5 Best Hotels in Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo, Mexico

The House That Sings clings to a cliff above Playa la Ropa. All guest quarters have lovely furnishings, folk art, down pillows, and generous patios with bay views, though the decor, especially the pink-marble bathrooms, is beginning to look dated. Suites have outdoor living areas and some have jetted private infinity plunge pools. The hotel's central infinity pool seems to be airborne; tucked into the cliff below, a saltwater pool overlooks the pounding surf. The Mar y Cielo restaurant serves guests breakfast and lunch; dinners here are more formal and are open to the public, offering breathtaking views of the sun setting over the bay. Service is warm, thoughtful, and hardly noticeable (in a good way); the only trace may be the intricate flower-petal mosaic left on your bed each day.

The House of the Smiling Dolphin was one of the first hotels in Troncones, and it remains a small, family-friendly place with a bright exterior and personalized service. Downstairs rooms are sparsely decorated with Mexican crafts, but each is different. The two upstairs suites have chairs and shelves filled with books; they don't have air-conditioning, but fans and breezes off the water keep things cool. If you like, you can buy produce from the truck that passes in front of the hotel and prepare it in the communal kitchen. There are plenty of surfboards for rent, and it's a good place to take them out, since there can be excellent beach breaks.

Each bungalow at this homey haven has a patio with hammocks, table, and chairs, and there's also a house with a full kitchen, two bedrooms, two baths, and a long porch looking right onto the sand and waves—not to mention a coterie of friendly cats who call the property home. All guests have access to a communal kitchen and dining room, as well as barbecue facilities and a cozy reading nook with shelves packed full of beachy paperbacks.

This new seven-room B&B is one of the more remote in Zihuatanejo, and the location has its plusses (tranquillity, sweeping bay views) and its minuses (it's a long walk to get anywhere, so expect to take a lot of cabs). Suites are spacious and airy, nicely decorated in neutral tones and polished concrete, each with its own private entrance, though the cheapest garden-view room is a bit cavelike. The grand suites have vaulted, exposed-beam ceilings, outdoor showers, and bay-view terraces equipped with lounge chairs and hammocks. A tasty breakfast is served daily in a palapa overlooking the infinity pool and small sundeck; with only a few snack options available (guacamole, quesadillas), it's not the best place to lounge poolside all day, though there is an honor bar stocked with beer, wine, and juice for those who want to do just that.

This chilled-out, eco-friendly compound near a top surf spot is an affordable and sociable alternative in Troncones. Partially off the grid, the hostel has solar panels for electricity, outdoor showers, composting toilets, and a gray-water system for watering the plants. If the bunk-bed dorms aren't your style, there are also two private rooms with a private en suite bath and their own patios and hammocks. A tiny camping area offers a "luxury" tent for rent—complete with deluxe queen-sized blow-up mattress—as well as room to pitch your own. The lofted ocean-view communal palapa is the perfect spot to cook a group dinner, grab a beer from the honor bar, lounge with a book, or check out how the waves are breaking.