Complete Guide to Club Med Ixtapa Pacific: What You Need to Know Before You Book
- Updated: 09/28/2023
- Janice
This article is a companion piece to the “Top 10 Reasons Parents Will Love Club Med Ixtapa (and 5 They Won’t),” where I share the pros and cons of a stay at Club Med Ixtapa to help you decide if booking a trip to this resort is the right one for your family.
Table Of Contents
I cover everything you will want to know about the resort, including why kids will like it, why parents will love it, overviews of the Kids Clubs, activities, meals, and more, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.
As a world-traveling parent who has been to Club Med Ixtapa with my family five times over 13 years, I share valuable first-hand knowledge, as well as pro-tips.
As a world-traveling parent who has been to Club Med Ixtapa with my family five times over 13 years, I share valuable first-hand knowledge, as well as pro-tips, to help make your decision and your eventual stay—if you should choose to book—perfect.
All opinions in this article are my own. Club Med did not pay me for this post, or my resort stay.
Club Med Ixtapa Resort Overview
Club Med Ixtapa Pacific is an all-inclusive family resort that gives tired parents a much-needed break in a location that promises sunshine, excellent food, fun, and relaxation.
As an all-inclusive, Club Med includes all meals, non-top shelf drinks, gratuities, most activities, and childcare—depending on the age of the children—in a stay.
When going to Club Med Ixtapa, especially during school breaks, expect to see kids everywhere, as the family-friendly rooms and Kids Clubs are a huge draw.
Some families are even part of big multi-generational groups, including aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents.
Club Med Ixtapa is one of two Club Med properties in Mexico—the other is in Cancun. The parent company, also Club Med, is based in Paris and has 60+ similar all-inclusive properties worldwide.
For an overview, watch this two-minute highlight reel from a recent visit in the video below.
Why Kids Will Like Club Med Ixtapa
Kids love this resort for many reasons. From self-serve food stations loaded with kid-friendly mains and ice cream at every meal (ok, not breakfast)—to plenty of activities on a beach with perfect waves, kids find plenty to be happy about at Club Med Ixtapa.
Additionally, the Kids Clubs at the resort allow children to participate in fun activities such as the trapeze, archery, evening shows, and more.
I cover the types of Kids Clubs and provide an overview for kid-friendly activities below.
Club Med Kids Club Overview
Kids Clubs at Club Med are like amped-up summer camps. There are four categories of clubs, and the one your child joins, depends on their age. Our kids have spent time in all of them.
The Kids Club hours at Club Med Ixtapa are daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, except on Sundays when closed. Typically, parents pick up their kids between 3 PM and 4 PM to have time with them at the beach or pool.
Club Med also offers a Pajama Club from 7 PM to 11 PM to provide group babysitting hours for parents who would like to enjoy a relaxing kid-free evening.
Will My Children Like The Kids Clubs?
Whether your kids will like the Kids Clubs depends on the child. Many children, especially the young ones, primarily want to be with their parents and are not fans of being separated from them in new environments.
Envisioning your kids will love Club Med’s programs in a new place with all new people, at the point of first drop off, could be setting your sights high.
At our first Club Med Ixtapa stay, our older child and baby at the time cried his eyes out every day when we left him in the Baby Club. He was 18 months old. The crying made dropping him off miserable.
He was 18 months old. The crying made dropping him off miserable.
We felt so guilty. However, we did it anyway. With no family to watch him, my husband and I were exhausted and desperate to have some one-on-one time, and a chance to exercise and quietly sit on the beach without tending to an almost-toddler in constant motion.
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So, each morning at Baby Club drop-off, the patient GOs—or staff—helped reassure us, making the separation easier—giving us our much-needed break. And, as for my “baby” not having it? Thirteen years later, I can assure you he is perfectly fine. Plus, we got the break we needed at the time.
Dropping off my second child when she was 12 months old was a breeze—no drama for round two.
As for when our kids grew older and were in Petit and Mini Club, we still got grumbling before dropping them off each morning, but they went anyway and we knew they would have fun.
