Wow! My expectation level for Club Med Ixtapa was very high after reading up on it, so I was prepared to be let down. I'm happy to report that I couldn't have been more wrong -- was as good or better than we'd hoped in every area.

Traveled with wife, 8-year-old daughter, and 5-month-old daughter. We got the round trip transfers from the airport which were great -- nice clean air-conditioned bus whisked you from airport to resort. Knew we were in for something special as we arrived to a lobby full of GOs, fresh drinks, and cool towels. Kat, one of our favorite GOs, immediately took charge, gave us the orientation and walked us to our room. Room was *beautiful* -- nice suite, very clean, comfortable beds, great shower, flat panel TVs, crib and baby welcome stuff all set out, bottled water and soda in fridge -- couldn't have been better. Counted 16 iguanas prowling around the grounds which our daughter loved.

Things only improved from there. Got the Baby Club Med package which was worth every penny. Spotlessly clean nursery with all the latest swings, toys, bouncers, etc. Analisa and Patricia, two stellar GOs at the Baby Club Med, immediately latched on to our daughter and more or less wouldn't let her go. Baby was always clean, well fed, and happy. More than once as we were lying on the beach did we see a parade of baby strollers out and about as the Baby Club GOs took the kids for walks; baby was happy as a clam.

Our 8-year old was hesitant to go to camp because there were so few people there, but when she found a few girls her age they instantly became BFFs and then she went to camp happily. She did circus camp, learned to trapeze, and participated in all the shows (Jungle show, Hip Hop Kids, talent show). When she wasn't in camp, she was either in the pool or on the beach body surfing -- warm water and just enough surf to be fun but not scary.

Mom and I spent a lot of time lying around, drinking great drinks (tequila sunrises with fresh OJ, good mojitos, iced coffee), and swimming. Lounge chairs and "cabanas" around the pool and on the beach were great -- clean and comfortable and lots available. Kayaking was fun, water aerobics, too many things to list - the 7 days flew by.

Food was very good, as others have reported -- lots of variety that made eating in the same restaurant for 7 days in a row bearable. The Huevos Rancheros station in the morning was to die for. And while at first it was a little weird to have the GOs ask to eat with you, once we got into the swing of things it was great -- met lots of wonderful people.

We took a cab in to Zihautenjo one day to shop which was nice, and we did the Delfiniti dolphin adventure. After the dolphin swim our daughter said, "this is the best day of my life" -- that made the vacation for me.

Cons? Hard to find many... Theater was sweltering hot; better fans or something required. Luna Azul restaurant was a nice change of pace, but food was just OK. Jean Marc, the general manager, ran a great operation and was very attentive, but he needs to talk less following the shows. And we ran into one sort of snarky GO at the front desk. Otherwise, service was unbelievable.

Looking at the checking account to try to figure out when we can go back. Thanks to Kat, Cesar, Hugo, Analisa, Patricia, Jeff and all the GOs for such a memorable experience. Vacation of a lifetime!!

It has been approximately three weeks since my stay at this resort. I came down with symptoms of fatigue and nausea. Come to find out, after seeing my physician and having to wait for blood work results (amongst other tings) I have learned that I contracted Hepatitis A which come to find out is transferred through fecal/oral contact. I will never return to this resort and feel it is very unfortunate since we spent so much money to try out a "Club Med" resort.

Club Med Ixtapa Pacific Apr 26-May3 2008

Our Club Med agent Nathalie from Alberta got us set up for the week at Ixtapa. Our first time at Club Med. Ixtapa Pacific was running at about 25% capacity for most of the week we were there, which was much to our liking.

Peter (Chicago), greeted us at 9:20 pm in the dark with the small lavender-scented towels. Within minutes we had our bracelets on, a quick tour, had our luggage in our rooms and were enjoying a late feast in El Encanto. Later we learned Peter was an excellent tennis instructor. Jeremy (Minnesota), another G.O, joined us at that first feast. We made use of the round tables to get to know the G.Os over the course of the week.

Simply put, the positive expectations we had ahead of time were greatly exceeded. The attention to details and processes makes this Club Med a place that is flexible to meet the wants of a wide variety of people. The food was fantastic, as was the beach with its big waves and beautiful water. The drinks were great, the local G.Es friendly and hard working. Did I mention the food? The evening entertainment was fun – something different every night - the 80’s show was a blast. Too bad we didn’t get to see Brian as Springsteen and a ZZ Top number.

Our children (ages 9 & 12) loved the Kids Club, and their G.O’s -- Cesar, Erin, and Emilie were really natural with the young set. The Kids club shows and the activities – especially the Amazing Race, photo hunt, tie die were much liked, as were the Circus activities led by Marina, Megan, Sandro, Noel, and the rest of the remarkable Circus team G.Os. Our youngest was able to participate in the activities she chose and did not feel cut off from us – our paths also would cross several times over the course of the day. Performing in the evening shows was a highlight for both our children.

Other G.Os that were memorable were in the Water sports – Zorro, Jo, Johnny, Sarah and Kyle. Kyle rescued an over soaked bird one day while out giving a kayak lesson. Running a small Hobie catamaran by myself was at first daunting, but I got used to the waves and the wind. Alexandra and I tried, between us: yoga, massage, tennis, sailing, kayaking, trapeze, snorkeling. And there was still time for the beach and the waves.

Still other G.Os' hospitality contributed to a comfortable stay – Jeff, Brian, Eler, John (Montreal), Hugo, Juan, Magali and the dynamic female G.O at Miramar.

Our children became tearful the night before leaving, and the day of departure – more than once. We are now planning for a second Club Med, but I think there will always be something special about our first at Ixtapa with Jean Marc and co.

We were skeptics about what we'd encounter at Club Med. We thought perhaps the food wouldn't be good and the rooms would be spartan. We kept our stay at 5 nights in case it was what we thought it could be. We were completely WRONG!

Club Med Ixtapa was fantastic, not just for our kids, who we knew would love it, but for my wife and I, as well. The staff was very helpful and friendly from Jean-Marc, the Village Chief, on down to to the locals who worked in the restaurants.

As expected our kids loved it. They were busy all day with different activities that ranged from the trapeze to yoga to sailing to archery. When camp ended for the day we spent time with them on Club Med's very swimmable beach (even for a 5 year old) and in the pool. The kids had a great time with all of the GO's, who really went out of their way to make sure the kids had a great time. (Arturo and Daniel of the Gekko group and Erin and Chuga of the Iguana's were my kids personal favorites.)

The food was far superior to what we expected. Yes, it is buffett but it was not lacking in quality or variety. The numerous Mexican specialities were top-notch as was the fresh caught seafood. For lunch, I'd enjoy a whole grilled red snapper, a nice piece of mahi-mahi, some fresh vegetables, and their specialty - chocolate bread.

This is really a great spot for a family with kids that range up to age 11, IMHO. There is no teen club so your older child will need to be comfortable making due on their own with the numerous activities.

As I said in my title, we had such a great time that we cancelled a trip we planned for July and decided on doing another week at Club Med.