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| SPOTLIGHT | | Sandy
beach, is great for diving, swimming, sailing, snorkeling, and windsurfing. |
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Acapulco
Travel Information |
Beaches
Photographs |
 Acapulco
is a city that gives you many choices when it comes to beaches.
During the day most of the focus in Acapulco is on the beach.
The theme in Acapulco seems to be Party All Night and Play on
the Beach All Day. The whole bay is lined with beaches, we will
cover a few of them; you can check them all, time permitting,
when you visit. Many of the beachfront restaurants will put
umbrellas, chairs and tables in the sand so you can enjoy your
food or drink right at waters edge.
What to see
The Zócalo, Mexico City
The heart of the modern city, of ancient Tenochtitlán
and of Cortés' city, surrounded by the oldest streets,
the Cathedral, Aztec ruins and the Palacio Nacional.
Tulum
An important Maya spiritual and cultural centre and one of the
most picturesque of all the sites, looking out across the Caribbean
from its clifftop setting.
Xochimilco
Get punted around the canals here, taking in the carnival atmosphere
and dazzling colours while serenaded by mariachi bands, then
wander the streets of Xochimilco town and visit the flower and
fruit market.
Whale watching
Ecotourism has taken off big time in Baja California, and with
good reason. From December to April, you can see some of the
thousands of Alaskan gray whales that have come to mate in the
lagoons of Guerrero Negro, San Ignacio and Bahia Magdelena.
Palenque
This Maya site is remarkable not only for its distinct architectural
style but also for its setting - surrounded by hills covered
in jungle, right at the edge of the great Yucatán plain.
Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
One of the largest protected areas in Mexico, this stunning
coastline comprises tropical forest, fresh- and salt-water marshes,
mangroves and a section of the longest barrier reef in the western
hemisphere.
Museo Nacional de Antropología,
Mexico City
The museum to see in Mexico - an enormous collection of artefacts
from all the major pre-Columbian cultures.
The
Bonampak Murals
Hidden deep in the forest until 1946, the ancient temples at
Bonampak are home to the renowned murals depicting vivid scenes
of Maya life - and sacrifice.
Chichén
Itzá
The most famous of the Maya sites, although its history remains
uncertain. The impact of the ruins and carvings is undeniable,
however, and it's well worth staying nearby so you can see them
over a couple of days.
Silver jewellery from
Taxco
No matter that this attractive town is an interesting place
in itself, Taxco is the place to come to in Mexico for exquisitely
produced silverware.
There are many more beaches in Acapulco, to the north
the Pacific beaches of Pie de la Cuesta (see side trips) and
the protected beaches of the Coyuca Lagoon, offer more diversion.
Rest assured that you will find a beach in or near Acapulco
that will suit your desire to get out in the sun and enjoy "la
playa".
Water Sports Water sports are
a way of life in Acapulco. The bay is alive with waverunners,
parasailing, peddle boats, banana rides and even a beachfront
water park. Sailboards and small sail boats are readily available
as well as numerous glass bottom boats that pull right up on
the beach to pick up their passengers. You usually do not have
to go very far to partake in your favorite water sport, almost
everything is offered directly from the beaches. Most of the
scuba and snorkeling operations are located along the docks
near the zócalo. The beaches of Acapulco are always busy and
weekends can even get hectic, just remember to be careful and
look in all directions before going for a swim or leaving the
beach on a wave runner.
Sportfishing Sportfishing
in Acapulco is as good as it is in most other Mexican resorts.
Acapulco is just not promoted as a sportfishing resort anymore.
In the not so distant past sportfishing was heavily promoted
here and the good news is that - the fish are still here. So,
if a day on the water and the sound of a reel going off is your
thing, go for it. You will most likely not be disappointed.
Look for the sportfishing fleet on the docks near the zócalo
and near the marina. |
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Top Beaches |
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 Puerto
Marques and Revolcadero |
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Las Brisas, overlooking the eastern end of the bay, is
probably the most exclusive of all, its individual villas
offering private swimming pools and pink jeeps to every
occupant. Puerto Marques (buses marked "Puerto Marques")
is the first of the playas, a sheltered, deeply indented
cove with restaurants and beach chairs right down to the
water's edge. |
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| Playas
Caleta and Caletilla |
Very small - the two are divided only by a rocky outcrop
and breakwater - they tend to be crowded with Mexicans
(the foreign tourists who once flocked here have since
decamped east), but the water is almost always calm and,
by Acapulco's standards, the beach is clean.
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| Pie de la Cuesta |
Even if it weren't for the massive backbreaking waves
that dump on the beach, there are said to be sharks offshore
- but as good a place as you can imagine to come and watch
the sun sink into the Pacific or to ride horseback along
the shore.
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| Akumal |
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Akumal means “place of the turtles” and it is
still one of their favorite places for laying their eggs.
However what makes Akumal such a charming and fascinating
destination for tourists from around the world is its
spectacular protected bay area of transparent waters and
the sweet water currents that flow through its caves and
subterranean rivers. |
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| Cancun |
Though you're free to go anywhere, and signposted public
walkways lead down to the sea at regular intervals, some
of the hotels do their best to make you feel like a trespasser,
and staff will certainly move you off the beach furniture
if you're not a guest.
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| Conzumel |
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Nachi Cocom, south of Chankanaab, even has a swimming
pool, a good restaurant, and watersports equipment rental.
A little farther south you'll come to Playa San Francisco
and, south of it, Playa Palancar. Other beach clubs include
Paradise Cafe, on the southern tip of the island across
from Punta Sur nature park, and Playa Bonita, Chen R?o,
and Punta Morena, on the eastern side. |
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| Isla Mujeres |
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First there's the beach, then there's the sea. And when
you've tired of those, you can rent a bike, moped or even
golf cart to carry you around the island to more sea,
more beaches, a coral reef and the tiny Maya temple that
the conquistadors chanced upon, full of female figures,
which gave the place its name. |
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| Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo |
Zihuatanejo has the old-fashioned charm of traditional
Mexican culture. Fishing continues to be a way of life
for a large number of families, and the increasing popularity
of the area as a sportfishing destination has given new
impetus to their livelihood. .
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| Acapulco |
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Acapulco even though there are hundreds of thousands of
people here throughout the year - the town itself has
a population approaching one and a half million and even
out of season (busiest months are Dec-Feb) most of the
big hotels remain nearly full - it rarely seems oppressively
crowded. |
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| Playa
Condesa or Playa Icacos |
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Centro Acapulco, where the beach is far less crowded and
considerably cleaner. Here, too, it's easy enough to slip
in to use the hotel showers, swimming pools and bars -
there's no way they're going to spot an imposter in these
thousand-bed monsters. |
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