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Ixtapa, located southwest of Mexico City along part of the Mexican Riviera, is the perfect destination for those in search of a relaxing escape. Ixtapa vacations are best known for providing good value and a relatively quiet environment. Ixtapa generally appeals to couples and families who can appreciate the slower pace of a holiday destination. The more intimate setting serves to enhance the serenity– a true escape from the hustle and bustle. Aside from enjoying the wonderful sun and sand, enjoy the variety of shops and restaurants that are available. Many fine shopping plazas and low rise individual stores are located across from the major line of hotels as well as souvenir shops, markets and lots of art galleries for browsing. Enhance your Ixtapa vacation with sporting activities like deep sea fishing or scuba diving. You may wish to enjoy one of the many hiking and horseback riding day trips. For the golfing aficionado, Ixtapa vacations may be enhanced to include golf.
Getting Around: The relatively short drive from the airport is only 20 minutes, so you'll start enjoying your Ixtapa vacation soon after your flight touches down. This resort area is relatively small, centred around a plaza that runs the length of the Pacific sand beach. Whether golfing, shopping, or deep sea fishing, you will appreciate the limited time required for travel, primarily by taxi, to various points of interest.
Where to Stay: Ixtapa vacation hotels, typically small high-rise structures, are located along a hotel strip, set in a bay that is surrounded by a beautiful mountain range. Stay at Barcelo Ixtapa or Tesoro Ixtapa for an amazing 4-star quality hotel. Our travel agents can suggest other options to suit your budget and interests.
Weather: The average temperature throughout the year is 28C, but it can be slightly hot and humid from June to September when you can expect increased rainfall. Although any time of year is good to book an Ixtapa holiday, ideal weather occurs between November and April, featuring dry cooler mornings and warm afternoons.
Ixtapa packages offer a quiet pace, suitable for those in search of a relaxing vacation. Call 1-800-665-4981 to start your journey to paradise today!
Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo Pictures and Video - click to enlarge images or play videos
The resort is small, not a lot to do. The food is mediocure at best. Rooms with an ocean view are treated to the very loud and long shows or weddings until midnight. Lots of locals which the hotel caters too. There is no adult pool area. The staff is very nice rooms and public areas are kept very clean, we will not be back to this resort.
My husband and I spent a week we had a lovely time, service was fantastic people were hospitable and friendly. Hotel is a little tired but always kept clean, breakfast and lunches were very good, dinners lacked in variety and options.
We also had FANTASTIC massages in the spa
Location5/5
Value4/5
Food3/5
Beach3/5
Rooms4/5
Service5/5
★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: Just Okay
Hotel itself is rundown and in need of maintenance. Rooms were great but maid service was hit & miss. The Italian a la carte restaurant was great, but the variety of food at the buffet was only okay. Staff were great. The disco music was audible from our room, was loud and went until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning.
The pool and swim up bar are nice. The beach is not swimmable in this area.
Stayed Nov/25...great hotel, very clean, kind helpful staff. Beach is beautiful, with plenty of shade and chairs. Grounds were very neat and tidy, as the grounds crew does nice work. The ala carte restaurants were good, especially daytime at the Bluewater grill and the food truck(super fish tacos)!! Buffet for breakfast and lunch was plentiful, great selection, however not crazy about the supper buffet. I did like the taco/sopa options most nights but pirate night buffet was not good.
So many great people, I wish I could remember all their names, as I should have written this upon returning. But I do remember Margharito, waiter at the Bluewater! Great guy made me laugh!
Warm water but waves were a bit rough, which made for alot of sand in your swimsuit! Lol We were able to walk down the beach a ways and saw the release of baby turtles, which was the highlight of our trip!!
★★★★L. C. -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: Perfect weather every day!
This was a wonderful escape from our Canadian winter weather. Couldn't have asked for better weather. Sunny and 31c everyday.
The resort was nice and people were exceptionally friendly. Also, the service was outstanding.
Beautiful beach and the sunsets were amazing! Also, we had no issues with vendors or people selling timeshares.
Our favorite restaurants were the Italian and the Bluewater grill. However, we were not keen on the buffet or some of the Mexican food. However, this is purely personal taste.
If you have children, this is a great place to visit. There are many kids programs available at this resort.
If there is an area for improvement, I would suggest perhaps more food/dinner variety.
★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserBarcelo Ixtapa: Good luck finding a chair by the pool
The hotel and their staff were great. The only complaint I have is why post a sign that says no reserving chairs and you absolutely nothing to enforce it
I literally had to wake up at 7 o’clock in the morning, just so I can get a chair by the pool ….it was ridiculous
On most days, I had left the pool by 1:30 to 3 and people that had reserved. The chairs hadn’t even shown up.
Location5/5
Value4/5
Food4/5
Beach5/5
Rooms4/5
Service5/5
★★Private -
Verified PurchaserPosada Real Ixtapa: Great pool and awesome staff
Stayed for 7 days, beds were very hard, food was repetitive/boring. This resort is very noisy there is a bar next door that plays music till 2 in the morning, the balcony doors do little to keep the noise out. Pool deck is very slippery, we saw a few people fall, they could use more nonslip mats.
The staff was friendly and the pool on the beach was beautiful!
Location5/5
Value2/5
Food2/5
Beach5/5
Rooms2/5
Service5/5
★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: Great Resort and wonderful vacation!
Travelled Nov 8-15
Resort is dated but rooms are spacious and clean. Staff are all exceptional and very helpful. Food was excellent and delicious!
A very safe and beautiful place to visit and enjoy!
Thank you all. Too many names to mention but kudos to the entire staff.
Location4/5
Value4/5
Food4/5
Beach4/5
Rooms4/5
Service4/5
★★★★D and G -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: Satisfactory Resort
Hotel needs some updating. Water temp control on showers needs work to balance more vs hitting extremes (cold and hot). Cafe was excellent. Staff were excellent and accomodating. Dining needs some work. Not much of a selection on buffet items. Italian open every day, but Mexican / Grill restaurant were not. Grill sandwiches were excellent.
Overall a good experience. The resort is clean and nice. The rooms were good. Beds were firm and very comfortable. We had good water pressure and lots of hot water. The view from the balcony was very beautiful overlooking the beach and ocean. We saw beautiful sunsets. The staff are very pleasant and try to be helpful. The breakfast and lunch buffets were good. The supper buffet was less so. The resort mainly favours mexican cuisine. We found the majority of the food was barely warm. The high light was the BBQ dinner (reservation). Food was very good and hot off the grill. One huge disappointment was us missing out on a seafood lunch bbq they had one Saturday which included Bbq lobster. We had no knowledge of it and it seemed everyone else did as there was a huge lineup early for it. By the time we got there everything was gone. The following Saturday we lined up early only to be disappointed to not seeing any lobster. The entertainment shows were completely in Spanish. It would have been nice to be at least partly in English. The beach is nice but the ocean has some decent waves that can push and shove you really good. The view is beautiful with a couple of islands off the beach making it postcard worthy. We saw a whale on our last day from the pool which was pretty cool The weather is beautiful, hot and sunny everyday. The pool was nice and a comfortable temperature. The staff at the pool bar were quick and friendly. We rarely waited more than a minute or two for service. The liquor was all brand name and not cheap generic stuff that I received in the resorts in Dominican Republic. Overall it’s a decent, very clean resort and a good bang for your buck.
Room service was above average. The buffet foods were good. The Stone Soup was amazing! It was really great that there were enough chairs on the beach, although lounges would have been a welcome addition to the hard wooden Adirondack chairs. The A/C unit in our room needed cleaning; we could smell the mould.
Location4/5
Value4/5
Food3/5
Beach4/5
Rooms3/5
Service5/5
★★★★★Wade -
Verified PurchaserLas Brisas Ixtapa: The whole holiday was amazing!!
This was undoubtedly thee best all inclusive resort we have ever stayed in.
The food was amazing the hotel was amazing the staff was very helpful and courteous
The Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo area was beautiful.
Eden our travel agent went over and above to help us make this one of the best holidays we have ever had!!
Location5/5
Value5/5
Food5/5
Beach5/5
Rooms5/5
Service5/5
★★★★Lynn -
Verified PurchaserLas Brisas Ixtapa: Great resort
This is a really nice resort with lots of amenities. Some notes.
There is no swim up bar. There is a beach bar and pool bar with waiters. They are great. No music or entertainment. This is a pro and a con I think. We took our own speaker and played our own music quietly, it worked well.
The food is very good. The Brisas II restaurant outside is amazing!! Food is fantastic (have the tomato soup!). The Italian restaurant is also good. Did not care for the Mexican. The buffet is pretty good, lots of options. You can also ask for a menu and depending on your plan it's also included so keep it in mind.
We had the beach club option, it was worth it. If gives you a small buffet breakfast on the 20th floor. As well as a nightly happy hour from 6-7 with snacks. We found it well worth it. You won't get any drinks in your room, but if you are beach club then you can take drinks from the bar there to your room. For example we took a couple of beer to enjoy on our balcony daily and kept them in our fridge. It was nice.
