We just spent 2 weeks in January at Hotel Club Papnoa. Actually, we're back in Ixtapa to fly out tomorrow, and we spent most of today on the beach there. I can't possibly explain how much we enjoyed HCP. This is the slow time of year for them, I think they mostly have a Mexican clientele.

If your idea of a great vacation is to have a quiet hotel, with a beautiful uninhabited beach, great affordable meals and incomparable beauty, this is the place for you....and us. We have spent many years in Ixtapa, and have enjoyed the experience, but it is nothing like Papanoa.

Ingmar, the owner of over 30 years is on site most days and nights. The 2 person staff in the kitchen will cook just about anything you desire. There is a nice complement of staff to take care of the grounds, as well as your needs. Just across the street is the local police station, we felt safer there than just about anyplace we've been.

The rooms are sparse, typical Mexican rooms. TV with a couple of spanish channels, no phone, no internet.....total disconnect. A phone is available at the desk, and with ATT, I had service, but my mujer with verizon had none. That was just fine with us. Internet is available 5 minutes away at the GoldStar Bus station in Papanoa.

Puerto Vincente is just south, about 10 minutes driving, and there is a very active commercial and sport fishing community there. Typical guide rates for Marlin, Tuna and Sailfish. Turn right at the bottom of the hill and go to the end, the store there is run by Jose, captain of the Angel & Angel II, he does a good job, asking around I think he's the best for the money.

We rented a car in Zihua, so we had a bit more freedom, we took a day trip to Tecpan, and it reminds us of Zihua maybe 15 years ago. Still a very busy market, hundreds of small shops with no Wal-Marts or Cosco in sight.(Comercial Mexicana or Bodega).

Mostly we spend our days lounging near the ocean, reading or taking pictures, napping, dipping in the ocean when hot, and repeating. If you are looking for nightlife or being entertained, this is NOT the place for you. This is, for us, the great reset button. Slow down, take in another culture, enjoy your days.

They are making some improvements to the hotel right now, including an infinity pool, and a bar nearer the ocean. It's supposed to be completed in April 2010, but it looks like it's not too much further along than when we stopped here last year. I don't know if I think it's an improvement or not, I liked the feel of the place just as it is.

I encourage you to take a chance on HCP, it's an adventure from the usual, but if you're like us, it's well worth it.

The only thing I would say would put some people off is the trash (basura). It's everywhere. Along the road, on the beach, in town. It surprised me for a while until I spent some more time there, and got a feel for the culture. It's a little tough to explain, but I now accept that Mexico has other priorities, like feeding their people, and building an infrastructure, that gets in the way of their even noticing that trash is there. It's not bio-garbage, it's usually plastic, and I think it just accumulates. I remember the campaign in America to deal with trash, and I think that someday Mexico will undergo a similar change, but not yet. It's just not important to them, but it's their country. I can visit and observe, but I don't judge it.