Introduction

In the early 1970s the Mexican govern­ment selected an area just four miles up the coast from Zihuatanejo, around Palmar Bay, to build a major tourism complex. The virgin area, dominated by coconut palms, mangrove swamps, rocky cliffs poun­ded by surf and lovely but almost inaccessible beaches, came to be known as Ixtapa.

Ixtapa’s coastline is home to a hotel zone, condominium develop­ments, a marina and two golf courses. An impeccable, tree-li­ned boulevard divides the hotels on one side from a string of small-scale shopping centers on the other.

Tourists love the warm surf, breathtaking sunsets and fine climate: the mean average temperature is 82°F and it’s almost always sunny, because even during the summer rainy season showers are brief and usually in the late afternoon or evening.

Ixtapa is a three-hour drive from Acapulco, a four-hour drive from Morelia, and about a seven-hour drive from Mexico City. By air it is a scant 45-minute flight from the capital. There are also direct flights from the United States.