Tanned bodies frolicking over the soft sand, kids running by the seashore and playing with the water, audacious youngsters taming the waves or discovering the depths of the ocean, these are images coming out of a postcard and turning into a pleasant reality at Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo, coastal places located 240 kilometres away from Acapulco.

Both are complemented to form one destination only, where the common denominator is the refreshing seawaters, the caressing seawaters, waters that make us dream of freedom; because Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo are, fundamentally, sublime beach refuges dressed in perpetual summer, which are good for deleting the problems and writing new paragraphs of amusement in the travel logs.

Different origins and histories. Ixtapa is a superb tourist complex occupying 2270 hectares, with first class hotels, palatable boisterous restaurants and discos intoxicated with lights and rhythm, that started to emerge in the decade of the 1970s; Zihuatanejo is an old town of fishermen that concentrates its existence in the pier and focuses its hopes on the wealth of the ocean.

Only 6 kilometres separate both places. From the modern to the old. From a comfortable hotel to an agreeable shelter, from the agitation of a shopping mall to the uproar of a pier with a fishery smell; the only thing that keeps unaltered is the warm sand, the welcoming beach, the imposing Pacific.

And there are several backwaters of golden sands and serene currents in Ixtapa, a crowded refuge of wildlife, a fabulous bicycle road with abundant natural charms and even a marvellous dolphin aquarium… ha, of course, there are also the nights of insomnia, the nights at the discotheque.

Change of scenery. Now it is Zihuatanejo, which name comes from the word ciuatlan, which translated from the Nahuatl language means "place of women", another fact reinforcing the hypothesis of the supposed existence of a matriarchy in the zone. Centuries later, due to its strategic position, it would dispute with Acapulco the domain of the trade with the Orient.

Its air resembling the past and its essence as a land of fishermen, are the characteristic signs of this coastal town. Irresistible lure for those who do not conform with beaches of moving beauty only, but who seek that aura of infinite peace that towns loaded with tradition have to offer.

But beyond their differences, Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo have that peculiarity of all charming places. They are capable of seducing the visitors, meddling with their souls, and invading a little piece of their hearts. So then you wish always to come back, wish you never had to leave.