The bed was great, we had a king size. I find with many resorts the bed is typically terrible, this was the first time that it was awesome.
The beach is private, again pro and con. No vendors, but also if you want to walk the beach its short back and forth and can get boring. The waves are deadly b/c of the small bay. I got rolled on the first day and I'm still paying for it on my knee!! Not good, do not your back on a wave!!!! Tough lesson learned!
The people are friendly, again it's quiet. It's a much older crowd. We are mid 50s and I would say the avg age is 70.
Easy walk to Ixtapa to explore.
Enjoyed it.
★★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: Relaxing Stay at Sunscape Dorado in Ixtapa
We just arrived back from a week stay at Sunscape Dorado. We upgraded to Sunclub, which I recommend, and had a king bed ocean view room. Our room was clean, spacious and had an amazing view. Staff are fantastic at this resort - very friendly and hard working. Food was good, we were always able to find something suitable for us and our tween child. Loved the restaurant near the swim up bar and the Sun Club restaurant for lunch. We didn’t try the Italian restaurant, as it was adults only, but wished for another option, as sometimes the only other dinner option was the buffet/Mexican. Lounger saving is a problem - people would put towels on them really early and then not use them for hours later (or not at all). I think if they are empty for an hour, staff should remove them. We did the snorkeling excursion to Ixtapa Island, which was wonderful. We loved seeing the variety of fish in the coral reef. You can swim in front of the resort, but you have to time it pretty carefully, so you don’t get knocked out by the large waves. My husband and I both learned our lesson on that the first day! Overall I recommend this resort and I would return to it one day.
★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserBarcelo Ixtapa: Affordable but dated
This was our fourth trip to Mexico, first visit to Ixtapa and Zihuatenejo, but out 2nd time at a Barcelo property.
Property - 3/5
The resort is quite dated. Bathrooms and balconies are tiny, paint needs updating (not a big job) and all the upholstery in the restaurants needs replacing. Pools are nice, not very cold, and of course you have to play the towel game or you'll never find a spot around the pool.
Staff - 4/5
The majority of the staff were pleasant, attentive and helpful but some of the buffet staff completely ignored you if you didn't have a gold bracelet. Alexis at the lobby bar was awesome!
Food - 3/5
There was lots of food at the buffets, but not all of it was presented well or looked particularly appealing. Great breakfast buffets with both Mexican and American choices, the lunch buffets, not so much and most "American" choices were overcooked or cold, but you could get a burger if that was your thing.
The a la carte restaurant choices were terrible. They either weren't open, or they speed-dined you in and out. You need to book at 9am which means you can't leave early for anything if you want to book one.
Beverages - 3/5
Both the available red and white wines were barely palpable, and if you didn't ask for your hard liquor or beer by name, you got the cheap or watered down versions. Never once got a decent margarita from the bar!
We did the sunset cruise and it was excellent, highly recommend, and the beach is amazing!! It is a great location with the shopping 'centre' of Ixtapa just a short walk away, and a taxi to the Zihua pier was only 160 pesos.
We had a good week, but won't stay at this Barcelo property again.
★★★BrianP -
Verified PurchaserBarcelo Ixtapa: First Time at Resort: Okay at Best
Having read multiple reviews prior to writing this one, there appears to be a common theme. The Manager of this Hotel responses have definitely not fixed any of the problems the customers have stated in previous reviews.
Check-in: Although quick, more information needs to be shared as to what types of services and activities are available throughout your stay. This was not communicated.
Staff: I found that the service provided by the staff was generally well done and they were very friendly.
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is pretty much nonexistent at the Resort except if you are in or near the lobby. I will remind that Resort that the year is now 2025 so fix the problem! How do you expect people to book or plan anything without it?
Dinner Reservations: Long line ups at the Concierge Office starting before the 9:00am scheduled time slot made it very difficult to get any proper bookings.
Meals: Outside of the dinner reservations, we found the food very basic especially at the two buffet style restaurants. Both my son and I got food poisoning which was not very pleasant. We have been to many places in Mexico in the past and have never experienced this. I spoke to several other families who also experienced the same issue. Bottled water instead of glasses of water should be mandatory on this property. You only have a couple of bottles supplied in your room, otherwise you have to go to the local store to get some which is totally inconvenient. The other beverages that are offered are subpar at best.
Accommodations: We stayed in one of the family villas which was very pricey and although roomy enough was quite dated. The windows are single pane, so you hear everything coming from the outside, which made sleeping very difficult. A great example of this is that the onsite bar which is located directly across the courtyard from the villas and is open until 2:00am! The music is so loud none of us could fall asleep properly. To top it off, most nights are karaoke where you have a bunch of rude drunken people who can't sing and have no respect for others privacy. I can only imagine the people who had rooms directly above the bar, what a nightmare. This is completely the fault of the Resort; shut things down at 11:00pm.
Pool Area/Chairs: Having to get up at 6:00am and put a towel on a chair just to have somewhere to sit during the day is absurd. The first couple of days when we got to the Resort, we had to figure this out. I watched as some chairs sat vacant up until 1:00pm in the afternoon! Again, this is completely on the Resort. Make the towels available at 9:00am only and make it a policy that they have to be returned later that day. Make it a minimum of 2 towels per group.
Private Tour Company on Site: To all people, please avoid and use an alternate solution. Javier cannot be trusted. $85.00 U.S. per person for a 45-minute kayak trip, seriously?
The Resort outside area is well kept and the location is very good. The views of the bay area and sunsets are quite spectacular.
New Years Eve: The Resort put on an amazing show.
Final Comments: This is definitely not a 5 star Hotel and it is in desperate need of an update.
★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: Great location
The hotel is older but efficient. Rooms were clean and comfortable.
The food and service were ok, I was always able to find something I liked at the buffet.
Entertainment crew worked very hard to make everyones vacation enjoyable however
seen as I only speak english I felt like an outsider since they only spoke in spanish and
rarely took the opportunity to engage the outside visitors. I would have enjoyed participating
more if I could have understood them.
Lots to do in the area which is what drew me to this resort in the first place.
I would rate this resort 3.5 mainly due to the age and the language barrier.
The Sunscape Dorado Pacifico was amazing! Everyone from the desk staff and Bellmen, to the bartenders, servers and entertainment team were amazing!
The sun club privileges were wonderful! Premium beverages were available, and the private air conditioned lounge was fantastic.Having also a private Sun Club area on the beach was definitely a bonus.
The hotel was extremely clean, the garden areas are very lush and well groomed landscaping is seen throughout the resort.
The food was quite delicious and with so many options for breakfast, lunch and dinner available it was hard not to overindulge! Several theme nights for dinners were also hosted and very tasty!
There is an area in the lobby that posts all of the daily activities and everything that you can participate in at the resort each day, which is very helpful when trying to make your plans.
The resort offers several activities such as bicycle tours of Ixtapa and cooking classes, dance classes, Spanish classes and activities for the children. There is also a food truck in the children's area that has many kid friendly options.
The rooms were well equipped and the beds were extremely comfortable. Water pressure was awesome and maid service was fantastic!
While a bit challenging at times to get pool-side beach chairs together, we always managed to find a couple available most times of the day. The pool was large enough to entertain adults and children all day long, and the entertainment team kept everyone engaged in pool activities.
The beach is covered with the most luxurious sand! A few steps from your beach chair and you are ankle deep in cool ocean waters!
This resort is definitely a must do for singles, couples and families. I will definitely be back again, sooner than later I hope!
Briggitte Gingras, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
★★★★Helen -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Grand Resort: Great spot!
This was a lovely hotel. Great large rooms with balconies that all face the ocean. The pools are all lovely with 3 options of a pool with lots of action and music. Another pool with music but no games and exercises and the 3rd pool that was quieter.
The food was quite good with the restaurants being excellent. However you only get to eat at the restaurants 3 times for every 7/8 days which means 4 nights of buffet food. We were definitely getting tired of the buffet food by the fourth time. Would be nice if they opened up the restaurants more times for a 7/8 night stay.
The beach was quite small but there was a lovely beach close by within walking distance. I would definitely go back to this hotel
★★★★★Dana -
Verified PurchaserBarcelo Ixtapa: Barcelo Ixtapa Beautiful Resort and friendly people
We have been to Mexico many times and have always enjoyed the resorts and surrounding community.
This was our first time in Ixtapa and also at the Barcelo. It was wonderful.
For starters - very close to the airport so a quick jaunt to the hotel. The Air Canada folks are friendly and knowledgeable.
The food was amazing, especially the breakfast and lunch menus. We often venture off the resort in the evening to sample "local" cuisine and were not disappointed.
The market is close by for those who want keepsakes for home and pretty much have everything. we've been so often we don't buy much anymore but it's there if you're interested.
