The original Mexican resort town, Acapulco has been eclipsed by Cancun and other resort towns. Still, it remains a major destination and a worthwhile trip and is the number one spring break destination among U.S. college students.
Get in
Many buses go from major cities (e.g. Mexico City) to Acapulco. Most buses are safe, fast and comfortable and usually not very expensive. Some bus lines offer student discounts. The Estrella de Oro bus line offers nonstop trips from Mexico City with service more like of First Class on an airline -- roomy seats, ride attendants, snacks and drinks, and free movies (The Lake House and Superman Returns on a recent trip.) A regular Estrella de Oro (double-decker) one-way ride is 320 pesos, while upgraded VIP bus service is 480 pesos; VIP service includes a marble lounge inside the regular Acapulco bus terminal with TVs, drinks, and newspapers. Depending on the bus, the ride takes 5 - 5 1/2 hours in comfort. Be warned, they search you and pat you down for weapons before leaving.
There is a modern four lane highway from Mexico City to Acapulco (Autopista del Sol). It is somewhat expensive, but will take you there in 3 and a half hours, approximately, if you don't stop on the way. The Autopista is not continuous; there is a break in two sections where the road is rougher, so a car with good tires is a must. However, before you decide to drive to Acapulco, remember that traffic and parking in the city are difficult.
Alvarez International Airport (ACA) is well connected domestically and internationally. Flights from Mexico City to Acapulco take approximately 35 minutes and ground transportation from the airport to the major tourist area of La Costera takes more or less the same time. Round trip fares depending on the season and class, range from USD$230.00 to USD$500.00.
Get around
Taxis are everywhere in Acapulco. Since they are unmetered, make sure that you agree on a fare before entering. Always negotiate - they can smell tourist money a mile away.
You should not have to pay more than $50 pesos per cab ride within the Costera area but fares can reach as much as $120 pesos for rides from La Costera to La Quebrada, Princess Hotel (Revolcadero Beach) and the airport. Alternatively most hotels can arrange for taxi transportation for a fixed fare (usually inflated). Prices will usually be about 50% more expensive than for a taxi hailed on the street.
There are several public transportation options: Yellow cabs are 10 pesos per person; buses are 4 pesos or 5 pesos with the luxury of air-conditioning. Because of the sheer amount of taxis here, when one is dining out it is often worthwhile for them to offer a round trip and simply wait around while you have your meal, and they will not charge extra.
Buses are worth experiencing even if you don´t want to travel on them. The bus system in Acapulco has been fully privatised - each bus is privately owned. This means they can decorate them however they want. Pink buses cruise around blaring out traditional Mexican music, racing against ones decked out in UV lights pulsing out club music into the night air. The complete lack of suspension and the bizarre incentive for the buses to race each other to each bus stop as they compete for passengers makes for an unforgettable ride.
It is generally unwise to try to drive yourself around Acapulco. Traffic is heavy, parking is scarce, streets do not run in a neat grid, and even change names unexpectedly.
See
Beaches
Most beaches are in the bay area fronting the main boulevard "La Costera". This bay area is what made Acapulco famous and its beauty and majesty have not faded over the years. Some of the most representative beaches in La Costera are Icacos, Condesa, Hornos and Caleta, of which Condesa is the cleanest and most scenic. Beaches on La Costera have mostly calm waters suitable for practicing sports and even riding "la banana", the fruit shaped inflatable. Most hotels in Acapulco are found along La Costera.
Perhaps the best beach in Acapulco can be found close to the hotel 'Princess de Acapulco'. Playa Revolcadero is about three miles from the airport and as opposed to beaches in La Costera that are protected by the bay, this is an open water beach with strong tides that warrant extra caution. Transportation from La Costera takes about 35 minutes through a winding and scenic road.
Don't miss Barra Vieja, approx. 20 past the Airport coming from the costera($500-$800 Pesos for a cab all day)
Do
There are several more attractions, including golf courses, night clubs and post-hispanic fortifications. Nightlife in Acapulco is pretty much fun, and many places are suited for tourism including "El Alebrije", "Disco Beach" and "Palladium", this last having a awe-inspiring sight of the whole bay of Acapulco..
Eat
Drink
In the past few years Acapulco has become a preferred destination for spring breakers, with tens of thousands of students descending upon this resort town to drink away the sorrows of midterms in a multitude of bars and clubs. Be aware that the fancier places may have long queues outside and will probably not let you in if you wear shorts and/or sneakers.
La Costera, Acapulco's main street along the coast, is full of bars and clubs:
Sleep
Budget
A former athletic training facility, Acapulco's Kingdom Youth Hostel is a treat for the active or indolent. Friendly managers as of 2005. Inexpensive, with excellent showers and plenty of hammocks, internet access and a small bar. Outside of Acapulco proper, but that means it's near a quiet beach; a cab ride into the disco zone is about 10 pesos. A hostel worth checking out.
