Most travelers arrive in Acapulco by air. Direct flights come from U.S. cities via American, Continental, Delta, and Mexicana. Also, many carriers fly to Mexico City and you can change there for Acapulco. Within the country, Aeromexico and Mexicana fly to Acapulco from other Mexican cities.

Once on the ground, you can use the airport service Transportes Terrestres to get to your hotel. It’s about a half hour drive.

If you are flying to Acapulco, look into the many flight-and-hotel travel packages. They often offer excellent value.

The best way to drive from Mexico City is via the toll highway 95-D. Though it is more expensive than the older highway 95, it is faster and easier, with less traffic. The journey is about 250 miles and takes you through beautiful mountains and valleys. Both highways are rather winding. Since Acapulco is quite far south, most North Americans who are driving are either doing so from Mexico City or as part of a larger trip around Mexico.

When I was a child, my family flew to Mexico City and there picked up our car from a friend who had driven it down from the U.S. Then we traveled to and from Acapulco on the old highway 95. Practically the first phrases I learned in Spanish were camino sinuoso (winding road) and puente angosta (narrow bridge). My father would call out these phrases with zest as he navigated the road.

There is also bus service between Acapulco and Mexico City. In fact, Mexico has excellent bus service. Another way of arriving is by cruise ship, often from Los Angeles. Companies offering cruises include Cunard, Holland America, Princess Cruises, and others.

Travel to Acapulco can be quite easy. The hard part may be leaving at the end of your vacation, when you’d rather stay on… and on!

Travel to Acapulco is a post from: Mexico with Heart - Living, Traveling, and Retiring in Mexico

All that building has been at times more than the traffic could bear, and so there are bargains to be found in rentals and in homes to buy. This is a good thing for foreigners who would like to own some real estate in the Acapulco area — often people who love the city and are quite willing to consider buying in various parts of the city.

There’s an interesting phenomenon in how Mexican real estate attitudes compare with American ones when it comes to homes high on hilltops with glorious views. We Americans pay a premium for such locations, but Mexicans — who are less likely to own cars — tend to prefer the places with better access, nearer downtown. So real estate prices in the Acapulco area reflect these cultural differences, to our benefit!

With the population of the city and its environs something over a million people, there are a lot of places to explore if you are interested in renting or buying a house, condo, or apartment in Acapulco.

Another thing about apartments and houses in Acapulco: since it isn’t a major expatriate city like some others in Mexico, that fact helps keep real estate prices more moderate. I’ve seen estimates that hundreds of Americans live in the city, though. All in all, if you love the spectacular beauty of Acapulco, and its sensuous lifestyle, you might want to explore its real estate.

Winters are glorious here, and summers in this tropical paradise are… well, tropical. This can mean hot, humid, and rainy, mainly in June through September.

Acapulco Real Estate is a post from: Mexico with Heart - Living, Traveling, and Retiring in Mexico

What to do? Swimming (but note that some beaches have rough surf and undertows), working on your tan, eating and drinking at the wide variety of restaurants and clubs… and staying up late (or all night) to go dancing at the discos. Scuba diving, fishing, boating, and other water sports are available, as are golf courses and tennis courts. The shopping is great fun, though don’t expect the best bargains in Mexico in this tourist-oriented city. Famous divers jump off extremely high cliffs into the sea at La Quebrada… that’s something to watch, not to do! Most of all, Acapulco is a place to relax.

I’ve been to Acapulco both as a child and as an adult. Of course, the city has changed a lot; the quaint little motel just a block from the beach where we stayed when I was a kid is long gone, replaced with newer, taller buildings.

I adored the city as a child, and I continue to like its natural beauty and its beaches. Though it is now a huge city and very tourist-oriented, I still think Acapulco is an outstanding place for a beach vacation. The glittering celebrities are more likely to go to the newer resorts — Cancun and others that were small towns or fishing ports when Acapulco was the rising star.

For more photos of Acapulco, see my page on the posters of Mexico created by photographer Walter Bibikow.

If you explore the central market and other places away from the obvious main tourist areas, you can get a real connection with the people. Many of the tourists nowadays are Mexican, and you can chat with them on the beach. Don’t speak Spanish? No problem! Smiles go a long way, and many Mexicans know some English.

The weather in Acapulco is very nice all winter, hot and humid in the summer. Good thing the beach is there!

About Acapulco is a post from: Mexico with Heart - Living, Traveling, and Retiring in Mexico

Think of Acapulco as divided into three main tourist areas, with hotels in each. Picture a bay, with the land on the north. The three areas go from west to east. There’s a coastal road, called “La Costera” for most of its length, connecting the regions.

• Nautical Acapulco is the older, traditional part of the city. It’s the westernmost region. Here is where you will find the backpacker and budget type hotels. There are many near the zocalo, or central square. Some mid-range hotels can also be found here.

• Golden Acapulco is the middle part, with many hotels, clubs, restaurants, and shops either on La Costera or just a bit inland from it. In this part of Acapulco, hotels tend to be midrange to luxury. The further from the beach, generally the more moderately priced the hotel.

• Diamond Acapulco is a newer region several miles to the east, toward the international airport. It is being developed as a high luxury area. Even if you stay somewhere else, you can come have a meal or a sunset drink and enjoy the views across the bay back to the rest of the city, perhaps from a hotel bar. There’s also a tour boat from the older part of the city that circles out this way. Some of the hotels in this region are the Hyatt Regency Acapulco, Hotel Las Brisas, Hotel Quinta Mica, Camino Real Acapulco Diamante, and others.

Many hotels have their own swimming pools, which can be desirable despite the proximity of the ocean, as not all of the beaches offer really safe swimming. Waves can be huge and there can be an undertow… inquire locally about the beaches near your hotel. (When I was nine, we visited Acapulco, and I still remember being tossed about by some large waves.)

Acapulco Hotel Reservations

If you want to stay at a particular place, it’s probably a good idea to make your Acapulco hotel reservations before arriving. There are a few times of year when the city is likely to be crowded: most important to know of is during Semana Santa, or Holy Week, Mexicans go on vacation and Acapulco’s hotels of all kinds are likely to be very full. Not a good time to arrive without a reservation! People even end up sleeping on the beach. Christmas is also a time when reservations are best for Acapulco hotels.

Acapulco Hotels is a post from: Mexico with Heart - Living, Traveling, and Retiring in Mexico