Loma Del Mar Resort, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo,
Mexico August, 2008
 

We had the pleasure of attending a wedding in Zihuatanejo, Mexico August 2008 and stayed at an exquisite resort called Loma Del Mar in Ixtapa. It was refreshing to get away just for a few days, be with friends and help celebrate a new marriage and life together.

Stunningly bathed in white with terracotta touches set in the heart of Ixtapa’s ocean front hills, surrounded by exuberant tropical vegetation including bananas and papaya and facing a gorgeous golf course called the Ixtapa Palma Real Golf Course …the Loma Del Mar has only 16 luxury suites, 3 penthouses and 1 Presidential Suite. We stayed in one of the penthouses, up three stories and a view to die for…facing the pools, restaurant, lounge areas and bar…but then they all of the rooms face these.

All the balconies are huge, and on the balconies are these wonderful terracotta pots filled to their brims with plants…hence my total enjoyment of being here. Sitting here, enjoying my coffee with not a sound but the birds was heaven and it was hard to get me to leave this place. It truly was a home away from home. These suites comprise a living room, dining room, master bedroom and big bathroom and balcony. There are other configurations as well so that you can have two couples staying in one unit or a family. Another bonus for us techies is that each room has Wifi…so we were set! I cannot help but think that anyone who stays here is very lucky.

A recent press release announced that a million-dollar enhancement completed in September 2008 has transformed this resort hotel into a premier Thalasso Spa and Wellness Center, designed in collaboration with one of Europe’s longest-established and most prestigious wellness spas with a concept engineered specifically for Loma del Mar. Wellness programs created and supervised by eminent European medical spa director, Jose Luis Guijarro, Doctor of Endocrinology and Nutrition, offer a selection of 1, 7, or 14 day stays focusing on biological revitalization: rejuvenation, toxin cleansing, anti-aging and anti-stress therapies, exercise and toning, beauty treatments and a delicious customized diet.

The centerpiece of the extensive wellness spa facilities is the thalasso therapy seawater swimming pool. (Thalasso comes from the Greek word thalassa refers to the ancient therapeutic use of seawater. Spa is the acronym for Sanus per Aquam in Latin, meaning “health through water”). The cobalt-blue mosaic-tile pool, 68 feet long with 1,580 square feet of surface area, is outdoors, taking advantage Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo’s perpetually sunny tropical climate. In fact, this is the only thalasso-equipped pool in the world that is outdoors! The meticulously filtered crystal-clear pool is equipped with multiple therapeutic (and recreational) state-of-the-art thalasso equipment: four hydro beds for floating upon bubbles; four hydro massage seats, two tile-enclosed “volcano” chambers with underwater massaging air jets rising from the pool bottom, and a vigorous jacuzzi “island” within the pool. Distributed along the pool edge spouting water from above: four double-spout hydro jets, two gooseneck water jets, and two duckbill-spout waterfalls, all for various degrees of head, neck and shoulder massage.. Finally, five stationary neck rests offer support for in-pool repose.

Additional thalasso-spa facilities are also in an exuberant outdoor setting amid 2-1/2 acres of gardens, trees and lush landscaping:

A separate, smaller thalasso pool, round with a 40-ft diameter, contains a higher degree of salt concentration in the seawater for flotation therapy amid bubble jets.

Nearby, set between Andalusian-white walls of the hotel building, the 30-ft long “reflexology water path” is for walking ankle deep in fresh water over smooth white stones. The path is lined on both sides with continuous jets of water focused on the lower legs. At the end is a stone platform for standing under two soothing spouts pouring water from high above.

Steps away, two fresh-water showers of multiple horizontal rings encircle the body spray spraying thousands of stimulating needle-thin water jets.

In tree-shaded privacy, additional spa treatment facilities include two smooth stone massage-treatment tables, each with a row of Vichy showerheads above for head-to-toe spray. A separate hydro massage tub is adjustable for multiple treatments and therapies.

Most of this leading edge spa and thalasso equipment was imported from Spain exclusively for Loma del Mar. Al fresco in the garden, two retro claw-foot bathtubs are enjoyed for milk and flower baths, Cleopatra style.

Inside a separate spa building, a hallway with “chromotheraputic” changing colors of dim light leads to the Body Temperature Contrast treatment alcove. A marble basin filled with crushed ice for rubbing on the body, and two large-head cold showers are for intense cooling before entering the adjacent sauna on one side and a hamam-style Turkish steam bath on the other.

In addition to the thalasso and spa facilities, a separate 100-foot-long infinity-edge freeform freshwater outdoor swimming pool features two overhead fluvial duckbill spouts and two jet spouts for neck and shoulder hydro massage. At one end of the pool, a jovial swim-up bar has submerged barstools enveloped by thousands of tiny bubbles from gentle jets.