Clean room, clean sheets, painted brick, and cold showers. The rooms range from one bed to three. La Mision is 2 blocks outside Zócalo. The staff does not speak English. A basic breakfast may be purchased from the kitchen, though there are a multitude of small restaurants nearby. Depending on the time you stay, you may be able to negotiate 200 pesos per person per night (regardless of the number of rooms occupied).
Mid-range
Splurge
Fiesta Americana Condessa
All newly upgraded rooms & facilities just east of Barbaroja...
Get out
Acapulco (Officially: Acapulco de Juárez) is a city and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, 300 km (190 miles) southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay. It is a port of call for shipping and cruising lines running between Panama and San Francisco, California, USA. As of the 2005 census the population of the city was 616,394, while that of its surrounding municipality of the same name was 717,766 people. The municipality, which has an area of 1,882.6 km² (726.88 sq mi), includes numerous small localities outside of the city. The tourist resort city of Acapulco is the largest city in the state, by far larger than the state capital of Chilpancingo, in second place.
Geography
The town was built on a narrow strip of low ground, scarcely half a mile wide, between the shoreline and the lofty mountains that encircle the bay to the north and east. Access to the town from inland is through the mountains via a 2-km tunnel that was constructed in the 1990s. A passage through the mountains, called Abra de San Nicolas, has been constructed and it allows cooling sea breezes to reach the city.
The climate is tropical, with warm to hot temperatures year-round. Precipitation is heavily concentrated in the high-sun period (northern hemisphere summer), while the low-sun period (northern hemisphere winter) is mostly dry and sunny.
History
Acapulco has been well known as a traveler's crossroads for at least a millennium. Its name is a Nahuatl word, meaning "plain of dense reeds".
The earliest local remains, stone metates and pottery utensils, were left in the 3rd millennium BC. Much later, sophisticated artisans fashioned curvaceous female figurines.
Other artifacts resemble those found in highland Mexico. Although influenced by Tarascan, Mixtec, Zapotec, and Aztec civilizations, sometimes paying tribute to them and frequented by their traders, Acapulco never came under their direct control, but instead remained subject to local caciques until the Spanish conquest.
After conquering the Aztecs, Hernán Cortés sent expeditions south to build ships and find a route to China. The first explorers sailed from Zacatula, near present-day Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, on the coast 400 km (250 miles) north-west of Acapulco. By a royal decree dated April 25, 1528, "Acapulco and her land ... where the ships of the south will be built...." passed directly into the hands of the Spanish Crown. Voyages of discovery set sail from Acapulco for Peru, the Sea of Cortez, and to Asia. None returned across the Pacific, however, until Augustinian priest Andrés de Urdaneta discovered the northern Pacific tradewinds, which propelled him and his ship, loaded with Chinese treasure, to Acapulco in 1565.
For more than 256 years, a special yearly trading ship, known to the English as the Manila Galleon, set sail from Acapulco for Manila and the Orient. Its return started an annual merchant fair in Acapulco where traders bargained for the Galleon's cargo of silks, porcelain, ivory, and lacquer ware. This trade connection, which persisted up to Mexican independence, was instrumental in placing the Philippines on the east side of the International Date Line until the end of 1844.
Acapulco's yearly treasure soon attracted marauders, too. In 1579, Francis Drake attacked but failed to capture the Galleon, but in 1587, off Cabo San Lucas, Thomas Cavendish seized the Santa Anna. The cash alone, 1.2 million gold pesos, severely depressed the London bullion market.
In 1614, the Japanese Embassy led by Hasekura Tsunenaga, on its way to Europe, stayed in Acapulco for several months. Japanese traders stayed in the city between 1610 and 1620.
After a Dutch fleet invaded Acapulco in 1615, the Spanish rebuilt their fort, which they christened Fort San Diego in 1617. Destroyed by an earthquake in 1776, the fort was rebuilt by 1783. The War of Independence (1820–21) stopped the Manila Galleon forever, sending Acapulco into a century-long slumber.
The town suffered considerably from earthquakes in July and August 1909.
There are exports of hides, wood, and fruit, and the adjacent district of Tabares produces cotton, tobacco, cacao, sugarcane, Indian corn, beans, and coffee.
The 1968 Summer Olympics yachting (now sailing) regatta took place in Acapulco.
Acapulco was devastated by Hurricane Pauline in October 1997.
Acapulco as a holiday resort
For most of a century, exotic and historic Acapulco has been a popular resort for tourists taking long holiday weekends and cruises from the United States, the Mexican interior and countries in South America. Eventually, it began competing directly with the east-coast (Cancun) as a super-tourist destination. In the past three decades, air fares have become increasingly affordable as international airlines added flights and infrastructure to support the increasing air travel. The two beach resorts are essentially located on opposite coasts oriented due East and West from the other at essentially the same latitude. The city has had its star-spangled times, prompting none other than Frank Sinatra to give the place a mention in his all time classic "Come Fly With Me". Modern Acapulco has a great appeal and is a featured destination for many Pacific cruise ship packages and international air carriers. The vast majority of the tourists are Mexicans, but its balmy subtropical climate and pleasant year round temperatures draws in many other foreign nationals year round providing the volume to support the numerous bars and clubs dotted around the bay. Whether seeking a break from northern climes, winters or heat, or the southern hemisphere's seasonal analogs, the resorts proximity to the equator on the narrows of the North America continental isthmus gives it an economically important geographic centrality rivaled by only a few resorts in the world.