Our children met other kids, made friends, sang songs, tie-dyed, went to cooking demonstrations, learned the trapeze, practiced archery, went on sailboats, and more.
Plus, during non-camp times, the Kids Club GOs would recognize our children and come up to say a warm hello, clearly knowing our kids—who enthusiastically greeted them with big smiles and jokes—well.
So, the question perhaps is not whether your children will like it? Instead, will YOU?
Baby Club
For ages 4 to 23 months. Babies are cared for by GOs at a separate Baby Club facility. In addition to naps and mealtimes, activities could include buggy rides, splash pool time, music, and more, depending on the age.
There is an additional cost to your package price if you plan to enroll your child in Baby Club.
Petit Club
For ages two to three years. Think “preschool” and you get Petit Club. Toddlers at Petit Club participate in walks, splash pools, crafts, games, and nap time, along with snacks and lunch. There is an additional charge to your all-inclusive package for Petit Club.
Mini Club
For ages four to ten. Mini Club is a nearly identical experience to a day camp, though in a tropical place that offers better activities. Club Med splits Mini Club into three age groups: four to five years old, six to seven years old, eight to ten years old.
Activities at Mini Club include sports, crafts, swimming, archery, tennis, trapeze, and more. There is no additional charge for Mini Club, as your all-inclusive package includes it.
Passworld (Teen Club)
For ages 11 to 17. Where do kids go when they age out of Mini Club? Passworld—Club Med’s name for it— or the “teen club,” as everyone else calls it.
Passworld offers a relaxed and separate space specifically designed for teens to hang out and meet other kids. It is also a place where they can join in for any GO-led activities that meet their interests at any time of the day.
After a quick walkthrough, she announced it was a “bunch of 12-year-old boys playing video games.”
My 11-year-old daughter stopped into the Passworld building on our last trip. After a quick walkthrough, she announced it was a “bunch of 12-year-old boys playing video games.” So, she skipped going back. And instead, she made a great friend on the beach and started her own group dropping in for Passworld evening activities—like dance parties—that interested her. My 14-year-old met kids around the pool one evening and spent entire days hanging out with them.
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Although neither of my kids strictly relied on Club Med’s Passworld to find friends or do activities, the fact it exists draws families with teens back to the resort year after year.
Pajama Club
Parents with younger kids also have the option to sign up for Pajama Club between 7 and 11P to have their children fed, quietly entertained, and sleeping, giving them a chance to enjoy dinner and evening activities alone. Club Med also offers an option to reserve private babysitters for an additional cost.
Kids Activities
As this is a family resort, many of the resort activities kids can do while in Kids Clubs—or outside of them—are the same for adults. View all options in the Club Med Ixtapa Activities list below.
Why Parents Will Love It
If you are a parent, you will love Club Med Ixtapa for the relaxing break it gives you from day-to-day kid management and household responsibilities. No one must make beds, cook food, meal plan, shop for groceries, or even negotiate where to go for dinner.
Plus, the skilled GO staff helps care for your children. They work hard to help your kids have a good time to give you time to do the adult things you want to do—from excursions to beach reading followed by a nap.
Plus, especially during school breaks, there will be plenty of other kids and parents around, which means three things.
1. Kids will get to be kids.
In a family-friendly environment, kids can run around, be loud, and have fun, and parents do not have to feel stress about reigning in behavior to avoid annoying nearby adults.
2. Your kids will not be the worst behaved.
Given the number of families staying at the resort, there is typically at least one child melting down somewhere, with the likelihood it being yours low. Other parents will look on with sympathy.
Plus, as I have observed over the years, proximity to a meltdown has a welcome calming influence on other kids, a wow-look-at-that-kid losing it, and a look-how-good-I-am effect.
3. You will have a chance to make new friends too.
The large number of families at the resort means there will be lots of parents who are often eager for adult conversation. Even though my husband and I are mild drinkers who prefer an earlier bedtime, we met and chatted with loads of other parents over the years.
Plus, if your kids are roaming free with a pack of other kids, connecting with their parents to get contact information will help you keep track of the group.
