felt welcome and like we made the best choice. Our room was absolutely amazing (we had a Linda Vista) with an outstanding view of all of Zihua. We loved the veranda with deck chairs, a couch, and hammock. We loved the pool, the water was clean and refreshing, and loved that it overlooked the beach. The palapas fill up quickly but we never had a problem getting one even if we were way out to the side. The water in front of the hotel is swimmable and warm. The beach is clean and safe. Our bed was comfortable and the air conditioning worked great. Room service was prompt and well done. I felt like we got a good price on our room and I would absolutely book again for the same price when we come back. Overall I felt that the hotel offered a lot of value. I felt safe the entire time in Zihua and never once had an encounter that made me doubt my safety. The hotel is older but it is taken care of and you get the feeling you are at a boutique hotel where you are not nickeled and dimed and the employees actually care about your stay. There were just a few negatives: The Sodovento next door is under construction so if you like to sleep in or take naps during the day, you might be annoyed as we heard constructions noises starting at 0800 and going until sundown. We were usually out of our room and down at the beach or exploring most days but it was annoying a few times when we wanted to sleep in or take a vacation nap. There is no pool bar. I know this sounds like a silly complaint but often we would gather with friends we had met in the afternoon in the pool. We would have to walk down many steps to the pool bar and then carry everything back up. I don't know why they dont have someone provide service to the pool - they could have made a lot of money while we were there. The food is not great. We only ate our free breakfast twice before we decided to go off property for our meals. The drinks, on the other hand, were delicious and reasonably priced. The mojitos are to die for. From the beach to our room (top floor) was 265 stairs. That is a lot of stairs. We are in shape and it still kicked our butt in the heat sometimes. With that being said we didn't mind because it was good exercise to offset all the drinks and food we had on vacation. All told, we would absolutely stay here again.

Javier & Celso at the Front Desk are very helpful, friendly, and professional. They handled special…read morerequests with ease. Angel at the Playa Bar speaks excellent English and happily accommodated our special drink requests, which we enjoyed under the palapas on the sand. Salvador at the Panaramico Bar/Sunset Bar made the beautiful sunsets even more spectacular with his delicious 2 for 1 cocktails.

We usually spend our vacation in Ixtapa as it is a very chill and the beach by the Pacifica resort…read moreis beautiful. On this trip we decided to spend a few days in the neighboring town of Zihua. We spent 3 wonderful days/nights at the Thompson. As others have mentioned this a beautiful location in Playa Ropa and service is 5-star. When you arrive, there is a welcome drink awaiting you. The front desk worked with us to secure a beachfront suite with a large deck and a plunge pool. Our room was spacious and decorated very tastefully. We loved the artwork. There is Comp coffee and water. On our second day, there were 6 additional bottles of water! We returned from the beach on day 2 to find a very personal note from the staff and a dessert. There are cabanas on the beach with drink and food service. The beach area also has an adult pool that is perfect for watching the surf, having a Marghie, and socializing with the other guests. Hao is their beachside restaurant and bar. There is another, more upscale restaurant on the property. It is so relaxing here, having an early morning breakfast or dinner and listening to the surf just steps away. We enjoyed the Paella theme night. The grilled octopus App was off the charts delicious. It was grilled and seasoned to perfection. The paella portion was very generous with seafood, clams, and chorizo. What a wonderful evening dining under the stars, a pleasant breeze, and the surf just steps away! We walked the beach multiple times a day, and there is a small market area where you can purchase souvenirs, beer, and sundries. If you feel adventurous check out Le Parla and La Pirata. Perla is a great beachside bar with good drinks and a seafood ceviche that easily satisfies 2 hungry vacationers. The Pirate provides some great local flavor. If you want to explore dinner off property, make a reservation at the "House that Sees" resort Casa Rumi. There is a Michelin-star restaurant overlooking the bay. As expected, the service and dinner was 9 stars, and the 3-course dinner will not blow up your budget. We are already planning our visit for next year!

