La Casa que Canta

If the scale of Mexican mass tourism puts you off, you’ve got options — Zihuatanejo, just four miles down the coast from Ixtapa, was until recently little more than a quiet fishing village, and even now is steeped in the kind of small-town charm Ixtapa never had.

La Casa Que Canta sits high over the water, cut into a hillside above Zihuatanejo Bay, offering an extraordinary sea view as well as a splendid sense of seclusion, and classic traditional architecture and outstanding service combine to create a sort of private residential atmosphere.

There are just twenty-five suites, all with terraces overlooking the sea, and eleven of them have private plunge pools — though they’re no match for the hotel’s main pool. Infinity-edge pools are nothing new, but this one’s hillside perch makes it something rather spectacular. And down by the rocky shore below the hotel is another pool, this one a sea-water affair.

The hotel’s restaurant serves a local cuisine that’s heavy on seafood; this stretch of the Pacific coast is a haven for deep-sea fishers. There’s a fitness center with a sea view, and a well-equipped spa offering health and beauty treatments as well as yoga instruction. And for the seafarers, diving or deep-sea fishing expeditions can be arranged.

La Casa Que Canta does not accommodate children under 16 years old.

How to get there:
La Casa que Canta is a 20-minute drive from Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Airport.