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Show 4T Sunday, October 23, 133 The Salt Lake Tribane Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta and Ixtapa-Zihuatanej- o Mexico offers three distinct Pacific resorts by Carroll Stoner Chicago ACAPULCO, Mexico Choosing among my three favorite Mexican resorts is a little like trying to pick Just one from childhood memories of maple-nu- t Easter eggs, the Halloween candy glut and Christmas stocking stuffers. Just because Christmas candy was the most delicious, I wouldn't have been willing to give up the Easter and Halloween goodies. And today, when it comes to vacations, Im still a child who wants to indulge equally my affection for Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta and Ixtapa-Zihuatanej- These are three very different West Coast resorts along the Mexi- can Riviera. But what they have in common is as important as how they differ, so lets start there. In all three, you can spend your days on beautiful beaches doing nothing beyond tanning the body and which some restoring the spirit people see as one and the same. When you look up, youll feast your eyes on the dazzling scenery of protected bays with greenery-covere- d mountains pushing their way into the clear blue waters of the Pacific. Sunsets over the Pacific Ocean, with no hint of pollution in the air, are breathtaking. And, because Mexicans understand how to enjoy life, there are dozens of places in all three resort areas where you can sit and sip while you watch the sun sink from sight, leaving its colors all over the sky and water. To do a Mexican Riviera vacation right, youll start planning that days sunset routine at breakfast. In Acapulco, theres Pie de la Cuesta, a vast, almost deserted beach where the entire days business is geared to the explosion of color over the unswimmable, wild surf. While an ocean breeze cools you, recline in handmade hammocks (a little itchy, according to the family skeptic), sipping and sighing and wondering why life cant be like this more often. In Mexico, life is like this more often than anywhere else on Earth. The countrys main appeal to Americans suckled on instant gratification should be the way we cant burry things here. Whatever your subconscious is whispering (hurry, hurry, so you can have fun), you must slow down. The unhappiest Americans youU ever see are those who can't cope with the tropical, Latin pace. Personally, I wish theyd stay away from Mexico, because Mexicans cannot understand them, they're annoying to the rest of us and theyll never change the pace. Now for the differences among my three favorites. Acapulco is Mexicos biggest resort, and it is my Christmas, with all the trimmings and tinsel associated with the holiday that has grown so far from its roots. Acapulco can be as wild and woolly or as sedate and tasteful as you make it. Just like the Christmas tree, you can turn it off early or keep the lights blazing all night long. The point of vacationing in Acapulco is that all things are here for the choosing. You can visit a colo- nial cathedral, watch a bullfight or jai alai match, try to eat your way through the many fine restaurants, dance your way through all the nightclubs, or discover favorites among the offbeat, family-styl- e Mexican joints. You can walk through the splendid new Acapulco Center, drive to small towns in the mountains (try Chilpancingo on a Saturday), go parasailing, fish, play golf or tennis, pretend youre on a cruise and wear all your resort wear, or pack light and hang around in your swimsuit with only a pair of white pants and a shirt for evening. There are those who say Acapulco is too busy. I love it beyond all reason, probably because the scenery and foreign quality exerted their pull on me back when I still believed in Santa Claus. Even now, it can be as sensuous as any South Seas island, but because of all the activities its unsurpassable as a family vacation site. Hyperbole inevitably intrudes on any description of Mexican Riviera resorts, and Acapulco heads the list. Its bay is the biggest and shaped so that you always see those mountains hovering over the sea. It has the longest and widest beaches and the wildest surf. If you can afford to stay in the best hotels, theyre extra swell in Acapulco. In the hills at the south end of the city, Las Brisas ranks among the worlds most luxurious resorts, with its little pink casitas and miniature pool. The pool is the most beautiful Ive ever seen, built of local rock in a free-forshape. m Writer Sun-Tim- cause Zihuatanejo is the fishing-villag- e soul of Ixtapa, which is not quite a town but rather a newly built string of modern hotels a cab ride away. Some years ago, the Harva d- - and busiUniversity of Mexico-traine- J ness whizzes who run this country decided that tourism was worth a major economic push. The last decade has marked major developments in the industry, and Ixtapa is one of the new' sites. The nouveau riche offspring of the fishing village are