The word “boutique” is usually reserved for small properties, conveying as it does a sense of exclusivity, distinctive accommodations, excellent service and exquisite dining. When a property has 416 rooms and suites and still evoke every one of those qualities, it is a unique property indeed. Enter the AAA Four Diamond Las Brisas Ixtapa, part of the Mexican-owned and operated Brisas Hotels and Resorts.
Located in the FONATUR-created half of the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo dual destination, Las Brisas Ixtapa is a stunning hillside monument created by architect Ricardo Legorreta. The hotel itself is a paean to contemporary Mexican design. A disciple of Luis Barragán, Legorreta utilized the bright colors, the play of light and shadow and the solid, geometrical shapes inspired by his mentor to full effect. Though the design is over 30 years old, it has a brilliant timelessness about it and continuous upgrades and room revamps have kept it fresh.
Hidden as you wind up the private road towards the hotel, you get a hint of what’s to come as the car comes to a stop beside the dramatic fountain. Porters welcome guests with warm smiles, whisking away the bags and offering a cool drink. The open-air reception area with its soaring ceilings and wide stone-paved hallways open up to unexpected windows that perfectly frame the lush jungle that surrounds the building. The entire structure, in fact, serves as a series of frames for nature, whether emerald green or cerulean blue.
Stay and Play
Guest favorites include the Deluxe Grand rooms with an interior sitting area with a daybed and table for two, bathrooms with contemporary fixtures and amenities and flat screen TVs. The mini bars aren’t so mini, with good-sized editions of top-shelf drinks, the kind that invite sipping while gently swinging in the hammock-with-a-view. The décor is a modern twist on Mexican traditional, with brightly-colored hand embroidered cushions lounging against crisp white sheets on pillow-top mattresses and teakwood furnishings set alongside clay pots overflowing with fuchsia bougainvillea. It should be noted that every one of the terraces is perfectly private.
A standout among the guest rooms and suites is the extraordinary 6,000+ square-foot Presidential Suite. Continuing with the mix of new and traditional, this expansive three-bedroom suite (the main bedroom has its own dining and living area) blends white leather sofas, Casablanca style ceiling fans and remarkable pieces of Mexican artwork with sleek, avant-garde dark wood furniture, marble floors, flat screen TVs and floor to ceiling windows. A broad terrace overlooking the ocean runs the length of the suite, and the master bedroom has its own private terrace, partly covered with a glass-doored Jacuzzi in its interior. The hotel offers other spectacular suites for visiting A-listers, including the 2,800+ square-foot, two-bedroom Emperor Suite; the slightly smaller two-bedroom Viceroy Suite; the 1,300+ square-foot one-bedroom Fiesta Suite; and the smaller one-bedroom Junior Suite. The level of royal monikers might be descending, but the amenities are still in keeping with nobility.
The lobby bar is a vision in purple (all done in very, very good taste), the meeting rooms can handle groups from 10 to 1,500 with cutting-edge AV accouterments, and the exercise room has updated machinery with a view of the jungle. But with that gorgeous stretch of beach just below the hotel, there’s really no excuse for staying in to work up a sweat. The pool area—actually comprised of four connected pools—is no slouch, either. Plus, there’s a separate children’s pool to keep the boisterous youngsters from spilling anybody’s fine aged tequila, as well as a “Little Angels” club to keep them busy in paradise. The facilities also include four lighted tennis courts and, if golf is your poison of choice, the nearby Robert Trent Jones Palma Real Golf Course and the Marina Ixtapa Golf Club (named one of the best in Mexico by Golf Digest Magazine) await your best swing.
Hungry For More
Las Brisas Ixtapa offers guests 6 restaurants and three bars ranging from casual poolside snacking to upholstered banquettes and fine china. Several have garnered prestigious awards: one AAA Three Diamond Award each for La Brisa II and the Restaurante El Mexicano, and the coveted AAA 4 Diamond Award for Portofino Ristorante. This is due not only to the absolutely intoxicating dishes, but also to their presentation: one particularly intricate pasta dish combines tender seafood with freshly-made noodles, and includes having the latter nestled in a carved-out wheel of imported parmesan, the better to soak up the flavor. The resulting blissful platter can be served with a stunning bottle of Santo Tomás Sirocco from the restaurant’s well-stocked wine cellar. A match made in heaven. Restaurants are included in the Brisas Gourmet package, an all-inclusive dining option that stands head and shoulders above the usual AI fare, and everything can be ordered from 24-hour room service.
A Little Mexican Romance
Brisas Ixtapa loves a little romance, and proves it with a table set for two on the beach, lit by tiki torches, reached by a pathway lined with candles and covered in flower petals. The menus run along the lines of Shrimp Mignon with Saffron Sauce, Salmon Wellington with Watercress and all sorts of other delectable tidbits, washed down with the best bubbly. They also set an admirable stage for weddings: think a Pacific Ocean background, or a moonlit garden and a terrace dripping with flowers. Couples can consult the onsite wedding planner to make a special occasion truly unforgettable.
