Playa El Palmar

Playa El Palmar is the main beach of Ixtapa, the long sweep of sand that curves around the Bahía de El Palmar in front of the resort's first hotel zone, which stretches for about 4.5 km along the Boulevard Ixtapa. Ixtapa itself is young: in 1968 the Bank of Mexico set up a fund to create new beach resorts, and Ixtapa, built in the early 1970s on a former coconut plantation and mangrove estuary with the help of a World Bank loan, was one of the first two, alongside Cancún. The architects Agustín and Enrique Landa Verdugo drew up its master plan, and the beach is now lined with high-rise hotels and condominiums, many of them run by national and international chains, with part of the Palma Real golf course just behind.

Unlike the sheltered beaches of Zihuatanejo Bay, El Palmar faces the open Pacific, and the waves and currents can be strong. Lifeguards patrol the beach and use warning flags: in March 2021, for example, they raised the black "no swimming" flag at the Carlos 'n Charlie's stretch because of strong currents, deep holes and waves of up to two metres. Check the flags and ask the lifeguards before going in. When the sea is calm, this is the place for water sports such as parasailing, jet skis and banana rides.

El Palmar was among the first beaches in the area to win the international Blue Flag, in three sections known as El Palmar I, II and III, which were recertified in 2022; the municipality lists it as its Blue Flag beach, a recognition of water quality, environmental management and beach services. Ixtapa's shopping centres, restaurants and the start of the bike paths to Zihuatanejo and Playa Linda are a short walk inland, and a small, semi-private beach called Playa Vista Hermosa lies in front of the Las Brisas hotel.