A Special Note for Parents With Babies
You will love having ready access to baby care, gear, and even baby foods that Club Med provides. Discover more information about how Club Med welcomes babies here.
Club Med Ixtapa Activities Overview
For those who prefer not to sit at the beach or the pool all day, rest assured, you will not be bored. Club Med Ixtapa includes many daytime and evening activities, with your stay, as well as excursions and spa treatments for an extra fee. Check out all the options below.
Daytime Activities
Find a list of daytime activities including land-based fitness and sports, water sports, and the spa at Club Med Ixtapa below.
Land-based Fitness & Sports
Club Med Ixtapa offers several land sports and fun options for family members aged four and up to enjoy.
Swimming. Club Med technically offers three pools—though, given the small sizes and more remote locations, you will spend your time at the main pool, split into a low-depth kiddie pool and a larger rectangular pool for adults and bigger kids. Additionally, there is a roped-off swimming area at the beach. Lifeguards monitor both the main pool and the beach.
Trapeze School. Kids enrolled in the Kids Club get to take a crack at circus performance on the outdoor trapeze. Parents and kids ages four and up who do not participate in the Kids Club programming can also sign up for a group lesson.
Fitness Classes. Guests aged 16 and up can participate in gym-style fitness and yoga classes led by GOs or visiting instructors in the open air palapa overlooking the ocean next to the soccer field. You will hardly find a better place to sweat.
Tennis. Guests can sign up for daily tennis school, play on one of six courts, or join a tournament. You can even borrow a racquet if you do not want to bring your own.
Pickleball. Grab some paddles and a ball from the tennis center and step onto one of ten total courts to play pickleball. Two of the courts are next to the main pool and double as a basketball court. Guests can also participate in tournaments.
Table Tennis. Play a game or challenge a new friend at one of several tables in the shade of the theatre pavilion next to the main pool.
Archery. Kids who participate in Kids Clubs may get the chance to see how accurate their arrows are as they try out the sport of archery, depending on their age. Parents and kids who opt out of Kids Clubs can sign up to join group lessons separately.
Basketball. Join for scheduled or pick-up games at the court at the far end of the main pool.
Beach Volleyball. Jump in anytime you see people playing or for a scheduled game. My 14-year-old loved playing nighttime games.
Football (Soccer). Find a regular all-ages game—kids and adults—happening nearly every afternoon on the football field next to the beach. Join in if you love to play.
Water Sports
One of the benefits of Club Med Ixtapa’s placement on a protected bay is it makes the resort perfect for water sports.
Because the water in the bay tends to be calm, guests 12 and up can participate in the water activities listed below. Children ages 11 and under can participate too, though they must be with an adult.
Often there is no wait to take out the boats or boards. All guests wear life jackets while participating in water activities.
Sailing. Take out a Hobie Cat and explore the bay. Or show up for a daily land-based lesson to learn how to sail one.
Kayaking. Grab a paddle and head out in a single or double kayak with a friend or family member to enjoy some time on the water.
Stand Up Paddleboarding. Work on your balance and slip in some exercise as you navigate your board across the gentle swell.
The Spa
Long-time guests who are also massage-regulars at home swear the massages they get at the Club Med Spa run by Sothy’s Paris are the best they have ever had.
The resort has several treatment rooms overlooking the ocean. In addition to massages, the spa provides facials, body treatments, and offers special packages for teens and kids.
Excursions
Guests who want to go further afield than the resort grounds can opt to join any one of several excursions for an additional cost.
Consider a snorkeling and sailboat cruise or a visit and snorkel to Ixtapa Island. Maybe you prefer deep-sea fishing, golfing, or visiting the surrounding towns? Wherever your interests lie, you can book your excursion directly with the Club Med Activities desk.
Or for some activities, you can book with providers on the beach, which we did when we went waterskiing and visited Ixtapa Island.
Evening Actvities
For night owls, Club Med excels at evening activities. There is family-friendly live music, dance parties, performances in the theatre, such as acrobatic shows or variety shows for kids who participate in the Kids Clubs.