There are 3 pools, none were overly crowded despite the very busy hotel so it was enjoyable. The service was very good as we stayed with the all-inclusive package. The drinks were tasty and plentiful.
The housekeeping and maintenance staff were quick and responsive as were the reception desk folks.
We were able to attend 2 shows in the evening, The Mexican Fiesta was one and it was very nice.
Our travel agent Shauna did a remarkable job taking care of our reservations. we have worked with Shauna in the past. She never disappoints.
I have to say we would not hesitate to return to this resort. One of the best we've stayed in - and as stated - we've been to many.
★★★★John Kroeker -
Verified PurchaserKrystal Ixtapa: Good value
Clean. Friendly staff
All rooms ocean view
Very clean and cared for property
Fell very safe on the property and out in town
Pick up and drop off at the airport vent very smooth
Tour company was there for pick up and drop off
Location5/5
Value4/5
Food4/5
Beach5/5
Rooms4/5
Service4/5
★★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserHotel Irma Zihuatanejo: Gorgeous view, great location
Hotel Irma was everything I’d hoped for this trip - quiet at night, safe, clean, could sleep with the door open (there was a screen for bugs) with the sound of the waves and moist air coming in.
Rooms were very clean, beds comfortable. Never had to chase down clean towels.
Breakfast package well worth it at time of booking. Lovely plate of fresh pineapple, papaya, watermelon and cantaloupe, coffee, and an egg dish of our choosing.
Cheery, helpful staff.
No music at the pool, which I really appreciated. So sick of loud music blasting away at resorts. People here had to listen in their headphones.
NO SMOKING. Yay!
It is up a hill, which is not for the faint of knee or heart, really built up the cardio! But those less fit could take a taxi.
Gorgeous edgeless pool looking down at the beach and town. A second pool as well. Enough loungers for all.
★★★★★JB gringo -
Verified PurchaserHotel Emporio Ixtapa: Love my 1st holiday to Mexico
I felt like I was truly in Mexico. The people food and experience was amazing. I would suggest they vary the music and reduce the volume. Our group of 20 did have some form of g. I. Issue.
Love the beach, turtles and sun and surf.
Tammy was a fabulous agent and very helpful co ordination this trip
Location4/5
Value4/5
Food3/5
Beach4/5
Rooms4/5
Service5/5
★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserBarcelo Ixtapa: Great resort!
This was our 2nd time at this resort.
The food got even better than the last time we were there (2019). Beach is beautiful but ocean is little rough.
The entertainment was good but wish they spoke more English so you could understand them.
Over all we would definitely recommend this resort.
Location4/5
Value4/5
Food5/5
Beach4/5
Rooms4/5
Service4/5
★★★★Karalei -
Verified PurchaserHotel Irma Zihuatanejo: Quante Hotel
Hotel Irma is located on top of a hill that you must walk up everyday if you go into centre or restaurants down the street. If you happen to be on the 6tjh floor it does not have a lift. So be prepared to do lots of up hills and stairs.
It has a beautiful view from of the bay.
The staff is amazing. The rooms are clean but have no fridge which they should spend money on. The lounge chairs or table chairs or cushions for lounge chairs are never washed down. So that is kinda disgusting. You never see them hose down the deck. I think some attention to cleaning the grounds would be beneficial. The manager walks around asking how things are. She tries to deal with the issues. Our AC did not work in room 105. So they moved us to 101 which was better. They said they were waiting for a part to fix the AC that week but it never happened. So some things won't be fixed unless it quits working completely. Yes they ordered lounge sets for the lower beach level that won't be used often because it's complete Sun and extreme heat. Lower level has less shade then top and top does not have much but at least it's close to the pool and bathrooms. The clientele is definitely 60+ we felt young. No activities for kids or games so don't bring them here. Zihautinejo is not for children. Ixtapa all inclusive would be better. The location was perfect. Nice walk into the centre along the ocean or street. Be prepared in Feb for extreme heat and humidity. Walking back from centre even at night you'll need a shower when you get back to the room. We stayed 3:weeks to long in a hotel room. 2 weeks max. We will rent a condo next time. Wifi sucks so get a plan from your Canada. Or get a Mexico Telcel plan which is cheap. Beds are good. Bedding is ok and pillows ok. I bring my own pillow on every trip. All in all we enjoyed. We would return for 1 or 2 weeks only. Oh becareful of all the little steps in the building and all over Zihautinejo. So many older people walking around with tensors and bandaids and dressings.
Hotel grounds were well taken care of. The pool area and beach area was nice. Rooms had good ac and a nice view from the balcony. Wifi only worked on the balcony and it wasn’t great. The food was ok but a lot of things served in sauce and I found dental floss in a bun 🤢. You’re also only allowed 4 water bottles a day which is annoying. Bars and restaurants and snack bar were open weird hours. We honestly ate in Ixtapa far more than the hotel the restaurants there were very good! Location to town was good less than a 10 minute walk.
★★★★Natalie K -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: Great family resort!
Overall was good!
Repeatable food.
Overcrowded.
Cannot swim in the ocean, the wave is too high.
..................................................................................................................................
Well Kept Resort,very good location ,great beach. resort very busy with locals. close to shopping ,food is not great but ok. stay in upper floor level away from theater side acct loud muisic. overall nice place
The hotel was wonderful with grounds well kept . Food was great. and service and friendliness of the wait staff was superb. The check in counter staff was sometimes good , sometimes not so good. (One of the girls wanted my passport to exchange a 20 US dollar bill to pesos, but the next day the most friendly gentleman behind the counter exchanged it for me, no questions asked.
My only beef with the hotel was that there was never any chairs by the pool or the beach. People would always put their towels on the chair in the very early morning and not come back. So their chairs were taken for the day.
Otherwise, I had no complaints..
It was a nice get away.
★★StillSick -
Verified PurchaserKrystal Ixtapa: Amazing location, not the best resort!
I spent April 17-24 at the Krystal Ixtapa and where do I start...
Positives:
- an AMAZING location, absolutely beautiful and a short walk to the little town, which is lovely too, especially at night. The restaurants there are also great and was the only time I didn't get food poising, but I will get to that later.
- Bring extra masks because you will need them. You have to wear masks in the hotel and when you are getting food and drinks by the pool.
- The people were really nice, but not many speak English, so it would be wise to brush up on a little Español
- The room was very clean and the view was phenomenal. It's a very basic room, no mini-fridge.
Negatives:
- I am still not right when it comes to my plumbing. I spent every other day puking for about 4 hours or until everything was out of my system. My friend was the same way. It's not that the food is gross but I think it comes down to their refrigeration. And it isn't just our N. American tummy's that couldn't handle it, the resort had a bunch of Mexican families staying there and I could hear people getting sick in the lobby washroom. It was really awful TBH.
- Not much nightlife at the resort. They have some little shows and a place called Christine's, but it's still very family-oriented. We had fun day drinking though!
TIPS:
- Definitely bring Pesos. There's only one bank that has currency exchange and no one wants USD.
- DO NOT BRING ANY TYPE OF TOBACCO PRODUCT INTO MEXICO!!! I learned this the hard way. Brought one disposable vape pen and they charged me 637% of it and I paid $70USD
Would I go back to Ixtapa.....DEFINITELY, but there's no way I would ever stay at that resort again. Dish out the extra cash and go to a 5 star.
And that's my TED Talk
★★★★Laura Edwards -
Verified PurchaserHotel Emporio Ixtapa: Great resort
The service in the main dining area and the Italian restaurant was excellent. The food was excellent.
For the amount of people staying there the snack bar restaurant should have been open from 11:00am to 9:00pm at night. The food was excellent but service was very slow. There were not enough tables and chairs for number of guests.
Not enough lounge chaises around pool. Many were reserved by guests by 9:00am. There were not enough umbrellas for the hot sun.
I had an unfortunate encounter with security when a pastor who came to meet me to accept donations for the poor people in his church. Security shoved Pastor John and told him he had to leave. I had no idea restrictions for visitors were so harsh. This all took place while I was sitting on the bench waiting for him. I would have told the desk to expect him had I known. Laura
We’ve been going to this resort for years. Staff are incredible!! Food has gone downhill. We never had a hot meal. Food was lukewarm to cold except at the buffet if you were lucky. The Italian restaurant pasta used to be amazing but now it is inedible. No flavour. The beach is the best! Pool was very crowded with local visitors with a lot of children. Beds are comfortable but pillows need upgrading. We’ve always loved this resort but now considering going elsewhere. We can’t say enough good about the staff throughout the resort! They truly are the best!
★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserLas Brisas Ixtapa: General review
We went for a week and found the hotel comfortable and amenities were good. Lovely private beach and the pool had a beautiful view and was clean and nice. Lots of walking between the two to consider when booking. Plus lots of steps to get up and down to the pool from the beach. Food was ok. Buffet was good. More inclusive resteraunt choices would have been great. Staff were friendly and helpful.
