Sun, Sand, and Water in Ixtapa

playing-in-the-ocean-in-ixtapa
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I miss blogging! I think it’s been a week and that’s too long! The beach was wonderful. We left last Thursday and came home on Monday. I love sun, sand, and water. It was a great four days. We are about a four hour drive from Morelia to Ixtapa. The views between here and there were lovely. Some places reminded us of Kentucky and others were totally different, like the cactus fields.

Our hotel was Krystal Ixtapa. The people were very friendly and the hotel and pool were very clean. It was also the cheapest deal I could find on the beach. My girls and I played in the waves Thursday afternoon and then we all hit the pool. The waves brought back beach memories from my childhood. Until the age of 11 when my family moved to Kentucky, I lived only blocks from Lake Michigan, in the city of Manistee. I loved it. The lighthouses, the piers, the long walks I would take with my Grandmother, and the treasures we found, washed up on the shoreline.

Friday we spent the day at Isla Ixtapa. We drove to Playa Linda and then took a water taxi over to the isla. There are several small islands off the shores of Ixtapa Zihuatanejo. No ones lives on Isla Ixtapa but there are several restaurants located on the beach. The snorkeling is nice on Coral Beach and the sea is very calm. The kids loved playing in the water. Brad and I took turns snorkeling with Alexis and Taylor. One in the water and one on the beach with the boys.

We stayed at the hotel and spent most of the day in the pool on Saturday. Alexis and I splashed in the beach waves again. She kept saying, “Mom you are crazy.” I think I was having as much fun as her. At least until I sucked a ton of saltwater up my nose. Then I was done and back to the pool we went, unintentionally carrying as much sand as possible in our swim suits. Even after a shower there was still sand in our hair. We brought quit a bit of sand home in our Denali too. I am sure the car wash guys loved that.

On Sunday we spent the day at Playa Las Gatas or The Cats Beach. I didn’t see any cats but it was another nice spot to swim and snorkel. You could get there by car but we went the easy route and parked at Zihuatanejo’s marina and took the water taxi. We bought the kids sand toys the night before and that kept them busy for a while. They always loved playing in my parent’s sand turtle when they were little. Some things haven’t changed.

Monday morning we had breakfast and headed home. We needed to have the truck cleaned, wash our laundry, and go to Walmart before Tuesday morning. I was dead tired by Monday evening but it was worth it. The weather was wonderful. The kids were pretty great. The water was beautiful. Snorkeling we saw Pufferfish, Black Starfish, Crabs, Clams, Jellyfish, Angelfish, Blue Tangs, Pipefish, Butterflyfish, Gobys, and others I can’t identify by name. We saw freshwater Crocodiles in their natural habitat, a huge Iguana about the length of Brad’s arm, and Pelicans just like the ones on Finding Nemo. In our hotel lobby we caught a Gecko. Brad saw me on the floor from a distance and he thought I dropped something.

If you love sun, sand, and water like me, you would like Ixtapa. Some parts are a little touristy. But the beaches I mentioned above were perfect and they weren’t crowded. I think we went right before high season which is December. Tristan even had a good time even though he spent most of the time in the shade. Brad took him on a walk for twenty minutes and that was all the sun he needed to brighten his little cheeks. This weekend was surely a little bit of paradise.

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