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.

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.

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!

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

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 had the most amazing family vacation at Villa Milagro. I honestly don't even know where to…read morestart. First, this Villa is right on the ocean. You walk out directly onto the beach. The Villa is beyond beautiful and the staff is kind and attentive. Food is amazing, in fact beyond amazing. Fresh delicious meals: Lobster, steak, traditional Mexican food, the list goes on. Three healthy delicious meals a day. I couldn't stop eating. Plenty of activities for the kids. We went horseback riding, did a snorkel adventure, whale watching, kayaking, bird watching, yoga and releasing baby turtles. Sunsets were incredible. I can't say more about this experience and would highly recommend this vacation for anyone looking for a once in a life time experience. Thank you!

I recently stayed at Villa Milagro in Playa Troncones for several days and wanted to share a bit…read moreabout my experience. Firstly, the layout and aesthetics of the resort are fabulous. From the rooms to the landscaping, I really enjoyed the design and warmth. It's spacious, very well kept, and features lots of ambiance with its plants and lighting. The staff is truly fantastic, and the food was something special. Mere steps from the beach, with stunning views and picturesque sunsets. The pics only begin to tell the story. What a lovely gem of a retreat. Highly recommend. It's a special place.

This villa is probably in the top three of my favorite places to stay ever! The staff was…read moreincredible - catering to our every need. The villa was gorgeous and had all the amenities of home. The balcony was absolutely amazing with the private mini pool, the large lounger and the spectacular view - especially at sunset! They even had a special surprise for a life event that we were celebrating! We will absolutely go back and recommend this place 100%!

The best kept secret on the west coast of Mexico and certainly Zihua…read more Choose units labeled "BEACHFRONT VILLAS" for unobstructed ocean views and access. Its amazing to wake up with that crazy view of just you and the ocean. Our unit E24 had a great Bluetooth stereo system, fast wife and even its own private plunge pool plus the three amazing resort pools Beach is wide and clean and you can walk for miles, often without seeing another person! New, modern and clean. Great onsite restaurant and bar Especially the happy hour with Tirso the bartender. Breakfasts are delicious. Fully stocked gym and courts for paddle and pickleball. Close to airport. Safe.

This was my first experience with Club Med or any all inclusive for that matter. The closest…read moreexperience to this style of travel would be a cruise and I enjoyed those a lot more. Let me break down my experience: The food was just okay. It looked amazing but the taste was always just okay. Some foods were delish but as a first timer it was really all luck if you picked the right entrees. I did appreciate that most of the lines were fairly short and moved at a decent pace. Normally I don't like to pay extra for excursions because the trip itself costs enough and there are plenty of activities at the resort. However! I have had some great excursion experiences so I always like to check them out. Whether you like excursions or not: DO THE SEA TURTLE RELEASE!! It was about $90 a person and worth every single penny!! My girls and I loved it. Once in a lifetime experience for sure. The hotel itself, to me, was very old and out of date. The walls were made with cheap stuck-o and there were large cracks all over the room. There was a huge spider and nest inside our room that I was hoping wouldn't become a problem because I was way too afraid to touch it. At night, all sorts of crazy scary bugs and mosquitoes were getting into our room. Next time I will try and look for a location that's more of a hotel style where the rooms are all indoors. Not the motel style where the second you open your door the bugs just swarm in! Alright so, I will give credit to the amount of entertainment offered at this resort. I was very pleased with the trapeze and the circus show! That was a ton of fun! And the kids club and club counselors were the absolute best. My husband said he felt the alcohol in all of his drinks and maybe it was because I didn't drink too much of my drinks or because I picked drinks that are too low in alcohol content (like Piña coladas) but I didn't really feel any alcohol in my drinks. I know there was because I would taste the alcohol, but maybe it wasn't top shelf stuff. Which is fair for an all inclusive with unlimited drinks. The dining hours were generous so I can't complain too much. For a normal human being, food is always available. But for a young family trying to feed a 3 and 5 year old who are constantly hungry because they are either swimming in the pool or the ocean all day, that 2 hour window the dinning buffet room is closed was pretty stressful. Thank gosh they had baby food available all day long. My 3 year old lived off of that apple sauce. Hopefully I will be able to enjoy more Club Meds in the future. This one was okay but I still had a good time overall. Enjoy!

Best place I've ever stayed- hands down. Most beautiful location; a secluded, private beach with SO…read moreMUCH to do for all ages. My partner and I went for our anniversary just last week and were absolutely blown away by the beauty of the resort, the cleanliness, the wonderful service, the activities (which include sailing, kayaking, archery, tennis, and so much more.) And the food! we will be dreaming about their food the rest of our lives. It is all inclusive but the food tastes 5 star. Absolutely stunning location & the staff is just incredible. Not a single bad moment being there. Just absolute paradise.

Beautiful location on the beach. Lovely atmosphere and friendly staff. Great margaritas and the…read moregold fish and pork ribs and shrimp risotto was outstanding.

This boutique hotel and yoga retreat is wonderful. Manager Yazmin, is so welcoming and helpful…read more The grounds are beautiful. Whoever laid out the property invested much time & dinero to make it stunning. Some of the prettiest gardens and landscaping, bar none. Management is happy to arrange taxi service from airport and there is a taxi stand just outside hotel for local excursions, for me surfing and fishing. They also offer all standard boutique amenities yoga, massage and full service restaurant open 8am - 9pm daily. The restaurant is also five star, unless you don't love fresh ingredients and Mexican food. I enjoyed shrimp and dorado (mahi) tacos each day. It was delicious. The rooms vary in privacy and amenities. I went with the basic open air casita. I loved it. Some may not like a little less privacy than typical four walls, window with curtains provide. For those seeking more privacy and AC, get the larger more expensive suites, they also have that. Troncones is a very mellow little Mexican beach town. It is not a hopping place. If you prefer that, maybe go to Ixtapa nearby. This is a place to go chill and enjoy paradise and really good fresh food with great service.

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