TRONCONES, MEXICO-- you've never heard of it and that's why you want to go....

When an old college friend reached out to invite us to explore a recent project of his, a gorgeous villa on a beach on Troncones Bay, Mexico, our first question was, where is that? Troncones is located about 35 minutes north of Ixtapa/Zihuatenejo and is surrounded by lush, unspoiled greenery and jungle. The jungle opens up to the dirt "main road" that runs along the beach of Troncones. There are several simple beach bar/restaurants that line the beach, our favorite being Roberto's that offers music and dancing on Saturday nights, a "disco" as the locals call it - and it was very local. In fact, we were the only gringas on the dance floor. We loved the margaritas, particularly the strawberry one, fresh guacamole and quesadillas as we watched the sun set over the Pacific.

Further down the beach is Present Moment, a lovely, thoughtfully laid out small hotel/retreat. They offer yoga, meditation, life coaching, massage and a delightful restaurant. The rooms-- all in individual palapas are inviting-- our only complaint is that they are in a garden setting without ocean views.

Villa Milagro was our home base during our visit. It is a stunning, completely open air structure that marries the local traditional style and architecture with modernism.

There is an infinity pool which takes advantage of the plum location of the property-- the villa is perched on the upper far corner of an otherwise uninhabited cove (for now, the adjacent lots have been sold, but remain grassy fields). The part of the beach just in front of the Villa is fantastic for swimming and playing in the waves, which we did a lot of considering the warm temperatures! The common areas offer variety with a living room area and two dining areas-- one inside and one out. The kitchen is open-- as is everything on the property, including bedrooms, so our one strong piece of advice is to rent the property just as one couple (with adjusted rates) or with another couple, your family, or a group of close friends. Basically, anyone that you are quite happy and comfortable with. Along those lines, the local staff is charming and kind and go out of their way to ensure your happiness and safety while visiting. We loved Idalia, the chef who made us lunch and dinner-- if you do want more privacy, it might be prudent to arrange for only dinners or a few lunches. One other word of caution, as the bedrooms are completely open, if bugs are an issue for you, this might not be the spot for you. The beds have mosquito netting, but nevertheless you have to be comfortable with little critters around.

We adored the massage therapist, Fidela, who came to the Villa two evenings-- honestly one of the best massages we have ever had! And conducted in an open air bedroom at the back of the property which is upstairs allowing for ocean and jungle views. Natalie, the yoga instructor who made a house call (she is a teacher at Present Moment), led us in a thoughtful but still rigorous vinyasa class overlooking the ocean from the Villa's living room.

She was also full of information on where the best surf spots were. She steered us to Saladita, a small surf town about 15 minutes from the Villa and advised us to rent boards from Lourdes and find Beto, a pro-surfer and instructor. We rented our boards and found Beto in the water-- giving a lesson, but more than happy to help us catch waves. We were rather little Gidgets if we do say so ourselves!! There were all levels of waves at Saladita, which is a rocky bottomed beach, but great conditions other than that.

The Ranch is another surf spot where the more advanced surfers were off to to enjoy a big swell that came in while we were there. After surfing, we enjoyed fresh coconuts (very hydrating which was important after all of our margaritas and dancing at Roberto's the night before!), fresh fruit smoothies and quesadillas. There were lots of hip, cool young people -- Mexican and American, all hanging out after surfing.

We loved the balance of exploring the culture and being athletic with the downtime at the Villa-- reading and writing by the pool, which further would have been enhanced if you had the property all to yourself. Hasta luego... until next time.