Sights—The view from the well-named Panoramic Sunset Bar; the classic nighttime vista at La Casa Que Canta or El Faro restaurant.

Museums—The small Museo de Arqueologia on the Paseo Pescador in Zihua.

Memorable Meals—Delicious, traditional Guerrero posole at Tamales y Atoles Any; seafood tacos al pastor at La Sirena Gorda; a cold drink and plate of freshly grilled fish at La Perla.

Late Night—Dancing and people-watching at Christine in Ixtapa; anything-goes fun and dancing at Carlos 'n' Charlie's on the beach; dancing the light fantastic to salsa at Bandidos.

Walks—A lovely long stroll on the beach at Troncones, about 19 mi/30 km north of Ixtapa, or along the 2-mi-/3-km-long beach in Ixtapa.

Especially for Kids—One-on-one dolphin encounters at Delfiniti; the watersports center at the Hotel Villa del Sol.

Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo are situated between Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta, along the Pacific coast's tropical strip known as the Mexican Riviera. Ixtapa is 4 mi/6 km northwest of Zihuatanejo.

Note: Some businesses in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo are located on unnumbered streets and labeled as "s/n," or sin numero (without number).

Intent on creating a Pacific-coast resort similar to Cancun on the Caribbean coast, the Mexican tourism-development agency, Fonatur, came up with the master plan for small but stately Ixtapa. After extensive market research, they decided that a coconut plantation 130 mi/209 km northwest of Acapulco had just the right climate (balmy), beaches (creamy white sand) and scenery (where the Sierra Madre mountains meet the Pacific Ocean) to lure vacationers. And it didn't hurt that centuries-old Zihuatanejo was nearby to supply the ambience of a traditional fishing village. The Mexican government bought the coconut plantation, and Ixtapa was born in the early 1970s. Today, it's a diminutive enclave of high-rise hotels, modern restaurants and outdoor shopping arcades.

Zihuatanejo's known history, recorded in the form of ceramics and stone carvings, dates back 3,000 years to the Olmec civilization. In the 1500s, Spanish traders used Zihuatanejo as a port for commerce with the Orient. It later became a refuge for pirates.

Many of Zihuatanejo's modern conveniences—such as electricity—resulted from the creation of Ixtapa. There have been other changes, as well. Zihuatanejo's neighborhoods swelled to accommodate workers for Ixtapa, and residents created the pedestrian-only streets with decorative bricks to appeal to tourists visiting the glamorous resort down the road. But one thing is sure to remain the same: Zihuatanejo won't have the kind of high-rise buildings that line Ixtapa's beaches—the town's laws forbid their construction. Visitors will be able to enjoy easygoing "Zihua," as it's known, along with sophisticated Ixtapa for a long time to come.

The likes of Colombian artist Fernando Botero and Hollywood producer Bob Evans have been spotted there.

The bark of the native Cuachalalate tree has been used for centuries to cure kidney ailments.

Ixtapa is a Nahuatl word that means "place of white sand." Zihuatanejo's name comes from Purepecha, the language of the Tarascan Indians, and means "land of women."

Legend has it that a Tarascan king made Playa las Gatas, in Zihuatanejo, into a private beach and bathing area for his daughter, the princess.

In the 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption, unjustly jailed banker Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins) makes a prison break after a 20-year incarceration. His just rewards: arriving safely at his dream destination, where he presumably lives out his days in the Zihuatanejo sunshine.

Thursday is posole day in Guerrero state. Locals make a long afternoon ritual of the pork and hominy soup; each person seasons the local delicacy to her or his own taste. Many restaurants serve it daily.