I usually stay in Ixtapa, but know here in Houston, Tx they recently opened up a Thompson hotel and…read morewhen I found out that there was one in Zihuatanejo, I was especially excited. I just did a day pass where you can reserve a cabana at the pool area that affords you credits for food and drinks and is very proximal to the bar / restaurant, HAO. The whole hotel, grounds, cabana's and beach are stupendous. I'm sure similar to many great beach locations and this place is nothing short of spectacular. The beach cabana's are between the beach and the bar area where your closer to the water and get the same service for drinks and food. Wonderful and quite relaxing. The beach itself is clean, sand is white, water is free from any and all debris and grass and quite expansive. Jumping into the water is especially refreshing and great for tanning yourself. At nigh time you can dine in the sandy court area or on the deck at the Hao. I found the food options are all very good and drinks especially. I would encourage during the day you get a coconut with rum and coconut water. Oh, I almost forgot this location has awesome sunsets. The hotel is a close cab ride to the town / city of Zihuatanejo where you can walk around and check out the places here or other nice restaurants nearby. I didn't stay here overnight but the pricing isn't cheap but worth the price if you can stay a couple of nights, which I plan on doing the next visit back in town. Overall a memorable experience which I look forward to doing again.

There are only four rooms at this hotel which explains the intimate service and privacy. All…read moreemployees give special service and are genuinely interested in helping in every way. This alone is special but the views and location are equally impressive. We will definitely return to this paradise.

Ever since watching the ending scene of "Shawshank Redemption", where Andy Dufresne escapes to…read moreZihuatanejo, it's been on my "places to visit" list. Even though I later found out the beach shown in the movie is actually not even in Mexico. None the less, I still wanted to see this town people kept referring to as "paradise". So after looking at a few different hotels I landed on Capella. And, just a short 3 hour flight from LAX to ZIH and a 25 minute cab ride from the airport, I arrived at Capella Ixtapa. Usually pictures tend to look a lot better than the real thing with all the photo retouching but with Capella the pictures online do not even come close to truly capturing this hotel's beauty and the scenery it has to offer. As soon as you arrive the hotel staff is outside expecting your arrival and ready to greet you with warmth and smiles. They are BIG on customer service here and you can see it the minute you arrive. Upon walking just 10 steps toward the main lobby your mouth will literally drop as you hear the sounds of crashing waves and you take in the gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean. I honestly took 5-10 minutes just to absorb it all... it's that beautiful. And, the hotel is a beauty all in itself. With only 8 years since it was built, it still feels very new, clean and definitely 5-star worthy. All the rooms at this hotel are very private and come with their own in-room, infinity pool! The rooms here are nothing short of amazing and all include an ocean view. They also feature a nice patio area with some comfy chairs to lay out on and sip on some of their thirst quenching Jalapeño Margaritas. I particularly love that the rooms have 2 huge glass doors so your view of the ocean is never blocked even when in the room. Nothing like waking up every morning to an amazing ocean view and the bathroom also has an ocean view! Every day at around 5pm, the hotel staff drops off some guac and chips with a couple of Coronitas in a mini ice bucket! Cool little treat! There are a couple of restaurants on the premises, a bar and 2 large infinity pools. The restaurants here serve up some very good dishes and everything I tried from the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus was very tasty, fresh and well presented.They have a daily event that starts around 6pm every evening where they bring in all the fresh catch of the day including shrimp, fish and lobster. You pick out what you want and they prepare it for you to your liking. Good stuff and it doesn't get any fresher than that! The bar offers a full variety of mouth-watering concoctions of which I highly recommend the Jalapeño Margarita. I think I ordered about 45 of them during my 5 night stay, including a pitcher which is not on the menu but they will make for you upon request. Capella also offers a Romantic Dinner which includes a 4 course dinner for 2 with a private table set up on their wedding deck overlooking the ocean. This package also includes a very romantic setup including candles, rose pedals and live saxophone musician! The dinner is private so it's literally just the 2 of you with your own table, waiter and musician who plays everything so i requested some Frank Sinatra of course! Capella even allowed me to alter the menu to my liking and all this for only $350! The food is delicious and the experience was well worth every cent or in this case, peso. I HIGHLY RECOMMEMD you do this if your budget allows. As far as location, Capella is just down the street (walking distance) to Playa Linda where you can take a ferry to Ixtapa Island and do some swimming, snorkeling, shopping, sun tanning, eating and a little drinking. The hotel offers it's guests complimentary bikes that you can ride down there if you prefer. In that same area there's a lagoon where you can find some large crocs, turtles iguanas and various other creatures. Just a 10 minute cab ride in the opposite direction from the hotel you have Avenida 5 de Mayo which is a cool little area packed with stores, restaurants and bars. There's plenty to do and if you need any help planning activities just talk to Connie Ochoa who is the Activities Supervisor and is there to help guests plan their ultimate Ixtapa experience. She's truly a huge help and super friendly. She's also bilingual so if you're not brushed up on your Español, no problema! Also, if you need to exchange money, you can do that at the hotel's front desk. Their rates are comparable with that of the nearby banks. So... next time you're thinking of heading South of the border for a little R&R, consider Ixtapa. And, if you're wanting to have an unforgettable and memorable experience, definitely stay at Capella. I honestly think I'll be making this a ritual yearly trip after this experience... see you soon Capella Ixtapa!

