Travel, live, and retire in Mexico!

with
Rosana Hart

Acapulco Hotels

You have a tremendous choice of hotels in Acapulco, from glittering five-star palaces, to resorts that have seen finer days but are still well kept, all the way down to the funky-but-friendly category. With over a million and a half visitors a year, there are at least 30,000 rooms in and around the city.

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.

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.)

• 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.

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.