So 70's it is almost in fashion again (Acapulco)

Member Name: Rosani

Product:	Acapulco
Date:	15/10/01 (247 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of character, nice beach

Disadvantages: tacky, old-fashioned, can be ugly

I first went to Acapulco when I was 3 years old and the place hasn't changed since. In fact, if you see my baby photos of Acapulco you can still recognize some of the beach trinket sellers!

Acapulco was THE resort in the 60's and 70's - according to my parents it was incredibly glamorous, full of movie stars and rich people who had their homes up in the hills overlooking the bay or stayed in Las Brisas with their own pink Jeep. It was like a Pacific Riviera and there are still traces of that in the old movies that still show on TV that were set in Acapulco. Well, that's the only thing that's changed as Acapulco is a shadow of its former self.

During the early 80's, Acapulco quickly got replaced by Cancun as the place for the rich and famous to sunbathe. Acapulco slowly declined and became more of a place for the yuppies of Mexico City to come and play - and apparently it was a drugs paradise. So slowly it has been getting seedier and seedier and its clientele has been getting worse and worse.

There have been recent efforts from the gov't to try and revitalize Acapulco and make it into what it used to be, because it would bring in those much needed dollars, and they have started the job but have a way to go. It isn't as seedy as it used to be but is nowhere near being as glamorous as it was.

There are lots of tours around but it is sometimes easier to just drive or get a taxi there. The divers at La Quebrada are worth seeing, as well as the glass bottom boats driven by lancheros. There is also lots of begging going on, in the streets or the beach, but a simple "no traigo nada" (I haven't got anything) will fend them off. They can be quite aggresive but they are harmless so just ignore them if you can.

The food is as authentically mexican as you are ever going to get - nothing like the stuff that passes for it in the UK! So if you expect chile con carne or fajitas, then head to
Texas because that's where those foods come from and instead enjoy your tacos, enchiladas and frijoles.

Basically I wouldn't really recommend Acapulco as I don't really like it and I think it is painting an inaccurate picture of what Mexico is really like. It is more authentic than, say, Cancun and much less sanitized but it is just a 70's paradise that needs much more than a coat of paint to look respectable again.

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