Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo are side-by-side beach resorts.

They share geography, but their characters are like night and day.

Ixtapa’s infrastructure and services are modern. There are also luxury hotels in Ixtapa.

Zihuatanejo - (known locally as "Zihua") - is the typical beach village in Mexico.

Visitors will be tantalized by the possibility of two distinct destinations during one holiday.
Luxury-seekers should choose Ixtapa (eex-tah-pah).
The trip to Zihuatanejo is only 6.5 km (4 mi) and is easy and quick. Zihuatanejo provides a taste of the simple life in a seaside pueblo. Tradition-seekers who prefer a more rustic retreat should choose Zihuatanejo (see-wah-tah-neh-hoh). Zihuatanejo has a community of Italian and Swiss immigrants reaching back many years. It is also famous for its beach playboys.

The Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo region has the Sierra Madre as a background, and the Pacific Ocean waters as its foreground. It provides a full range of activities and diversions.
Among the favorites are:

• Scuba diving
• Deep-sea fishing
• Bay cruises to remote beaches
• Golf  

Night life in Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo is quieter than the night life in some of the better-known Mexican vacation spots.
Ixtapa’s night life is livelier than that of Zihuatanejo.

This dual Mexico destination caters to the visitor looking for a little of everything. They can find resort-style indulgence as well as unpretentious simplicity. These two resort areas are more welcoming to couples and adults than to families. A number of places are off-limits to children under 16. This type of restriction is somewhat rare in Mexico.