My husband and I just returned from VDS. We loved it!!! The weather was beautiful - sunny and about 85 degrees every day. We stayed in a Prime Lagoon suite which has a terrace, plunge pool and a ocean view. The grounds are gorgeous and well kept. Our room was also very clean. We enjoyed the food and especially the lunches on the beach behind our beach chairs (tip: claim your chairs early for the day). The staff was friendly and helpful. We will be returning to VDS soon!

We just got back from a week at Villa Del Sol, where we went with one other couple. We all agreed that it was the most delightful beach vacation we could remember. We stayed in "superior" rooms, which are the lowest priced accommodations -- immaculately clean, ten steps away from the beach. Even the basic rooms have lovely marble showers, porches or balconies with hammocks, a small sitting area, and more than enough closet and shelf space. The grounds are beautiful -- full of flowers, streams, pools and palms. The amenities are luxurious -- a well-equipped workout room, excellent spa, lovely boutiques, etc. Most impressive of all is the staff -- who could not be better in any respect. They are genuinely warm and welcoming, happy to see you and interested in doing whatever they can to make your stay the best ever.

We loved the lunches on the beach, although they were a bit pricey. Even more, we loved the beach itself. I was very surprised to read the complaint about the beach being dirty -- we found it to be unsually clean and well maintained, and we loved walking the length of it every morning. I will agree that the cruise ships in the bay marred the view for a couple of days, but they were gone well before sunset. And we never encountered any cruisers on the VDS beach, nor did we have any trouble getting well-situated lounge chairs, regardless of what time we sauntered down there. There were more than enough to go around. And the pools were virtually empty all day -- like having your own private resort!

The food was very good. I am not crazy about all-inclusives because I like to try out other places, but this was about as nice as a meal plan could be. They really made an effort to vary the offerings every day, and the fish and seafood were absolutely outstanding.

We also enjoyed some of the activities in and around Zihua -- took a tour of the area (including Ixtapa) one day, went on two wonderful catamaran excursions, and even tried para-sailing. The town is clean and welcoming -- lots of interesting shops, a great fish market (buy fresh snapper and the chefs at Daniels will cook it for you!) -- and the staff at VDS helped arrange all of this for us. One suggestion for those considering VDS -- it is not necessary to rent a car. Cabs are cheap and rental cars are
VERY expensive.

I think one can always find little things to complain about -- and VDS is pricey enough that one should demand that everything be first class -- but we found that our small complaints were addressed immediately. We are looking forward to going back again as soon as possible.

Spent 5 nights at Villa del Sol in a lagoon suite in late January. Have to say that I loved almost everything about it. Amazing rooms that were very clean and spacious, quiet and comfortable. Turndown service, towel replacements and bottled water replenishment in the evening. Coffe/tea service with a croissant and banana in the morning. Did I mention a private plunge pool and lounge chair for two on the deck/patio? That sort of worked for me.

The food is very good by most standards (nothing amazing, though) and service is excellent for Mexico (and very good by most standards). You can eat every meal at a table right on the beach if you wish. The pools (almost always empty- one with a swim up bar) and grounds are simply stunning and immaculately kept. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Most seemed to be fluent in English, if that is a concern.

The hotel is directly on the beach, and easy walking distance to other bar/restaurants if you want to have lunch or drinks somewhere else (breakfast and dinner meal plan is required in high season) The beach area is beautiful, with comfortable lounge chairs and palapas if you want shade. Resort is on flat ground, so you aren't scaling hills all day and night. Town is a $3 cab ride and 5 minutes away. Beach is tan sand with deep blue water. About a 20 minute stroll from one end of the beach to the other. The resort crowd was mostly couples in their 40s-50s with some younger honeymooners thrown in. There were very few children.

Complaints: One is that the resort alllows "day" guests full use of the premises for $25 a day. When I'm spending this much money at a resort that bills itself as an intimate, upscale retreat, the last thing I want to do is fight for beach or pool space with people off the Carnival Cruise ship. That said, this was an issue more in principle than in practice, as it turned out to be not much of a factor the week I was there. Only a few groups of the cruisers actually invaded-(and I did have a private plunge pool back at my room, after all) The pools were virtually empty all day every day and you could always get a beach chair somewhere. I suspect the fact that the cruisers are taken ashore in town which is not really walkable from Playa La Ropa is a major factor here. Still, Villa del Sol seems to be the only resort in its class that adopts this policy (Intrawest and Casa Que Canta aren't playing that game-but then again Casa has NO beach area at all to sell out-keep that in mind if you're considering Casa) Another complaint is that they charge you for bottled water with meals. I could understand this if tap water was an option- but since it's not, they really should throw you a couple on the house. It's kind of bush league for a resort in this class. And finally, beware of your fellow guests, who will selfishly "claim" the best beach chairs with the old "I'll put my stuff here just in case at some point I decide I might want to actually sit here-routine" at 6AM and then leave them empty for practically the whole day.
Overall, though, Villa del Sol is an excellent resort- and in my opinion the best option in Zihua. I would absolutely go back. Wish I was there right now.....

O.K.! If you have been thinking of going to Zihua (as the locals refer to it), chances are you can't decide between La Casa Que Canta and Ville del Sol. My wife and I just returned from one week at Hotel Ville del Sol, and it exceeded our expectations, which is something (we honeymooned and spent our 5th wedding anniversary in Zermatt, Switzerland, staying at The Grand Hotel Zermatterhof, in a Medium suite....look it up on Trip Advisor to get and idea of what we like/are used to). The service was excellent, twice a day room service, beautiful, imaculate grounds, and simply stunning rooms (we stayed in a Lagoon Prime suite, LS18). We had to take the meal plan (breakfast & dinner) which was excellent. Both restaurants were very good, and you could have lunch and dinner on the beach, with white tablecloths, cold towels beforehand, and tourches at night time. So having walked down the beach to see La Casa, I believe this is what it comes down to. If you want stunning views from above, and just want to be by yourselves and not do Anything but relax, I would probably say La Casa is your spot. However, if you want to be near/on the beach for long walks, or stroll the beautiful grounds, or, in short, want to be able to move around, , it's Ville del sol. Plus, Ville has a 25 yard long lap pool (which I had to myself!) tennis courts, and a work out centre. Personally, I would have gone crazy at La Casa within three days (maybe 2). Both are gorgeous, so if you want solitude (and I mean solitude!) choose La Casa, if not, choose Villa. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me. Oh, one last thing; I woundn't recommend going to Amuleto. Stunning view, but mediocre food.