Aura del Mar — Hotel in Guerrero

I don’t even know how to begin saying how wonderful this place is. This trip was our second to this wonderful hotel and it will not be our last. I want to start off by saying this is a traditional charming Mexican hotel. It is not fancy. You will not find modern décor or amenities. You can’t drink the water. There is no elevator and there are lots of stairs. There is no room service, and most of the time no pool service either. So if those things are things you are looking for – look elsewhere. However if you are looking for a small charming hotel, where you are greeted as family when you return. This is your place. The staff here is amazing, from the time you book until the time you check out they are always looking to make your stay the best. You are greeted with a shot of tequila or a corona when you arrive along with smiles and you are taken to your room. The rooms are decorated with Mexican style and tile details. They have a real coffeemaker (no Keurig here) in each room so you can enjoy coffee every morning on your balcony and enjoy the view. There is a refrigerator for drinks and snacks. And they give you two bottles of water each day. The hotel is built into the hillside (hence all the steps) but the bonus is that almost all of the rooms have amazing views. We don’t mind the stairs at all and got a room high up – amazing view! The patios feature chairs and loungers and there is a hammock that can be hung up also. Some patios have hot tubs. The common areas are very lush with lots of greenery. The pool is somewhat small, but it was never crowded. The chairs are nice and there is plenty of shade if that is your thing also. There is also a waterslide at the pool. There are loungers on the beach which is nice. There is a restaurant down on the beach and we had breakfast included in our rate, but that was the only meal we ate there. The location of this hotel is perfect and there are so many wonderful restaurants within walking distance that you can enjoy. You can walk the beach to a small boardwalk to town, or down the hill and through the side streets. There are taxis nearby too. There is a small store across the street that has all of the things you might need to stock up your little fridge for your stay. I can’t say enough good things about this hotel – top notch in my opinion! Can’t...

The pictures of this hotel don't do it justice. It is gorgeous! Small, quiet and perfect location on Playa La Madera. Lobby is open and airy, beautiful view with a perfect little bar area to the side. The staff was welcoming and very helpful. We felt at home immediately. All the landscaping was immaculate...creating privacy for all the rooms and hotel. The hotel has two resident bilingual parrots to greet you and a turtle about halfway down the stairs. The kids loved saying hola to all of them each day. ||Hotel is walking distance to downtown Zihua, all the restaurants, shops and pier. The rooms were spacious and comfy. The AC worked great. We had two adjoined rooms - one king with a jacuzzi and one double. The rooms adjoined through a balcony door. Both had fabulous views. A small fridge, waters, coffee and tea, hairdryer, ironing board, shampoo/conditioner/body lotion/soap and pool towels were included. WiFi was included and worked perfect. ||Beach and pool areas were never crowded. Always a sitting area to be found no matter what time of day. We didn't have to wake up early to reserve chairs. Pool was smaller but perfect for this size hotel. My kids (and husband) had a great time on the waterslide. There are also hammocks, and loungers. the pool area had a fooz ball table which the kids loved. The pool area has lungers, Adirondack chairs, tables, umbrellas and hanging chairs. Food and drink service are both offered at the pool and beach areas. I would highly recommend the tuna tostadas!! ||Breakfast each morning was a buffet which was fabulous. Fresh fruit and juices, granolas, cheeses, many Mexican breakfast offerings such as tamales and chilaquiles. ||My only warning is there is no elevator, only stairs. There was 77 stairs from the beach up to our rooms. More to the lobby. We didn't mind, we like the exercise, but if you have any mobility issues this probably isn't the place for you. Otherwise, we highly recommend Aura Del Mar and will stay again when...

We went back and forth whether to stay here (playa madera) or somewhere on playa la ropa instead. While playa la ropa definitely had the better beach (longer, wider, softer, whiter sand), we were pleased with our choice to stay here in the end. Particularly since we were adjacent to the beach boardwalk and walking distance to the cute stores and restaurants in the downtown. I definitely think we had a more local, authentic, less touristy experience staying here in the heart of it all than if we had stayed on la ropa and there was no need to spend money on taxis back and forth. The resort itself is like stepping into the garden of eden. The rooms, grounds and landscaping are so well kept and while you will undoubtedly get a workout climbing 3 flights of steep stairs several times a day to get from your room to the pool, restaurant or beach, but the reward is that your room will have an impeccable elevated view of the bay to wake up to each morning. While the breakfast offering during the week is simple and adequate, we could not wait for the weekend breakfast buffet which was a spread unlike anything I have ever seen. The staff are all top notch from the front desk, to the bartender, waitstaff and housekeeping who provided nightly turn down service. We especially appreciated Carlos who arranged the airport transportation for us and our snorkeling tour on el Picante along with any other adventure your heart desire during your visit. Do visit Alicia in the spa for a relaxing massage. Small areas for improvement would be providing a holder in the shower to place soap, shampoo, conditioner etc. along with small size washcloths. While the King bed was comfy, the rooms with 2 beds had mattresses that were very hard and the sheets were thick and not as breathable as should be for the warm weather so not the best sleep quality in the double rooms. We will definitely be recommending Aura del Mar and the beautiful town of Zihua to our family...