wearing the wealth with more grace than is customary. Because the country has such a strong Indian and Spanish culture, even the newest developments feel like Mexico. Z, as Zihuatanejo is called, and Ixdrive from tapa are a four-hoAcapulco, along a new highway rimmed by coconut plantations and through a world of small villages shielded from the 20th century until the road was cut through. Theyre still recovering. Zihuatanejo is like some of those villages. This coastal town to the north is often called a smaller-scal- e Acapulco, which is silly because Acapulco hasnt been this small since days. This is still real South Seas style, and will probably stay that way for many years, because it attracts a young, hip (lots of gays in Z itself; Ixtapa is ' straight) crowd that values comfort. Theres a Club Med in Ixtapa, and perhaps thats why the planes flying atmothere have a singles-ba- r sphere. If you stay in Ixtapa, dont miss shopping and dining in Z. Breakfast on the zocalo is a good way to start any day. If your idea of a good time includes dressing for dinner, stick to Acapulco or Puerto Vallarta. is definitely the quietest of the three resorts, but we managed to find enough to do. Our teenager found a basketball game on the zocalo and snorkeled on Ixtapa Island, but he much prefers the busier Acapulco. Zihuatanejos market is worth a morning or visit. There are parlors and sandwich shops, and you may want to charter a boat from the pier for a daylong visit to nearby Ixtapa Island. No matter which of the three resort areas you choose, get off the tourist paths into small restaurants and onto undiscovered beaches. Around this pool, you never feel crowded. Just south of Acapulco, the Pierre Marques is on a wide deserted beach that never looks crowded. It has kept its posh flavor, with no nightclubs and only the most discreet indoor and outdoor restaurants. The discretion is notable because its now owned by the Princess hotel group. The Acapulco Princess is down the road a short piece, and if glitz is your idea of a good time, this place reeking of action is perfect During a recent visit, I saw an American woman in a chartreuse bikini and matching, long swimsuit sun hat coverup and (think of a barefoot bridesmaid) being carried across the beach by her husband so she wouldnt singe her darling feet on the hot sand. There are also several gracious older hotels and two with that indefinable quality of chic often called European. You wont see chartreuse ensembles at the Maralisa (on the Villa Vera (in beach) or the jet-sthe hills), both of which attract their share of celebrities. As much as I love Acapulcos Christmas spirit, Puerto Vallarta is also wonderful, especially in the springtime. Vallarta is a great favorite with those who can afford to go anywhere. It is fashionable at least for the moment There are sumptuous house rentals here (as in Acapulco), and a wide price range of hotels. It is blessed with the same vistas of clear blue skies meeting the Pacific, and a slightly less dramatic version of the same mountain-ringe- d bay. Because it is smaller, it also has a more personal feeling than Acapulco. Tourism is Vallartas main business, but the town's personality is mellow, and you dont have to go too far back to recall animals running loose in the streets. The local kids are now blase, but just a decade ago theyd stop chasing their animals long enough to giggle at the visitors in their crazy bikinis. You can do everything in Vallarta that you can do in Acapulco but it takes a little more hunting. Its smaller size allows you to walk to more activities. And if you like feeling away from it all, you can still see local women washing in the river that divides the city. large-brimm- smallest Ixtapa-Zihuatanej- o, ur -Zihuatanejo ice-crea- of the three resorts, feels special indeed. The name is hyphenated be Remember that this is a poor country, and although you wont in more than 20 sense resentment years of Mexican economic ups and downs, we never have you will want to protect your wallet and your valuables just as you would in crowds in New York, Chicago or Rome. There is scrumptious food available everywhere in Mexico. The surprise will come in the variety and high quality that exist beyond tacos and enchiladas. Most hotels have good food, though the Acapulco Princess and a few big American chains have so watered down the Mexican flavor that their food is bland. Seafood in all three of these resorts can be the best youll ever eat. Try turtle if its available, and dont miss red snapper (huachinango) fried Mexican style. Mexico does Winnipeg film set a film trek Winnipeg West, a Highway along the from Winnipeg to Victoria, will be the second attraction on the University Travel Club film series in Kingsbury Hall, on the lower campus of the University of Utah, Tuesday at 8 p.m. Trans-Canad- Ralph Franklin, of the motion picture, says that he has tried to focus on some of the thousands of hitchhiking students who annually don their packs to