Acapulco

Mexico's flashiest resort of the '60s and '70s is on the way back up after years in which overdevelopment and the more contemporary appeal of places like Cancún and Puerto Vallarta left Acapulco trailing. Sensible prices, a warm welcome and a cleaned-up bay are now pulling back missing visitors, including thousands of spring-break students from the U.S. Acapulco's setting on the spectacular Acapulco Bay is one of its big draws; the daredevil cliff divers of La Quebrada, swallow-plunging 35 meters into a narrow rock-girt cove, are another. The bay is surrounded by fine sandy beaches where you can enjoy all manner of activities from ...

Mexico's flashiest resort of the '60s and '70s is on the way back up after years in which overdevelopment and the more contemporary appeal of places like Cancún and Puerto Vallarta left Acapulco trailing. Sensible prices, a warm welcome and a cleaned-up bay are now pulling back missing visitors, including thousands of spring-break students from the U.S. Acapulco's setting on the spectacular Acapulco Bay is one of its big draws; the daredevil cliff divers of La Quebrada, swallow-plunging 35 meters into a narrow rock-girt cove, are another. The bay is surrounded by fine sandy beaches where you can enjoy all manner of activities from snorkeling to parasailing. Many of the glitzy disco-style nightclubs and salsa halls for which Acapulco is also known are strung along the waterfront road La Costera. Away from the water, this is a big city of almost a million people and endless traffic. But Acapulco also possesses more history and culture than most of its Mexican seaside brethren: the impressive 17th-century San Diego fort defended the most important Pacific port of colonial Mexico.

About the Expert

John Noble is a coauthor of Lonely Planet's Spain, Andalucia, and Mexico as well as many other LP titles from Indonesia to Belize to Brazil.