What: La Casa Que Canta translates to “the house that sings,” an appropriate name for this Zihuatanejo cliff-side hotel whose spacious suites are perennially filled with the soothing music of waves crashing against the rocks below. You won’t find any glass windows at this hotel — just screened ones with plantation shutters to close should you want to turn on the air conditioning — affording rooms a wonderful indoor-outdoor feel. Plus, many of the suites include enormous terraces with an infinity-edge lap pool, a built-in sofa seating area, a breakfast nook and cushioned lounge chairs, all of which overlook an unforgettable view of the bay. Each of the suites is unique — in some cases the suite door opens directly up to the spacious terrace instead of the bedroom (a happy surprise when you enter your luxurious digs for the first time) — and local furniture, art and building materials make the rooms feel homey and true.
Where: La Casa Que Canta overlooks the bay in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, a town on the southern Pacific coast of Mexico in the state of Guerrero, north of Acapulco. The area is often referred to as Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo — Ixtapa being the vast, insulated resort development just a 10- to 15-minute drive from Zihuatanejo. While Ixtapa is lined with grand, high-rise hotels, Zihuatanejo gives you a taste of the local life, with boutique properties that meld with the natural surroundings, offer amazing ocean views and provide thoughtful service with a familial feel.
When: The most popular time to visit Zihuatanejo is between December and March, when temperatures top out in the 80s and the sky’s pristine blue hue reflects perfectly in the ocean water. Plus, La Casa Que Canta’s rooms are most enjoyed when you don’t even have to bother with the air conditioning and can keep your window shutters and the door to your terrace open all night, falling asleep and waking up to the sound of the waves and the feeling of the ocean breeze. During the summer, the rainy season makes for overcast skies during the day, humidity and late-night rain showers. Nevertheless, because showers primarily take place overnight, your stay is still sure to please, even if the sky is a paler blue and the air is a bit stickier and hotter.
Why: Two things set La Casa Que Canta apart: service and design. When you arrive, you’ll be served a refreshing drink (think hibiscus water) and led to your spacious suite, where “Welcome” is spelled out in flower petals on your bed and blooms are tucked seemingly everywhere, including into the triangles on your toilet paper rolls and the bottom fold of your bathroom hand towels. Turndown service goes above and beyond. Each night when you step back into your suite, you’ll find a lovely candle burning on your terrace table as well as one in your bathroom, a fresh flower petal design carefully laid out on your bedspread (this takes housekeeping 20 minutes to complete each night), and a simple but delicious snack such as a ripe mango or peach.
Eating fresh fruit seems appropriate at a boutique hotel surrounded by tropical foliage. Several small adobe buildings house the hotel’s suites, and winding paths and narrow, steep stairs lead guests from their rooms to the property’s three restaurants and tequila bar, on-site Spa by Clarins and two small pools overlooking the bay, one of which is saltwater and one of which has an infinity edge. Local building materials — palapas (thatched roofs), brazilwood and adobe — as well as area art and furnishings lend the hotel a distinctive local charm. You’re sure to return home from your Zihuatanejo trip feeling that you truly became acquainted with traditional Mexico.
Photo Courtesy of La Casa Que Canta