And if evening activities are not your jam, no fear. The activities are strategically held far from the guest rooms, on or around the main Estrella Bar, making it easy to opt-out of nighttime options and instead enjoy a quiet evening.
Why Go For the Food & Drink
I love the food at Club Med, so does my family. As an avid home cook with adventurous tastes, I am frequently impressed with the international variety and quality of options served at the short-order stations or buffet-style each day. Rarely am I disappointed. The only real downside? The food is so good it is a pleasure to overeat it.
Our favorites? The desserts, crusty breads, inventive appetizers, seafood, specialty salads, and Mexican dishes.
Additionally, expect to find a wide selection of kid-friendly burgers, fries, pizza, and pasta options, at every meal that will make any parent of a picky eater melt into a relaxed blob of happiness and relief. Your kids will have plenty to eat.
For alcohol, expect house wine and light and dark beer options included at no charge at meals. Top shelf liquors and fine bottles of wine, and champagne, can be purchased for an additional cost.
Finally, a special love note to the Club Med Ixtapa desserts. The dessert table is the first mouth-watering display you see at every meal at the main restaurant.
Club Med pastry chefs create a wonderful collection of desserts that both adults and kids will savor—from individual tarts, puddings, cake slices, crepes, ice cream, and more—expect to indulge more than you plan to.
And if you decide to book a stay at this resort, be sure to try our all-time favorite, the chocolate bread. Whether the white chocolate or the dark chocolate bread is better is an ongoing debate with Club Med Ixtapa enthusiasts. I am on team dark chocolate at Every. Single. Meal.
Club Med Ixtapa Restaurants
Club Med has two restaurants. There used to be three, though the third has been on pause since the onset of 2020. See the description of each restaurant below.
El Encanto
The main Club Med restaurant is El Encanto which sits high up on a bluff with several terraces overlooking the Pacific. It offers buffet-style and short-order service for all meals. The restaurant has several theme dining rooms that kids will love—like the oceanarium room, for example.
The restaurant has set hours for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and it closes in between meals to clean and set up.
For those who love eating outdoors, arrive by 7:00 or 7:30P for your best chance to grab a terrace table. Depending on the time of year, you may even catch the sunset over the water.
Tables seat two to eight people. We have seen multi-generational family groups, as big as 20 or more people, push tables together so they could all eat together.
If you have an extra seat at the table, a friendly GO might pop over to say hello and ask to eat with you. It is a great way to get to know the GOs and learn about their country of origin.
Miramar
This restaurant is Club Med Ixtapa’s beachside snack bar serviced by waitstaff that generally opens when El Encanto is closed. The restaurant is adjacent to Miramar Bar. Seating is on an open-air patio facing the Pacific.
Club Med Ixtapa Bars
Club Med offers three bars specializing in both adult and kid-friendly drinks. I list them below. Plus, the resort does an excellent job keeping straight who can drink and who cannot, which I address in the FAQ section below.
Estrella Bar
This bar is Club Med Ixtapa’s main bar, and it is the only one indoors. Before dinner, the bar offers snacks and appetizers. The open-air terrace outside the bar is a popular place for adults to enjoy a pre-dinner drink while their children happily run around.
Miramar Bar
Find this open-air bar next to Miramar restaurant. It is the closest bar to the beach.
Perla Bar
Find this bar next to the main pool. Half the counter serves as the bar: the other half serves as the towel station. Our kids have ordered many virgin strawberry daiquiris here over the years.
Special Nights & Holidays
Once a week, typically on Thursday evenings, Club Med holds its well-loved White Night dinner. This dinner is where the staff transforms the football field into a beautiful outdoor dining room for one evening. Guests enjoy extravagant buffet-style fine dining and live entertainment, all under the stars and beneath gently swaying lanterns.
Club Med Ixtapa also knows how to celebrate holidays. We were fortunate to be at the resort over a Christmas break to enjoy an over-the-top Christmas Eve feast. The meal exceeded every one of our expectations, right down to the individual bouquet of fresh flowers on our table and a personalized table card.
Why the Rooms Are Great for Families
Club Med Ixtapa has nearly 300 rooms spread out across four hacienda-style buildings, each with two to three floors. Several room types have the perfect layouts for families.
