Ixtapa Dec 2010

Joyce Kemmer Dec 1-6, 2010
I had the opportunity this year to attend the Sun & Fun event in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo sponsored by the CVB. Each year about 50-70 agents and media as invited to learn more about IZ. It was held from Dec 1-6. I went several days early to do some things on my own. I spent the first three nights at the Hotel Irma. This is a 2-star property, which should not scare anyone off. It is not all-inclusive and it may be short on lush amenities but the staff and the customer service is impeccable. There is a restaurant on site that is reasonably price. The room was very large with two doubles and lots of storage. The hotel is one of the early ones and it is built into a cliff. It has two pools and a flight of rather tricky stones steps to get down to the beach. If you qualify the client there should not be a problem with it not having all the bells and whistles we sometimes expect. We walked the beach into Zihuatanejo to go shopping and have lunch, it is about a 10 min walk-part in the sand and part is built up sidewalk. Store owners are eager to please but not too pushy.
On the first day of Sun & Fun we moved to the Krystal, which has dropped the NH from it name and in talking with the sales manager that has now given them some money to do some renovations. I had heard prior to going it was a bit worn but the redo is nicely done and the grounds are beautiful. Great beach to walk that goes a long distance and there aplenty of pool and beach chairs. From our 11th floor balcony the view was fantastic. Buffet meals only. My only “problem” with the hotel was needing to get room service to bring ice as there are not machines. That could take a while at times as you can imagine. Not a very large kid’s area.
Various hotels we were at:
Villa Mexicana. Similar to the Irma in the era it was built. However, its beach is at hotel level and it is a lovely beach. Pool is rather small and some rooms are very close to beach/pool/restaurant areas.
Dorado Pacifica: Large hotel, great pool area. Good kids water area. Has balconies. I did not see the rooms, but the agents that stayed there liked the property. Food was good.
Las Brisas: This was a disappointment to me. Straight up a cliff. You take an elevator a number of floors down then walk down a hall and another elevator to the beach. It was before noon when we were there, but the beach is pretty deserted and I saw no evidence of bar or food area. I would wonder about possible safety. Maybe during busy season it would feel more comfortable. The large open terrace space of the upper levels is like being in the jungle trees. That was very pretty. Rooms were nice and some have their own private plunge pools.
Presidente Intercontinental: Great pool area. Rooms have balconies. Food was good.
Loma Del Mar Thalasso & Spa: This place is amazing. It was built five years ago on the premise of Europe water therapy. The pool is salt water and of various levels to offer different benefits to the body. The pool area has 8 “stations” and it takes over an hour to use all stations. This hotel has beautiful rooms, some of which are suites with kitchens and even a nanny room. The hotel does not have a beach and overlooks a gold course so it is lush and green. The major drawback to this property is the there is no elevator and it is six floors tall. It is a major workout and certainly not handicap accessible as different agents would point out during our site inspection
Bogart’s restaurant: Yes, named after Humphrey Bogart. One night fine dining is included here when staying at the Krystal and it is gourmet food. All of our evenings were booked but our rep told us to make late dinner reservations and only show up to the fam event for a while and then go to dinner there to experience the place. Good tip!
City/Combo tour: The guide we had was incredible. He knew his material, spoke good English and was easy to understand. We did several things beside a city tour. We drove out into the country to a coconut plantation. The word plantation is used a bit different than we understand it to be. I was amazed at all they use from the coconut and all its purposes including jewelry making.
Next we went to “tile factory” again factory is a loose term. It is a man and his two small sons who produced the arched abode tiles that are seen everywhere. It is a fascinating old fashioned process to observe. The clay from the farm is used to form the tiles. Lunch was at a small beach restaurant; pretty much set up for just this purpose, but food and service was good.
Alberto’s was apparently the place to get silver jewelry as it came highly recommended. He has a place in each location and fairly decent prices.
Several nights a week they have an open Fiesta in Ixtapa and in Zihuatanejo with music etc.
IZ has been on my bucket list for quite some time. I am very glad I was able to do this and also have the opportunity to stay in both very different locations. Major challenge from MSP is of course the flights and connections.