7 Best Hotels in Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo, Mexico

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.

There's a B-movie quality to this old hotel, constructed in an angular 1960s style and now surrounded by tall trees and thick vegetation; it was last renovated and expanded in 2011 and 2012. Guest quarters are plain but well maintained and priced according to the quality of the ocean view. The cheapest, boxlike rooms on the first floor have no view; the spacious ones on the top floor scan the entire bay from hammock-equipped terraces. Furnishings are nothing special; bathrooms are tiled in blue and green; and the quality of mattresses varies from room to room—give 'em a bounce before you decide. The crashing waves below may lure you down more than 200 stairs to beach level, where there are lounge chairs, a pool, and a bar.

Though the namesake owner of this small, sharp hideaway overlooking Playa Madera passed away in 2005, the family has stayed true to the founder's high standards. Rooms have pristine white walls, tile floors, and balconies. The little suites still have wonderful sitting areas, bedrooms, mini-patios, and small dining areas (toasters, blenders, and coffeemakers available upon request).

This hotel about 6 km (4 miles) north of Troncones is best suited to travelers who want seclusion; there are few neighboring hotels. But with a bar and a restaurant (that mainly serves fresh seafood and Mexican dishes), many guests feel they have everything they need on the resort grounds. Even the simple, clean bungalows feel private, as they're in palapas separated from other palapas by redbrick footpaths and well-manicured lawns.

This small, cheerful beachfront boutique hotel owned by a mother and her two daughters sits right in the center of town, across from the wonderful La Mexicana restaurant. The atmosphere is laid-back and sociable: an outdoor wood-burning oven is fired up for community pizza nights, and an intimate palapa lounge near the small infinity pool encourages sunset socializing. Rooms are done up in bright colors with wood furnishings and open-beam ceilings; each one has its own small patio and private open-air bathroom.