Location5/5
Value4/5
Food3/5
Beach5/5
Rooms3/5
Service4/5
★Fucking pissed off -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: What a nightmare
The hotel has changed drastically from years past, the air Canada person is all over the map with the cost for COVID rapid test, some paid 40pp some 80pp then I heard as high as 100pp, all USD, this is so wrong in so many ways.
Air Canada should be ashamed of themselves for the inconsistency of there representative.
What a money grab from the rep for the airline in Mexico.
The cost for prepaid seats of 196.00 for extra leg room, air Canada double sold these seats…, next time I travel I’m going with a smaller independent travel agent other then your outfit.
Your to hard to get a response from, customer service is the worst I’ve ever experienced in all the years booking through your company or dealing with air Canada.
★★★★Matty87 -
Verified PurchaserKrystal Ixtapa: Great resort
I loved everything about this resort, (a la cartes, all staff, beach, pool, food was good. The only things I would change is I would like a fridge in the room, and a large lobby bar for people to mingle and congregate around! Also getting ice was sometimes a pain in the butt. Other than that it was a great and enjoyable stay!
Location5/5
Value4/5
Food4/5
Beach5/5
Rooms4/5
Service5/5
★★★★★Wayne -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Grand Resort: First Class hotel and rooms
Pools,food,service,cleanliness were all top shelf. Beautiful rooms and veiws. Really the only thing that was lacking was the nightly entertainment. The beach in front of the hotel was kind of small but a short 5 minute walk got you to a nice big public beach. Also a shout out to Trip Central and Sun Wing who looked after all the details and made this a very nice holiday.
Location4/5
Value5/5
Food5/5
Beach5/5
Rooms5/5
Service5/5
★★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserHotel Emporio Ixtapa: Great Mexican resort
I’m glad that I’ve pick a new destination for my vacation. This Emporio hotel was a great family oriented resort with great Mexican food and almost Mexican music all the time. No boom boom at the swimming pool which made my stay more adorable. Will recommend to everyone who want to relax . Beach is fabulous and some shopping and restaurants just across the hotel.
Excellent facilities.
Comfortable room. Lovely view of the beach and ocean.
Great food, except for the Italian restaurant, which needs to add more tomato based sauces to their pasta. Also serve true bruschetta bread, Italian crusty bread infused with olive oil, basil, oregano, topped with chopped Mexican tomatoes.
Fantastic staff, always helpful and cheerful!
We'll be back!
Location5/5
Value5/5
Food4/5
Beach5/5
Rooms5/5
Service5/5
★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserKrystal Ixtapa: Ok
Rooms were nice cleaning staff not to friendly, front desk staff great
Have stayed at less star rating hotels that had better food selection and quality. Very Limited variety of drinks at bar. Could only have beer in buffet
Activities were good 3/7 days
Awesome life guards on beach and pool
Was very clean
First all inclusive I’ve been too that as soon as manditory check time came no longer can eat or drink even though bus is few hour wait away had to walk off resort to get anything
We arrived at hotel at 5pm the first day and not allowed to eat and drink on last day after noon. Didn’t get the full day paid for
Will not go back
★★★Off we go ontario -
Verified PurchaserHoliday Inn Ixtapa: The resort it's self was great
The Holiday Inn resorts was very nice..clean..Great staff..
Our room was pool/ ocean view,we loved it..
Our first week was great.
Half capacity due to covid..
Same protocols as Canada..
Masks..social distancing..hand sanitizer everywhere..which we did our part..
Down side of resort..
Alit of locals arrived (no not prejudice) no social distancing.. no masks( not all but alot) other then restaurants and buffet..
The hotel didn't enforce protocols just put signs up, mind you staff all wore Masks and did their part..
We tried to avoid over crowed areasOcean & Beach.. Breath taking..
Beach 5..Pools 2
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★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: Not quite as advertised.
A little underwhelming considering the reviews. Resort is tired and under-staffed. “Activities†Personnel were more interested in playing volleyball ( and winning) than letting guests play. 5 staff on the court (between both sides) and 6 guests standing on the sidelines, waiting for an opportunity. Also, head activities guy with the whistle served 5 straight high-speed serves to the little guy ( 11 years old ) so that his side could win the game. Sad, really.
Location4/5
Value3/5
Food4/5
Beach4/5
Rooms3/5
Service3/5
★★★★★Jules22 -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: Great Location!!
The entire trip...right from the reservation to flight to shuttle to resort was so efficient and so easy. Making it relaxing from the moment we left. The flight was direct and the shuttle was waiting for us when we got through customs. The resort was small but clean and had just enough to meet our needs. Actually great value for your money. We enjoyed the food, the pool and the beach. We took a cab to zhiuatinjo and felt completely safe. All in all I’d give it a 5 out of 5.
Location5/5
Value5/5
Food5/5
Beach5/5
Rooms4/5
Service5/5
★★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserKrystal Ixtapa: Great Staff
The staff were amazing. They got to know what we liked and wanted. They went out of their way to make our stay memorable. Everything was clean. The resort was as expected. The bike trip we took with Manuel was spectacular. He was very knowledgeable and we had a fun time.
Location5/5
Value5/5
Food4/5
Beach5/5
Rooms5/5
Service5/5
★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserHotel Emporio Ixtapa: Small friendly hotel
The grounds were pretty and well maintained. The pool was clean and a good size. The open eating/restaurant, areas were good in that they were open to the fresh air.
The bathrooms needed up dating. The brick work around the pool needed to be replaced though they were kept clean. The staff was delightful. The fact that the majority of them didn't speak much English didn't matter, it added the the Mexican atmosphere. Same thing with the other guests, mostly Mexican. That too added to the local flavour. Sae thing with the food choices, mostly Mexican.
The staff, food and accommodations were outstanding. We really enjoyed our stay. The food and the views were amazing. Other guests were very nice and the resort provides many different activities for guests. I recommend this resort as it is in a great area compared to others. Thank you Tripcentral for the great customer service!
Pools are nice. Service is ok poolside.
No room service.
Drinks are watered down.
DO NOT EAT THE SUSHI they dont know how to cook sushi rice and it is always half cooked.
Mexican food is good.
Food selection is large, if bland.
Staff struggle with english.
Location and rooms are really good, if very dated.
This is a 4 star resort... at best.
Location5/5
Value2/5
Food3/5
Beach5/5
Rooms3/5
Service4/5
★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Grand Resort: Amazing view!
If your looking for a relaxing week in Mexico this is the place! The service was great and people were very friendly. The view is breathtaking, waking up seeing the ocean was a great start to the day. (every room is facing the ocean)
If you are a beach kind of person, this resort has a small area but you can walk to either side of the resort to enjoy 2 long walking beaches.
There is also the Island of Ixtapa, just a 10 minutes taxi boat ride, where great food and snorkeling awaits! (make sure to bring pesos)
I had brought american money with me for my trip but the resort only accepts pesos or visa/mastercard. You can't exchange your money at the resort you'll need to head to the village of Ixtapa about 10 minutes taxi ride.
★★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserHoliday Inn Ixtapa: Very Good Resort
The hotel was great . We stayed in the older part of this resort 3rd floor ocean view .We had a Great time there .the rooms were very clean and the resort was well maintained by grounds people and resort staff . Food was ok as there was always something on the buffet that we enjoyed .for breakfast lunch or dinner .hotel staff were very friendly and helpful and the bartenders and waiters could not be nicer we felt like part of their family b y the way they treated us .We have nothing but respect for them. We didn't get to see any shows because we went bar hoping across the road and met so many people doing the same we also ate there a couple of times .The ocean was very rough but you use your common sense .and only go in when it is safe so we spent time around pool and ocean .We did the bike ride for 2 hours very cheap and nice ride along the trails. Over all we had a really GREAT VACTION. .SO in closing I say JOB WELL DONE HOLIDAY INN RESORT .WE WILL BE BACK TO ENJOY THE HEAT AND SUNSETS AGAIN
Once again we spent our week at this amazing hotel and were not disappointed. Fantastic service by one of our favourites Jorge! The hotel was not crowded, the food was plenty and the scenery- breathtaking. I do have a little advice to first time travellers. BRING 20 pesos denominations. We had a horrible time trying to break large bills. No one seems to carry 20’s so we were tipping bigger than usual. Not that it wasn’t worth it, but it’s nice to have the option. This was the first and LAST time I do that. We went to Ixtapa island for the second time, it was beautiful but the water was a little murky and even though we did see fish, not as many as last year. We took a cab ourselves instead of the excursion which we liked better. (We brought our own gear as well). This resort is a definite YES for quiet, alone time with a perfect view and service. Can’t wait to see it again next year. XOXO
★★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserHotel Emporio Ixtapa: Two weeks in the Hotel Emporio, Ixtapa
My objective in choosing this package was to find 2 weeks in an all inclusive, 4 star hotel in Mexico, on a beach and with direct flight from Montreal, for under $2,500 Cdn. This package cost $2,600 and I have no regrets. 5 hour direct flight on Air Canada, long queues for processing at Ixtapa airport but short and agreeable bus trip to hotel. Hotel is right on fabulous, uncrowded, golden sand beach. Best ever for walking. Older building 10 storeys. No balconies. Good views. Comfortable beds, rooms and ensuites could do with reno but pleasant and very clean. As well as North Americans, this hotel has many Mexican guests mainly from Mexico City: young families, including many well behaved toddlers and babies and some grandparents. One night a week we could reserve in fancy Italian restaurant Arrecife and another night for tables set up on terrace directly overlooking beach with grill. On Saturday night big fiesta themed meal set up under the stars. Otherwise ate buffet style in Condimento restaurant, again with amazing views over beach. Food good and included tasty Mexican dishes. Grounds well maintained. One decent sized pool, plus separate children's pool and Jacuzzi. Staff friendly well trained and managed. Hotel generally run as tight ship.