The best rooms feature twin beds, sliding doors to separate sleeping areas for more privacy, double sinks, and more. Other rooms resemble traditional hotel rooms. See the graph below, or view it on this fact sheet, for a rundown of all the room types.
Our preferred room for our family of four is the Deluxe Family Room which we pay extra to upgrade for an ocean view with a balcony. Is it worth it? We think so. I am not a fan of being perma-sealed into hotel rooms and love to have my spaces open to the outdoors. Plus, we get to both see and hear the ocean. See my YouTube video walkthrough of the room below.
A special note for families considering the Sol Suites. These rooms have a very similar layout to the Deluxe Family rooms. The difference is they come with perks such as in-room breakfast, snacks through a concierge, and a private beach.
Though, the private beach is a bit of a misnomer. Yes, the resort has a private beach area roped off for these suites—however, this area sits right behind the part of the beach that is open and shared with the public. On the flip side, the ocean view suites here are much closer to the water, as well as closer to non-resort open-air restaurant at the end of the beach.
Our preferred room for our family of four is the Deluxe Family Room which we pay extra to upgrade for an ocean room with a balcony. Is it worth it? We think so.
We prefer staying on the other end of the beach in the Iguana building, behind the soccer fields, next to the trapeze and tennis courts, and directly behind the best part of the beach closest to the water sports and fitness palapa. Plus, this part of the beach has the most palm tree coverage for excellent shade and more lounge chairs, as well as great proximity to the Miramar snack bar.
How to Book a Stay
Pro Tips to Know Before You Go
There are a few helpful pro tips you will want to know to ensure you have the best visit possible. They are below.
- Book far in advance to get the room you want. If you have your heart set on a Deluxe Family room with an ocean view balcony as we do, there are only a handful of these rooms available. So, book early to make sure you do not end up with a lesser option.
- When you arrive at Club Med, register your kids for Kids Club the day or night before you drop them off. Especially if you think drop-off might be rocky. It speed-up and smooth-out the separation.
- You can get a massage for less on the beach. Although not affiliated with Club Med, there is an open-air massage tent at the southern end of Playa Quieta. Expect to pay around $30US. Guests report the massages they get there are excellent.
- While at that end of the beach, talk to Miguel, who owns several boats. You can book waterskiing and transfers to Ixtapa Island directly with him, which is what we did.
- Reserve your lounge chair(s) at the beach or pool—whichever you prefer—early in the morning especially, during busy school break weeks. Although the resort has, at times, expressly requested guests NOT to do this in letters left in guest rooms, EVERYONE does. So, unless the resort comes up with a better solution to stop this frustrating practice, it is best to to get up early and reserve your chair(s) with a magazine, book, or bag, along with your towels, or you may find you have nowhere to sit.
Club Med Lingo Interpreted
If this is your first visit to a Club Med, you may be unfamiliar with some of the resort nomenclature. Though, no fear, you will figure it out fast. Some frequently used words at this resort and other Club Med’s and what they stand for include:
GO – abbreviated from the French Gentils Organisateurs, or Nice/Gracious Organizer. These are your Club Med staff members.
GE – abbreviated from the French Gentils Employés, or local support staff employed to help cook and clean.
GM – abbreviated from the French Gentils Membres, or Nice/Gracious Member or Guest. Otherwise known as you and your family.
Village – the term used to refer to the resort and its surrounding grounds.
Chef de Village – not to be confused with the head chef in the kitchen, this Chef is French for leader or boss of the Village. Comparable to a General Manager at another resort.
“Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)” – is a song often played at the evening performances with choreographed hand gestures taught to kids and well known to adults who loyally come back to the resort year after year.
About the Club Med number 45 – You may wonder why you see this number on all the Club Med t-shirts. We did. Was it the number of total resorts? Club Med’s official team sports number? Not exactly.
