Read Reviews
of Casa Delfin Sonriente

Ixtapa Resort A Pacific Paradise

Mexican Resort Offers Getaway for Active or Sedate Vacationing

By Andrew McCredie

Troncones

Rent a car, or hop in a cab, and head 30 kilometres on highway 200 north and you'll pass an impressive looking roadside Christian shrine (It's not hard to miss since it's the only structure for miles). A hundred metres past it look for a small sign reading "Troncones". Turn left down the red dirt road and follow it until you run into the Pacific Ocean.

With of population of 250, Troncones (pronounced "tron-CONE-ays") is a true fishing village. Dogs run loose down the dusty coastal road, and kids play in the shade of palm trees. Beat-up pickup trucks bounce along the rutted road, water spilling from the fresh seafood catch of the day.

The tourist business is starting to take hold here, with a handful of bed and breakfasts spread out along the coastline.

One in particular, Casa Delfin Sonriente ("the house of the smiling dolphin") is a pure slice of paradise found. Owner Glen Novey built the six-room beachside house as a family home, but has since turned it into a bed and breakfast. Open just a year now, Glen and partner Jaak Wasmuth offer a unique getaway with all the comforts of home. Activities provided by the place, along with Jaak's Jungle Tours company, include surfing, mountain biking, caving, hiking and just plain hanging out by the pool. As we left Glen after a two-hour mountain bike ride, he was thinking about what to serve his guests for dinner. "Lobster, I think," he said. We hesitated at the gate.

But it was back to Ixtapa, with a vow we'd be back to Troncones.