The majestic blue Pacific and golden beaches will captivate you... Spectacular views and a friendly staff will greet you... Luxurious suites, a variety of eats, and fantastic activities to entertain you!

Enjoy the best of both vacation worlds -- tranquility and non-stop tropical fun. Go IXTAPA!

On this 2.5 mile stretch of sandy tropical beauty, which only 25 years ago was a coconut and mango plantation, now boasts deluxe hotels and gorgeous views! You fly-in lovers can luxuriate in the incredible 78 degree warmth, year-round sun (except for the rainy season July through September), and five-star facilities. Ixtapa can lure any to-be-wed couple aching for a seaside paradise to this sunny destination!

For those looking to wed on a breathtaking beach by majestic blue waters and where location is of no consequence, Ixtapa is IT! Ixtapa, both on the edge of sea and at sea, to some, is Hawaii with a Mexican flair. However, the local villages remind and delight us that Ixtapa is Mexico. Villages and ruins need first-class resort areas, and vice versa, for all to flourish, with the couple as the ultimate beneficiary of a richer and deeper experience.

Picture yourself, after a few days of incredible day of sun and fun, grabbing a small skiff and wedding on Isla Ixtapa, which has excellent beaches, great snorkeling, and incredible culinary seafood delights. Picture waves of mountains, the Sierra Madre del Sur rising behind the beaches, all invoking a visual orgasm.

After the Big Day, spoil yourselves with a lavish breakfast (maybe even room service in case you're still enjoying your new life together au naturel) emphasizing local papaya and mango fruits. Then for lunch and/or dinner, consider a brochette of sea bass, in which the Chef of Love cooks right in front of you at his beachside barbecue. Here, one can experience the delightfulness of the Mexican kitchen as Ixtapa makes effective use of Mexico's cornucopia of seafood and tropical fruits, including some incredible passion fruits that some newlyweds have never before experienced.

For young lovers, walking the beach while the stars are out is a favorite nighttime activity while the crashing surf echoes softly below their feet. For those looking for fun, try "walking down the beach aisle" from hotel to hotel, to see whose hosting Mexican Fiesta night, with Mexican buffet dinners, Mariachi music, and regional dancing.

Ixtapa, sometimes compared to a mini Waikiki, is a necklace of high-rise luxury hotels dotting the coast of a gradual moon-shaped beach. The luxury hotels share a lovely stretch of beach, though the surf can sometimes be high for swimming. But swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, tennis, parasailing, sailing, golf, and horseback riding are oh so popular here.

Or maybe you prefer small and cozy hotels and guesthouses. This appeals to the couple who prefers to remain in town with the locals and avoid the high-rise scene. Here you'll find craft stores and boutiques, numerous in number, dotting the mall-like streets. Local crafts such as the painted ceramic masks and wooden carved fish with bright colors similar to the colors found on traditional Mexican paintings, can all be found here. The in-town lodgings are cozy and comfortable, but slightly more difficult to arrange from a distance. Don't depend on room availability for a shotgun wedding during the winter season.

If it's a yacht you're looking for, visit the 430-acre Marina Ixtapa, an attraction for both yachting and fishing enthusiasts. Sport-fishing in Ixtapa has only recently been introduced, compared with other west coast areas such as Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.

To add flavor to your Ixtapa experience is Zihuatanejo, the fishing village. Grab a cheap and easy taxi for this one; don't rent that convertible here. Zihuatanejo has great history. It used to rival Acapulco as a port during the 17th and 18th century Manila galleon days, when silk and spices were shipped here from the Orient to Spain. It also includes excavations at the Barra de Potosi lagoon archaeological site, which have uncovered two pyramids. These sites are incredibly interesting, and gradually will be developed in order to show the world. The excavations will be a great view someday, but for now, are not on a par with the Mayan treasures of the Yucatan and Quintana Roo. The village today, now with 50,000 residents, feels like a quiet, minor fishing port, with fishermen mending their nets on the downtown beach. From the small pier, jump on a water taxi to Playa Gatas, a great snorkeling beach. But it's the charm of streets and the beach that hold the most interest for couples walking hand in hand.

Competition with some of the #1 destination wedding spots, the Caribbean and Hawaii, plus the declining value of the peso, makes Ixtapa an affordable luxury destination. However, excited couples planning their nuptials here should never book a luxury hotel in Ixtapa and expect a bargain.

So when you elope to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, your Mexican fiesta can combine two appealing worlds -- the luxurious and accessible high-rise resorts of Ixtapa and the rustic, authentic fishing village of Zihuatanejo, which gives Mexican soul to this tropical paradise! So nestle in, ask for an authentic margarita, clink your glasses, and say Olé!

This article was contributed by Karen Hohlen.