IXTAPA, GUERRO, MEXICO is really called IXTAPA-ZIHUATANEJO. Zihuatanjo, (pronounce see-wha-tah-NEH-ho), is an old fishing Village while Ixtapa is a new small town. The Airport is between the towns. The town are 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) apart. Ixtapa is my favorite place in Mexico. The first time I was here I was on a familiarization trip for Travel Agents and was free. We were here for five days we were here. I loved Ixtapa, (pronounced eeks-TAH-pa) so much my Husband and I came back for a two-week vacation. We stayed at the Camino Riel, (because at that time our first 5 nights were free). One of the reasons that I love Ixtapa is that in 1972 the National Fund for Tourism Development decided to clean up the land and the water. They began their plan in Ixtapa.
The town has a water filtration system and so does every hotel and cafe. That means you can brush your teeth and drink water from the tap, have ice in your drinks, eat fresh vegetables and fruit. I was very brave the first time I was here and ate lettuce. Lettuce can make you sick anywhere and I figured if it didn’t give me ’Montezuma’s Revenge’ here, what the Tourist Board told us was true. It didn’t bother me at all and that’s when Ixtapa became my number one tourist spot in Mexico. The hotel area is 2 miles long and only hotels are on the beach as well as one yacht marina. The Camino Riel is perched on a cliff above the ocean and a 10 minute walk, (or 2 minute free shuttle bus ride), to the beginning of the town. On the other side is an 18-hole golf course, a tennis course and all the shops and cafes. The weather never changes here as it is always around 90F every day. We just put on a bathing suit and a top and went down to breakfast. Our breakfast was included in our package. Our hotel rooms had huge balconies that had high walls. You could sun bath nude there if you wanted to. There was a series of pools that were connected to each other. You could also walk down to sit on the beach. In the hotel we ate at the Japanese Restaurant twice, the Chinese and Italian once and the buffet three times. We only shopped after breakfast of late in the afternoon. If we decided to browse the shops in the afternoon we stay in town for dinner. IN TOWN WE ATE AT: * We had a lunch at the el Presidente Hotel, (a charming older hotel), one day. It was the day they served a Mexican buffet lunch and had bands for us to dance to. * We went to ’Mama Norma and Deborah Restaurant’ to have fresh pasta. We got a shock when we found out they were both from Victoria , B.C.. , Canada, (we were living in Edmonton then). Drinks were on the house and our meal was delicious. * One of the most expensive restaurants in Ixtapa is ’Villa de la Selva’. It was close to our hotel so we made reservation, (the concierges tote this restaurant so much you do need a reservation). We arrived before sunset to have our drinks on the patio and watch the sun turn from yellow to red as it dropped into the sea. That is the last nice thing I’m going to tell you about the ’exotic restaurant’ as it was expensive and the food servings were small and weren’t tasty at all. If you’re visiting Ixtapa avoid this restaurant. * We liked the ’El Galeon Restaurant that is on a replica of a Spanish Galleon docked at the marina. It does serve Mexican food but we opted to eat their Greek food. It was not cheap but at least there was a lot of food that tasted great. * On our last night we went to ’Bogart’s’. It is a free standing building on the grounds of the Krystal Hotel. The prices were high but it was worth every penny. The room is made entirely of white marble. A long pool runs down the length of the restaurant. At the end or the pool is a white marble stage at least 9 feet off the floor. On the stage is a black grand piano. The pianist is dressed in while and plays music from the 1920’s and 30’s. The food and service was so incredible I have to tell you about it. Everyone sits in a private booth that is 3 steps up from the floor. The waiters wore white gloves and never turn their back to us. (I was so nervous every time he backed down the stairs).
My Husbands shrimp cocktail was served it a bowl made of ice. My Caesar salad was made the correct way, (I bet you did know the Caesar salad was created in Mexico). The lettuce is served in long pieces and not broken. The dressing is made at your table beginning by dropping an egg into a glass of hot water for a few seconds. For the entree I had sweetbreads that were crumbed and sautéed in butter and my Husband had fresh Crabs stuffed with mushrooms and green peppers in a cream sauce. For dessert we shared a bananas flambe. The waiter warmed the copper pan, tuned the burners to low and added the butter and the sliced bananas. Next in one swoop he peeled a lemon so in the end he had one long curly lemon peel. He poured some cognac down the peel and then lit it on fire. The fire ran down the lemon peel over the bananas and then they were service to us over vanilla ice cream. The evening was Magical!
SOME THOUGHTS: Did my Husband love Ixapa? No it was to ’quiet’ for him and he had to walk down the beach each day to the peddlers hut to buy his ’trinkets’. ©LL