★★★Roopie -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Grand Resort: Good and okay
Excellent staff at this resort very happy and friendly, beautiful view rooms very clean with rain shower, large jet tub, comfy bed, coffee maker, beer and water in the fridge. Very nice pools with great drink service. The food is just okay, we tried all the restaurants and nothing stands out at all, little decorative plates of weird food? The main buffet is boring pretty much the same everyday. Nighttime entertainment is terrible when we arrived we had a mariachi band which was nice but hard to take in as all you want to do is get to your room, I never saw any mariachi bands again all week, there is a entertainment room but there is no atmosphere in that room, there should be somewhere at night outside for adults to sit listen to Mexican music and have a drink, somewhere away from the kids playing ping pong etc. The sun wing party had a country western theme??? I came to Mexico to enjoy Mexican music not country western. The Mexican evening put on by the hotel again terrible entertainment could have been so much better as we have been to other Mexican nights with games and a much better show. All round disappointing atmosphere at this hotel. Defiantly room for improvement in this beautiful setting.
★★★★Danb -
Verified PurchaserLas Brisas Ixtapa: Not for Everyone
The good
We got a great deal on a Junior Suite with Jacuzzi . We arrived late due to delayed flight and were greeted with a small buffet set up for just us late arrivals. Nice touch. Check in was quick and painless. Woke up to a stunningly beautiful view of rocky coast and nice private beach.Awesome staff made you feel welcome and well cared for, Rooms were beautifully kept and cleaned.You self served only at the Buffet . At the pool and beach you are served at your lounge. Felt pampered all week.
Now the not so good.
Main Buffet was repetative and a little less than you might expect at 4 star Mexico. It was a long trek from the beach to the pool area.Bar and food service was only available at the beach or pool. I am used to a lobby or other such bar available during the day. There was no nightly entertainment or disco and the last bar closes at 11:30 pm so I would definitely not recommend this for the young partying crowd.If you like to mingle with locals there are none on the beach as it is private.Not all guests are all inclusive so they check your status by room number everytime you eat or drink . On the last day after check out time we were told at lunch that our all inclusive had ended at noon despite our 520 pm departure time.A trip to the front desk solved this and they finally gave us lunch. The confusion seemed to continue all afternoon as we had to explain we were with Sunwing and were still all inclusive eligible.The hotel is a little isolated from the downtown area of Ixtapa so its a short cab ride in.
All in all I would recommend this for anyone looking for a layed back ,relaxing and quiet vacation. If you are looking for action and party time better look at one of the resorts on the public beach downtown Ixtapa
★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Resort: not coming back for a 3rd trip
This was my second stay at this resort. I love the facilities and the amenities what I didn't care for was that the resort allows the locals to purchase a day band and visit the resort. I understand that the hotel has to find ways to make money when the rooms are not filled to capacity (which they weren't) but when it gets hard to find a chair at any of the 3 pools and the staff is run off of their feet trying to keep up with the demands of the day pass patrons (food, drinks, and supervision) it becomes not enjoyable for those that spend a lot of money to come for a week or more. I didn't pay to have to place my towel on the pool deck. If the facility is wondering why the Canadians are not participating in the outdoor activities they should look at their signage or lack of signage in English. When the resort is 90% spanish speaking with minimal english spoken and no english signage describing where to go for the dinner shows or what the pool contest is (in English) you won't find many English speaking people interested in participating.
The hotel has a lengthy written policy regarding noise in the rooms and noise on the balconies. However the policy does not apply to the hotel. There was a private show for one of the companies that had a training session in the facility while i was there and I called the desk twice to ask when the show was going to end as it was held outside and was super loud. I wasn't the only one that had called the desk. The outdoor show ended at 11:45 pm. Like seriously live by the rules that you want to apply to all other guests.
Also what is with the daily evaluation of the maid service? People on vacation don't want to fill out daily surveys. I understand that they need to know if their staff is doing a fabulous job but let's face it if I was missing towels etc I would have called the desk.
★★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserFontan Ixtapa: Great vacation!
Just returned from Ixtapa Fontan resort. We were pleasantly surprised as this was a 3* resort. The food was fresh and tasty. Staff very friendly! We thought every room had a balcony but after one night staff was able to accommodate our request. The beach is great for walking but watch for the big waves and undertow, lost my prescription glasses the first day. Enjoyed the resort activities including bike tour to Playa Linda, beach volleyball, stretching and Zumba! Also enjoyed being right in town with easy access to great restaurants and shopping!
★★★★Robbie -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: Hotel Review
My husband and I stayed at the hotel between Feb 6-13, 2020. The grounds and hotel was kept very clean. The staff were freindly and easy going, very nice.
Most of the guest are repeaters, from US and Canada. This made meeting people easy and converstations flowed in and out of the pool.
The hotel is a little dated, however, the staff made the visit lovely. The food was displayed every day. There was more mexican food on the buffets. If you crave something different there are lots of restaurants across the street who love Canadians. The location is amazing. We enjoyed our visit.
★★★★Joan -
Verified PurchaserHotel Emporio Ixtapa: Wonderful place to relax
Accommodations and food was good. The room was fairly standard and clean. The food lacked variety but the selection was authentic Mexican. There were beach and poolside lounging options and it was easy to secure a space. The price was very good and it was a great value. The vendors were not too pushy and the beachside massages were awesome. Staff were all very friendly and the weather was amazing.
We visited the Barcelo 9 years ago and wanted to experience it again. The resort is very clean and offers beautiful and lush surroundings. Rooms are spacious and comfortable. Love “La Palapa†for breakfast and the Italian and Sunset Grill for dinner. The Caracol had a really great lunch menu. Our only disappointment was having to book reservations for a la carte restaurants daily rather than in advance and that wifi was costly for regular guest. We were not informed of the “premium†option. All in all a great vacation.
★★Private -
Verified PurchaserHoliday Inn Ixtapa: resort was nice
the rooms and grounds were very good service was good. drinks were very poor and food below average very nice location short walk to sport bars and decent food. can not believe that they could not make a margarita.
Location4/5
Value3/5
Food2/5
Beach4/5
Rooms4/5
Service5/5
★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserBarcelo Ixtapa: Great Resort
A-la-cartes were excellent, rooms were sufficient, beach super, water warm , nice sandy beach, shows werent the best but overall i would recommend to anybody who is looking for a nice beach, great food and standard rooms.
Location5/5
Value3/5
Food5/5
Beach5/5
Rooms3/5
Service4/5
★★Private -
Verified PurchaserHotel Emporio Ixtapa: good location
This hotel caters to the local people-the staff can hardly speak english-the rooms are ok for a hotel-the food was cold all the time-bar service on beach you couldn't find a server-we were all inclusive but most english speaking people staying there were not and they maybe ate breakfast there but went out for dinner across the road where the town of ixtapa is.
Location4/5
Value3/5
Food1/5
Beach4/5
Rooms3/5
Service3/5
★★★★Broma -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: Pretty great place for the family.
The grounds are awesome for family's. The food was good not great. The only downside was the waves on the beach can be a little much for the young ones, just make sure you listen to the life guards and your fine.
The staff were totally amazing!!! The grounds and the swimming pool are fantastic!!! Great for children and adults. I would definitely go again!!! Entertainment every night for both young and old. The food, wow the options were endless!! Close to all shopping. I would definitely go back!!
Location5/5
Value5/5
Food5/5
Beach5/5
Rooms5/5
Service5/5
★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserLas Brisas Ixtapa: Good resort but....
We spent a week in this hotel in January 2020. We found all things mostly pleasing as in previous year which brought us back this year. The people are great there although communication with English was difficult outside of the reception and concierge desk.
The guarded beach is great there however swimming was to tough for us due to the strong undercurrent. We were pleased with the food and rooms. However, on Wednesday, preceding our departure my cosmetic bag (size around of 8 / 6 inches) disappeared from the bathroom’s counter leaving me without my beauty cosmetics. Despite reporting it to the security and front desk I did not get them back. It was one day when the room (2107) was cleaned by a different person and perhaps a bit careless. I would not like to make the life of the person difficult but such things are unacceptable and be avoided and cleaning personal instructed better.
