Club Med Ixtapa Pacific, Mexico
March 11 – 14, 2017
Recently I traveled to Club Med Ixtapa Pacific on a FAM for
three nights. The all-inclusive resort overlooks the Pacific
Ocean and it’s about a three-hour flight from LAX, near a
small town called Zihuatenejo. It’s such a nice feeling to arrive
at Club Med and know everything is included – the food,
drinks, activities, fitness, childcare, entertainment, and WiFi!
We arrived at Zihuatenejo Int’l Airport on Saturday around
3:30pm and after clearing customs, it was a short 20-30
minute drive to Club Med. We had inclusive airport transfers
from Club Med, so one of their GOs (Gracious Organizers) met
us outside the airport with a Club Med sign. We only waited
about 10 minutes for the shuttle to fill up and then we were
on our way.
When we arrived at Club Med, we were greeted by another friendly GO who offered us warm towels to freshen up.
Then it was off to our room for a quick shower before meeting at El Encanto for dinner. The restaurant is Club Med
Ixtapa’s main restaurant and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. It’s a large buffet style restaurant with a few
special stations preparing fresh specialties. I chose a chicken dish from one of the stations and roasted veggies from the
buffet, both were good! For dessert, I tried the white chocolate bread and a piece of chocolate cake, and again, both
delicious.
The next morning, it was time for a full site inspection. It
was great seeing the entire 37-acre property. I love that
Club Med is spread out rather than built up. Yes, that
means more walking, but it also means more beautiful
views from anywhere in the resort! There are three pools,
including a small adult-only pool fairly far away from the
other two, but we spent most of our time at the beach
swimming in the ocean. There are also three bars – one
beachside, one poolside, and one close to the main
restaurant – so there’s never a long wait for drinks. All the
rooms look modern, colorful, and spacious. My sister and I
stayed in a Deluxe Family Room with a balcony and it was
huge. There were two separate rooms – one with two twin
size beds for children, and another with a king-size bed, couch,
small table and chairs, dresser, etc. The bathroom was also
spacious with a standalone bathtub and separate shower with
a rainfall shower head. We also got to see the Suites, which
were even more spacious, had larger rooms that can
accommodate more than two children, and a huge balcony.
The Suites also include concierge service and a special private
beach.
After the site inspection, our options for activities were
endless! Should we go sailing, stand-up paddle boarding, try
our hand at archery? There are so many options for any
activity level. We decided to check out the nearby town,
Zihuatenejo, and a front desk GO was happy to call a taxi for
us. The taxi driver had a great recommendation for lunch, La
Perla Restaurant at Playa la Ropa. We sat at tables right on
the beach, shoes off, toes in the sand, enjoying the delicious
food, local culture, and beautiful view of Playa la Ropa’s
cove. That afternoon back at the resort, we laid in a cabana
on the beach and enjoyed a couple margaritas before we had
to get ready for dinner at Luna Azul, one of the specialty
restaurants. It sits on a grassy hill with gorgeous views and
architecture. Reservations are required and it’s only open for
dinner, but it seemed like there was plenty of space available.
The menu is à la carte, with a few items (like bottles of wine or
champagne) at a small additional cost. I had a Mahi Mahi dish
and it was absolutely delicious, I’d definitely recommend
dining at Luna Azul.
On our final full day, we went sailing, relaxed in a cabana on
the beach, ate lunch at the beach BBQ, and were lucky
enough to go on an off-site excursion to Playa Troncones to
help release baby sea turtles into the ocean! The excursion
was at an additional cost, but it was well worth it and Club
Med organized everything for us. The sea turtle release was
absolutely the highlight of our trip, and they told us it was
the very last nest of the season. The shuttle from Club Med
to the beach was about 40 minutes and the excursion also
included drinks and snacks from a small restaurant next to
the turtles. It was a once in a lifetime, bucket list experience
that I’ll truly never forget.
That night, we had dinner at El Encanto again and the food was
delicious. After dinner we went to a free show, “Movie Factory,”
at the theatre. A few Club Med GOs acted out famous scenes
from 100 movies in 30 minutes, it was hysterical. Then we went
to the Glow Party in Estrella bar where we got our faces painted
with glow paint and danced with storm troopers, it was a really
fun and memorable last night!
The next day we weren’t ready to leave. We spent a couple
hours laying in a cabana on the beach and swimming in the
ocean before we had to pack up and leave. Let me just say,
I could have spent two weeks at Club Med and not have
gotten bored! There are so many things I didn’t have time
to try, like archery, the flying trapeze, stand-up paddle
boarding, kayaking…the list goes on and on. Club Med is
the perfect all-inclusive experience for anyone – families,
couples, or a group of friends. I’ll definitely be going back
to Club Med Ixtapa Pacific, and I’m eager to stay at other
Club Med resorts, too!