🏝️Our Acapulco getaway: Beaches, cliff divers, and fresh seafood

We discovered why Mexicans vacation here instead of Puerto Vallarta or Cancún, and how this refreshingly quiet post-hurricane beach getaway is making a comeback.

We love spending time in Mexico City, but some friends invited us to stay with them in Acapulco, so we decided to check it out.

You can drive to Acapulco from Mexico City in less than 5 hours, or fly there in about an hour, which is what we did. You can get a cheap, round-trip fare for as low as $125 USD.

Acapulco is divided into three zones:

• Acapulco Diamante: The diamond area is in the southeast, closest to the airport, and it’s where you’ll find lots of modern, ocean-side resorts and hotels. We stayed here.

• Acapulco Dorado: The golden district is located on the bay and has a lot of hotels, restauarants, and bars. It’s where you’ll find the places that attracted Hollywood stars in the 1960s and 70s.

• Acapulco Tradicional: The traditional area is the oldest, and it’s where you’ll find historical and cultural sites, such as the cathedral and the cliff divers.

💎A not-so-hidden gem

Acapulco doesn’t attract tourists like it used to, and for a couple of reasons:

• Reports of kidnappings, murders, and cartel violence mean visitors are choosing other destinations. I can’t discount those reports, but I can say that all the places we visited felt safe and welcoming, and no one warned us to stay away from any areas.

• Acapulco is still recovering and rebuilding from the destruction of hurricane Otis in 2023. Our resort still had several floors closed, and only one elevator was working. But that can be a plus: We liked how easy it was to get chairs next to the pool and canopies for shade by the beach.

Our Mexican friends tell us a lot of people from Mexico City vacation in Acapulco (and Oaxaca’s beaches) because they are cheaper than other popular resort spots like Cancun and Puerto Vallarta.

For all our tips, recommendations, and itineraries, grab a copy of Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City. It’s optimized for your phone, with links to everything you need for your trip.

We found that most tourists were Spanish-speaking, though we definitely heard some English speakers as well. Most of the taxi drivers spoke English, but outside of that, we found a mix of Spanish and English. There was less English than in other tourist areas we’ve been to, like Puerto Vallarta or San Miguel de Allende.

🚕Getting around

Acapulco doesn’t have Uber. It was easy to get a taxi in front of the airport. A ride to the resort zone is $320 pesos ($16 USD) flat rate (before tip), paid in cash up front.

Taxis are the main way to get where you want to go, unless it’s a really short walk. It’s hot—high 80s and humid when we were there—so after even a short walk, you’d be a sweaty mess.

A taxi driver told us that there are only about 12 taxi drivers working for our resort right now, down from 48 before Hurricane Otis. Still, we never waited long for a taxi. Some drivers will give you their card so you can call them directly for a pickup or agree to pick you up at a certain time.

🏖️Acapulco is all about the beach

I didn’t think I was a beach-resort person, but Acapulco kind of changed my mind. As it turns out, it’s quite nice to spend the day under a canopy on the beach, reading, napping, listening to the waves, and dipping into the water every now and then.

Acapulco beach

🐟What to eat in Acapulco: Go for the seafood!

For me, food is one of the top reasons to travel. Outside of breakfast, every meal I ate in Acapulco was seafood, and it was all fabulous.

Zibu Acapulco

The first night we splurged on a sunset meal at Zibu Acapulco. This restaurant is perched high up on a hillside overlooking the water, and the seating is designed in elevated levels, designed to maximize the view.

Sunset views from Zibu

The food was almost as impressive as the views.

Coconut soup, salmon tiradito, white fish topped with escargots, octopus in ginger butter

A few points:

• They didn’t have a cocktail menu, but they have a full bar and can make most classic cocktails. We didn’t see any standouts on the wine list, so we stuck with cocktails.

• There are some (expensive!) beef options if you aren’t a fan of seafood. There’s one salad option for vegetarians.

• Nothing on the dessert menu tempted us, so we skipped the sweets after the meal.

Overall, if you want an upscale meal with a stunning view, give Zibu a shot.

Paititi del Mar

One thing we liked about Acapulco, compared to, say, Puerto Vallarta, is that it was easy to get from our resort to other places. We took a 10-minute taxi ride to Paititi del Mar for dinner.

This casual place has a warm vibe, fun decor, and, of course, great seafood.

Paititi del Mar entrance, cocktails, guacamole, tacos

• Tip: Paititi del Mar was cash-only the night we went, though our friends had gone a few days earlier and used a credit card.

La Finca Acapulco

La Finca is another off-resort, casual place that’s easy to get to by taxi. We went there for—you guessed it—more seafood.

Outside of La Finca, salsa prepared at the table, coconut shrimp, inside decor

📷Things to do in Acapulco

To get a feel for the city’s history and culture, we booked a tour one day. We arranged it through our resort, and it cost $80 USD per person for a private tour. Our English-speaking driver picked us up at 9:30 am with a cooler full of water, beer, and tequila, and off we went.

Chapel of Peace

After a quick stop for some photos at a picturesque spot by the shore, we drove up to the Capilla de la Paz, a clifftop chapel with magnificent views of Acapulco Bay.

Views from the Capilla de la Paz, Acapulco

After that, there was a short stop for coffee at a collection of shops selling jewelry, bags, sandals, and other things tourists might be interested in. This place felt a little sad because the shopkeepers were trying to make a living, but we’re not really souvenir shoppers.

Fuerte de San Diego

Next, we visited the Fuerte de San Diego and the museum that’s at the same site. Between the pentagon-shaped fort and the 15 exhibit halls, there’s a lot to see here. If you’re interested in Mexican and military history, you could spend a day here.

Shots from Fuerte de San Diego and the museum

Diego Rivera mural

Diego Rivera created this mosaic-style mural when he lived in Acapulco in the 1950s.

Acapulco cliff divers

I remember seeing the La Quebrada cliff divers on TV as a kid, and I always thought they were fascinating. When we planned our trip to Acapulco, this was one thing I didn’t want to miss.

They dive once in the afternoon, at 1 pm, and four times in the evening, at 7, 8, 9, and 10 pm. You can watch them from a viewing platform or get a table at La Perla for drinks and a meal.

A few divers take off from lower spots on the cliff, alone or as a pair, and then the final diver leaps from the highest point. It’s quite impressive.

Be prepared with some money for tipping the divers. They’ll probably be outside of La Perla when you leave.

Lunch at a beachside restaurant

We ended our tour with lunch at La Cabaña , a restaurant along the beach on the way home. It’s a casual place with decent food, though by the time we got there in the middle of the afternoon, we were wiped out from a day in the heat.

Coconut milk, calamari, seafood crepes, and the view of the beach

Final stop: One last photo

We finished our tour with one last view of the city from the hillside.