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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Best of Acapulco
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Dramatically nestled between jagged mountaintops and a wide, horseshoe-shaped namesake bay, Acapulco is beginning to shed its hard-partying persona, as young families and stylish travelers reclaim the scenic town. Chic hilltop restaurants are giving the tequila joints a run for their money, and manicured resorts are starting to outnumber budget motels. With plenty of construction under way, including some high-end condo developments, Acapulco is looking more and more like its old jet-set self. Attractions & Activities Acapulco is fairly easy to navigate: The major tourist areas lie along the Costera Miguel Alemán, a large avenue that traces the edge of Acapulco Bay. Cabs zip up and down the Costera and are fairly inexpensive. Even more affordable—and, for the adventurous, more fun—are the buses. These privately owned vehicles, in varying states of upkeep, are personalized with airbrushed cartoons or graffiti relating to the driver's nickname—anything from Tweety to Diablo. The destination is written on the windshield; just flag a bus down and pay the driver 5 pesos (50 cents). The hub of the tourist madness is the hotel- and bar-packed Costera area, also called the Zona Dorada, at the center of the bay. Catering to hard-core partiers, it has plenty of two-for-one tequila shot specials and kitschy souvenir shops. At the top of the bay, the Costera abruptly gives way to Old Acapulco, marked by the Malecón, a wide bay front boardwalk, and the historic Zócalo. The Malecón is best experienced in the evening, when vendors with carts sell flan, plantain chips, and roasted corn and the sun seems to set right offshore. Across the street, the Zócalo has a small pavilion that hosts occasional musical performances and is bordered by no-frills traditional restaurants. Vendors set up blankets with beaded bracelets, painted wooden plates, and traditional textiles. At the back of the square, Nuestra Señora de la Soledad is a handsome church built in the 1930s with an unusual combination of Moorish, Spanish, and native influences. The Costera's other end gives way to the Carretera Escénica, a highway that travels up the hills into the tiny Las Brisas, where there are plenty of rental villa and condo communities, plus a row of trendy restaurants with breathtaking views. Each night and every afternoon at one, the cliff divers at La Quebrada, just west of the bay, put on the city's best-known spectacle. These daredevils—some just teenagers—scale the sheer sides of the mountain and then catapult more than 100 feet into the churning waters below. You can pay for seats at the Hotel Mirador's La Perla restaurant (includes two drinks) or watch from the open viewing platform. It's worth springing for the former during high season, when the divers are incredibly popular. On the way back to the center of town, stop by the home of Dolores Olmedo, where artist Diego Rivera spent one of the last years of his life. In 1956, Rivera decorated the house's exterior wall with a mural incorporating paint, mosaics, and shells. Between the Costera and old Acapulco, El Fuerte de San Diego is a reminder that the city was once a crucial stop on the lucrative trade route between Europe and Asia. The star-shaped fortress, built in 1616 as a defense against pirates, currently houses the Museo Histórico de Acapulco. Thirteen galleries have multilingual historical exhibits and display traditional Mezcala masks (+52-744-482-3828). For most visitors, the beach is Acapulco's main appeal. At the center of the Zona Dorada, Playa Condesa is a crowded strip of sand backed by lively bars and restaurants. The next beach up, Playa Hornos, has more room to spread out and attracts a low-key family crowd. At the tip of the bay, a ten-minute bus ride from the Costera, Caleta and Caletilla are the most popular local beaches. The coarse sand is packed with palapa restaurants, leaving little room to lounge. From here, take a ferry to Isla Roqueta, a thickly forested island about ten minutes offshore where there's a nice beach and a few casual restaurants. Unfortunately, the ferries, which leave from the Mágico Mundo water park and are frustratingly slow, masquerade as glass-bottom boat tours but are actually a racket to get you to buy trinkets and snacks. Travelers looking for more relaxation head six miles northwest of Acapulco to idyllic Pie de la Cuesta, a bohemian-chic beach town that consists of a succession of unpretentious shore side motels—and a few high-end options—on a seemingly endless stretch of sand. If you're not staying there, pick a hotel and pay a nominal daily fee to use the facilities (usually just a food and drink minimum). Most have lovely palapa restaurants and lounge chairs. Be cautious when swimming, though: The riptide can be ferocious. To get there, take any bus marked Pie de la Cuesta Playa or hop in a taxi (about $10). The best way to survey Acapulco Bay is on a private boat charter. The Club de