More about The Tides Zihuatanejo
Great experience at Villa del Sol
by A TripAdvisor Member
We visited Villa del Sol the first week of December and had a great experience. The weather was hot and slightly humid but cooled off at night (but there was always a nice breeze) and there were no bugs/mosquitoes at all. We stayed in a deluxe suite which was clean, comfortable and had a firm mattress/good pillows. Our suite had a plunge pool we rarely used because we swam in the ocean which was surprisingly clean and clear. The beach is also very clean and the vendors some people complain about cannot enter the resort so sit 10 feet back and you'll never notice them. The beach vendors are also much less aggressive than those in town so you might want to buy from them.
We agree that the service was sometimes inconsistent but the quality of the food was very good with entree prices from $10-30USD. We noticed that some VDS veterans were drinking water from a glass pitcher so the hotel's assertion that water is drinkable may be true (but we drank bottled water just in case).
The place is very quiet. There were no loud people or music and most people kept to themselves. La Casa Que Canta is only 100 yards down the beach but is on a bluff which, in hindsight, is their loss since most people at VDS walk 30ft and swim in the ocean.
We found no employees begging for tips - just tip 15-20% at meals. Also, we suggest you change $100 at the airport and ask for 20peso bills to use as tips (but the front desk changed money for us twice). A note - Mexico City Airport is packed with people and poorly marked so if your flights are tight get a map of it online and take it with you.
We had a very nice time at VDS and we recommend it.
Villa Del Sol -Zihuatenejo
by xcheckers about Villa Del Sol -Zihuatenejo
Quaint resort that is one of only a couple (last I checked) members of Relais and Chateaux in Mexico. Excellent service in a terrific location. This is a great place to just lay back and relax.
Nice place for cheap college student accomadation
by dragoness86 about Hotel Casa Celeste
Stayed for 9 nights with my boyfriend, payed about $35 USD / night. The rooms provide a window and balcony to the street, AC, and bathroom facilities. Its basically kept pretty clean, its a good place for cheap college students to stay, rather than the Villa del Sol that will charge you an arm and leg for. However, we did encounter fleas or something in the bed and when we asked to have our room changed, the hostess would no accomadate us. I would recommend this place again only because of its close proximity to the beach (its only a block and a half away), but if you do encounter the bed bugs, make sure you make a bigger deal and don't take no for an answer. Its really close to the beach, and there are tons of little restaurants around for food!
Relaxing, wonderful experience
by A TripAdvisor Member
We loved Villa del Sol. This was our first visit and we would definitely go back. The service was the perfect balance of attentiveness but non intrusive. We spent our days on our lounge chairs on the beach, eating breakfast at our private table 3 steps behind our lounge chairs, swimming, kayaking and generally relaxing. There are many great local restaurants including Kua Kan and its sister restaurant Amuleto (fabulous view).
Almost perfect......
by TripAdvisor Member jpgillies
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.....
Amazing!
by TripAdvisor Member EdOverIp
We visited Villa Del Sol during the 2nd week of Oct '04...it was our first, and definitely not our last.
Our reservation was for a Lagoon Suite (LS), and because of the agency we used (GoGo), we got a free upgrade to the Lagoon Prime Suite (LPS). Let me tell you, that's a big difference. Not to say that the LS are not nice, but from what I can tell, majority of the LS lacks privacy while in your patio and infinity pool -- people in the walk way can clearly see in. As for the LPS, the patio is much larger than the LP, and are usually on the 2nd floor. With that said, when we go back, I will probably book the LPS straight away instead of taking a chance with the upgrade. Also, the hotel was sold-out, but it sure didn't seem that way.
All the staff were absolutely great! The key is to make friends with the concierge. It is amazing what they can do ranging from the norm (dinner reservations) to the strange (My wife wanted a local fire-departments t-shirt for her brother -- long story)...needless to say, our concierge came through with flying colors. She even called us on her day off to tell us she got it.
The only reason I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars is the food...although very good in its own right, the menus were somewhat generic. May be we're a bit of a pain, but when we travel, we like to try something local, ethnic and very different. But, on thing I have to say was that Diane (the hostess at one restaurant) shocked us when she managed to somehow talked the chef into making a custom desert for my wife and I...5 star for her and the chef!!
I can go on forever, but all in all, the hotel and the staff were pretty amazing. You should also look into go to dinner Amuletto -- it's a boutique resort (5 rooms only) up the mountain with a killer view!
If you want to know more about our experience, feel free to email me. We also have some pics online if you would like to see them.
Best vacation ever
by A TripAdvisor Member
We had both spent so much time on the website anticipating our trip to Z. and the Hotel Villa del Sol, that my concern was that it couldn't possibly live up to our expectations......but the second we arrived I knew we were in for the best vacation ever!
I have never been to a more relaxed, yet luxurious resort. Everything about the place was perfect. The service was unobtrusive but always prompt and courteous - the grounds were the most beautiful I have ever seen - it was utterly romantic!!! It's really hard to say which was better - the beautiful sunny days on our great stretch of Playa La Ropa, or the gorgeously lit lagoons on the hotel grounds at night! We enjoyed great food (and some HOT salsa's - courtesy of Fidel) in both the main restaurant and cantina - not to mention the fabulous grilled seafood items we had for lunch daily sitting at our table - fully outfitted with white linens - ON THE BEACH NO LESS! We also had some wonderful meals off the premises at Coconuts in town and Kau Kan (the latter was THE most romantic spot of all - al fresco dining on the moonlit terrace overlooking Zihuatanejo bay....it doesn't get any better than THAT!) We also enjoyed massages in the lovely spa AND on the beach, worked out in the gym, and David spent some quality time on the tennis courts where Andy - the resident pro worked him over and made him earn that evening margarita!
I could go on for days about this lovely little gem of a resort. I would highly recommend it. The fact that we met many return visitors is testimony to how wonderful a spot this is - I hope to return myself someday soon! WE LOVED IT! - David & Beth - Chicago, IL.
Photos
Resort Grounds at Villa del Sol
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