Cheri11

Three kids 7, 3, and 8 months, two sets of grandparents, 2 surfers. Ixtapa or Acapulco, we like to site see, shop, eat, do various cutural activities.

afa001

Iztapa is better suited for a famliy with small children. You could even try Club Med there. Acapulco has lots of acitivties for adults; night life and such; and a few interesting things to do and see: cliff divers, Diego Rivera's house; the Tarzan house, and such. Not much culture in general in Acapulco; much less anything of interest to small children. Beaches are better in Iztapa.

Cheri11

My hubby says that Ixtapa is really small and that unlike PV or Cancun there is nothing to do. Is that true?

kwil

There isn't a whole lot to Ixtapa. I have always stayed in Zihuatanejo which is a smaller, less developed town next to Ixtapa. It is definately a bit more quaint with smaller hotels. Ixtapa is pretty much a strip of very large hotels, restaurants, and bars with a tourist's market. The beaches in Ixtapa seemed less condusive to swimming with large waves (when I have been there) while Zihatanejo has a bay so the waves aren't as large.

Acapulco is a pretty large city and many of the people who go there are from Mexico City and therefore doesn't seem to have as much shopping as you would find elsewhere. Many of the nicer hotels are quite a distance from town and traffic can be horrible. I went there with friends from Mexico and had a blast but honestly would have been overwhelmed if I was not with people who new where to go and what to do. It has hidden gems but I would in no way consider it charming at first glance.

I don't think either is known for its surfing. Have you considered PV? The beaches north of PV (Sayulita) are known for their surfing,and, to me, has better shopping, activities, etc.

That being said, with your original choices, I would choose Ixtapa over Acapulco and would consider staying in Zihuatanejo.

Cheri11

I have been lobbying for PV! We can't afford South Africa, so I'll show him the borad. Thank you all.

picasso

i think i agree with the writer that ixtapa is a better choice than acapulco. i must state that this is my personal opionion nothing more! my wife and i have just returned from 3wks in and around the acapulco area. we have been to acapulco many times over the years .i have watched acapulco grow into a large metropolis ,1.5 million at last count add to the mixture a toll highway from mexico city that gets people there fast, sure theres plenty to do it would be a great place for kids and most things are easily to get to , the beaches are okay in town the best beaches are on either side of acapulco. the beach called pie de la questa is great for surfing but not graet for small kids , the beach by airport playa de gloria is great for kids seniors , we split our time between both. without going into a long story somehow acapulco has lost its identity, its now a large city that is very busy with many people from M.C. crowding the place every weekend it felt less clean than ever . we didn"T feel relaxed after the vaction due the crowds and just how busy its become, i"ll take ixtapa and less crowds anyday .