Room Size: 4

Amenities: 3, Very humid climate so there wasn't carpet. The air conditioner & TV were second rate. No fridge, safe or hairdryer. Bathroom was clean, but not elegant. The closet doors didn't shut.

Service: 5+, EVERYONE from the servers in the restaurant to the taxi drivers live to serve and wanted to make sure that our needs were met.

Restaurants: Excellent food! American options available. Fresh guacamole and true Mexican favorites!

Pool/common areas: Infinity pool was beautiful. You could sit in the pool and order from the wet bar or sit and watch people on the beach and the ocean waves. Children's & shaded pool available.

Enterainment: Nightly DJ at hotel. Ixtapa is home to many discotecs (dance clubs) right on the beach, Senior Frogs and lots of ice cream parlors and shops. Straw markets sell homemade Mexican goods. For true Farmer's Market, a taxi will take you to Zihuatanejo (about a 15 minute ride) for about $6 each way. Totally worth the trip!

Location: Located at the end of the Ixtapa Beach. Right next to the Dolphinarium and most popular dance club. No private beaches, but didn't feel hasseled to purchase wares. It was clear that of the hotels in Ixtapa, we stayed at the most modest.

Over-all: 5

Tours: Dolphinarium. For a $175.00 per person rate, we swam with the dolphins (and about 45 other people) for an hour. The peso/dollar conversion was confusing. We paid $7 per photo and were not able to bring a camera into the pool area. Both Kate and I agree that we won't do it again but it was worth it once.

What areas did you explore on your own?: We took a taxi to Zihuatanejo for their Farmer's market. Wish we would have spent the day there instead of going right before dinner. If you want to see authentic Mexican wares and culture, take a day and go.

What is one thing that everyone traveling to this destination should do/see?: Go across the street behind "hotel lane" and eat at one of the open arir little diners. They had the most fresh food, best happy hours and super friendly staff.

Trip Overall: 5 Ixtapa was the best of both worlds. We were pampered and got to upgrade our Minnesota winter white skin by the pool throughout the day, and got to see and eat authentic Mexican culture and food in the evenings. If I were to go again, I would upgrade to a nicer hotel, understanding that we probably recieved top notch service at Posada Real due to it's modesty.