There are many things to enjoy about Azul Ixtapa and some many people won't like. This is my third time to the resort because my husband is an original owner. With the change of ownership, we had a few concerns but it seems things are about the same as the previous owners.

You can't beat the service with the wait staff - they all work extremely hard in the restaurants, and around the pool with hundreds of people to care for. The chefs in the restaurant (Colores) stands out and greets the guests and asks if they need anything special, which we thought was a nice touch.

Sometimes the food is not the best but honestly, you can find something to fill your face. It isn't a top resort like some, but they make a lot of traditional Mexican food, plus fresh hamburgers (not patties), amazing salsa and there is alway fresh fruit. There is a decent variety of waffles, cereal, breads and eggs so really, what more do you need. I wasn't thrilled with the Italian restaurant but I am not a pasta person. Others would probably enjoy it a lot as they make the pasta for you at a station.

The entertainment (what little we watched) was really good. Do try to take in the Cena Extravaganza on Monday night. The performers are amazing when it comes to contorting their bodies. Some wonderful dancers in the troupe - quite talented.

I also took in a kayak tour to la Isla Ixtapa. Not only do you get free kayaking, they brought snorkel gear and we saw a ton of fish. The sand at the Isla is much nicer than at the resort (due to the black and gold sand), and the water was so clear. Do be careful of Jelly fish near the isla. Hard to see and we realized after we were stung. Even still, it was still my favourite part of the trip.

The hotel hasn't changed much, or the rooms since we started coming (2007) for me, and much earlier for my husband with the exception of new beds. They were quite comfortable - soft, not the typical hard Mexican bed. We never had any problems sleeping.

My husband is Spanish, and he tips well, so we were always brought the good liquor if we asked for special tequila, or special Mexican desserts.

Do try to reserve for Costa Azul, Oyster Bar and try to head to Azul Ixtapa Grand. The Tequila Aguva restaurant was great - can't beat the service but remember to TIP!

This resort is definitely meant for families. I got a kick out of watching the USA/Canadians come in and realize about 99% of the hotel is Mexican, geared, foodwise, game wise to Mexicans. For me, it makes no difference but for people that like a more Mexican feel, this place is for you. If you want to come and drink tequila until you can't see straight, maybe go elsewhere. I was told the Americanos/Canadians are at the hotel more in January-March.

One last thing to mention - the Spa in the resort gives a great massage, as well as the ladies outside of the spa, next to the resort on the beach. We enjoyed them both 2 times each.

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.