Not what was expected of such a well-reviewed resort. Our room was comfortable, and adequate, but the air conditioning did not always work. The all-inclusive option offered poor food and little choice; only one restaurant was working. Although the package promised all domestic beverages, we were denied higher end drinks, and what we did receive was often watered down. The pool was nice, as was the pool bar, but hardly made up for the frequent lack of service. The beach seats were always occupied and we never had the chance to sit there. Although the staff was incredibly friendly and kind, we had problems at times with some of them. Definitely a great deal for the money we spent (100 dollars a person/night), but the services were often lacking. The gym was full of dangerously old equipment and the spa was closed the entire duration of our stay.

I stayed at Emporio from November 28th to the 2nd of December.
I really love Ixtapa for its beauty, great people and great beach. And staying at the Emporio enhanced my experience. The whole staff was very sweet, helpful and accomadating. I couldn't have asked for more from them.

There is always room in the palapas on the beach and a server is constantly asking if you need anything else. The food is nothing to rave about, but I am not picky.

My room had the most wonderful view of the ocean, that in itself could have made my whole trip.

Overall, I really enjoyed my stay at Emporio and would not hesitate to return.

Do not waste your money at this so-called resort. The place is dated and the staff is rude.

We opted for the all inclusive option at this resort versus paying for our meals. What a mistake!

Please do not book your trip through "Apple Vacations" as they definitely promote the trip as being marvelous. To the contrary, this establishment is nothing like they show.

The all-inclusive option is a joke as we had to sign for any beverage we requested. This often took 15 minutes to get one drink as we were treated like second class citizens. Anytime the staff saw our all-inclusive bracelets, we were left waiting at the expense of cash-paying customers.

The food was repetitive and bland at the restaurants. The buffet was limited and definitely needed some refinement.

The Apple website shows golf at $40 per round including cart, but this rate does not exist. When we informed the representatives at Apple, they plead ignorant saying they do not see this on the website. Do not bring your golf clubs based on advertised specials.

Based on this experience, the best recommendation is to read as many reviews as you can prior to booking an all-inclusive vacation. Do not believe Apple websites at face value.

The two of us (from Minneapolis) and another couple from Chicago stayed at the the Emporio last February. It was a wonderful trip! I can't remember one negative thing about it. The staff was friendly and helpful, the food and bar service excellent. The grounds are beautiful and we were always able to find chairs either on the beach or at the pool. We had several opportunities to visit with one of the managers and found him delightful!
Our room was a 9th floor Jr. Suite overlooking the beach, it was clean, quite and comfortable. Our friends also had a Jr. Suite and were equally as pleased. We've been to a number of resort hotels in Mexico and to Ixtapa four times and this place was the best we've seen. We've stayed AI at some other places but do not take the all-inclusive option in Ixtapa - there are too many wonderful restaurants in the area.
The four of us have already booked our rooms for February 2008, this time for 9 nights instead of 7. We look forward to seeing most of the same managers and staff we met last year and hope we can even get the same rooms.