Yates, near Caleta, is the place to go. No one is in charge of rentals, but if you tell the manager on duty what you're looking for, he can call the right person for you. Everything from sport fishermen to catamarans are available (+52-744-482-3859; clubdeyatesaca.com.mx, Spanish only). Captain Victor Vargas Aguirre is one of the best local operators; he can arrange fishing expeditions, sunset cruises, and snorkeling trips on his 45-foot Hatteras (+52-744-488-4727; four-hour rental, $463). Lodging The sprawling Las Brisas, on a hilltop overlooking Acapulco Bay, is a regular on Condé Nast Traveler's annual Gold List. While the highest concentration of hotels is in the hectic Zona Dorada, non-spring breakers are better off in the up-and-coming Acapulco Diamante area, just east of Acapulco Bay and a short taxi ride from downtown and Old Acapulco. If you prefer to be closer to the action, try the no-frills Los Flamingos. An aging beauty that still has plenty of charm, this cliff top resort was once owned by John Wayne and Johnny Weissmuller. The most secluded of the Acapulco Diamante resorts, the elegant Quinta Real is a member of Mexico's most prestigious hotel chain. Well-heeled locals love its cool marble floors, 74 airy suites, and private beachfront palapas. Just past Punta Diamante, on Revolcadero Beach, the Fairmont Pierre Marques was built by J. Paul Getty. In addition to a tower of guest rooms, the 335-room resort has more-intimate villas and bungalows, many with private terraces and plunge pools. The Pierre Marques shares facilities with its much larger sister, the Fairmont Acapulco Princess, a 1,017-room mini-metropolis with five pools, a Willow Stream spa, and a golf course. On a quiet stretch of Puerto Marqués Bay, a small inlet just south of Acapulco Bay, the family-oriented Camino Real has three swimming pools and two restaurants. All of its 157 rooms have balconies, many with unobstructed water views. Villa rentals are becoming increasingly popular in Acapulco and its sister towns along the Pacific Coast—and not just among the moneyed crowd. Villas Caribe has tons of properties, from hilltop houses overlooking Acapulco Bay to casual beachfront estates, and rentals start as low as $400 a night for a three-bedroom house. For more lavish digs, the broker Luxury Retreats International has a stable of over-the-top villas, including a fully staffed six-bedroom estate with a spa and fitness center. In Pie de la Cuesta, Hacienda Vayma attracts a young, attractive crowd of European and Latin travelers. Billowing white curtains, long wooden tables, and a pool with a swim-up bar make hanging out at this hotel feel like one long, leisurely cocktail party. The beach has plenty of shaded chaise lounges and picnic tables, and attentive waiters who shuttle to and from the restaurant. Dining The restaurants lining the Costera serve versions of Mexican dishes that range in quality from palatable to tasty. For more authentic fare, try Las Canastas, a modest place near the cruise ship terminal with a thatched roof and corrugated walls hung with potted plants. You can watch your food being prepared in the open kitchen, which is expertly run by female chefs who simultaneously grill meat, dice garlic, and dish up rice and beans. The food is a bit greasy, but it's refreshingly straightforward. Ask for the whole fried mojarra, and don't miss the top-notch guacamole (223 Costera Miguel Alemán; +52-744-483-8700; entrées, $3-$17). Mexico may not be known for its health food, but judging by the profusion of 100% Natural outposts, a small revolution is in the works. The country's health food chain sells lighter (but still tasty) versions of fajitas and quesadillas, plus soy hamburgers, vegetarian omelets, and whole-wheat pastries. The fresh juices and smoothies come in king-sized goblets—try the Refrescante, made with apple, pineapple, and ginger (34 Costera Miguel Alemán; +52-744-482-8302; entrées, $3-$7). Despite its location in a Costera shopping mall, El Olvido has a refined tropical-inspired menu, with such delights as the foie gras with tangerine and fennel and the garlic-crusted shrimp in a margarita vichyssoise (Plaza Marbella; +52-744-481-0214; entrées, $13-$35). Acapulco's chicest eateries are on the hilltops of Las Brisas, and all have spectacular water views. At Baikal, you descend a winding staircase into a two-level dining room facing dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on the bay. Acapulco's most cosmopolitan residents come here for the scene—never before 10 PM—but the food is also delicious. Try the tender sautéed calamari in squid ink appetizer, nicely offset by a sweet crab remoulade, and don't miss the rich apple tart (22 Carretera Escénica; +52-744-446-6845; entrées, $19-$63). Candles provide all of the light at nearby Kookaburra, which prepares creative seafood dishes such as the shrimp with tequila and huitlacoche and the mahimahi seviche with salmon roe (3 Carretera Escénica; +52-744-446-6020; entrées, $16-$33). Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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