Acapulco, GuerreroEven though it has a long history as an important commercial port for the Pacific coast of Mexico, Acapulco, known as the "Pearl of the Pacific" didn't come into it's own as a resort and tourist magnet until the 50's and 60's when the up-and-coming Hollywood crowd took it over as it's favorite hangout. Tourists began flocking to it's gorgeous bay and golden sanded, palm-lined beaches and marvelling over the spectacular cliff divers of La Quebrada, who drop from 136-foot crags into a narrow inlet of water and tremendous surf on the shores of the Pacific. Acapulco is located 326 km from Mexico City and is connected to that metropolis by a new toll highway that has cut travel times to much less than half of what they were in the 70's and 80's - it's about a 3 1/2 hour drive whereas it used to take 7 and 8 hours. It is connected along the coast to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo to the north and Puerto Escondido and Huatulco to the south by Federal highway 200. The drive to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo is about 3 hours - by bus, it usually takes a little longer because of the stops along the way... budget about 4 hours if you're making the trip in that fashion. To Puerto Escondido, the trip is usually 5 to 6 hours. Acapulco is serviced by direct flights from a multitude of international points of departure, with many flights also arriving through connections via Mexico City, and a large number of cruise ship companies service the port during much of the year. Acapulco's old town port area hosts a beehive of small, crowded streets, and here is found the town's municipal market. In Acapulco, all signs seem to point to the Costera Miguel Aleman, Acapulco's hotel row that stretches along the gentle curve of it's well protected bay toward the hills to the south. The Costera Miguel Aleman provides access to unlimited shopping, restaurants, hotels and activities providers as well as the beaches themselves. Along this stretch, from just past the downtown area all the way over the hill toward the airport, is every imaginable size, shape and category of hotels, boutiques, restaurants and bars, discos and yes, shopping malls -- including Walmart, Sam's Club, Sanborn's, Aurrera and Comercial Mexicana shopping centers, Costco, Baskin and Robbins ice cream parlors, McDonald's, Subway and more. Almost all of Acapulco's most coveted activities and hangouts are located along this strip. The city has a plenty of night life , clubs and discotheques, and it's many superb restaurants specialize in wonderful seafood as well as offering fine, international cuisine. This destination offers more than twenty beaches and a plethora of water sports and beach activities including sport fishing, scuba diving and snorkeling, bungee jumping, water skiiing, parasailing, beach vollyball and horseback riding. Golfing is another popular activity at both the Acapulco Princess Golf Course and the Club de Golf Acapulco. Other Attractions: The Fort of San Diego (Fuerte de San Diego), in the old town of Acapulco overlooking the port and cruise ship docks, is an historical landmark that was built in the early 1600's and restored in the 18th C after it was destroyed by an earthquake. The pentagonal structure now hold Acapulco's Museum of History. Tour to Isla La Roqueta and a view of the Underwater Chapel (La Capilla Submarina) - glass-bottomed boats that allow one to see the underwater life, take visitors to the island and over an underwater shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico's patron saint. The island itself has good beaches and restaurants for a day of beachside relaxation. The Cathedral, downtown Acapulco. - built in 1930; Byzantine influences. |
