Golf

Ixtapa features two signature 18-hole championship courses, each with its own club facilities (including lighted tennis courts). Alongside the canals of the Yacht Marina, the Marina Ixtapa Golf course was designed by Robert Von Hagge. The Palma Real course by Robert Trent Jones Jr. is also a verdant wildlife reserve, its 14th hole is adjacent to Loma del Mar.

Sportfishing

Schools of bait fish flourish in the pristine offshore ecosystem attracting trophy-size sailfish and black and blue marlin, as well as yellow fin tuna and dorado. Fly fishing is also popular. The annual Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Tag & Release Billfish Tournament in May attracts anglers worldwide.

Scuba and Snorkeling

Spectacular! These Pacific waters are teeming with marine life thanks to the rich natural biodiversity. Sights from tiny seahorses to graceful giant mantas. All levels, about dive 30 sites, excellent dive guides and gear. Great snorkeling in sheltered Manzanillo Bay, just south of Zihuatanejo Bay: colorful fish and coral reefs galore.

Surfing

Las Escolleras Beach (just beyond Ixtapa's Hotel Zone near Marina Ixtapa), has fantastic waves and is the site of the International Surfing Tournament in September. Surfers also venture further up the coast to several beaches with great waves.

Dolphins

Swim and nteract at Delfiniti, a vast dolphin aquarium supervised by certified trainers. Your memorable experience is recorded for you by staffers on video or digital photography.

Sunset

Every evening the sun sinks into the blue Pacific. Spectacular and romantic from either Zihuatanejo or Ixtapa, and especially from our restaurant La Pampa or aboard a yacht with music and cocktails cruising into the golden glow.

Bicycling

Along Ixtapa's bicycle path (ciclopista) which passes through tropical forests, spectacular ocean settings and nature reserves.

Additionally

Water sports (kayaking, water-skiing, sailing, windsurfing, parasailing), horseback riding along the beach, adventurous ATV drives through dunes, lagoons and jungle terrains, birdwatching, and an ecological adventure park with jungle canopy zip-lining.

Cultural and local flavor

In Zihuatanejo, stroll around the pedestrian Paseo del Pescador, the town beach that for centuries has been the base for fishermen who bring in and sell their abundant catch every morning. Nearby in the main square there are dances on Sunday, as well as art exhibits and cultural events. Stroll around the charming town and explore the boutiques. In Ixtapa (just 4 miles up the coast), the little plaza around the quiosco (little bandstand in the shopping area) has craft marts, and boutiques. Concerts, art exhibits, fiestas and sports events are frequently held in Ixtapa as well.

Shopping

Boutique tropical fashions for him and her, famed Taxco (Guerrero) .925 silver jewelry, artistic home furnishings, Guerrero folk-art ceremonial dance masks as well as contemporary whimsical versions, and handicraft markets featuring vivid hand-painted ceramics. (Take advantage for some Christmas shopping.)

About a half-hour south of Zihuatanejo and a country drive through coconut plantations, you come to vast mangrove lagoons full of birds and white lilies. A skiff takes you across to the other side where, to your pleasant surprise, you disembark on an infinitely long isolated soft-sand beach where fishermen cook and serve their fresh catch for you.

Located in San Valentín is the turtle protection camp. SEA TURTLES return to spawn in the exact place of their birth. Government ecologists protect the nests from preditors, oversee their hatching, and annually up to 200,000 baby turtles are set free with a head start to survive in the sea. Females return years later to nest on this same beach.