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The split personality of the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo region offers a “best of both worlds”-style vacation. Ixtapa is a well-oiled tourist machine where English is spoken, the streets are clean and the nightlife is rockin’. Zihuatanejo is more authentically “Mexican.” Its beaches are better for swimming, its restaurants – many with breathtaking bay views – are tastier, but almost everyone is in bed by 11:30 p.m. The savvy traveler will sample a little bit from both.

Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo both enjoy fabulous beach weather, with the ideal temperatures arriving between mid-November and April.

-- By Dave Roos

Let’s start with Ixtapa, where an ever-expanding lineup of all-inclusive, high-rise hotels forms an impressively modern skyline. If you’re looking for well-priced, well-located hotels with excellent service and amenities, the best bets are the NH Krystal and the Emporio Ixtapa. Every room in the V-shaped NH Krystal has a balcony with an ocean view. And the Emporio Ixtapa is known for its roomy junior suites and sprawling breakfast buffet.

For a more luxurious Ixtapa experience, a favorite is Las Brisas Ixtapa (formerly the Westin), which sits on its own secluded beach with spectacular views. Las Brisas prides itself on its superb service, classy décor, and its large private terraces for each room, which all have ocean views. It also has five restaurants, four swimming pools and six master suites that epitomize beachside luxury.

Club Med recently reopened its Ixtapa “village” after a full renovation. The posh, 298-room resort now advertises itself as a kid-friendly destination with 60 “family suites,” kids clubs, and a 24-hour baby station.

In Zihuatanejo, the hotels are harder to see – many are tucked into the palm-carpeted hillsides surrounding the bay – but several are just as well-appointed. La Casa Que Canta (“the house that sings”) is still the reigning king of exclusive, boutique luxury in Zihuatanejo. Built into a rocky point that separates the popular beaches of La Madera and La Ropa, each thatched-roof suite feels like a private villa. The attentive staff spends 20 minutes each day creating an intricate work of art in flower petals on your king-size bed.

Located directly on the beautiful La Ropa beach is another excellent upscale choice, The Tides Zihuatanejo (formerly Villa del Sol). The hotel’s split-level suites and beachside villas are quiet and classy with long cushy couches and majestic draped beds. The 35 suites come with private outdoor infinity pools. The Tides’ no-kids policy in the high season makes for a decidedly relaxing retreat.

For a more reasonably priced, but still charming hotel experience, try the Villas Miramar on La Madera beach. There are also many clean and comfortable condos for rent in Zihuatanejo, especially along La Ropa beach.

-- By Dave Roos

Ixatapa and Zihuatanejo are in the Mexican state of Guerrero, famous for its pozole, a deliciously simple pork and hominy stew dressed with innumerable sides like shredded cabbage, radishes, onions, oregano, lime, chile, tortilla chips, and even strips of fried pork skin (chicharrón). In Zihuatanejo, Thursday is pozole day, when just about every restaurant in the downtown area whips up colossal pots full of the wonderful stuff.

But the best pozole place is Tamales y Atole Any (pronounced “Annie”), where friendly staff serves an emerald-green version in a bowl big enough for two (or three) along with 14 different kinds of tamales and other tasty traditional dishes. The original Any is located in Zihuatanejo, but there’s an equally popular new branch in Ixtapa.

In Ixtapa, many people eat at the fine restaurants and cafes included with their hotel room. Outside of the all-inclusive track, a favorite is Casa Morelos, a Mexican restaurant famous for its breakfasts. For a romantic Italian dinner alongside the bobbing yachts of the Ixtapa marina, go to Beccofino.

In Zihuatanejo, breakfast and lunch are usually enjoyed beachside at one of the many casual, feet-in-the-sand restaurants serving fresh seafood, steaks, burgers and beer. Two of the most popular are La Perla and Rossy’s on La Ropa beach.

At night, the fine dining scene is dominated by a handful of restaurants with breathtaking bay views. The best are Kau-Kan and the restaurant at La Casa Que Canta. Both offer inventive twists on Mexican standards and mouthwatering seafood and meat specials. Another favorite is Il Mare, a slightly more casual spot with an equally brilliant view and reliable pasta and seafood dishes.

