Bordered by the rugged Sierra Madre to the east and beautiful Acapulco Bay to the west. Acapulco is the largest city in the state of Guerrero is also Mexico's largest beach and balneario resorted city. The port became a favorite jet set destination for people like Elvis Presley, who even filmed the movie Fun in Acapulco. Shopping is excellent, either in the resorts several American-style malls, or at its bustling downtown mercados (markets). Acapulco has more than 200 hotel choices and some 18,000 lodging units. Acapulco has played an important role in the country’s development since being founded by the Spaniards in the 1520s. The shipping route between Acapulco and the Spanish colony of the Philippines, on the other side of the Pacific, was once among the most prized and preyed upon in the world. From Acapulco, goods were transported overland to Veracruz and then shipped onwards to Spain. In the 1950s Acapulco became the poster child for exotic glitz and glamour, the playground for celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Liz Taylor. Elvis Presley immortalized the resort in the movie Fun in Acapulco, and JFK and Jackie spent their honeymoon here. Though American Spring-Breakers still occasionally pile down here in March, it’s largely thanks to the toll highway from Mexico City and a burgeoning Mexican middle class that Acapulco has experienced something of a resurgence in recent years unlike Cancún, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, 55 percent of Acapulco’s visitors are Mexican tourists.

Most people even if they’ve not the remotest idea where it is have heard of Acapulco, yet few know what to expect upon arrival. Bordered by the rugged Sierra Madre to the east and beautiful Acapulco Bay to the west, the city is considered by many to be the grande dame of the Mexican tourist industry. Acapulco is no tropical paradise it’s a major city like Rio de Janeiro but the truth is, as long as you don’t yearn to get away from it all, you’ll find almost anything you want here, from magnificent beaches by day to restaurants, clubs and discos by night. Acapulco is safer the situation is improving and it’s extremely rare for tourists to be affected. What Acapulco undoubtedly has going for it, is its stunning bay: a sweeping scythe-stroke of yellow sand backed by the white towers of the high-rise hotels and, behind them, the jungle green foothills of the sierra. Even though the town itself has a population of over one and half million and hundreds of thousands of visitors come through each year, it rarely seems overcrowded. There’s certainly always space to lie along the beach, partly because of its sheer size, and partly because of the number of rival attractions everything from hotel pools to parasailing to romantic cruises. The Costera is the main drag and runs the entire lenghth of the bay. All blue buses pretty much run the whole length and cost 4.50 pesos You will find all hotels, bars, shops on the Costera. The name "Acapulco" comes from Nahuatl language Aca-pōl-co, and means "where were destroyed or washed away the reeds". Sports enthusiasts also have plenty to do. Water sports of every variety lure visitors to the seashore, while golfers are beginning to recognize Acapulco as a world class destination.

Acapulco divides fairly simply into two halves: the old town, which sits at the western end of the bay, with the promontory of La Quebrada rising above it and curving round to protect the sheltered anchorage; and the resort area, a string of hotels and tourist services following the curve of the bay east. From Playa Caleta on the southern fringe of the peninsula, a single seafront drive, the Costera Miguel Alemán usually just “Costera” stretches from the old town around the bay for 10km, linking almost everything of interest. Beyond here on the hills on the eastern side of the bay lie the posh neighborhoods of Las Brisas and Acapulco Diamante, a newly developed area of malls and luxury resorts that encompasses Puerto Marqués, Playa Revolcadero and the beaches all the way south to Barra Vieja. The best cleanest beach in Acapulco is on the island of La Roqueta a short boat ride from Caleta. The beach out by the Acapulco Princess is also quite nice. Playa Diana. Its marked by a large fountain in the middle of the bay. North end is the marina where cruise ships come in. Fort of San Diego is there and a nice little park. Fort has a beautiful flower garden at the entrance and is nice hour ( free ) tour to just learn about the history of Acapulco.

