This was our 3rd time at the Azul Ixtapa. The last time we stayed at the Azul Ixtapa, in 2010, the resort was called the Melia Azul Ixtapa. When we heard earlier this year that the resort had been sold and had no ties with the Melia chain we were worried. All of our worries were for nothing. To us the resort is unchanged, except you won't see anything to do with the Flintstones in the children's area. From what we could tell the staff and service levels have remained just as high as before. I will say that there were fewer people from the U.S. than the last time we stayed, however it might have been the time of year. I think an important point needs to be made about the web page for the Azul Ixtapa, that is that it is only in Spanish. There needs to be an option to view the web site in English also. I'm sure there are many people in the U.S. that when given a totally Spanish web site would reconsider their vacation choice. There were two conventions that were there during our stay but they caused little inconvenience.

Rooms:
We had a Jr. Suite in tower #2 on the 9th floor. We had an excellent view as do most of the rooms in the resort. The bed was comfortable, and housekeeping did a great job each day.

Food:
There are three buffet restaurant choices and two a la carte restaurants. We ate breakfast at Colores buffet each morning. There was always a good selection of food as well as well as an omelet station. We ate lunch by the pool at the snack bar each day. They had burgers and hot dogs, french fries, chicken and pizza. For dinner you are able to eat at one of the open buffets or at one of the ala carts. You are able to make several reservations at the a la carte's depending on the length of you stay. For our 7 night stay we were able to make 3 reservations. The choices for the a la carte's were the Costa Azul and the Oyster Bar. I prefer the food at Costa Azul but the Oyster bar is right on the water. The filet that was served at the Costa Azul rivals our filets in MN. The Oyster Bar has a Surf and Turf that is also excellent. You will not leave hungry from either. We were able to see our friend Julio who is now a waiter in Costa Azul.

Pools
The pools are large and clean. Never had a problem finding a chair for the day. The pool waiters do an excellent job. Much thanks to Ahonel, Salvador, Erick, Fernando and Francesco. These guys have a hard job but always seemed in good spirits. The bartenders were always happy to make drinks.

Playa Linda
If you are up for a beach walk you can visit Playa Linda which is about 1/2 mile from resort. Shopping and restaurants can be found there. We ate at La Palapa and found the food very good. Ask for Margarito. If you are thinking of going into Ixtapa and want to avoid the cab fare you can catch the bus down at Playa Linda for 9 pesos(less than 90 cents) each way.

We were lucky to meet a couple from CO., Lyle and Mary, and a rancher from MT., Buster. They made our vacation more enjoyable and we hope to see them again next year.

In closing I would just like to say if you are thinking about going to the Azul Ixtapa but are concerned about ownership changes or lack of reviews, don't worry about it the resort is great and you will have a great time.

Wow, this resort was better than I expected. There's something for all age groups. I was here for a 4 day business trip and the convention and service set up was excellent. The variety of food, customer service, the guys at the bar were funny and entertaining, there was always something to do here and service was excellent! If you have kids, there's plenty of activities set up, if you have teenagers there's rifle shooting (safe), jet skiing (not included), fishing, clubs for the adults. A beautiful scenic restaurant by reservation only if you wanted a romantic dinner was open on certain days of the week. Drinks were great and club on site, so there was really no need to leave the hotel. In the morning you could enjoy the sunny weather by jumping into there swim up bar and order yourself a bloody mary.

Stayed for three nights in October. I was impressed with the hotel. Food was better than I expected - good choices and everything seemed fresh. Went kayaking and snorkeling which was a lot of fun. Hotel was kept very clean and there were lots of activities going on.

I went to Azul Ixtapa on september from the 9th to the 16th, we had the master suite and it was beutiful, We're a family of 8 with teenagers between 17 and 19, they have a lot of fun and the hotel provides a lot of activities for them. We tried the kayak trip and even though the waves where so high we had a lot of fun. Socorro was the maid in charge of our room and all I have to say is that she's very hard working and she did her best to make us feel like home.
PROS:
Rooms with ocean view (I think most of the have ocean or pool view)
Lots of activities for everyone
Italian Restaurant is good, little lack of choices but it's pretty tasty (thanks to Roberto our waiter he was amazing)
The kids club and baby club is amazing for those with little babies and kids, they would have a lots to do, even a private area for swimming.

CONS:
The beach is not so beautiful like in other hotels on that area
Food is repetitive
They don't offer alcoholic drinks in the restaurants during the day (LOL I just wanted a mimosa with my breakfast, after all when you're on vacation you want a little boost)
The drinks are watered, the mixers they use to prepare them are good, nevertheless they don't taste like they have any alcohol.
Beds are too soft that I felt my back hurting during all week.
It's a little far for everything so you better ask for the all inclusive plan, the hotel and comercial zone it's at least 30 minutes walking.


Ricardo in the rappel area was a doll, he help the teens during the week to have fun and get a little exercise, thanks Ricardo!