Tips for travel to Acapulco

Our Acapulco travel tips section is designed to provide you with valuable information on the destinations we serve. You can access weather reports, convert currency, browse through destination guides, research passport and visa information and much more.

Introduction

Dining & Entertainment

Entry Requirements

Money & Emergency

Weather

Map

Fun Things To Do

Health & Safety Links

Flight Overview

Dining

Diners in Acapulco enjoy stunning views and fresh seafood. The quintessential setting is a candlelit table with the glittering bay spread out before you. If you're looking for a romantic spot, Acapulco brims with such inviting places; most sit along the southern coast, with views of the bay. If you're looking for simple food or an authentic local dining experience, you're best off in Old Acapulco.

Downtown: The Zocalo Area
The old downtown area abounds with simple, inexpensive restaurants serving tasty eats. It's easy to pay more elsewhere and not get food as consistently good as you'll find in this part of town. To explore this area, start at the zócalo and stroll west along Juárez. After about 3 blocks, you'll come to Azueta, lined with small seafood cafes and street-side stands.

If There's Pozole, It Must Be Thursday
If you're visiting Acapulco on a Thursday, indulge in the local custom of eating pozole, a bowl of white hominy and meat in broth, garnished with sliced radishes, shredded lettuce, onions, oregano, and lime. The traditional version includes pork, but a newer chicken version has also become a standard. You can also find green pozole, which is made by adding a paste of roasted pumpkin seeds to the traditional pozole base. Green pozole is also traditionally served with a side of sardines. For a singular Acapulco experience, enjoy your Thursday pozole at the cliff-side restaurant of the Hotel Los Flamingos.

Entertainment

Acapulco is even more famous for its nightclubs than for its beaches. Because clubs frequently change ownership -- and, often names -- it's difficult to give specific and accurate recommendations. Many discos periodically waive their cover charge or offer some other promotion to attract customers. Look for promotional materials in hotel reception areas, at travel desks or concierge booths, in local publications, and on the beach.

The high-rise hotels have their own bars and sometimes discos. Informal lobby or poolside cocktail bars often offer free live entertainment.

The Beach Bar Zone

Prefer a little fresh air with your nightlife? The young, hip crowd favors the growing number of open-air oceanfront dance clubs along Costera Alemán, most of which feature techno or alternative rock. There's a concentration of them between the Fiesta Americana and Continental Plaza hotels.

Money

Banks & ATMs
Banks in Mexico are rapidly expanding and improving services. They tend to be open weekdays from 9am until 5pm, and often for at least a half day on Saturday. In larger resorts and cities, they can generally accommodate the exchange of dollars (which used to stop at noon) anytime during business hours. During times when the currency is in flux, a particular bank may not exchange dollars, so check before standing in line. Some, but not all, banks charge a service fee of about 1% to exchange traveler's checks. However, you can pay for most purchases directly with traveler's checks at the establishment's stated exchange rate. Don't even bother with personal checks drawn on a U.S. bank -- the bank will wait for your check to clear, which can take weeks, before giving you your money.

Travelers to Mexico can easily withdraw money from ATMs (automated teller machine) in most major cities and resort areas. In most resorts in Mexico, the use of ATMs is perfectly safe -- just use the same precautions you would at any ATM. Universal bank cards (such as the Cirrus and PLUS systems) can be used. This is a convenient way to withdraw money and avoid carrying too much with you at any time. The exchange rate is generally more favorable than that at a casas de cambio. Most machines offer Spanish/English menus and dispense pesos, but some offer the option of withdrawing dollars. The Cirrus (tel. 800/424-7787) and PLUS (tel. 800/843-7587) networks span the globe; look at the back of your bank card to see which network you're on, then call or check online for ATM locations at your destination. Be sure you know your personal identification number (PIN) before you leave home and be sure to find out your daily withdrawal limit before you depart. Also keep in mind that many banks impose a fee every time a card is used at a different bank's ATM, and that fee can be higher for international transactions (up to $5 or more) than for domestic ones (where they're rarely more than $1.50). On top of this, the bank from which you withdraw cash may charge its own fee.

Traveler's Checks
Traveler's checks are something of an anachronism from the days before the ATM made cash accessible at any time. Traveler's checks used to be the only sound alternative to traveling with dangerously large amounts of cash. They were as reliable as currency, but, unlike cash, could be replaced if lost or stolen.

You can get traveler's checks at almost any bank. You can also get American Express traveler's checks over the phone by calling tel. 800/221-7282.

Visa offers traveler's checks at Citibank locations nationwide, as well as at several other banks. Call tel. 800/732-1322 for information. AAA members can obtain Visa checks without a fee at most AAA offices or by calling tel. 866/339-3378. MasterCard also offers traveler's checks. Call tel. 800/223-9920 for a location near you.

If you choose to carry traveler's checks, be sure to keep a record of their serial numbers separate from your checks in the event that they are stolen or lost. You'll get a refund faster if you know the numbers.

Credit Cards
Credit cards are a safe way to carry money: They also provide a convenient record of all your expenses, and they generally offer relatively good exchange rates. You can also withdraw cash advances from your credit cards at banks or ATMs, provided you know your PIN. If you've forgotten yours, or didn't even know you had one, call the number on the back of your credit card and ask the bank to send it to you. It usually takes 5 to 7 business days, though some banks will provide the number over the phone if you tell them your mother's maiden name or some other personal information.

