Villa del Sol is no hotel in the usual sense, mind you. It is a magical place. Although the hotel lies right on the fine white sands of Zihuatanejo's Playa La Ropa - by many accounts one of Mexico's most beautiful beaches - looking at it from the ocean you will hardly know it is there. As if by magic, Villa del Sol disappears in the lush vegetation, and it seems that only if you squint real hard, you will see a few terracotta-tiled and thatched palapa rooftops peeking out of the green sea of rustling coconut palms.

The hotel’s 56 rooms and suites are located in beautiful adobe-like villas amidst luxuriant tropical gardens. No two of them are alike – here some twisted tree trunks are holding up a little tile roof, there a private terrace is framed by the fringes of its palm-thatched roof. A tiny blue stream seems to run by your side wherever you walk, filling ponds, splashing into fountains or spilling over an aqueduct right into one of the many pristine pools. Strolling along winding pathways, you catch glimpses of private terraces with large woven hammocks and mosaic-tiled mini-pools hidden behind bushes of brilliantly colored hibiscus. Vibrant pink bougainvillea climb up walls, spill over stone arches and evoke fairy tale dreams of Sleeping Beauty.

As you walk on, a perfect view of the calm blue waters of Zihuatanejo Bay opens up, inviting you to dig your toes into the warm sand of the palm-shaded beach and let life’s troubles slide off your shoulders. You stop for just a second to wonder if you are really awake or still dreaming….

It doesn't get much better than this: a mile-long, crescent-moon shaped beach with fine white sand and swaying palm trees in a sheltered bay off the Pacific ocean. Many call our beach the most beautiful one in all of Mexico.

You will hear this a lot at Villa del Sol because we are virtually 24 hours at your service. We put some of our best people on the front desk, the cheerful and most seriously multi-lingual ones. Our concierges will change your money, call taxis or arrange rental cars, reconfirm your flights, advise you about shopping or excursions and just about anything else you can think of.

Our tour desk is also located in the lobby, right across from the reception. Lee and Carmen Kraft, the owners and operators of Intermar Ixtapa, have prepared some "a la carte" activities and excursions exclusively for Villa del Sol's guests. Please stop by and have them set up your private little adventure. How about taking a Mexican cooking class that starts with grocery shopping at the local markets and ends with enjoying your own delicious meal? For your seafaring pleasures, Villa del Sol has chartered the most beautiful sailboat, the aptly named "Nirvana," a classic 65' Alden Cutter recently restored to her original beauty by a great young Australian couple. Through the tour desk you may also arrange for deep-sea fishing, picnics and various custom-tailored sightseeing excursions.

 In case you are looking for that very special gift or some exquisite one-of-a-kind art or jewelry pieces, make sure you visit the small but very special gallery located in our lobby. Here they also sell some of the essentials like suntan lotions and tobacco items.

 Yes, Villa del Sol has same-day laundry and valet service. Have your laundry picked up by 11 am and we will get it back to you spring-fresh the same day. For all other of life’s necessities, our housekeeping department is always at your disposal.

And while you are waiting for your favorite summer dress to be pressed, why not get a haircut, manicure and pedicure in Villa del Sol’s beauty salon. Sun protective treatments for face and hair are also available so you can finally drop that sombrero. If you really want to pamper yourself, you should stop nothing short of a full-fledged facial and a heavenly relaxing massage. We will massage your last bit of stress away in the privacy of your suite or to the sound of the waves under the dreamy canopy of our massage tent right on the beach.

Of course, we have room service with all kinds of dishes to satisfy your hunger pangs in the privacy of your room. And since we know how hard it is even in Paradise to roll out of bed in the morning before your first cup of coffee we let you wake up gently. We place a thermos of freshly brewed coffee in front of your door - ssh, quietly - so that you can open your eyes just enough to read your complimentary New York Times fax and start making plans for the day.

Dressed in vibrant green, "Playa La Ropa" (beach of clothes) actually got its name from the clothes that washed ashore centuries ago, when a Chinese merchant ship sank in front of the coast and spilled its cargo in the Pacific ocean.

Today our private patch of beach which stretches for 600 feet along the blue waters of the tranquil bay is our proudest possession. The warm waters, naturally sheltered from the Pacific, are ideal for swimming and all kinds of watersports year-round. At Villa del Sol we make arrangements for windsurfing, sailing, water-skiing, snorkeling or scuba diving.

Of course, our beach is also perfect for doing nothing at all. Just relax on a comfortable lounge chair, exotic drink in hand, and read your favorite book. Too lazy to read? Get a relaxing massage, watch the pelicans dive for fish or have a local trio - they walk by, instruments on their backs, every once in a while - serenade you into dreamland.

Our beach boys will keep an eye on you and set up your lounge chairs with mattresses and towels almost before you yourself know which perfect beach spot you have chosen. Friendly waiters also prowl our beach to serve you drinks, snacks and a full lunch menu on linen-set tables under your own thatched palapa directly on the sand - or, if you prefer, right next to your comfortable lounge chair. Just whistle, wink or wave.

In the afternoon, a dip in one of our four pristine swimming pools will feel just perfect. Just one hop off the sand and you can submerge yourself in what has become our owner’s greatest pride - a fantastic infinity pool (try the hippo’s perspective and you will find out where the “infinity” part comes from) that seems to literally spill right into the ocean.

Comfortable lounge chairs, placed under a wooden pergola just steps from La Cantina’s never-ending bar, make this the ideal spot for a nice sundowner.

The pool just in front of Orlando’s Bar is ideal for beating the beach heat in many respects: one step off the beach and you are in it, floating lazily on your back under the delicious shade of stately palms, and one step out of it and you are under the inviting palapa roof of Orlando’s Bar and in the loving care of the great mix master Orlando himself.

If you want to cool off and “moisturize” with even less physical effort, roll out of your lounge chair right into the pool next to the restaurant, let the aqueduct splash cool water on your head and scoot up to the swim-up bar. Our cheerful bartenders will know just what to serve you to keep you well “moisturized” inside and out.

For serious water rats there is also our 60 ft. lap pool right behind the two tennis courts.

With so much sun around all the time, we make sure that our esteemed guests also find enough shady spots to cool off.

 We built plenty of individual “palapas” -those palm-thatched umbrellas - everywhere for you to enjoy our beach. We also keep our tropical gardens in immaculate shape so that you can take a leisurely stroll along the meandering pathways or find a comfortable bench under a tree.

A friendly army of gardeners makes sure that our grass is always green and our hibiscus and bougainvillea are always full of blossoms