-- By Dave Roos

Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo are pure beach towns. Don’t come here looking for museums. All the action is centered around the gorgeous beaches of this idyllic patch of the Pacific coastline.

The best beach is La Ropa in Zihuatanejo. Unlike many of the beaches in Ixtapa, the surf at La Ropa is calm and swimmable. The long stretch of golden sand is never crowded (except for two weeks during Christmas and Easter vacation) and is lined with a dozen casual, tasty restaurants which let you park on their chaise lounges under their umbrellas with a purchase.

Another popular beach destination is Playa Las Gatas, a secluded, pristine bay around the bend from La Ropa. It’s only reachable by water taxis that can be picked up at Zihuatanejo’s main pier. The water here is ultra-calm and clear, perfect for kids and for exploring the cove’s small coral reef. There are some shady palapa restaurants for lunch, and snorkeling and scuba gear can be rented at the local dive shop.

Another popular snorkeling and swimming destination is Isla Ixtapa, a small island with four quiet beaches and a handful of palapa retstaurants. Water taxis to Isla Ixtapa leave regularly from Ixtapa’s Playa Linda and the main pier in Zihuatanejo.

Playa del Palmar, Ixtapa’s main beach, is a gorgeous, wide, two-mile stretch of groomed sand that’s better for strolling than swimming. The surf here, exposed to the open Pacific, can get rough, so be sure to keep an eye on the warning flags on the beach. The best surfing destinations are Petacalco beach and Troncones, both north of Ixtapa.

Deep-sea fishing is a big deal in this part of the world. The waters off the coast of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo are famous for their marlin, sailfish, tuna and other big trophy fish. There are two fishing cooperatives near the main pier in downtown Zihuatanejo, both offering day trips ranging from $150 to $250 for four people. In Ixtapa, there’s VIPSA, an outfitter that works with the Hotel Las Brisas with boats for four or six people.

Scuba lessons and expeditions can be arranged at two reliable, certified dive shops in Zihuatanejo: Carlo Scuba and Nautilus Divers.

If you simply can’t go anywhere without your chipping wedge, there are two excellent golf courses in the Ixtapa area: the par 72 Club de Golf Marina Ixtapa and the Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed Palma Real Golf Club.

-- By Dave Roos

Nightlife in Zihuatanejo consists of a sunset dinner, a moonlight walk along the beach and a good night’s sleep. Ixtapa is more of a party town, though nothing compared to other all-night resorts like Cancún, Mazatlán or Acapulco.

The perennial favorite of the Ixtapa club scene is Christine in the NH Krystal hotel. Show up “early” for the midnight light show. Other popular spots with the youth crowd are Carlos ‘n’ Charlie’s and Señor Frog’s, which sell about as many T-shirts and bumper stickers as cocktails. Paccolo is a lively Ixtapa bar popular with both locals and tourists.

In the high season (Christmas through Easter), some of the big hotels in Ixtapa hold all-inclusive fiestas with dinner, an open bar, folkloric dance performances and live music. The best fiestas are organized by the Barceló Ixtapa hotel, the NH Krystal and the Dorado Pacífico.

-- By Dave Roos

While neither Ixtapa nor Zihuatanejo are known as prime shopping destinations, there are a few well-stocked shops to help you part with your pesos. La Fuente in Ixtapa showcases the best regional crafts from around the country: fanciful wood and papier-mâché sculptures, hand-painted ceramics, tin-framed mirrors and intricately embroidered clothing. The four shops of the Casa Marina in Zihuatanejo also sell fine-quality regional crafts.

Downtown Zihuatanejo is full of silver jewelry shops catering to the cruise-liner crowd. The best bet, in terms of quality and prices, is Alberto’s. For indigenous-crafted women’s clothing, Lupita’s in Zihuatanejo has been selling handmade items from southern Mexico and Guatemala for 20 years.

-- By Dave Roos

Winter and spring, which bring plenty of sun and no rain, are a great time to visit Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo. The two resort towns get very hot and humid in the summer, especially in June and July. The rainy season is May through October.

 Best time to go: November through May (high 86º, low 68º)

Average annual temperature: 82º

Hottest months: June, July, August

Coolest months: December, January, February

--By Judy Jenner