To get from the airport to the hotels in Ixtapa or Zihuatanejo, you have to use the official airport transportation service. A van with up to eight persons costs about $40, while a car holding up to four persons is about $22. If you share a van, it will cost you $6 a person. You must purchase tickets at the ground transportation counter upon leaving the terminal.

Beach names, rather than street names, are often used for directions. Taxi rates are fixed. Within Ixtapa, you'll pay between $2.50and $5. To go from Ixtapa to Zihuatanejo costs about $4.50. From midnight to 6 A.M., you'll pay 50 percent more. And during the summer months, taxis with air conditioning often charge 40 percent more. Between Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo, buses called peseras shuttle back and forth constantly for anywhere from $4 to $6.50 one way. Good van service is available to and from the international airport for about $9.

There's also bus service every twenty minutes from 6 A.M. to 11 P.M. between Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo for about 35 cents. Buses stop at designated stops in front of each hotel along the boulevard in Ixtapa. Be sure to watch out for buses that say “Ixtapa” or “Bulevar Ixtapa.”

If you wish to be more independent, you may want to rent a golf cart that holds up to five persons for about $15 an hour or, for individual family members, motor scooters that rent for $10 an hour. You can also rent either one by the day at a substantial discount.

A ciclopista (bicycle path) runs the entire length of Bulevar Ixtapa to Playa Linda. You can rent a bike for $10 an hour from several places along the way.