On a better side, the paramedic staff was very helpful when I needed their help with my injured big foot finger.
I just returned from a week at the Barcelo Ixtapa Jan 23-30th, 2020.
For context I consider myself a seasoned all-inclusive traveler and have stayed in several AI’s in different countries, I consider myself a 4 star kind of guy, my comments compare this resort to others I have experienced.
To start with this hotel, like many on the Ixtapa strip, started life as a hotel 3 decades back when Ixtapa was being built as a planned tourist area by the Mexican government. With the advent of the all-inclusive resort many of these hotels have been converted into AI resorts, as has the Barcelo. It’s not a sprawling resort, compact but efficiently laid out, space has been used well and all the normal amenities are there. It has an old world colonial Mexican feel to it with marble floors and decorative ceiling designs but still gives a bit of modern feel due to the more futuristic design employed when built. An older place but fairly well kept.
Guest mix is pretty much 50/50 Canadians/Mexicans, seemed to be very few guests from other countries. Demographic is on the older side.
Overall a good experience but as with any stay there are good points and not so good points …
The good:
• The beach is awesome. Tan sand, 3km from one end to the other so you can get a good 6km walk every day if that is what you are after. One note tho, the red flag is always up, more on that later.
• Most staff are genuinely interested in you and genuinely appreciate the fact that you have chosen their resort and country to spend your time. Friendly, most front liners speak English fairly well.
• Food, for the most part was good … again, mostly, more on that later.
• The resort was not full during the week which meant there wasn’t heavy competition for beach loungers, pool space, bar seats, etc … warning tho, on the weekends the place does fill up with locals and does get quite busy. Super nice people, just busy.
• Room was pretty standard, clean, the housekeeping was well done … bathroom was a bit tiny.
The not so good:
• Paid wifi? Seriously? Come on Barcelo, that fell off the resort scene a decade ago … and don’t think that signing up for the MyBarcelo account is going to get it for you free (as advertised) as only bookings made thru their official hotel website qualify for the freebie … and of course the rates are jacked on the official website. The rate was $40 US$ for 7 days and that was after application of the 25% off coupon you get when you check in, not a big amount just that you feel nickel and dimed …
• Cold showers … yup, after a warm one on night 1 (so I know you can do it Barcelo) the rest were cold … went to the front desk every evening and reported that, the front desk clerk would get on the phone and tell someone about it, next day cold shower … this went on for 6 days and as far as I know ROOM 411 STILL HAS NO HOT WATER … ridiculous.
• Red flag on the beach … which I am told is up 90% of the time during tourist season. And if you dare to venture out in the water prepare to get swamped, I did and I’m not a small guy, waves can be huge. If you are a pool person then this isn’t an issue for you but if you like to swim in the ocean you will find yourself seeking a calmer beach, of which there are a few choices easily accessible by city bus/boat.
• Food is of good quality and well prepared however there aren’t the wide-ranging choices of a larger resort, you won’t lose any weight here tho. There are a few grumpy old men servers in the main buffet that you have to hunt down and ask for service (ie water or a drink) however the female and younger male staff are great … and yes I tried tipping them but it makes no difference, they need to be reassigned.
• You have to book your à la carte restaurants individually, each morning with the concierge … again, really? That’s so old school … at least even let a person book the whole week at one visit. Oh, and once being told there is no room you walk past the restaurant at the time you were denied only to see many empty tables, I’d say someone is just trying to minimize the food bill.
Of course, most places are what you make them, after a while the place grows on you. Overall I found my time at the Barcelo Ixtapa pleasant, the weather was awesome, the beach great, most of the staff friendly, the place was clean, daily room upkept nicely. Do yourself a favor and get up early, stand in line for 20 minutes to book yourself a dinner at the Italian restaurant, it’s worth it, awesome dinner.
★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Grand Resort: always love returning to the grand azul
great staff . very clean throughout. excellent ala cartes. what more can you say. close to ixtapa island for great snorkelling. the weather is always great. beautiful ocean views from all rooms. the grounds are immaculate. it is away from town.. if you want peace and quiet this is the place for you.
Location5/5
Value4/5
Food4/5
Beach4/5
Rooms5/5
Service5/5
★John -
Verified PurchaserHotel Emporio Ixtapa: Avoid at all cost
If you enjoy construction, constant noise, large mexican weddings, an over crowded pool, lousy food patio doors that don't open, hearing the announcer by the pool from 8 am to 9pm, an poorly stocked bar, air canada vacation reps trying to sell you over priced tourist packages, and the deserted restaurants of ixtapa...well this is the place for you.
Don't expect Trip Central to care, they are just selling the package and will do nothing even if you have been a customer for 11 years.
We just walked away from this place 3 days in and went to a hotel in Zihuatanejo.
Oh and if you are wondering if this is a get what you pay for experience, we've been travelling to ixtapa/zihua for 10 years and stayed in many nice places. We reviewed this hotel and it seemed nice. But we were totally ripped off here.
Go elsewhere and buy elsewhere
★★Private -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: Not the best
This hotel is over priced. The rooms are ok but many had plumbing issues. The food is mediocre and there is not much selection.
Pools are nice but very limited chairs so you have to get up early to reserve.
Street location is very good! Close to markets and shops and very good restaurants.
Location4/5
Value1/5
Food2/5
Beach4/5
Rooms2/5
Service4/5
★★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Resort: Another great visit
Our third trip here. Nothing to disappoint. Excellent room, food, drinks staff. The Mediterranean restaurant is so beautiful with fancy food to rival anything in Canada. Only glitch wAs a Canadian with a very overtired crying baby who decided to get the most of her experience including Spanish coffee. This a la carte should be adults only. We will return
Location5/5
Value5/5
Food5/5
Beach5/5
Rooms5/5
Service5/5
★★★★Brandon -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Resort: Great resort
This was a great Resort for my family along with our two and a half year old son. It was very clean and the service was excellent. My only complaint that I would have is that the food was average. It seemed to be many of the same meals at all of the a la carte restaurants. I would highly recommend this if you were looking to go somewhere that is very family and children oriented. Also be aware that the resort is about 10 minute bus ride from Ixtapa. We went to Ixtapa a few times as the beach was much better then the one out front of the resort.
★★★★★Dan & Mary Annie Knecht -
Verified PurchaserPark Royal Ixtapa: Very nice resort
From the moment we walked into the lobby, across the bridge over a koi stream and through a small "rain forest" this resort felt welcoming. Our "garden view" room was high enough in the tower that we could see the ocean over the tops of the tallest palms to enjoy the sunsets. While the restaurants did not offer as much variety of food as some other resorts do, the quality of the food was consistently good, the wait staff attentive, and the grill cook great with eggs and omelettes at breakfast. The pool is warmer than most -- although not as warm as the ocean itself during our stay -- and of course the Playa del Palmar is fabulous. The room had a few minor issues, a TV remote that didn't work property, an overly hard king bed, no in-room refridgerator for medical needs, but all were dealt-with immediately by the staff. We enjoyed our week at the Park Royal. It is a pleasant, well-kept property and was perfect for a relaxed getaway from the ice and snow where we live.
★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Grand Resort: Great Holiday
This hotel had everything we were looking for: Large, comfortable rooms; Lots of food variety; Friendly staff; Amazing views from the balcony. The sports bar doesn't open until 4pm and the Manager was able to let us in early in order to watch an NHL game. Everyone was so accommodating and helpful.
We booked all of our a la cartes on arrival and no issues with timings or availability. The Italian was my favorite. Always plenty of variety at the buffet.
The three pools provided us the opportunity of quiet solitude at the adult only pool, or relaxing at the infinity pool. We always had a lounger albeit the later in the day you went to the pool, the harder to find them. We travelled as four adults and would return. Amenities and grounds were impeccable. No complaints. The only downfall is the limited beach, with very rocky area entering the water (water shoes a must!).
★★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Grand Resort: Lovely restort
Every area was so clean and well managed. Wished more staff spoke English but otherwise our stay was perfect. The food was very good but after a week was a bit monotonous. Great place for families . Surprised to find after buying american dollars they only wanted Canadian money because of the US president...
Location5/5
Value5/5
Food4/5
Beach5/5
Rooms5/5
Service5/5
★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserHotel Emporio Ixtapa: Great location
The Emporio is a bit run down but the food is great. There’s lots of activities and the pool was always crowded so if it’s peace and quite you want this hotel is not for you. There were many families with children, it was the second week in March, not sure if it was spring break? The beach is not good for swimming as the waves are too large. We enjoyed the included 2 hour bike tour. There is a bike path that makes cycling quite safe. There is 1 tennis court, in good shape.
