i booked this hotel on priceline which means i was looking for a deal. the hotel s restaurant prices were exhorbitant! you need to wear a shirt at the pool restaurant too! we arrived, three couples, on motorcyles which our husbands parked in the shade and not in the way. we were immediately told to move them aside in the complete sunlight. the person at the reservations desk never said welcome or hello, just got his business done and sent us to our rooms, the wrong way! one thing i can say, the rooms are WONDERFUL if that is where you want to be. otherwise it is a very LONG walk down corridors, into elevators, 2 of them, and down pebbled paths to get to either the pool or the ocean, where you cannot really swim. the towel people at the pool were less than friendly. and we all speak spanish and are middle ages and polite people. really treatment we didn t deserve. the following day we rode to zihuatanejo and would have just loved to have stayed there at a hotel on playa la ropa. what a difference. the pool and beach right out your door! las brisas is not a place to enjoy anything except the room. i wish i would have investigated a little more.
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This is the best place to stay in Ixtapa, hands down. It is probably a 15 minute taxi ride from the airport. It is great because it is isolated from the other resorts in Ixtapa. When we walk in, the lobby is very impressive with enormously high ceilings and large stone tiles on the floor. We were checked in with no problems.

Our room was great with a large king bed with mexican tile backboard. The room was very clean and nicely decorated but while maintaining a mexican charm with tiles, and hardwoods. There was tv in our room that we did not use. The balcony had a hammock and some tables with a beautiful ocean view. The balcony walls are high enough to afford good privacy. The A/C worked well to keep us cool

The vegetation on the resort is very lush and tropical offering very pleaseant walks around the resort and to the pool and beach. There were two pools. We stayed at the adults pool which was quiet but very cool in design. Pool-side drink and food service was good, better than anywhere else we have stayed. Adjacent to the pool is restraunt serving up very tasty mexican and mexican/american cuisine. The food and fruits/vegetables were all very fresh. The water on the resort is filtered and we drank it without getting sick.

The breakfast restraunt was great, with strong fresh brewed coffee and excellent menu. We usually ordered off the menu, but I had the buffett one morning and found it to be excellent.

The beach was very nice, but the waves were pretty big and so hang on to your sunglasses and dont go out too far.

The lobby bar had kind of a weird decor with a combination of shag carpeting and the huge stone tiles and colors such as hot pink. But, the drinks were well made and the view from the lobby bar when the sun is over the ocean and rocks is amazing.

Also on the property were a number of shops including a small deli/coffee shop. A tour agency and car rental. There was also an italian restaraunt on the bottom level but we did not eat there.

Off the resort, the walk along the road into Ixtapa is about 15 minutes. We did this every morning for some exercise and occasionally for dinner. It is a very pleaseant walk, except for the sidewalk is littered with locals employed by resorts, restaraunts, and tour agencies who very aggressively try to seduce you into visiting their resort, touring their time-shares, or eating at their place (which is usually empty). It becomes a real nuisance. These locals really cross the boundary of what is appropriate.

In ixtapa are lots of shops, bars, and restaraunts. Our favorite, which we ate at over and over, was a place called Mamma Norma & Debra run by two canadian women who live down there. Highly recommended for any meal.

We visited Zihuatenojo several times. It is a fishing village, but actually a pretty large place. We frequented a restaraunt there called La Sirena Gorda that was consistently good.

Bring some money if you need to use the restroom while in zihuatenejo. I think we paid 5 pesos, not much.

There is a small island off of zihuatenjo, with a beach, that you can take a water taxi too. Don't. DON'T. It is a tourist trap but is extremely crowded with both foreign tourists as well as locals. The beach at Las Brisas is much better, and the Las Brisas beach is isolated by the large rocks at either end of it.

In summary, we loved Las Brisas, Ixtapa, and Zihuatenejo. Our room and the food were all excellent. My only complaint is that food and drink prices on the resort were very high. Probably higher than you would pay at most bars/restaraunts in the United States. But, you are on vacation.

Regardless, it is worthwhile to eat in Ixtapa & Zihuatenejo, where prices are very cheap and you can enjoy the local cuisine. There is a local market within walking distance in Ixtapa where you can stock up on bottled water, beer, and snacks if you want. to save money.

Stayed here with my wife for 6 nights in May.
Contrary to some of the prior reviews (very complete, compliments!), we did not go on an all-inclusive package but booked via Priceline. We arrived by car (we were driving around Mexico) and there's plenty of parking space. Room, view, and service was great. Prices for dinner are realitvely expensive, and you're well off heading into town for dinner, with enough places around. For serious shopping, there's a huge grocery shop on the road towards Zihuatanejo, about 5 km (3 miles) away. The private (officially not, but in practice it is) beach is also wonderful, as is the adult-only pool. If you're into scuba-diving, there's 1 PADI dive outfit with an office in Ixtapa, located in the Barcelo hotel (next to its pool); they're great: Ixtapa Aqua Paradise.

We stayed at the Las Brisas between April 26th and May 10th. This was my second trip to the West side of Mexico and 6th overall. The hotel was a great place to stay and relax for two weeks. Having stayed at many all inclusives all over Mexico I will just list a quick pros and cons of staying at this resort. There seems to be many other accurate reviews of what to expect.

Pros:

Beach - It feels like you are miles away from other hotels, even though you are just around the corner. The sand on the beach and in the water. The waves can get heavy at times, but are a blast to play in. The beach service is also top notch. Order of the lunch menu or just some drinks.

Rooms - All rooms have a good view of the ocean. The are a fare size as compared to other all inclusives. The beds had soft comforters and pillows. The bed itself is the usual Mexican hardness.

Food - Food is especially good by the pool and in the sit down restaurants in the basement. Probably the worst thing is the breakfast buffet, but also know you can order off the menus in the buffets as well.

Service - Service is top notch at this resort. The only down side to that is we werre tipping alot because we felt it was so good.

Architecture - The building is a beautiful simplistic design. It is definitly a marvel in deisgns for a resort. The grounds are also beautiful with long pathways in the trees and around the building. There are alot of stairs at the resort. There are also two elevators that can be used with ease too. The stairs are not a factor because of them.

Drinks - If you are a beer lover, it is great. They have all the Mexican beers in bottles. Not the usual one kind of draft. If you like tropical dinks try the Las Brisas or the Coco Loco.

Cons:

No Drinks after 11pm on the all inclusive
Lots of Kids on Cinco De Mayo weekend
Pay internet
Pay Mini Bar
Alot of Hard Alchohol brands not included in Inclusive plan
Sometimes gets a little too relaxing. No pool activities or shows.
No swim up bars

TIPS

If you are going on a all inclusive plan, here is some things they fail to tell you. You are allowed to order food with Lobster and shrimp in it. As long as its not by itself it is ok. Also you get free room service breakfast everyday if you want it. Remember to keep all your receipts incase there is a problem with charges to your room. You can only tip on the bill if you leave a credit card number with the front desk. You only get local drinks, ie any Mexican bottle beer, wine, and hard alcholol from the Mexican region.