Acapulco
Fascinating city with a glamorous past
Categories: Acapulco Mexico
Frank Sinatra, Liz Taylor, Brigitte Bardot - the Who's Who of the American jet set came to Acapulco in the 1960s and 1970s and turned the city on Mexico's Pacific coast into a hotspot for Hollywood's high society. With the visit of the Prince of Wales and later King Edward VIII of England in the 1920s, the rapid rise of the tourism stronghold began. 
© siempreverde22 / Fotolia
Hotels such as the historic "El Mirador" or the "Los Flamingos" initially accommodated mainly the rich and beautiful, but the constant expansion of the infrastructure, such as Highway 95 to the capital Mexico City, and the range of accommodation for all price ranges made the place affordable even for the Mexican middle class.
The mile-long sandy beach and the high mountains of the Sierra Madre del Sul, which surround the deep, semicircular bay in the north and east, as well as a year-round average temperature of just under 30 degrees, offer ideal conditions for tourism.
The city's port is one of the most important in the Pacific, and many cruise ships have Acapulco firmly in their itineraries. Despite its international fame, most tourism comes from the home country, especially from the capital, which can be reached by car in just under 5 hours.
The "Bahia" consists of about 20 km of sandy beach. The "Zona Dorada" with the sections Playa El Morro, Playa Condesa and Icacos forms the heart of the city, the party mile. If you like it a little quieter, you should have a look at the two beaches Caleta and Caletilla.
Especially the locals swim there.
World famous are the cliff divers of La Quebrada. For more than 70 years the men, who plunge from a height of almost 30 meters into the bay, which is only 5 meters wide at its narrowest point, have been providing a tourist spectacle. In the travel brochures they are called gladly as "death jumpers". Several times a day at fixed times, tourists can witness the thrill from the opposite side - for an entrance fee, of course.
If you like it a little less exciting, but historical, visit "El Fuerte de San Diego". The Spanish had the fortress built in the early 17th century to protect their sea routes in the Pacific against piracy. In 1776 it was destroyed and rebuilt by an earthquake, and played an important role in the Mexican War of Independence. Today the city's historical museum is located there.
The coastal road "Costera Miguel Alemán" is the artery of the city. 
© Gerardo Borbolla / Fotolia
On about 10km along the shore you will find most of the hotels, stores, souvenir stores and nightclubs. Countless bars and restaurants offer everything for the physical well-being: from local finger food to international gourmet cuisine.
The main attraction is certainly the nightlife. A variety of discos and nightclubs turn night into day. Its reputation as a party town attracts many day tourists. Cultivated dinner, dancing until dawn, and relaxing on the beach the rest of the day - all this is offered in Acapulco.
