The Best Ixtapa Travel Guide – Ixtapa is best known for its excellent white sand beaches, and offers nice opportunities for relaxing beach vacations. The center of the Ixtapa resort town is the lovely Playa del Palmar beach, where most of the large hotels in the area are located. Water sports such as sailing, parasailing and water skiing are available in Ixtapa. However, as in many of the beaches in the area, the waves are a bit rough for swimming. However, the high waves make surfing in Ixtapa quite popular. Playa Las Gatas is nice for swimming, and snorkeling can also be practiced there. Offshore from Ixtapa, Isla Ixtapa is home to four more beaches that offer nice snorkeling as well as seafood restaurants.
Ixtapa is best known for its excellent white sand beaches, and offers nice opportunities for relaxing beach vacations. The center of the Ixtapa resort town is the lovely Playa del Palmar beach, where most of the large hotels in the area are located. Water sports such as sailing, parasailing and water skiing are available in Ixtapa. However, as in many of the beaches in the area, the waves are a bit rough for swimming. However, the high waves make surfing in Ixtapa quite popular. Playa Las Gatas is nice for swimming, and snorkeling can also be practiced there. Offshore from Ixtapa, Isla Ixtapa is home to four more beaches that offer nice snorkeling as well as seafood restaurants.
Besides beaches and surfing, diving in Ixtapa is also great with good visibility, rich marine life and a variety of impressive dive sites. Sport fishing and kayaking are also available. There is a dolphinarium in Ixtapa where you can swim with bottlenose dolphins, and a water park called the Magic World that is great fun for kids.
Nightlife in Ixtapa is not as impressive as in bigger resort cities such as Acapulco or Cancún. Ixtapa has more options for night-time entertainment, then its twin city Zihuatanejo. Typical Mexican festivals are also celebrated. Ixtapa is safe with little crime around. However, pick-pocketing and theft does occur, so take good care of your belongings. To learn more about all the beautiful beaches of the Mexican Riviera, visit here. Now view our Ixtapa Vacations Travel Guide to help plan your next Mexican Riviera vacation!
Ixtapa Weather – When to Visit
Ixtapa has a tropical savannah climate, with dry summers and winters. The temperature over the course of the year varies from 67°F to 90°F. Rarely, the temperature goes below 62°F or over 92°F. The warm season of Ixtapa is from the end of June thru the beginning of September, when the average daily high temperature is above 89°F.
Plan on traveling in the winter months when the temperatures range between 70°F and 80°F. You will avoid the crowds at the beach as well as on the streets, making your shopping experiences easier and more enjoyable. The winter also brings warmer waters to the beaches for you to enjoy without the hassle of large crowds.
Best Ixtapa Beaches
Playa el Palmar
Playa el Palmar is a wonderful and picturesque beach, located adjacent to hotel row and in walking distance of the town of Ixtapa. Beach area is clean and expansive, offering ample space for diverse activities, such as beach sports, sun bathing, running, walking and recreational things-to-do like parasailing.
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Playa Quieta
Located six miles from Ixtapa, this is the best swimming area in the region featuring snorkeling, sailing and windsurfing. This beach is great for families.
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Playa Linda
Great beach with a family atmosphere and plenty of restaurants to choose from offering lounge and table seating and some with hammocks. The here water is crystal clear and very gentle for the children. There are some water sports available like the banana or donut speed rides.
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Playa Coral
So beautiful, and so much marine life to see at this beach. You can walk into the water and see beautiful colorful fish, or you can gather some snorkeling equipment and swim a bit further out to see puffer fish, parrot fishes, starfish, and underwater sculptures.
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Playa Vista Hermosa
Best Ixtapa beach hands down!! It is private at Las Brisas Hotel. The sand was light in color and so soft and sugary with blue Caribbean-like waters. The waves crashing and flowing up the beach is a site to see. This beach is great for walking, swimming, sunbathing, photography, well pretty much everything. There is also a lifeguard on duty at this beach..
