Posada Real is a great little hotel right on the beach in Ixtapa. This hotel is a real gem. I wasn't expecting much based on the reviews on Expedia and the three star rating, but I was pleasantly surprised. The hotel is basically at the end of the main hotel strip, not quite to the marina. It's very small compared to the large hotel chains in the area. It has a great infinity pool right on the beach. The rooms are small, but very clean and comfortable. They are not "worn" at all as some reviews have stated, or at least our room was not, but my comparison is based against the majority of hotel rooms on the Oregon coast (where I'm from) . If you're from Oregon you know what I mean. They have a nice sized TV, a small bathroom, coffee maker, couch, hair dryer, and all the essentials that you'll need. Yes, as other reviews have stated the bathroom is small, but who spends a lot of time in the bathroom anyway! Best of all they all have a fabulous view of the beach.

Another plus is the hotel restaurant. We had the drinks included package. From 11am to 10:30pm they serve you all the drinks you want. No, don't worry, the place isn't crawling with rowdy, brawling drunks. In fact when we stayed there were a lot of families with kids, and there were no problems at all. The drinks package is a real plus if you have kids because they can have all the pop, juice, etc. that they want as well. The restaurant and wait staff were excellent and very affordable. The menu is mostly seafood, mexican, salads, burgers, etc...just about everything you can think of. The seafood was the best and most affordable that I've ever had, and again, I'm from the Northwest so I know great seafood. I would say the average dinner for two was less than $20, lunch and breakfast were more like $10, and again this is for two people. If you're a big eater they have a nice buffet for breakfast. Remember, all of your drinks are free, and that makes a big difference in the price of a meal. The waiters are all very friendly and helpful. No problem if you don't speak spanish. I do, but it wasn't necessary because they all spoke sufficient English.

Now some helpful tips to save you time and money. When you arrive at the airport bypass all of the helpful people that want to help you get a cab, etc. Usually they are trying to rope you into visiting a hotel, and will offer you some kind of gift in exchange. They'll tell you it's not a timeshare, and that they just want you to visit, and may offer you a free cab ride, a visit to Ixtapa Island, a meal , maybe some cash, whatever. Ignore them or say that you already have a ride, and proceed directly to the cab area and get a cab yourself. These activities don't cost much anyway, and unless you want to spend several hours getting a sales pitch for something very similar to a timeshare it's not worth your time. A cab to the hotel zone in Ixtapa is only about $20 - $25. Coming back to the airport I only paid $15.

You can book almost everything else through the hotel activities counter. For things like Ixtapa Island, Zip Line, and the Booze Cruise this is fine, but for other things it's much cheaper to just arrange them yourself. For example, if you want to visit Las Gatas beach, which I highly recommend, just go into Zihua (by bus), go to the pier and get a water taxi ticket ($3.50 roundtrip), and take the water taxi out. You can rent snorkeling gear and get tips on where to snorkel for free from the guys on the beach so don't bother booking a tour. Also, if you want to deep sea fish, I would strongly recommend going directly to the pier in Zihua the afternoon before and ask around for a good captain, and then talk to the captains personally to make sure that you like them and their price before you go. Unfortunately I made the mistake of booking my fishing trip through the hotel, and the captain that I got was a total dud (captain Jaime on the boat Arena). He barely said ten words to me on the whole trip, and I never got to touch a pole (and no, language was not a barrier as I speak spanish and english just fine, and so did he). So talk to the guys at the peir first so you don't make the same mistake that I did.

For shopping I would recommend Zihua over Ixtapa. They both have shops and crafts markets, but Zihua is much cheaper. Don't be intimidated by the town. Yes, it's a little run down looking, but it's perfectly safe. There is a large crafts market on the street that goes to the pier. A cab can take you directly there from Ixtapa for around $5, or you can take the bus for 70 cents. The buses are easy and convenient, just make sure that when you come back to the hotel you get on the ones that say "Ixtapa Marina," not just Ixtapa. Always negotiate with the guys at the market. They'll always lower their original price, but please don't take advantage of them. These people are poor, and if you can afford something for a reasonable price show some mercy and just pay it rather than negotiating them down to nothing.

Anyway, I highly recommend Ixtapa/Zihua and Posada Real for a nice, budget vacation. The beaches are the cleanest and best I've seen on the Pacific side of Mexico, and Ixtapa is smaller and more laid back than PV, Acapulco, and other west coast cities. Have fun!

We loved staying at this hotel. It is the smallest hotel on the beach in Ixtapa but that was so nice. We never had a problem finding open pool or beach chairs with umbrellas. It was nice to not have to get up at the crack of dawn to reserve a place to sit. The view from the lobby was incredible! Looking out, the infinity pool and ocean just flowed together beautifully. The beach is also very nice in front of the hotel and there are many different activities (parasailing, massages, boogie boarding) that are just out the door. Although the food wasn't overly impressive, you are in close proximity to many delicious restaurants. It was also a very good bargain especially with most beverages being included. If we go back, Posada will be our first choice.

I thought this hotel was great. It's small - but has a fabulous pool and the room was very comfortable. It's great for an affordable vacation, not "high class" but you definately don't give up ammenities for the value. The restaurant on location was good too. I had read bad reviews about the food, but my boyfriend and I enjoyed everything we ate there, and the staff were very friendly.

We had a fabulous vacation here - and would definately recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to take an affordable, but very nice vacation. You can walk to everything in Ixtapa and would definately recommend getting out and about and trying different restaurants, this hotel puts you in a great location!

My only concern was that the staff set up to help with exursions tried to "screw" us a bit with prices, but much to her surprise my boyfriend speaks fluent spanish and could understand everything she was saying over the phone - so be careful about that, but besides that - we really really really enjoyed our stay.

This hotel is small, not real fancy, but a good value for what you pay. It was very very clean, the staff was very accommodationg, rooms were small, nice, and clean. They really do a good job and I can recommend it in good faith. Very convenient to shopping and dining, great beach and a super infinity pool.