Charges will be made in pesos, then converted into dollars by the bank issuing the credit card. Generally you receive the favorable bank rate when paying by credit card. However, be aware that some establishments in Mexico add a 5% to 7% surcharge when you pay with a credit card. This is especially true when using American Express. Many times, advertised discounts will not apply if you pay with a credit card.

Dear Visa: I'm Off to Acapulco! -- Some credit card companies recommend that you notify them of any impending trip abroad so that they don't become suspicious and block your charges when the card is used numerous times in a foreign destination. Even if you don't call your credit card company in advance, you can always call the toll-free emergency number if a charge is refused -- a good reason to carry the phone number with you. But perhaps the most important lesson is to carry more than one card on your trip; if one card doesn't work for any number of reasons, you'll have a backup.

Emergency

Acapulco's tourist office (tel 7/484-4416; daily 9am-3pm & 6-10pm) is at Centro Acapulco, a block west of CiCi - they also have an emergency desk which is staffed 24 hours a day.

Emergencies Cruz Roja tel 7/485-4100 or 485-4101; Emergency IMSS Hospital tel 7/486-3608 or 486-3620; tourist police tel 7/485-0490, or visit the 24hr emergency desk operated by the tourism office in the Centro Acapulco.

Fun Things To Do in Acapulco

Attractions & Activities

Acapulco Attractions

A Museum & A Waterpark
The original Fuerte de San Diego, Costera Alemán, east of the zócalo (tel. 744/482-3828), was built in 1616 to protect the town from pirate attacks. At that time, the port reaped considerable income from trade with the Philippine Islands. The fort you see today was rebuilt after considerable earthquake damage in 1776, and most recently underwent renovation in 2000. The structure houses the Museo Histórico de Acapulco (Acapulco Historical Museum), with exhibits that tell the story of Acapulco from its role as a port in the conquest of the Americas to a center for local Catholic conversion campaigns and for exotic trade with the Orient. Other exhibits chronicle Acapulco's pre-Hispanic past, the coming of the conquistadors (complete with Spanish armor), and Spanish imperial activity. The new Foro Cultural Multimedia, a spectacular light-and-sound show, starts at 8pm in Spanish, with special accommodations and shows available for groups in English afterward.

The Centro Internacional de Convivencia Infantil (CICI), Costera Alemán at Colón (tel. 744/484-8033), is a sea-life and water park east of the convention center. It offers guests swimming pools with waves, water slides, and water toboggans, and has a cafeteria and restrooms. The park, which recently underwent a $3-million renovation, is open daily from 10am to 6pm. There's also a dolphin swim program, which includes 30 minutes of introduction and 30 minutes of swim time.

Death-Defying Divers
High divers perform at La Quebrada each day at 12:30, 7:15, 8:15, 9:15, and 10:15pm. From a spotlit ledge on the cliffs, divers (holding torches for the final performance) plunge into the roaring surf of an inlet that's just 7m (20 ft.) wide, 4m (12 ft.) deep, and 40m (130 ft.) below -- after wisely praying at a small shrine nearby. To the applause of the crowd, divers climb up the rocks and accept congratulations and gifts of money from onlookers. This is the quintessential Acapulco experience. No visit is complete without watching the cliff divers -- and that goes for jaded travelers as well. To get there from downtown, take the street called La Quebrada from behind the cathedral for 4 blocks.

The public areas have great views, but arrive early, because performances quickly fill up. Another option is to watch from the lobby bar and restaurant terraces of the Hotel Plaza Las Glorias/El Mirador.

Acapulco Activities

Golf
Both the Acapulco Princess (tel. 744/469-1000) and Pierre Marques (tel. 744/466-1000) hotels have top-notch courses. The Princess's course is a rather narrow, level, Ted Robinson design. The Marques course, redesigned by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1972 for the World Cup Golf Tournament, is longer and more challenging. Tee times begin at 7:35am, and reservations should be made a day in advance. Club rental is available. The Mayan Palace Golf Club, Geranios 22 (tel. 744/469-6043 or 744/469-0221), designed by Latin American golf great Pedro Guericia, lies farther east.

The newest addition to Acapulco's golf scene is the spectacular Robert von Hagge-designed course at the exclusive Tres Vidas Golf Club, Carretera a Barra Vieja Km 7 (tel. 744/444-5138 or 744/444-5135). The par-72, 18-hole course, right on the edge of the ocean, is landscaped with nine lakes, dotted with palms, and home to a flock of ducks and other birds.

Tennis
The Club de Tenis Hyatt, Costera Alemán 1 (tel. 744/484-1225), is open daily from 7am to 11pm. Many of the hotels along the Costera have tennis facilities for guests; the best are at the Acapulco Princess, Pierre Marqués, Mayan Palace, and Las Brisas hotels. Tennis is also available at both the Club de Golf Acapulco and Tres Vidas golf clubs.

Bullfights
Traditionally called Fiesta Brava, bullfights are held during Acapulco's winter season at a ring up the hill from Caletilla Beach. Be forewarned that this is a true bullfight -- meaning things generally do not fare well for the bull. The festivities begin at 5:30pm each Sunday from December to March.