About staying in Ixtapan De La Sal
Ixtapan de la Sal is a thermal-spring town in the southern State of Mexico, and every hotel here is built around the water. The centre, around the Asunción parish church and the main garden, has simple family-run inns within walking distance of the municipal baths. The Bulevar San Román corridor holds the mid-range hotels, most with their own thermal pool, a short walk from the Parque Acuático Ixtapan. On the edge of town sit the big garden-and-spa complexes. Our 2026 scans found only 4 hotels with a real price: from US$32 a night, with a typical rate of about US$100 that those complexes pull upward. It is a weekend destination from Mexico City, so Friday and Saturday need booking ahead.
Ixtapan De La Sal hotel FAQs
Which part of Ixtapan should I stay in?
For everything on foot, the Bulevar Turístico San Román and Avenida Benito Juárez corridor: mid-sized hotels with thermal pools, minutes from the water park and the municipal baths. The centre, by the parish church and garden, is cheaper and noisier on Saturdays. The spa complexes on the outskirts suit you only if the plan is barely leaving the property.
When is it cheapest?
Midweek, always. Ixtapan runs on weekends and Mexican long weekends: Fridays, Saturdays, Holy Week, July-August and the year-end holidays are the fullest and dearest. Monday to Thursday, and especially in the June-September rains, rates soften and the queues vanish. Our 2026 scans logged rooms from US$32 a night and a typical rate of around US$100.
How do I get there, and do I need a car?
From Mexico City it is two and a half to three hours via the Toluca motorway and the Tenango–Ixtapan road; direct buses leave from the Terminal Poniente (Observatorio) for something like MX$250-300. From Toluca it is ninety minutes. In town you walk, with taxis at roughly MX$40-70. A car only matters for Tonatico, the caves or Malinalco.
Does every hotel have thermal water?
No. Several hotels on the tourist corridor and the spa complexes have pools fed by thermal springs, but many inns in the centre have an ordinary pool or none at all. Ask explicitly before booking, and ask about hours too, since some close by mid-afternoon. If your hotel has no thermal pool, the municipal baths and the Parque Acuático Ixtapan charge separate entry.