The gentlemen perched on the bluff overlooking the Pacific are surveying the site of Mexico’s next resort, Ixtapa, currently an uninhabited stretch of coast near the fishing village of Zihuatanejo about 120 miles north of Aca­pulco. The Mexican government has big plans for Ixtapa. There will be three hotels by the first of next year, with marinas, golf course (by Robert Trent Jones), and residential areas soon to follow. The government is building a complete town from scratch, complete with a plaza, restaurants, discotheques, and other essentials of resort life.

As for the beaches, Ixtapa is more Acapulco than Cancún; its coast is vin­tage Pacific, with rocky coves and small scalloped beaches rather than long endless stretches of sand. Of further in­terest to tourists is the effort to elimi­nate mosquitoes from Ixtapa; a team of scientists is ruthlessly tracking down each of the 40 species which call Ixtapa home. If you’re curious, you can jet down to Zihuatanejo and take in Ixtapa while it’s in the making. The Zihuata­nejo airport’s main terminal is open to the air and roofed in thatch. But not for long.