Go Loco in Acapulco
Written: Jun 09 '00 (Updated Jul 10 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lots to do!
Cons: none, really
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| lincolnlogger's Full Review: Acapulco |
My wife and I recently had the pleasure of staying in Acapulco for a few days (June, 2000). It is a neat place, with lots of exciting things to do- and very accommodating to tourists (it is a major business, after all).
We had the great fortune of staying at the Princess Hotel, just east of the city. Please read my review entitled "The Princess will treat you like a King!" for more details about that. Here, I will focus on the touristy activities and places to go, as well as some survival tips in Acapulco.
Geographical note: there is essentially one main, costal road in Acapulco that has most all of the attractions on it. Anything described he is along this road unless otherwise noted.
The Weather: Hot and humid! It was continually in the 90's, and didn't cool off much after dark. Thank heavens for AC in the hotel room. However, it was not unbearable, especially if you were at the pool or the beach. There seems to be a constant breeze coming off the ocean, which really helps. The "rainy season" supposedly is June and July, though it only rained once while we were there. Bring lots of sunscreen, and perhaps aloe lotion with vitamin E for those sunburns.
Places to Eat: We ate at a few places, though most of our meals we did take at the hotel for convenience. We ate at a seafood restaurant called Pipo's, 1/2 block west of the Hard Rock Cafe. It was decent, and definitely fresh. Another local spot we went too was El Fogon, an "authentic" Mexican restaurant. The doormat to this place says "Bad English. Good Food.", and was correct on both counts. Being the picky eater I am, I always like to know exactly what I am getting. My Spanish from college and HS came in very handy for this. The food was interesting, in a good way. I do not recommend the milkshakes, however. For those of you having difficulty adjusting to foreign cuisine, there's a Hard Rock, Planet Hollywood, Pizza Hut and McDonald's around to comfort you. At most restaurants, you can assume that the water and ice has been purified, but it never hurts to ask. We brought along a 12 pack of bottled water just in case, and we were glad we did. We drank a lot of water to compensate for the heat.
Transportation: Transportation to Acapulco seemed fine to us, but we did hear some horror stories from others attending the conference. We flew Mexicana Airlines from Chicago to Mexico City, then switched planes to one to Acapulco. The flight from Mexico City to Acapulco was short (40 min.), and the view coming in to land in Acapulco is beautiful. However, apparently, they tend to overbook the flights from MC to Acapulco. Some conference goers got stuck in Mexico City, and had to rent a cab to take them to Acapulco (ended up arriving 12 hours later than initially planned). I guess we were the lucky ones.
After landing in Acapulco, just after passing through customs, we were MOBBED by taxi drivers. We had been forewarned, but it still took us by surprise. People were shouting prices at us (in US dollars), trying to take our luggage to their taxi. It was a frenzy. We were going to the Princess, and had been told the "official" shuttle was $14 a person, and we could take a cab for much cheaper. Four of us rented a taxi for $15, which we later found out was still a very high price. Oh well. You learn.
While in Acapulco, I do not recommend renting a car to drive around. The traffic is CRAZY at best, and insane when there's more people on the streets. Most of the cars on the road are VW beetles, by far. If you drive, expect to get hit at some point. We saw three accidents just in the short time we were there. However, this doesn't mean you shouldn't go out. Just take a taxi, but don't expect much. As I said, most of them are VW beetles (the OLD ones), and the rest are not much bigger, and none looked very well maintained. Always wear your seatbelt. And ALWAYS negotiate the price for the ride before getting in the car.
Sites/places to see/visit: Now, the good stuff. On the beach in the city, there's a lot to do. Sun-tanning, para-sailing, water-tubing, sailing, rent a wave runner, it's all there. Lots of people selling stuff, whether it be jewelry, sunglasses or drinks. On the main strip, there are some cool shops, where they are less "in-your-face" about selling you stuff. We actually went into the Super Wal-Mart, at first to cool down, but then we looked around. Found the cheapest t-shirts and food there! It was fun to notice all the differences. But, if you want to haggle over prices, go to the Diana Market. It's a huge market with lots of semi-permanent shops. And haggle, haggle, haggle! They always start WAY overpriced in the hope that you'll just agree and spend lots of money. More about bartering momentarily. Another attraction that we got rained out of on our last night was the cliff divers. I'd heard about them before, and everyone says it's incredible. These professional divers jump off the cliff, and dive over 100 feet into the water below. (Do not try this at home, or anywhere!)
Then, of course, there's the nightlife. There are many, many dance clubs (discoteques) along the main strip. All stay open until about 4 AM. Being the married guy that I am (and the fact that my wife is pregnant), I did not go to these, but a friend who came with us went to two of them. The best one he went to (in his opinion) was called Salon Q. He was initially turned away because he was wearing shorts. You need to be somewhat dressed up to get in. After donning some kakkis, he was admitted for 130 pesos (about 14 dollars). This is cheap, considering that it includes an open bar for the whole evening. Salon Q is mostly salsa dancing, had a live band and a brief show given by professional salsa dancers. He had so much fun, he didn't get back until 6:30.
Language issues: Being a city focused on American tourism, there is not a large language barrier. Most everyone speaks at least some broken English. I did make the most of my opportunities to refresh my Spanish though, to the delight (and amusement) of some of the locals. The biggest differences are cultural, as with the bartering. Here are some guidelines for your fun haggling experience:
1) always make them lower the price two times before even quoting a price to them. If it takes walking away and coming back, do that. The tend to lower the price when they think they are losing you.
2) always have in mind the maximum you want to spend for an item, and hold to it dearly. Do not use it as your starting point for negotiations. Always start ridiculously low. They always start ridiculously high, so it's fair.
3) always pay 1/2 or less of their first offer.
These are intended to help you from contributing too much to the local economy. : ) These rules do not apply to taxis. You can haggle there too, unless you are leaving from a hotel. The drivers are guaranteed certain rates by the hotel to take people to certain destinations. The hotels in turn usually have the best taxis (no VW beetles).
If you have any questions, please post a comment, and I will try my best to answer it. Thanks for reading!
Recommended:
Yes
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lincolnlogger
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Member: Greg Lincoln
Location: Iowa City, IA
Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 57 members
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