Acapulco is a beautiful tourist city, which lies on the southwest coast of Mexico, about 320 kilometers from the country’s capital Mexico City, in the state of Guerrero. It is located 16° north latitude and 99° west longitude in a beautiful bay on the coast between Pacific and Sierra Madre del Sur.
Population of Acapulco. Acapulco is a big city. It is home to about 700 000 inhabitants. The majority of the population consists of local residents, but there are also many foreigners, attracted by the warm climate, exotic and more affordable property prices.
Acapulco, like every other city is divided into expensive and poor living areas. More affluent part of the local population lives along the coast, where the houses are large and luxurious and there are own swimming pools. The official language here is Spanish, but there is hardly to find a place where people do not speak English.
Economics of Acapulco. Acapulco was founded in 1566 and over the centuries it was a city that relied on agriculture. Local economy suddenly undergone major changes in the mid-twentieth century.
The world began to develop the tourism industry and agriculture remained in the background. Today much of the local population is employed in tourism, which is a major source of income.
The most important capital for the city is its beautiful scenery and year round warm climate. It attracts thousands of tourists every year, although due to fierce competition in tourism, Acapulco has lost some of its visitors.
The most serious rival of Acapulco is Cancun (also Mexican resort, situated on the coast of Caribbean Sea). Leading and most well developed in Acapulco is the sector of services. Important item in local revenues is also oil production.
Climate of Acapulco. Acapulco has very hot subequatorial climate. Temperatures are high throughout the year – ranging between 31 and 33°C. There are two seasons – dry and rainy.
The dry season coincides with winter months in the northern hemisphere and lasts from November to April. This is the best time of year for tourism in this part of Mexico.
The sun is abundant and rain is unlikely. The weather is great for outdoor activities. The smallest is the probability of precipitation in March. The wonderful climate made Acapulco a popular place for wintering millionaires from northern countries in the 20th century.
The rainy season begins in May with a significant increase in rainfall. The peak of the rains is in September, when humidity exceeds 80% and could fall to about 400 mm per month.
This equates to annual precipitation in some dry countries. Sometimes during the rainy season in the Pacific Ocean form powerful tropical storms called hurricanes.
Although in this part of Mexico hurricanes are quite rare in comparison to the shores of the Caribbean, they still could cause serious damages.
A big advantage of the location of Acapulco is that powerful tropical storms usually are directed to the northwest to the open ocean and thus the Mexican resort avoids a lot of damages.
Tourism in Acapulco
In the 20th century, Hollywood Stars, celebrities and wealthy people from all around the world discovered the extraordinary potential of Acapulco and turned it into one of the most famous tourist destinations until then.
Today, the silhouette of the city impresses with its high coastal hotels, resemble to Honolulu or Copacabana. Bahia de Acapulco is sheltered and quiet place with golden and very fine sand.
Around the beach there are thousands of coconut palms which give an extremely friendly and exotic atmosphere on this place.
On the first line to the beach are the most attractive hotels with huge pools, nestled among lush tropical vegetation. Most attractive tourist areas of Acapulco are accordingly central and eastern part of the bay.
Acapulco is a large city, but walking the streets will seem unusually quiet. The reason is the lack of dynamism and lazy atmosphere that hovers around.
Warm and wet weather forces people to avoid major effort. Like all tropical cities, Acapulco is most lively when the sun begins to set and heat yields to more pleasant temperatures at night.
This enchanting place is much more than beautiful beaches. The city offers a huge variety of restaurants. What is more enjoyable than to relax amidst this tropical paradise and to dinner under the open night sky? Local food is just fantastic.
Everybody knows that Mexicans are known as great chefs. This is complemented by the proximity of Acapulco to the sea and the availability of great variety of seafood in local cuisine.
Acapulco has a humid climate and this is the reason for the dense vegetation, which can be found here. Particularly beautiful place is Papagayo Park, which is open to visitors from 5pm to 8pm every day. Here you can enjoy the beautiful scenery and many exotic specimens of local flora and fauna.
For people who do not wish to stay in a hotel there is a possibility to rent a private villa, surrounded with dense tropical foliage on the coastal slopes of Acapulco.
The villas located in the higher parts offer superb views of Bahia de Acapulco and hundreds of yachts and boats moored in the calm waters of the bay. But the local luxury real estates are object of interest not only for the lovers of luxury holiday, but also among people wishing to invest in vacation real estate.
When to visit Acapulco? The best time for tourism in Acapulco is during the dry season from November to April.
Then the weather is best and that makes the tourist city one of the best places for wintering in continental North America. In the summer rainfall is too heavy and can easily frustrate your plans for the beach and outdoor activities.
What clothes to prepare? Mandatory prepare your swimsuit and also the lightest clothes you have. Bring your slippers, sandals and other light and open shoes.
Here is very hot all year around and even in January temperatures can be equal to or even higher than those in the Mediterranean in July!
Fun in Acapulco. Relaxing on the beach, diving, yacht or boat cruise, water skiing, churches, amusement parks, restaurants, cafes, nightclubs and other are just some of the thousands of opportunities for fun in Acapulco de Guerrero and everything is just steps away from the Pacific Ocean.