There was a decade in between our first visit to Cala de Mar Resort & Spa in Ixtapa and when we got to experience it again recently. Like slipping into a favorite pair of broken-in shoes, however, it felt easy and comfortable, with the views from every spot just as gorgeous as we remembered.
It’s a rare hotel that can boast a great panoramic sea view from any room you choose, rarer still when we’re talking about a boutique resort with just 59 rooms. The impressive architecture design at Cala de Mar makes that possible though by perching the buildings on a very steep mountain, the guest rooms and public areas cascading down toward the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean.
Despite the size, the resort boasts plenty of facilities, including several restaurants, a bar, gym, yoga platform, and excellent spa where I got my kinks worked out and then enjoyed a steam room and whirlpool. This is no dark basement spa either: the whirlpool and relaxation rooms for men and women both look out at the water, as does the lobby and the library.
Our Video Tour of Cala de Mar
You can read the full review on the Luxury Latin America site’s Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo section, but meanwhile check out this video tour of the property so you can see what it all looks like, including a funicular ride you take to get from your room to the swimming pool areas.
Staffers can set up excursions from here and if you need a beach fix, you can catch a cab or borrow bikes and ride down a paved pathway to Playa Linda beach not far away. There’s not one here, unfortunately. As with Auberge Esperanza in Los Cabos, this is a hotel where you come to watch the waves crashing against the shore rather than trying to fight them as a swimmer.
Fish Three Ways at a Cooking Class
Ixtapa is in the state of Guerrero, where they have a few signatures to try. One is a breakfast item that I sampled at legendary Zihuatanejo restaurant Carmelita’s Cafe. That would be Apporeadilllo, a hearty combo of dried meat, eggs and tomato sauce served with warm tortilla.
I got to experience a cooking class at Cala de Mar with chef Oscar Cuevas though and it was a real treat. First he showed me how to make salsa like grandma would, including jalapenos roasted on a comal and mashed up in a lava stone molcajate. Then he prepared some simple cubed fish sopes cooked in guajillo pepper sauce with tomato puree, garlic, cilantro, and salt. They were so tasty I scarfed down two of them not realize how much more food I had coming.
Next up was what is perhaps the best-known item from the region: tiritas. If you like ceviche, you’ll like this one. The main difference is that tiritas feature long strips of fresh fish, but the basic idea is the same: marinate them in a mixture of lime juice, red onions, and hot peppers until the fish gets “cooked” in the acidic liquid. Oscar said it’s best to let all the liquid ingredients sit together for five minutes or so before adding the fish.
He then plated it in a beautiful stack with avocado and cilantro and it was delicious.
The last dish, which my stomach didn’t need but I really enjoyed, was red snapper prepared with two different sauces. The first way used guajillo peppers again in the sauce, the traditional Guerrero item called pescado a la talla. Then the second filet utilized a hibiscus reduction that was Oscar’s own recipe, containing a little raw sugar and spicy pepper. Once again, delicious, and with a view of the ocean while I was tasting them.
See our full review of Cala de Mar in Ixtapa-Zihuatanajo in Mexico.
Book your room with a view direct with the resort, with Preferred Hotels, or at Expedia.