Location5/5
Value4/5
Food5/5
Beach2/5
Rooms3/5
Service4/5
★★★★★Daniellepalms -
Verified PurchaserHotel Emporio Ixtapa: Amazing vacation great resort
We did everything from lounge at the resort, bike the 10km ciclopista to playa Linda, snorkeled on ixtapa island, swam at Las Gatas, wandered around Ixtapa ans Zihua has drinks and food. Everything was amazing. I would be back in a heart beat. I love it here so beautiful and clean plus the people are so nice.
Location5/5
Value4/5
Food4/5
Beach4/5
Rooms4/5
Service4/5
★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserHoliday Inn Ixtapa: Excellent location and great service
Beautiful location right on the beach, rooms were great and the service was perfect. My only complaint was the food. The resort is advertised as having 4 restaurants but this isn't true. They are all open at different times not consequently and the food is pretty much the same at all of them. Food tastes okay but pretty much the same thing everyday. All in all a 3 star hotel. I would recommend to others
Location5/5
Value3/5
Food3/5
Beach4/5
Rooms5/5
Service5/5
★★★★MattJBuckingham -
Verified PurchaserHotel Emporio Ixtapa: Highs and Lows here
Lets start with the good. The staff truly (for the most part, well get to that) make this a great hotel. From the bell hop to the ladies seating you at the restaurant, nothing could make them better. Except one. The grounds, and the hotel itself is (again for the most part) kept very well. The food is what the food is, its Mexico, not Paris. The staff member that made the best impression was the lady at the coffee cart. She truly was a great representation of what the hotel should be.
The hotel amenities are sparse at best, but that is one thing that drew me to it, as the wife and I are not stay on the resort the whole vacation kind of people. The pool is kept clean, as is the kids area, and the hot tub. Grounds maintenance was second to none.
The location of the resort to the local area is perfect. Locals due use this hotel as well as tourists, which is another great item, you are forced to immerse yourself into their world. Shopping, restaurants, etc. directly across the street, with a tourist "market" a few min. walk away. Market is in quotes as they don't have much in the way of local artisanal items, more of the same factory manufactured in china goods that all tourist areas have.
Now the bad. As mentioned above the cleanliness of the resort in a whole is great, except the bathroom in the room we had (708). The support handle in the shower has separated from the tile at the lower mount, and in there is about a half inch of black mold growing and festering. I made mention of this to the front desk on two separate occasions, but nothing has been done (at least at the time of my leaving) to rectify this.
Mold in the shower may not be a downturn for most family's, or people, but my wife only has 1 lung, so any infection can be extremely harmful to her well being.
Over all a great place, and I would consider going back if only I could be ensured the mold issue has been handled in the room before I drop the cash.
★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserFontan Ixtapa: So so resort Fontan
Rooms still in need of desperate upgrades. Small fridge not in all rooms. No drinking water or face cloths everyday.
Food is average. Hamburgers not cooked.
Specific floors should be designated for families so the rest of us can sleep.
Happy to see a kids buffet added.
Great pool with swim up bar.
We really loved this hotel and enjoyed our stay very much. Certainly will come back again and recommend it to family and friends.Many activities to enjoy: something for everybody! Impressed with what they have set up for the kids as well.
The grounds are beautiful, the pools amazing, and a great beach as well.
We enjoyed both a la cartes: the food was delicious. Also a few buffets to choose from as well.
Our room was spacious and very well kept with a beautiful view of the ocean.
We loved the live music in the lobbybar and danced to our hearts content. We also went to the disco which is a great place for the younger generation.
The new addition of the coffeebar is a success: many varieties to choose from :)
The staff is very friendly and accommodating.
All in all a wonderful hotel to have a terrific holiday
★★★★★Melissa1975 -
Verified PurchaserHotel Emporio Ixtapa: Week in Paradise
We stayed at the Hotel Emporio for the first time last week. Our experience was wonderful, from the service, the food and the facilities. Our room was located on the second floor (no view), it was large with a king size bed, small fridge, large bathroom with shower with plenty of hot water. The hotel and grounds were very well kept and clean, staff were constantly cleaning. The food was very good, just not a large selection. The staff from the bartenders, the waiters, the lifeguards, were all very pleasant and attentive.
★★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserLas Brisas Ixtapa: Great Resort
Built on a hillside overlooking a secluded sandy beach. All units have private balconies facing the ocean. QUIET!! No loud amplified music on the pool decks or beach areas. Excellent food at the seafood and Italian restaurants ( we didn't try the Mexican restaurant.). The buffet food was not as good.Hotel offered a free bike tour on the superb public bike path in Ixtapa as well a a naturalist guided bird walk on Sunday am. Easy city bus transportation to Ixtapa marina and Playa Linda or the other direction to Zihuatenajo.
★★★★Gush -
Verified PurchaserPark Royal Ixtapa: Good Resort
The Hotel is older but has been well kept up. The Staff are all very friendly and accommodating. The Food is good in both Buffets. The A La Carte was so so.
The bed was very firm so housekeeping put a foam underlay which improved it.
The Hallway are very noisy at night when your asleep and people come to their
rooms late in the evening. The Live Band playing in the Lobby area are very loud
and the sound comes through the Patio Doors.There were lots of Beach Lounge
chairs.
The resort was clean and well maintained. The a few concerns ... explaination at check in was quick perhaps too quick. Found ourselves unable to know where to go for a meal initially or where things were on the resort. Had to take a fair bit of time to go thru the printed material given at check in. Food at this resort was never very warm even if you got to the dining room as soon as it opened. Variations of the same thing over and over. Their a le cart restaurant Bogarts is fantastic. Staff are excellent and friendly. Beds are comfortable and the rooms pretty standard.Resort had 50%tourists the rest are locals. There is a shortage of deck chairs and if you don't get down poolside and save ones by 7:00 you are out of luck
★Jess -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: would never stay here again
this was our first trip as a family and my 2 year old got very sick. He was sick for the entire trip. then my 4 year old got sick as well. on top of that our room was next to a disco that played very loud music u till 4am. I almost lost my mind on the 3rd day. it seemed like no one cared and they werent eager to help. we had also run into a handful of people whom also had gotten sick. The rooms are also crawling with ants. i would not recomend this hotel at all.
While the hotel doesn't have the fanciest rooms it does have a swim up bar, daily activities, a buffet with pretty good food and the best service staff. We didn't mind the room as we didn't spend too much time in it so really it didn't matter too much. Definitely going back within the next year!
Location4/5
Value4/5
Food3/5
Beach4/5
Rooms3/5
Service5/5
★★★★Fred -
Verified PurchaserHoliday Inn Ixtapa: Great resort, beautiful weather and beach
Rooms have been updated and very nice, food only fair, employees excellent and are the main reason we go back to the resort. New management has greatly improved the grounds and the resort is very clean and looks fantastic.
Location5/5
Value4/5
Food3/5
Beach5/5
Rooms5/5
Service5/5
★★★★★Private -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Resort: Stunning and very well maintained!!!
All the grounds and public areas are extremely well maintained .... There are always people working on maintenance very respectfully!!
All the staff are very friendly ...
No complaints on maintenance or food!!!
The only complaint - there is an optional time share element and the sales person called it a vacation club ... Just be aware if you DON'T want to waste your time...
Location5/5
Value5/5
Food5/5
Beach5/5
Rooms5/5
Service5/5
★★★★★Curt -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: Great vacation!
The SDP never disappoints! This was our second time a this resort and we love it. The service was excellent, the rooms were clean and the pool was very nice. The food was plentiful and we could always find something that we liked to eat. The snack truck was one of our favorites places to grab a quick bite. If I had to recommend anything, I would suggest that you try and book a room that directly facing the ocean or just off to the side. I would also recommend for couples to book a king bed as they are more comfortable than two double beds. Ixtapa has a lot of places to eat outside of the resort but I would recommend going into Zihuatanejo as the food is slightly cheaper and fresher. We ate at a place called Daniels and it was fantastic but don't get me wrong, great places in Ixtapa as well.
Overall, we will continue to come back to this lovely part of Mexico!
WE just returned from a 11 night stay at the wonderful Sunscape Dorado Pacifico in Ixtapa. The resort was great. Rooms were comfortable, food was great and the staff were excellent. The beach was great and the pool and swim up bar was great. There was enough of a variety of food to chose from. The only problem we had was in the bar inside the hotel. The poor bartender had to call the entertainment director to change the channel on the TV. For some strange reason, he wouldn’t let it stay in the bar area.
★★★Markedma -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Grand Resort: Nice resort with some flaws
The grounds and Hotel are very well kept and the staff is fantastic, the a la Carte’s were very good, although booking them was difficult (we were told they were full but when we checked they were always half empty). The other flaws are: food at the buffets is just so-so. The night time entertainment is basically none existent. Also the towel check out-in process is very time consuming. Lastly you can not use the facilities at the lower end Azul next door. So if you are expecting to check out the pools or get a drink, you can’t.. first time that we have seen this policy...
★★★★Jimmer -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Resort: Good time!
