Ixtapa - Zihuatanejo Mountain Vacations

We stayed at Las Brisas Ixtapa and really enjoyed the beautiful beach and the spacious, comfortable rooms. The setting itself is wonderful. That said, the area that really needs improvement is the food and the evening entertainment. The buffet offered very similar dishes each day—just slight variations of the same things. Some variety and creativity would make a huge difference. Adding some live music or entertainment at the bar at night would also enhance the experience. We tried the private dining at Portofino and were very disappointed. The server, an older gentleman, was rude and rushed us through the meal, which really put a damper on the evening. The Mexicano restaurant was a bit better, it was our 1st Wedding Anniversary —our server Alberto did a great job, and we enjoyed the salad and Agua Chile. However, the vegetarian tostada was not good, the Chile Relleno was missing cheese, and the corn cake tasted identical to the apple cake at Portofino. The churros were cold, hard, and tasted of old oil. Overall, the food is the weakest part of the resort. Even if the all-inclusive price increased slightly, improving the quality and variety of the meals would really elevate the guest experience.

Emporio Ixtapa is like that relative you love to visit—but hope they’ve updated their furniture since the ‘90s. The town itself is charming, full of national vacationers enjoying the beach vibes, but the property feels a bit… vintage. Check-in was slow because our reservation didn’t include the overpriced buffet, and by the time we got to the ‘fancier’ restaurant, it had already closed. That left us with Chinese buffet night—because nothing says beach getaway like fried rice and sweet-and-sour mystery. We were a party of five (including two minors), and while the staff did their best, the overall experience felt like paying champagne prices for a soda in a can. It made us want to come back to this little-known gem of a town, but next time we’ll be checking into a place with better value and fewer throwback vibes.

We stayed at Las Brisas Ixtapa and really enjoyed the beautiful beach and the spacious, comfortable rooms. The setting itself is wonderful. That said, the area that really needs improvement is the food and the evening entertainment. The buffet offered very similar dishes each day—just slight variations of the same things. Some variety and creativity would make a huge difference. Adding some live music or entertainment at the bar at night would also enhance the experience. We tried the private dining at Portofino and were very disappointed. The server, an older gentleman, was rude and rushed us through the meal, which really put a damper on the evening. The Mexicano restaurant was a bit better, it was our 1st Wedding Anniversary —our server Alberto did a great job, and we enjoyed the salad and Agua Chile. However, the vegetarian tostada was not good, the Chile Relleno was missing cheese, and the corn cake tasted identical to the apple cake at Portofino. The churros were cold, hard, and tasted of old oil. Overall, the food is the weakest part of the resort. Even if the all-inclusive price increased slightly, improving the quality and variety of the meals would really elevate the guest experience.

Wonderful older property. Showing its age but still absolutely wonderful.