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| SPOTLIGHT | | Sandy
beach, is great for diving, swimming, sailing, snorkeling, and windsurfing. |
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| Acapulco Travel Information Go
back in time to the primitive out of the way beach at "Barra Vieja". Barra
Vieja is a great place to spend a day away from the hustle and bustle of a
busy Acapulco. Barra Vieja is also just past the airport and Playa Diamante area.
To get there, travel south of Acapulco International Airport and you will find
a breach resort area know as Barra Viejo. This area has a line of fresh seafood
restrauants with a traditional Mexican Resort area. Thatched huts with rows of
tables beneath them.
Beaches
Photographs 
Here you will also find horseback riding vendors where you can rent horses
by as little as half hour. The small restaurants compete against each other for
the best seafood and each one has its secret seafood recipe. Across from the beach
you will find Tres Palos Lagoon a primitive freshwater lagoon. Nine miles long
and 3.6 miles wide. This area is home to wide variety of tropical birds. Here
you will be able to travel in tour style boats thoughout the Lagoon.
To get there you can take a bus, or should I say two or three buses from Acapulco.
Get on the first bus marked Puerto Marquez and travel as far as the road leading
to Puerto Marques of the main highway. Then from there take a small bus or mini
van to Playa Gloria or Barra Vieja. Hey why not be adventurous and have some fun.
Or you can do the something we did the first year we took our side-trip
to Barra Vieja and rented a taxi and driver for the day. Just be sure to arrive
on a firm price with the driver before you go. Of course taking the taxi allows
you to stop and take pictures along the way. And if you get the right driver that
knows the area he can take you to some of the local Mexican restaurants and pubs.
However you might not want to do this until you been to Acapulco a few times and
got to know some of the local people and taxi drivers first, someone you got to
know and trust.
Touring outside Acapulco – From Acapulco, head
in the direction of Chilpancingo, the state capital of Guererro, which is 117
kilometers (72 miles) from the port city. Once in Chilpancingo, you can stop over
to eat and visit the Plaza de Armas. Nearby, you’ll find la Laguna de Tuxpan,
known for its natural beauty and abundant wildlife. You can take a boat out on
the lagoon if you want to take a closer look. Some 70 kilometers (43 miles) ahead,
along route 95, you’ll find a town called Iguala, the home of the Mexican flag.
There you can buy silver and gold jewelry and crafts and visit the San
Francisco church. Finally, we recommend a visit to Taxco, which is about 33 kilometers
(20 miles) from Iguala. In Taxco, an old sliver-mining town, you can walk down
cobblestone streets, take in picturesque views of the red-tiled rooftops, visit
art galleries and wander in and out of the town’s famous silver shops. If you
want to continue along route 95, you’ll reach Cuernavaca, in the state of Morelos,
and Mexico City further ahead, which are 306 and 395 kilometers from Acapulco,
respectively.
Acapulco: From Piracy to Tourism
Imagine
an unspoiled paradise, on the coasts of the Pacific, where only a few animal species
live, the sun, the sea and the vegetation making up a green and ochre landscape.
Thus was Acapulco Bay over 3000 years ago. The first inhabitants of this area
were the Nahuas, a tribe that was a predecessor to the Aztecs, according to archaeological
findings dating back to over 2000 years ago.
In 1521, Francisco Chico,
by order of Hernán Cortés acting on behalf of the Spanish Crown, arrived in this
area, the first foreigner ever to step on Mexican territory, and named it Santa
Lucía. The newly founded city quickly became an important trading centre between
Asia and America, with ships constantly coming and going to and from the East,
and which brought, among many other goods, spices into America. As a result of
the economic boom, the population increased threefold and its wealth attracted
the attention of legendary pirates such as Sir Francis Drake, Morgan and Cavendish.
In order to defend the port from the frequent pirate attacks, a castle
was built: Fuerte de San Diego, which would later fall prey to an earthquake in
the 18th century, and would be destroyed as a result. Acapulco is, after all,
one of the most earthquake-prone areas in the country.
At the beginning
of the 19th century, King Charles IV declared Acapulco Ciudad Oficial and it became
an essential part of the Spanish Crown. In 1810, José María Morelos attacked and
burnt down the city during the War of Independence.
Acapulco recovered
its importance during the Gold Rush. Many of the ships stopped in the port on
their way to Panama, and more than a few of the passengers were so taken by the
natural beauty of its beaches that they decided to settle there.
In
1920, Acapulco started its voyage towards becoming an important tourist destination,
with the visit of the Prince of Wales and future King Edward VIII. Acapulco's
charm had captivated the royalty and they soon recommended the place all around
Europe. The idea to create a hotel and trading infrastructure came from a Texan
businessman named Pullen, responsible for the construction of what is now known
as Old Acapulco. Years later, President Miguel Alemán radically transformed the
port, installing electricity, drainage systems, pavements, and building the first
road from Mexico DF to the port, which brought much more tourism to the area.
The economy grew and foreign investment increased with it. 1950 marked
the beginning of the golden age of Acapulco. It became the "in" place among millionaires
and Hollywood stars. Elizabeth Taylor chose Acapulco for one of her weddings;
Sinatra, Eddie Fisher, John F. Kennedy and Brigitte Bardot were regular faces
on Acapulco´s beaches.
During the 1960s and 70s, new hotel resorts were
built, and accommodation and transport were made cheaper. It was no longer necessary
to be a millionaire to spend a holiday in Acapulco, the foreign and Mexican middle
class could now afford to travel to the beautiful city.
During the 1990s,
the road known as the Ruta del Sol was built, crossing the mountains between Mexico
City and Acapulco. The journey only takes about three and a half hours, making
Acapulco a favorite weekend destination for Mexico City inhabitants.
Acapulco is still expanding and its infrastructures constantly improving with
ever-growing foreign investment. No doubt it is worth visiting this Mexican destination,
where the landscape and sunset are still the same as they were when Nahuas admired
them from the deserted beaches so many years ago.
Acapulco
State:
Guerrero
Country: Mexico
Acapulco by the Numbers:
Population:
721,100
Land Area: 11 square miles
Average Annual Rainfall: 59 inches
Average January Temperature: 81 degrees F
Average July Temperature: 92 degrees
F
Average Sunshine Days: 360
Quick Facts:
Major Industries:
Tourism, Textiles, Petroleum
Electricity: 110-120 volts; standard, flat two-pin
plugs
Time Zone: GMT - 6 or - 5 between April and October
Country Dialing
Code: 011
Area Code: 744
Did You Know?
Jacquie and John Kennedy
and Bill and Hillary Clinton honeymooned in Acapulco.
Orientation:
Acapulco is nestled on the southeastern edge of Mexico's mainland. Its western
edge rims the Bay of Acapulco which opens to the Pacific Ocean. The Sierra Madre
Mountains tower from the east making for a dramatic union of water and land. Mexico
City sprawls 229 miles to the north and Guadalajara 612 miles to the southeast.
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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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