The resort has great people willing to help you at anytime. The grounds were fine, room was fine and food was fine although it could use a little more variety in my opinion. The beach was easy to access and walk. All in all a very nice , relaxing vacation which we were looking for.
Location4/5
Value4/5
Food3/5
Beach4/5
Rooms4/5
Service5/5
★★★★★Martina -
Verified PurchaserSunscape Dorado Pacifico: Love the Sunscape
This is our 5th time in Ixtapa and our second time at the Sunscape Dorado Pacifico. It does not disappoint. The food is excellent, service fantastic and the location is ideal. We see ourselves coming back again and again.
Location5/5
Value4/5
Food5/5
Beach5/5
Rooms4/5
Service5/5
★★★★Koel duds -
Verified PurchaserHotel Emporio Ixtapa: loved it
Good day
We stayed here February 14-21 , an, as mentioned middle class Mexican designation.
Many families that take over the pool , we are beach people and so no issue.
This resort is small but ground are well looked after and the sunsets from there are most amazing .
Room was great on the third floor with a view of the buffet , pool and Ocean , if the window was clean it would have been perfect but it was very much covered in salt and sand , no real issue
Buffet was most excellent , no shrimps or fine meat cuts here , mostly Mexican dishes with a great sweet table , fresh pastry's for breakfast that included amazing pound cake and so all good to me .
Vey tasty taco's Quesada's you name it , lost of fresh hot sauces .
Maybe not for every one , but we sure did not miss burgers fries or any of the usual North American crap.
Beach is great to walk , water only for those that respect the ocean , not kid friendly .
Drink Service on the beach from 11 am on , tip large in the AM [ 100 pesos or 7 bucks] and you will get great service.
Many restaurants , shops ETC just across the street , safe to walk did so daily in the evening .
Cabs cheap to get to other beaches with better swimming.
buy your tours on the flight there from sun wing best deal , if flying with them , in CANADIAN $$
We did not and paid huge in American that they then converted in pesos and so you get taken every time again .
did a sun set cruise ,as mentioned paid to much but still worth it .
Would come back in a hart beat , of course the great weather helped making this week for us to be fantastic .
★★★★Dee 07 -
Verified PurchaserPark Royal Ixtapa: Cleanest Resort and friendly staff
We really enjoyed this resort from Feb 1 till Feb 15 2019 , the staff was very friendly and spoke good english we had no problems booking in, exchanging money for small bills i can't say enough about how clean the resort was .
Maids were so friendly and the room was spotless every day ,sheets change constantly .The bed were very hard but after 14 days got use to them if i was this resorts owners i would definitely switch to pillow tops i am sure they can afford to upgrade.
We never got sick once the food for such a small resort was very good no problems not a great variety, Italian restaurants was very good we ate there a lot .
Swim up bar was always full of children but being a family resort and reading review before we left we knew what was mean to be .
we had a ton of fun and price value excellent
★★★★Tracylb1@shaw.ca -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Resort: Great resort
Overall the hotel was great. Very clean & friendly staff. Ala cartes were very good, buffet was was not great. Bar hours & locations could be improved. Lobby bar isn’t actually in the lobby and doesn’t open until 4. Bars by the pool are open earlier but it would be great to have a place away from the pools in air conditioning during the day
Location5/5
Value4/5
Food3/5
Beach5/5
Rooms4/5
Service5/5
★★★★★Toonytown Jan -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Resort: We loved this resort!
It is a great resort, in a wonderful location! We found the staff to be very friendly and helpful. The resort and room were very clean and we loved the ocean view! I would have no hesitation recommending this resort. I would like to see one more bar possibly a piano bar for the evening. A little more information provided for the surrounding area would be helpful. Overall we had a wonderful time and would return in the future!
Location5/5
Value5/5
Food4/5
Beach5/5
Rooms5/5
Service5/5
★★★★Steve L84dinner -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Grand Resort: A Family and Adult Oriented Resort
Clientele: The resort appears to have chosen to cater to families and adults as opposed to the younger partying crowd.
Grounds: Grounds are very well maintained. Trees and flowers are always well kept. Every inch of the real estate is designed and built to provide aesthetic and recreation value. The beach is small and not good for swimming but without any venders.
Public Areas: pools are well kept with plenty of umbrellas, chairs and lounges. Hotel discourages reserving of lounges but some still do.
Food, Beverages and Restaurants: At the main buffet there is everything for every taste (fish/seafood, chicken, beef, pork, cooked vegetables, soups, pasta plus a Mexican station) everyday. The down side is that you can never find anything new, for those who like surprises. A la carte restaurants are fabulous especially the service. One of them is even open for lunch. One can be so spoiled. The addition of a little cappucciano bar is a very nice touch
Rooms: They all have ocean view, balcony and are all very spacious. I am guessing about 700 SF. Plumbing in "our" room needs work. The handicap shower room is spacious but needs to be improved to provide better safety. I am assuming that this would be a typical situation.
Staff: They are all very polite and friendly. They appreciate a tip, big or small. As a foreigner enjoying the best of their foods and services, not to mention the climate and the view, one can't help but wanting to give them something to show a little appreciation. I was told that most of the staff in the hospitality industry get paid only minimum wages, and I mean Mexican minimum wages.
Entertainment: Stages shows are held nightly at an outdoor facility. Insects can be somewhat annoying. There is also an indoor "recreation room" type of facility with nightly live music and dance floor, plus pool tables and other games. Disco is off site.
The only criticism I have is that their office is not very responsive when you communicate with them during booking.
★★★★Colleen HM -
Verified PurchaserBarcelo Ixtapa: A resort with a mixed bag of excellent to disappointing
The internal structure of this hotel is very dated and needing both a design and repair overhaul. The bathroom especially was unbelievable. A large person would have to walk into the shower in order to close the door on the toilet/shower. Tiles were broken, cracked, grouting dirty and also broken. First impression of the room was "yuk" BUT the outdoor areas were beautiful and the location perfect.
It is a resort that obviously caters more to the Mexicans and as such was interesting to stay in. As several staff told us, it was originally a Sheraton and in those days was much classier! Built in 1983, it would appear that little has been done to the interior. Of 4 elevators, only 2 were working for the two weeks we were there though there was constant repair work going on on the out of action elevators. The working elevators screeched alarmingly at times!
Food was good in two of the three specialty restaurants and average in the buffet. Disappointing that the Japanese restaurant did not cook the food at your table and the noise level in it was very loud. Staff were always pleasant and tried to be helpful but struggled with English ...but then we didn't speak Spanish.
The beach was fabulous and certainly we were at the best place to go in the ocean. Would highly recommend that aspect.
Despite our disappointment with the hotel interior, we might go back simply because the location is so perfect and we think we can rise above the poor room conditions.
★★★★Jo-ann -
Verified PurchaserAzul Ixtapa Resort: This resort was AWESOME will worth for the price
Azul Ixtapa,
First the weather was great, very clean rooms, there is always so much food to choose from. Oh and a must see is the island it is beautiful.
The only thing that we where disappointed in was the entertainment.
Entertainment was always a nice why to end a beautiful day, but here the shows bad, and the lobby music was good, but just not enough room for everyone to seat. Staff are very friendly.
I have read so many reviews and for the most part, they were so true. The views are breathtaking, the service was outstanding. The rooms were cleaned daily. Slight repairs were being done by the pool area and the workers were respectful of everyone relaxing. (What do you expect when the sun beats down on the patio and salt is dragged up constantly, we saw very few people use the numerous showers available to rinse). We ate in 2 of the restaurants, la Brias 2 and the portafino. Both service and food were outstanding!! The buffet has a range of food to suit ANYONES appetite so if you’re reading differently in here, those people are likely very unhappy in their lives and do nothing but complain anywhere they go. The beds were comfortable and plenty of pillows to choose from, 6 in total. We were so exhausted every day from the beach and pool, we had no time to figure out if our heads liked the pillows.... or if we even cared. George and Christian were the only ones we had a privilege of serving us poolside. The only thing we had to say was that we had to ask them to stop bringing drinks over every 10 minutes...LOL!! Holy cow the service is a 10 outta 5!! After calculating if we went out in Ontario, what we would tip, we adjusted our thinking accordingly and tipped daily. It was appreciated by everyone....including maid service, drivers... We went snorkeling at Ilsa Ixtapa and there are no words to describe the food, the beauty of the beach, the kindness of everyone around us. Wow, wow, WOW! We, every once and a while would see a cigarette butt left on our beach, instead of complaining in a review, we bent down and picked them up and tossed them in the many garbages around the resort....with our own. The only thing I can say which isn’t really a negative is, a tiny bit of back ground music other than the restaurants and buffets would be nice. It didn’t bother us because we had music on our phones and in our room. This resort is a perfect R&R resort. Never a rush to go anywhere or do anything. Yes, there are ALOT of stairs, but we felt it was a great way to work off everything we ate once and a while. We loved every second of every minute we spent there and will most definitely return. Las Brias is amazing!!!
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