see and experience Western Canada. producer-photograph- two-hou- er full-col- r, But the film is much more than that, he laughs, even though er departure tax not included ftCPQpDCiD fJT 1 H r HOTEL dbl. occ puon, DEPARTURES I AND AIR PHW AZ FROM SALT LAKE CITY erhcwln'0,pay 1 I Pari 1 coo P " lone' 900d PER Carnival time' March I. 1984 MIGHT COMPLETE (Electric-Water-Sewer- Includes $1,499.00 Five Star Hotel, Buffet One week for Airfare from Salt Lake City, ) meals Pleasant llaiualiai llnlidaqs 459 509 Per HOOKUPS RV person. dbl occ INCLUDES PHWAZ Per Par PHWAZ parton dbl occ INCLUDES TAX person, dW occ INCLUDES TAX PHWAX TAX SAMS and service charge extra All prices Ij--d tllbU?"TSPar'0rta.we'n"S $833.00 days 6 nights. Central Park Hotel . . Hyde Includes Airfare from Salt Lake City. Continental breakfast daily Taxes 1 FROM INCLUDES from iTflTTTffifMTTilTffi'. ' P f 7 er, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police barracks, the badlands of Drumheller, the Calgary Stampede, a wild raft race in Edmontons Klondike Days, Jasper National Park, Glacier and Banff National Parks, Butchart Gardens and many other sites and sights, many of them not available to most tourists. Franklin is a Californian, a veteran of U.S. Navy service and a graduate of the School of Cinematography at the University of Southern California. A veteran of the travelog circuit, Franklin is manager of his own booking agency for some of his colleagues. In 1979 he entered the world energy field, working in education, communication, research and development. General admission tickets to the Winnipeg film are on sale weekdays in Kingsbury Hall, Room 210, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and again 90 minutes before film time. Savings on season tickets are still in force, said Paul Cracroft, manager of Kingsbury Hall and coordinator of the UTC film series. The free shuttlebus will begin ser-vi- e in the Rice Stadium parking lot about 7:10 p.m. mma mam first tiigM free! 9 days. Lisbon. Madrid Includes Airfare from Salt Lake City, First Class Hotels. Continental breakfast daily audi- ences enjoy these young argonauts, who have the patience of Job and the endurance of elephants. Mr. Franklin traces his way across the four western provinces of Canada: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Thats about 1,500 miles as the crow flies, he says, but Im much more jackrabbit than crow, so double that. Some of the major stopping points in the film are the old paddle-wheelPrincess on the Red Riv Sam's Town RV Park In Las Vegas offers RVers an unheard of special thru December 25 (Christmas Day). 1983 subject to chanqe something indescribably good to its no kidding. club sandwiches Because tourism is a major industry, and because Mexicans figure that some Americans aren't happy if things are too foreign, youre never too distant from pizza, hamburgers and ice cream. In Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta, add Italian and some FYench food to the bounty. During a recent visit, food at the Camino Real in Ixtapa was on a par with the best French and nouvelle cuisine anywhere. Yes, you can eat the fruit Don't pass up the tropical variety, especially mangoes. Much of the tropical fruit we eat here is from Mexico. We all drink the water. If you prefer not to, filtered water is available in major hotels. Your doctor can prescribe a variety of remedies to avoid turista, which is usually a mild diarrhea. subject to change TOWN 487-973- 1 HOTEL, GAMBLING HALL and BOWLING CENTER WE HOMOR GOOD SAM DISCOUMT CARDS PLEASANT HOTEL HAWAIIAN WAIKIKI HYATT BEACHCOMBER CHOOSE YOUR HOTEL EACH HOLIDAY ON SALE m IPilERTOiVAUARTAI AZATCAtm PLAZA GAVIOTAS 6 8 DAY 300 366 6 $ DAY 316 Days In Las Glorias PLAYA MAZATLAN 336 366 ANCU IS I s725 DEC. 15-2- 2 DELUXE PACKAGE AT THE HYATT CANCUN 449 8 DAYS AT THE HOTEL SHERATON SKYWAYS TRAVEL AN tw Ami raw AM rt mmm I to Nee tos I MW tmm m i atcyeN to MW, 19 UMTt DCC. 19 ece ATr PRICES GOOD ON NEW BOOKINGS ONLY. MUST BE PAID WITHIN 7 DAYS. Above Holidays good for travel through Space ia limitedrBome booking restriction may appty See brochure or call for conditions and prices applicable to your specific program. & PAV NOWAND APRIL Book your Holiday now. we will protect your low 7 Nights aboard Costa's Carla C St. more. From SI 195.00. 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Nassau, San Juan, St. Thomas Including round trip airfare from S.L I $ 10 INCLUDES: Nights Accommodations at Hotel You Select Round Trip Airfare on Wide Body Jet Including Meal Servlet Round Trip Transfers including Baggage Tips Flower Lai Greeting and Full Color Memory Album Pleasant Mai Tai Welcome Cocktail and Mora ItARtBBEANXRUISEaM MARCH PACKAGE WAIKIKI 7 bSs cruise Thomas, Martinique REGENCY OGDEN 1229 Newgate Mall 399-111- 4 I'lKiisant llaumiimllnHdnti Recommended , LJ - & Represented by: THE AMERICAN EXPRESS r- VACATION STORE 175 So. West Temple Salt Lake City FOR INFORMATION A RESERVATIONS CALL (801) 328-97- 33 |