I have to praise the customer service at capellaixtapa, last night is asked what soups they were…read moreserving, My husband mentioned a Spanish meatball soup that was my favorite. 10 mins later the chef, Jesus Ordones, visited my table & asked if I preferred a white or tomato based soup. I said, I trust you! Can I share that this soup exceeded all expectations and has made the #hiddengem a new annual visit for the Friedmans! #capellaixtapa

My family comes here every often during the summer. It's a hidden gem. It's a membership resort…read morewhere families can buy time share or you can rent on Expedia. The weather in Ixtapa is humid, but I love it. They have van transportation to take you to the beach area, room and dining areas. They also have the Gandolas that take you up and down and give you a beautiful view. The walk can be a walk, I wouldn't recommend it for individuals who need extra walking support, have injuries, or disabled. The hills are very steep. GREAT EXERCISE before you sit to have a delicious meal... but highly recommend the transportation options for those who can't make the walk. They do have meal options... I get the unlimited. Totally worth the extra buck! Unlimited food and drinks by the beach area ( does not include room service or exclusive menus) do inquire about the food options at reception. They will give you a wrist band for the duration of your stay. There is a huge variety of food!! So if Mexican food isn't your preference... which I will add is absolutely delicious.. they have other optional menus. Other than the main beach and pool sides down by the buffet area... there are also hidden pools throughout the whole resort ( dining May not near by) but you can bring personal snacks. The employees are very friendly and very humble!! Very informative... don't be afraid to ask. They can help and answer questions.

Amazing resort. So wonderful. I did the all-inclusive. Definitely worth it. So many different…read morepools, I swam in 7 of them while I was there. The beach is so warm. They have little bungalows you can reserve for free! A waiter brought me a new drink ever ten minutes! So helpful! Fun pool games for kids. And water aerobics, Zumba, and bike riding! Watch them feed the crocodiles. Enjoy the gondola rides up and down the mountain. Exciting shows every night! So so good!! Great for a family!!! Napoleon was amazing! He was our concierge. So helpful! Thank you Napoleon! We even walked to downtown Ixtapa. Very safe! Lovely little beach town.