In recent years, within the younger crowd, Acapulco has made up some ground on Cancun as a popular spring break destination. This growing popularity may be because Acapulco offers a different unknown experience and a larger, international student crowd than Cancun due to its prominence as an international tourist mecca with many available international transatlantic and transpacific flights. Apart from just the beach, Acapulco's best known island Roqueta, is a great attraction which is typically reached by transparent-bottom motor boats (enabling clear view of the bottom sea). As in Cancun, water sports such as water skiing, para-sailing, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, sailing and snorkeling excursions are available in many price ranges amongst the picturesque coastal waters.
Several real estate, hotels and timeshares had been developed in the Acapulco Diamante (Diamond Acapulco) zone. A very important development has been built by Mayan Resorts the largest vacation club and golf operator in Mexico.
Transportation
From the U.S. many airlines now fly to Acapulco year-round. While in the city there are many buses and taxi services one can take to get from place to place but most of the locals choose to walk to their destinations. However, an important mode of transportation is the government subsidized 'Colectivo' cab system. These cabs cost 10 pesos per person to ride, but they are not private. The driver will pick up more passengers as long as there is space, and will transport them to their destination based on first come first serve rules. These cabs each have a designated areas of the city to which the travel, the three main ones being Costera, Colosio, Coloso, or a mixture of the three. Coloso cabs mainly travel to old Acapulco. Colosio cabs travel through the majority of the tourist area of Acapulco. Costera cabs drive up and down the coast of Acapulco, which is where the majority of the hotels for visitors are, but also includes some of old Acapulco. Where a driver will take you is partly up to his choice, some are willing to travel to the other designated areas, especially during slow periods of the day. In addition, some destinations, such as the resorts of Acapulco Diamante, may cost an additional 10 pesos per person if one wishes to be dropped off at the door and not at the entrance to the resort complex (this is because the cabs do not normally go there).
The bus system is highly complex, and can be rather confusing to an outsider. As far as transportation goes, it is the cheapest form other than walking in Acapulco. The majority of the buses cost under 5 pesos, and generally speaking the less you pay the less you will get. The most expensive buses have air conditioning, while the cheaper buses do not. For tourists, the Acapulco city government has established a system of yellow buses with Acapulco! painted on the side of them. These buses are not just for tourists, but are certainly the nicest and most uniform of the bus systems. These buses, travel the tourist section of acapulco, driving up and down the coast basically. There are buses with specific route and destinations (generally written on their windshields or being shouted out by a barker riding in the fron seat). Perhaps the most unusual thing about the privately operated buses is the fact that they are all highly decorated and personalized, with decaling and home made interior designs that range from comic book scenes, to adult themes, to hello kitty themes.
Attractions
Since 1934 the La Quebrada Cliff Divers have performed their impressive jumps into the shallow stream of water of dangerous tides that forms in the bottom part of La Quebrada. The Acupulco cliff divers were seen regularly on weekend sports programming in the United States during the 1970s.
There is a very vibrant night life in Acapulco which caters to all comers. Especially during Spring Break, many bars and night clubs sign special contracts with US based travel companies and cater specifically to the needs of an American crowd, which pay in advance through the travel company (it is open to everyone however). Due to this, there are distinct areas in which the American spring breakers are dominant, mainly around the coast in which the majority of the hotels are located. Most clubs are open bar, while the smaller bar establishments are pay on tab (these also tend to have dj or live music and dancing). Of the American favored clubs, the top thre are Palladium, Mandara, and Privado, all located within a mile of each other. These clubs play mostly American music (during spring break), with some popular music from Mexico, generally rock, rap, or pop (and lots of shakira). The price varies due to the type of the year, but generally 40-50 American dollars is the cover (once again the bars are free inside, and very well stocked and staffed). Music is often live, and live performances are regular. There are multiple clubs which tend to cater to the local population as well as visitors from Mexico D.F. and other locations within the country. The two most popular are Salon Q and Ninas, both located on the coast a few blocks apart in the heart of Acapulco. Cover is also variable, but generally speaking the price is 20-25 American dollars with open bar. The music is a mixture of live music, with DJ'd music during the breaks. In addition, each has a performance every night, which includes a mixture of lip synching, crossdressers, and Latin exhibition dancing. The majority of the musica is Latin, Cumbia, Duranguense, Norteňo, Merengue, and Salsa are the most common. In addition to a younger crowd, it isn't surprising to find older couples as well. At around 2:00-3:00AM, the live bands retire, and music will switch over to include a large amount of Mexican/American current favorites (as well as a surprising amount of 70-80's US music).
References
See also
