Across the Gulf of California from the Baja California Peninsula lies the beginning of what cruise-ship operators now call the Mexican Riviera, or the Gold Coast. The coastline for the next 1,400 km (870 mi) is Mexico's tropical paradise. The Gulf of California, or the Sea of Cortés, as it is also called, ends just below the Tropic of Cancer, leaving the Pacific coastline open to fresh sea breezes. The coast's resorts - Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, and Acapulco - are therefore less muggy than gulf towns to the north. The water is colder, too, and waves can get very rough.
Mexico's Pacific Coast doesn't have the rich cultural heritage of the country's inland colonial villages and silver cities, and its history is sketchy at best. This is not the place to see ruins, museums, and cathedrals; it's a gathering spot for sun worshipers, sportfishing enthusiasts, surfers, and swimmers. Not far from the resort regions are jungle streams and ocean coves, but the majority of visitors never venture to these isolated sites, preferring instead to immerse themselves in the simultaneously bustling and restful resort lifestyle, where great dining, shopping, and sunbathing are the major draws.

The southernmost of the Pacific Coast resorts, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo is in the northwestern part of the coastline of the state of Guerrero, some 500 km (300 mi) south of Manzanillo. It is the newest kid on the scene - like Cancún, it was developed by the Mexican government in the early 1970s - and comprises two distinct destinations only 7 km (4½ mi) from each other. Ixtapa is the glitzier of the two, with international chain hotels lining its hotel zone, but it's far smaller and more low-key than older resorts such as Puerto Vallarta and newer ones such as Cancún. Its development put neighbor Zihuatanejo, a sleepy fishing village virtually unknown even among Mexicans, on the tourist map. In Zihuatanejo, La Casa Que Canta is one of the finest small hotels in the world.