Loma del Mar’s chalk-white curvilinear architecture with red-tile roofs, inspired by both Mexican Pacific design and Andalusian whitewashed villages, graced the “chic retreat” cover photo of Continental Airlines Inflight Magazine (December 2007 issue)

The hotel’s spacious one- and two-bedroom suites have living and dining areas, verandas, custom contemporary furnishings, and an array of luxury amenities.

From the wide terraces of their suites, guests enjoy views of the adjacent golf course, tropical forest, and the imposing backdrop of the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountains, as well as morning sounds of songbirds and spectacular sunrises. Tree-shaded paths meander through the resort’s five-acre property. At night the grounds are illuminated with torches, a thousand tiny lights, and by the “chromotheraputic” changing colors glowing in all three swimming pools.

Ideal for couples and honeymooners are three one-bedroom penthouses, or the one-bedroom presidential suite with a private outdoor minipool adjacent to the terrace.

Especially appealing for families: “two-plus” bedroom suites have one bedroom with a king-size bed, another bedroom with two full beds, plus a small bedroom with two single beds, as well as two full baths, a large living room, dining area and kitchen. Just up the hill, next to a scenic zip line for adventurous guests, is a supervised kid’s playground with games and activities. Babysitters are available.

Loma del Mar appeals to golfers because of its location alongside the 14th hole of Ixtapa’s Palma Real Golf Course. Golfing guests receive special amenities and easy access to the course (a golf cart takes them to the nearby clubhouse for tee-off). There is no need to wait until the “19th hole”. Right there on the 14th hole they simply park their cart at Loma del Mar and enjoy drinks, ceviche and taco delicacies made with hand-made tortillas. Characteristic of its Robert Trent Jones Jr. design, this 18-hole, par 72 course harmonizes with its original setting: a former coconut plantation carefully transformed into a protected nature reserve with lagoons, tropical fruit trees, flowers, and wildlife including cranes, cardinals and other exotic birds, iguanas, and even alligators that live in certain water traps (they keep to themselves).

Appropriately, Loma del Mar offers three distinct niche-market Getaway Packages: Romance, Family and Golf: www.lomadelmar.com/packages.htm  Thalasso and spa details at http://www.lomadelmar.com/spa.htm

For small meetings, the vast living rooms of the suites feature a wall-mounted 42-inch plasma TV screen to which a laptop can be connected (VGA cable provided) for presentations, internet projections (the entire resort has complimentary wifi), sales and think-tank usage, as well as international video conferencing capabilities. Next to the screen is a full home-entertainment multi-speaker audio-DVD system. Special seating can accommodate up to 20 persons for video-monitor viewing, and approximately 40 with customized setup.

The loveliest section of Ixtapa’s main beach, the south end of soft-sand Playa del Palmar, is a pleasant four-minute walk from the hotel along the edge of the golf course, or a quick ride via golf cart. A special beach lounging area is exclusively for Loma del Mar guests for swimming, sunning, sunset cocktails, and even weddings.

The poolside palapa-topped Luna de Shiva Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and is known for both its innovative continental cuisine and high Mexican-Zihuatanejo-style gastronomy. Mint, cilantro and papaya are naturally grown in the resort’s own orchards. Catch-of-the day seafood and other specialties are innovatively prepared by Chef Jorge García.

Just up the hill, atop a 215-foot cliff overlooking Ixtapa’s coastline, the romantic Argentine-style Restaurant La Pampa specializes in choice cuts of beef and is open for dinner. Room service is superb, whether breakfast, lunch or candlelight dinner.

Spectacular banquets and fiestas can be set up in the gardens or poolside, and staff wedding planners organize weddings on the grounds or on the beach.

Water skiing, parasailing, windsurfing and kayaking are available, and there is world-class surfing and bodysurfing both nearby and up the coast . The concierge arranges sportfishing, scuba diving, horseback riding, romantic sunset cruises, and visits to the charming bayside Mexican town of Zihuatanejo, just 4 miles down the coast.

Loma del Mar is one of Mexico’s newest members of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

For reservations and information, contact Esperanza Rios, sales manager, at the resort: res@lomadelmar.com

Resort website: www.lomadelmar.com

LOMA DEL MAR is located in Ixtapa, 4 miles from Zihuatanejo (the “dual destination” is known as Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo), in the state of Guerrero, Mexico. ADDRESS: Loma del Mar Hotel; Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, 40880 Guerrero, Mexico

Now, after all of this, don’t you just dream of spending time here? I know we would go back in a minute…Lucky you if you get the chance to stay here for a vacation… as far as the plant material goes, I truly enjoyed discovering…I got up close and personal to the flowers of the papaya – usually they are too high to get a really good picture. The banana flowers were equally stunning. Did you know that they are edible? The flower, which is also called a banana blossom, grows on the end of the stem holding a cluster of bananas. Considered an Asian or tropical vegetable, it has a deep crimson color and consists of tightly packed leaves or bracts that wrap around rows of thin stemmed male flowers. It is the inner pale colored bracts that are used for food dishes.