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Best Ixtapa Restaurants
Beccofino $31 – 60
This small, marina-side dining room and cozy bar has been a popular high-season hangout since 1992. Among the best dishes on the northern Italian menu are minestrone soup, caprese salad (with tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella), fish fillet (usually red snapper or mahi mahi) with a champagne sauce, and chicken cacciatore. Many of the pastas are made in-house. Enjoy the personalized attention of the owner and all-around excellent service. Telephone: 755-553-1770 Web: Beccofino.
Ruben’s $11 – 30
The delicious scent of grilling meats will entrance you from blocks away. Latin music blares from the jukebox inside, so after sundown most clients dine at the white plastic tables on the grassy front yard. The charcoal-grilled burgers, which are made of top sirloin, the french fries, deep-fried zucchini, and baked potatoes are true-to-the-source America n treats, but with a twist. The burgers are topped with cabbage, and delicious with the Benton’s chipotle sauce that you’ll find next to the mustard and ketchup. Try the corn soup served with a generous dollop of sour cream. For dessert there are grilled bananas glazed with cinnamon and sugar and served with fresh cream. Telephone: 755-553-0055 Web: Ruben’s.
Nueva Zelanda $11 – 30
Although it’s open all day, this sparkling little coffee shop is best known for its breakfasts. This branch opened after the success of the original eatery in downtown Zihuatanejo. It’s both more polished and more endearing, yet serves the same deli-style fresh Mexican food that’s been served for 30 years at the original restaurant. Sit at the counter, at the varnished wood tables with six swivel chairs, or in the tiny booths. Options include fresh fruit juices, coconut milk shakes, banana splits, omelets, enchiladas, salads, soup, and tortas. Telephone: 755-553-0838 Web: Nueva Zelanda.
Casa Morelos $11 – 30
The wooden bar, ocher walls, and handcrafted furnishings make this tiny restaurant seem like a true cantina, although it’s in the middle of a shopping center. Patio tables are more elegant at night than during the day, with potted trees dressed in little white lights and lively tropical music at a level that doesn’t drown out conversation. The chiles rellenos de camarón, fajitas, and tuna steak topped with three kinds of chilies are all filling and delicious. You can also come for a generous breakfast. Telephone: 755-553-0578 Web: Casa Morelos.
Bext Ixtapa Nightlife
Christine Night Club
It’s lights! camera! disco! at this cavernous dance club, a veteran on the Ixtapa scene. Known for its light-and-sound system, the club is open until 4 am. Telephone: 755-555-0510 Web: Christine Night Club.
Kopados Music Bar
Find hot live bands and cold beers under this Ixtapa palapa that opens at 6 pm every night. Telephone: 755-553-2000 Web: Kopados Music Bar.
Piano Bar Galeria
Piano Bar Galería, in the Hotel Sunscape Dorado Pacífico, has a wonderful happy-hour pianist playing romantic songs nightly from December to April and July and August. Telephone: 755-553-2025 Web: Piano Bar Baleria.
El Alebrije
A fog machine, banks of computerized lights, pop, rock, house, salsa and merengue, plus an open bar: what more do you want? Telephone: 755-553-2710 Web: El Alebrije.
This guide makes Ixtapa sound like such a hidden gem! I’ve been to Cancún and Puerto Vallarta but never thought about visiting Ixtapa Mexico. The beaches look gorgeous, especially Playa el Palmar and Playa Coral — I love that it’s less crowded but still has plenty to do. Would you recommend staying right in Ixtapa or splitting time between Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo for a first visit?
Thank you so much! Ixtapa really is one of those underrated Mexican Riviera spots — full of beauty, great food, and friendly local vibes without the crowds. For a first trip, I’d suggest splitting your time if you can. Ixtapa has the resort feel with wide, modern beaches like Playa el Palmar, while Zihuatanejo gives you that authentic fishing-village charm with cozy boutique hotels and local markets. You can easily hop between them — it’s just a short taxi ride! Do you think you’d prefer a relaxed beach escape or a mix of local culture and adventure?