The best part about Villa Mexicana is the people. Especially the restaurant and Housekeeping staff…read more They're very sincere about wanting to take care of their guests. This is a three star resort. So don't have any illusions while reading other reviews that it's anything more than that. Although it could be much more than that with just a little bit of effort. But the resort does have some really wonderful aspects to it. The beach is incredible and just steps from your room, very clean and of course the water is very warm. It's a bay so it's really easy to swim. Nice white sand beach about a mile long. Housekeeping keeps the rooms super clean although they are a bit worn down. Our toilet leaked and we had very little shower pressure, but it wasn't anything that ruined our vacation. There is an ant problem. I've had them drop off the ceiling onto my bed and throughout the room. There's no food in the room so I think it's a bigger problem not sure what it is. But they're are all over the property. Dining room furniture is pretty worn down except for the wood furniture. That's very nice in one part of the restaurant. The patio chairs facing the beach and around the pool appear to be fairly new, but they are all very dirty so you can't really tell. It wouldn't take much to keep these clean and it would just make a huge difference in the appearance of the entire resort if they were cleaned at the end of each day. Also, there are so many squeezed together you can barely get to a seat without crawling onto it. I was emailed two weeks before my arrival asking if I would like to upgrade my unit to a beachfront for $12 a night. Of course, I said yes and confirmed a number of things in the email. I thought I was great, but when I arrived, I got stuck in a small room with no view completely different than what I was promised in email. Had lots of discussion about it, but to no avail, I didn't want to have any bad feelings, so I just let it go. The next day one of the front desk people said maybe he could get us into another unit but we'd have to pay double the amount for tonight so what am I gonna do? I said yes. He was able to get us into the room. We should've been in the first place And we were glad that we got it. It was a good room. Just a heads up to be careful that you bring any email promises with you to avoid any misunderstandings. Due to the workers and the great beach, we will probably be back. I plan on talking to the resort manager and making some suggestions. I don't know how that will go over but I hope she takes them to heart because they're not big things but they would make a big impact.

I truly had the best stay here. The restaurant and hotel staff were friendly and helpful. The…read moreproperty is beautiful and right on the beach. I cannot wait to return. The attached restaurant is Doña Prudencia. We had breakfast and lunch here daily. The service staff was truly exceptional. Many of the guests have been coming here for ~20 years because of the staff, which means many of the staff members have been there for a long time. We never had a bad meal. The coffee was good and strong! The omelette talavera was my favorite egg dish. We loved sharing the fruit plate with yogurt and granola too. The hotel has three pools. There is one with an infinity edge beach side. There are two more that are between buildings, one of them is a shallow children's pool. They have little pools of water to clean the sand off of your feet and an outdoor shower to help clean the salt off after getting in the ocean. The water was perfect in the ocean and the pool. The ocean was clean and you could walk out pretty far before it got deep. Zihuatenejo is considered a fishing village, so you'll see some fisherman and can rent a boat very cheaply! All the typical beach activities are available here. There is a man named Javier at the front desk of the hotel who was instrumental in helping me to retrieve my phone which I left in the cab that dropped me off. He told me he'd take care of finding it and he did. I am so grateful for his customer service skills and willingness to help. I have never been to Mexico so I was nervous, but now I cannot wait to return. Zihuatenejo is such a special place and Villa Mexicana was perfection. The beach is small and this hotel is in the center of it. There are incredible restaurants within walking distance or a short cab ride. I cannot recommend this hotel highly enough. If you do wish to visit, please be sure to call their reservation phone line instead of booking online as they stated their website had been hacked. Also, pro tip: avoid flying through Mexico City for a much better customs experience.

A hidden treasure, truly spectacular. The moment you walk…read morethrough the gate you feel relaxed and confident you made the right choice. Be ready let go and enjoy!! Food is fabulous we ventured out one evening not worth it, I recommend staying put. Staff is so friendly you feel at home with a full staff all to yourself.

Extraordinary Cuisine, Romantic Dining!…read moreThere are very few places that are as special as Amuleto. Set way up high in the cliffs with the best sunset one can imagine. There are very few tables set in a tropical garden atmosphere. The menu is special but not over the top. The Chef is obviously very talented as the combinations work and are presented beautifully. Each plate is a work of art both visual and taste. The atmosphere is very relaxed. When we arrived there was no one at the desk and we had to find our way to the restaurant area. Not hard and a bit of adventure. The place only has six rooms so it is not over run with staff. I understand the rooms are exceptional but I have not seen them. You will need to take a taxi or drive. It is a bit out of the way. Arrive before sunset as it really is an extraordinary spot!