Acapulco has about the best weather imaginable especially from November to May which is generally considered the dry season although even during the other months. Taxis are good at this. 50 pesos will take you the whole length of the costera for reference. By day, if people aren’t at the beach, drinking cocktails with umbrellas or asleep, they’re mostly scouring the shops. If you only do one thing in Acapulco, though, make sure you see its most celebrated spectacle, the leap of the daredevil high divers. In the old town the zócalo are the cheap places to eat and drink, the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad is a modern construction from 1950, with a slightly bizarre blue dome that resembles a Russian Orthodox church. About one place in Acapulco that gives even the sense of the historic role the city played in Mexico’s past is the Museo Histórico de Acapulco (Tues–Sun 9am–6pm) a short walk away inside the Fuerte de San Diego. This impressive, if heavily restored, star-shaped fort was established in 1616 to protect the Manila galleons from foreign corsairs. The building’s limited success in defending the city against pirate attacks is charted inside the museum, where displays also extend to the spread of Christianity by proselytizing religious orders, Mexico’s struggle for independence and a anthropological collection. Air-conditioned rooms make this a good place to ride out the midday heat, and you can pop up on the roof for superb views over Acapulco.

Acapulco was the first Mexican port to receive spanish galleons loaded with goods from the far east such as Porcelain,spices,pearls,and the very first banana,mango and coconut trees(or seedlings) now planted up and down the Mexican coast(in 1573). The other cultural diversion in the centre is La Casa de los Vientos (“Exekatlkalli”), on Cerro de la Pinzona, near La Quebrada, where Diego Rivera spent the last two years of his life with his former model and partner, Dolores Olmedo Patiño, who bought the vacation home in 1951. Rivera spent eighteen months working on five grand murals here between 1955 and 1957, several preserved in his studio on the grounds; sadly the house has remained in private hands since Olmedo’s death in 2002 and off-limits. At the time of writing, the government was trying to buy the property the tourist office should know the latest. In the meantime, fans traipse up here to see the twenty-metre mural that covers the entire outside wall of the house, made of seashells and coloured tiles, depicting Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain, fertility, and lightning and various other figures from Aztec mythology. Acapulco also has two mildly entertaining cultural centres, both of which host temporary art exhibitions and various cultural events with a regional bias. The more absorbing is housed in a lovely old property near the zócalo at Juárez and Felipe Valle, the Central Cultura Casona de Benito Juárez (daily 8am–6pm). At the other end of the bay, the Centro Cultural Acapulco (daily 8am–9pm) at Costera 4834 (next to the CiCi Waterpark) is a small complex of galleries and a crafts store set around a garden just off the main road.

Acapulco has without question some of the best clubs in the world and certainly by far the best in Mexico if that is your thing the nightlife will not let you down. Start with Palladium, Mandara, Baby O the long time favorite and dozens more. Acapulco is the first choice for party lovers. Honeymooners fall in love with the resorts tropical beauty and festive Mexican atmosphere. You could spend several weeks in Acapulco simply trawling its scores of nightclubs and bars, discos and dinner-dances there are people who claim never to have seen the town during daylight hours. Anywhere with music or dancing in high season before them even consider letting you in, though this usually includes a free bar. Most clubs open at 11pm and close at 6am, the majority strung out along Costera, beyond CiCi Waterpark. You could also try some of the old town bars and cantinas, but these aren’t recommended for women on their own. More refined entertainment can be found at Centro Acapulco, which features a year-round programme of events, including classical concerts by the Orquesta Filarmónica de Acapulco.

The beaches offer a variety of fun as there are over a dozen different named and located beaches across the city starting to the east and outside of the main city center you have Barra Vieja a laid back area noted for many beach front restaurants with seafood specialties. The area also appeals to families, due to the variety of its several parks, calm beaches, and the CiCi water sports park for children. Acapulco’s famed clavadistas (cliff divers) having been plunging some 35m from the heights of La Quebrada into a rocky channel since the early 1920s (organized officially since 1934), timing their leap to coincide with an incoming wave. Mistimed, there’s not enough water to stop them hitting the bottom, though the chief danger these experts seem to face is getting back out of the water without being dashed against the rocks. It could easily be corny, but it’s undeniably impressive, especially when floodlit at night. The dive times are 12.45pm, 7.30pm, 8.30pm, 9.30pm and 10.30pm are rigidly adhered to. A typical display involves four exponents, three taking the lower (25m) platform with two diving simultaneously, the fourth diving from the upper level after first asking for the Virgin’s intervention at the clifftop shrine. The final diver carries a pair of flaming torches. From the road you can see the spectacle for nothing, but you’ll get a much better view if you go down the steps from the Plazuela de Quebrada to a viewing platform more or less opposite the divers. Get here early for a good position. Alternatively, you can sit in the lobby bar at El Mirador Acapulco hotel or watch from their La Perla restaurant. To get there, simply climb the Calzada La Quebrada from the town centre, about fifteen minutes’ walk from the zócalo.