IXTAPA, Mexico -- As part of a three-day press visit to Club Med Ixtapa Pacific, Travel Agent took a tour this morning of the 300-room all-inclusive resort that is celebrating its 25th year of operation.
Although the resort is 25 years old, it doesn't look that way— mostly in part to a $25 million renovation that was completed in 2007. The exterior of all five buildings of the property is very authentic Mexico. They are all traditional colors and are built in a Mexican hacienda style. The interior of all of the rooms, however, especially the suites, are very modern chic with flat-screen TVs and bold colors.
I am staying in room #3218, one of 15 adults-only Luxury Suites. There are also 15 families-only Luxury Suites. All 30 suites are located in the "Sol" building of the hotel, which houses a concierge office stocked with free snacks, beer, wine and liquor. Suite guests, identified by a blue wrist band (all other guests have green wrist bands) have access to the concierge office and also a private portion on an otherwise public beach (all beaches in Mexico are public). The concierge office can help suite guests with everything from calling cabs to recommending restaurants in the nearby bustling town of Zihuatanejo to booking excursions and spa appointments.
The private portion of the beach, which is designated by a rope, has roughly five day beds and hammocks, which are all first-come-first-serve. All suites come with balconies, ocean views, special toiletries and a computer with free internet access. I rarely see this at the hotels I stay at. Guests of all other rooms have to pay for internet access and are required to bring their own computer.
The resort also has about five pools and five restaurants. There is one main swimming pool located near the lobby of the hotel and an adults-only swimming pool located near the suites. The adults-only pool, known as the "quiet pool," is the best pool for those looking to get away from the families. The resort, in fact, is usally about 90-percent families. Like all Club Meds, the property is extremely family-oriented and extremely fitness-oriented, offering an array of activities from trapese to archery to tennis to sailing and other fitness lessons.
The resort also offers an array of clubs for babies, children and teens and also provides baby sitters at an hourly rate. The only two restautants on property that require reservations are the two signature restaurants, Miramar, an Argentinean steakhouse and Luna Azul, which serves Fusion-Mexican cuisine
The resort's latest addition is a two-month old Conference Center which has three meeting rooms. The largest can hold 600 people and can be split into three separate rooms of 200 people. The two smaller rooms can hold 80 people each and can be split into two separate rooms of 40 people each. It's possible for large groups to book the entire resort for their events.
The resort is made up mostly of Americans (roughly 70 percent), Mexicans and Canadians.
Bottom line: Book this resort primarily for families but don't ignore couples either. The resort is catered to families but offers enough privacy for couples to enjoy a quiet vacation as well.
Keep visiting as I will tell you about the excursion to nearby Ixtapa Island as well as my outdoor Swedish Massage, both slated for later today.
Visit www.clubmed.com.