Cala de Mar Resort & Spa Ixtapa

Location - a little remote, no beach access Could use more variety in menus Some entertainment would help

Very private and specialized. Amazing view, tentative staff very personal. Staff speaks English and Spanish. Menus in both English and Spanish.

Always a great stay at Cala de Mar! Staff are lovely, the rooms are spacious and the views are the best!

The rooms are exceptional, with very large bathrooms / walk-in closets, and terraces with individual swimming pools and sofas. All the rooms have extraordinary views of the ocean and everything one could possibly need, as well as evening turning-down service that includes little local sweets. Service was excellent throughout, whether it be in the restaurants or at the reception. Well-thought details like offering cool drinks by the poolside. Very good, very fresh food at the restaurants, with many options and beautifully presented. Great areas around the infinity pools, well appointed and comfortable, with wonderful views of the ocean below. The area outside is great for biking (the hotel lends bikes to guests) and there is a beautiful nature reserve to run or bike closeby.

The main drawback of the hotel is that it actually doesn't have a beach. Given the beauty of Ixtapa beaches, it is a big loss. There is a very small area that is accessible from the hotel, and nicely appointed with a hammock, swings and a big bed, to sit by the sea. But one cannot go into the water there, as it is full of large stones and dangerous. While the hotel can do nothing about the beach, there is a big issue that needs improvement, and that is the availability of drinking water. They do provide small water bottles and they are very nice when asked to fill guests' own bottles from the filter. But the problem is that there are no public filters or drinking fountains anywhere. I believe the comfort of guests would be greatly improved (not to talk about the environment!) if the hotel provided a means for guests to access purified water at least on every floor. It felt somewhat anguishing, knowing that we might run out of drinking water in the middle of the night - and would have to go to the reception to ask for a bottle! Also, what is the need to have speakers above every bed around the pool, and over every table at the seaside restaurant? One day, it was techno-pop, while on another, it was disco nonstop. By the beach, one feels like hearing the sea, isn't it?

The patios and pools were beautiful, with views of whales and dolphins in the bay.

It is a bit far from other dining options, so plan accordingly.

The staff was friendly and wonderful. Our room was clean and the grounds were well kept.

Just would like to note, at times, the wait for food could be quite long. The staff was always going as quickly as possible so it seemed like it was due to the property being full with other travelers

Exceptional!