The number and its popularity are more accidental. Evidently, on Club Med’s 45th birthday in 1995, they made limited edition t-shirts which proved so popular—even more so than their 50th or 60th-anniversary versions—that Club Med kept the 45 and adopted it as its official number.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the best time to go to Club Med Ixtapa? Generally, from November to May, when the weather is the driest, most sunny, and typically hits temperatures in the 80s to the low 90s daily. Expect hotter, wetter, cloudier, and more humid weather, as well as lower resort prices, from June through October.
Do I need to be a Club Med member to book a stay? Yes. Club Med charges $60 per adult over the age of 16 and $30 per child under 16, an annual non-refundable Club Med membership along with your booking. The more times you go to Club Med in a year, the greater the value of the membership. Plus, there are Great Members perks for loyal guests who frequent the resort.
How do I get to the resort? You can book round-trip transport directly through the resort for about ~$20US per person. Or catch a one-way taxi from the airport. Expect the taxi to cost around $35US per ride.
How does Club Med Ixtapa monitor alcohol consumption with so many minors? At check-in, the resort gives guests different colored wristbands that serve several purposes, including indicators of drinking age and your Great Members’ loyalty level. A small RFID card on the wristband also conveniently serves as a room key.
My kids are teens. Are they too old to go to a Club Med family resort? Our kids LOVED Club Med Ixtapa at 11 and 14. We plan to take them back again when they are 12 and 15. Given how many young children are around, I can see my kids aging out of wanting to go by 17 or 18.
Are you looking for more information about the resort? Check out this Club Med fact sheet for the Ixtapa Pacific resort.
Related Reading
For families traveling to Mexico, and particularly the Ixtapa area, check out my related articles below to help you get the information you need to plan your best visit.
Or view my “Mexico: The Best Books to Read Before a Trip” Bookshop.org booklist below.
Additional Trip Planning Resources
To further help you with travel planning, I share my go-to resources for every trip below.
Google Flights. My first research stop for affordable flights for every trip. Learn why here.
Google Hotels. Use its “Where to stay” button to discover the best neighborhoods to base your visit.
Booking.com. For hotel and rental bookings, I appreciate its flexible cancellation, candid user reviews, discounts, loyalty program, and easy-to-use interface.
Viator, Get Your Guide, & Airbnb Experiences. Quickly find and book highly-rated tours and activities on these sites.
Google Travel Things to Do & Google Maps. Find more things to do in your destination on Google Travel, then record where you want to visit on a custom Google Maps list.
AllTrails. Love to hike? Me too. I religiously use AllTrails to discover hiking and biking trails and download its offline maps to manage my hikes.
Guide Along. 5-star self-guided audio tours that are GPS-compatible for US road trips and national parks. We loved the Glacier National Park tour.
Insure My Trip. I never travel internationally without trip insurance. Learn why here. My preferred place to shop and compare policies is InsureMyTrip.com.
Plus, check out the 15 travel apps I use on trips, my preferred guidebooks, and my free customizable travel itinerary template, downloadable in four file formats.
About the author: Janice Moskoff is a travel writer and blogger who loves hiking, exploring the world, and reading. She writes to inspire travel-loving families, adult friends, and couples on her blog, Gather and Go Travel. Check out her bio, learn how she became a blogger, and discover how to work with her. Sign up for her monthly Discovery Newsletter to get her latest travel recommendations and how-to’s.
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Welcome to Gather and Go Travel, a blog inspiring families, adult friends, and couples to explore US and international destinations and to get outdoors. I am Janice, an experienced traveler to over 50 countries and a travel writer, book lover, and blogger. Learn more about me, read our story, and how to work with me.
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3 Responses
Hi Bridget, thanks for asking. The big theme night is the white night party. Many guests get dressed up for this one, though people still show up in shorts. The Club does try to schedule other theme nights during a week-long stay. You may see some additional “themes” identified in your resort info during your stay (e.g., Club Med logo “45” t-shirts or a blue night). Though, no one seems to pay attention to these. And in all of my years of staying there, I have never seen anyone dress up for the other themes. I hope this helps!
Sorry I meant in addition to the white night!
Hi! This is all great info! Thank you.
Do they have any weekly theme nights at Ixtapa? Like a dress in white evening or anything?
Thanks!