First International Wedding: Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Mexico
- LoAroundTheGlobo
- May 3
- 6 min read
Updated: May 3
January 2025
After an early morning flight from Charlotte, I met up with my friend, Jackie, in Houston, and we flew together from Houston to Ixtapa / Zihuatanejo, a small duo-city situated on the Pacific coast of Mexico; from the airport, we took a cab the 30 minutes to Cala de Mar, a beautiful, cliffside resort where our friend, Brielle, was set to get married in a couple of days.
Brielle, Jackie, and I all met when we lived together (as random roommates, mind you) during our semester abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. If you have not yet read about our adventures in Argentina and other parts of South America, I will summarize our friendship as an immediate but long-lasting bond over a love of adventure, new experiences, yummy food, and genuine girlhood. Our friendship has taken us to Las Vegas, Chicago, Park City, Seattle, San Diego, and beyond - so it was no surprise that our fellow travel queen would have an international wedding.
Although I'd heard wonderful things about various parts of Mexico over the years, my personal experience was limited to one Cancun visit as a small child and one week of border crossings on foot as a pre-teen during a trip to San Antonio and South Texas to visit extended family. Safe to say that when we rolled up to our breathtakingly gorgeous cliffside resort, my jaw stayed dropped from check-in, through the library, some greenery spaces, down five flights of narrow, winding stairs and into the room Jackie and I were set to share - with its personal pool, ocean views, indoor/outdoor stone detailing, and a huge, cozy bed.
We ordered room service, unpacked, and got ready to meet at the front for shuttles to the booze cruise. We took two commercial buses that shakily and narrowly navigated the cobblestone streets of Zihuatanejo, around the stray dogs, by the overhanging branches, until we were deposited at the small dock where our catamaran, El Picante, awaited.
Upon boarding, we enjoyed a perfect evening of drinks, sailing, and mingling under a dreamy pink sunset; once back at the resort (this time taken by sprinter vans, thank goodness), Jackie and I dined at the terrace restaurant overlooking the cliffs and ocean below, where we enjoyed a night cap and some poke bowls of fresh fish before calling it for the evening.
We awoke the next day and made our way over to the poolside terrace restaurant for breakfast, before heading to the buses for the day's adventures of scuba diving and snorkeling. The buses dropped us off at the same dock as the night before, and we boarded our scuba diving and snorkeling boats, respectively. We were given quick safety briefings, checked our gear, and hit the open ocean. I was slightly nervous, not having been scuba diving in 5+ years or so, but the group of us that went scuba diving included some of Brielle's cousins and one of her brothers, who happened to be a dive master, so that helped ease my nerves.
Roughly 20 minutes into our ride out to the first dive location, our captain spotted a humpback whale with her calf, both gently blowing air as they floated along the coastline. We all watched in awe for a while (I had never seen a whale in the wild before!!!!) until they disappeared and we continued on our way.
Under the water at about 40 feet, we spotted a green moray eel, a green turtle, and an eagle ray, many schools of goat fish, a dozen or so puffer fish, and lots of vibrant purple coral. We dived for about 45 minutes before ascending to the surface and rejoining the others (that'd opted to snorkel) on the boat.
From there, we trekked about 15 minutes to another dive location, nestled in a cove of sorts. During that dive to about 30 feet, we floated along tall rock walls, coral boulders, and a spattering of orangey red starfish, blue, almost iridescent trumpet fish, and even spotted a vibrant but shy octopus. Ascending slowly along the anchor rope, I surfaced, feeling totally amused by this surreal day that mixed nature, wildlife, and one of my favorite activities, even if I was fairly exhausted from the rather strong currents.
Back on the boat, we serendipitously spotted the same mama humpback and her calf (presumably), and again observed their training session, before heading back to the shore and eventually the resort. Once back, Jackie and I dined in the terrace restaurant, marveling at the sparkling blue waters, bright pink florals, and cloudless sky.
Back at the room, we took a dip in our pool, sipped some wine (courtesy of our bride and groom), enjoyed the almost fake-sounding ocean waves, and got ready for the evening. We settled into a lovely corner booth for dinner — and wined and dined as the sun sank into the horizon. More and more guests started to fill the indoor / outdoor area, until finally our bride and groom, the families, and the wedding party arrived, led by a 10-piece mariachi band. We sipped and chatted and buzzed along with the music, until the festivities wrapped up around 10:30 and we turned in for the evening.
Friday we slept in and again made our way to the breakfast restaurant, where we had yummy iced matchas, juices, and fried eggs. From there, we snagged a couple of lounge chairs at the resort pool near our room, and posted up there for a while. After too much sunshine, not enough water, one espresso martini, and inadequate words to describe the breathtaking scenery, we headed to our room where we again ordered room service for dinner as we got ready for the wedding festivities that evening.
By late afternoon, we made our way to the ocean deck, where the ceremony was to occur; we ogled at such a gorgeous setting for a gorgeous couple, celebrated the smooch, and popped up to a wooden terrace area for the cocktail hour. Although Brielle and her now husband both went to the same college as me, we didn't know each other there but do share a lot of mutuals; that said, I was able to mingle with some fellow alumni, sip margaritas with Jackie, and take pictures, before we made our way to the two tiered pool deck for dinner. It was picturesque to say the least!
Beautiful table-scapes, unbelievable ocean and cliff views, and one lovable couple. A variety of family style dishes were passed around and a few teary-eyed speeches were delivered, and before we knew it, it was time to dance. Back down at the ocean deck, we were greeted by a DJ and saxophone player, churros stands, and illuminated cliff-sides that lit up our night of partying, dancing, and jumping to Sandstorm (the Gamecock anthem). All of us were terribly hot, embarrassingly sweaty, and severely dehydrated, so we finished the night by jumping in the resort pool on the main terrace before calling it a night around 1 am.
I woke up naturally around 7:30 am as the sunrise warmed our room and I surprisingly didn’t feel TERRIBLE, though admittedly not great. We made our way to the breakfast restaurant for a farewell bite and wished our newlyweds well, before heading back to the room to pack and say goodbye to each other and our stunning suite; from there, we headed to the airport around noon, where Jackie and I parted, and I flew to Dallas before eventually returning to Charlotte late Saturday evening.
We left off, the three of us, as we typically do with a "see you soon"... sometimes unsure on where exactly we'll see each other but never doubting that we'll make the effort to be together soon enough, wherever it may be. How lucky am I to have collected two dear friends during a semester abroad in college and now have the opportunity to travel the world with them, celebrate their marriages, and take on life's next chapters as they come!
Gallery
To Do or Not To Do?
Yes, I would recommend that anyone looking for a romantic (or otherwise) getaway consider this resort in a less-touristy part of a beautiful country. I was not only blown away by the jaw-dropping resort grounds themselves, but also the staff, who were incredibly accommodating and kind - from the front-desk to food service to maintenance staff and everyone in between.
At various points, they carried our suitcases, provided us fruit-infused waters, double-checked our room's AC, and were overall incredibly hospitable. I certainly want to go back to Mexico, and would love to explore Mexico City or Cabo, but Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo area is a fantastic option for anyone looking for a dreamy vacation. Of course, the area offers amazing activities, including booze cruising, snorkeling/scuba-diving, whale-watching, and more so there is something for every type of tourist, whether a relaxation-focused vacationer or adventurous traveler!
Comments