Acapulco -Was it a Dream? Also, the Contest Winner.

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Park Royal Acapulco

Last week I was a guest of the Park Royal Acapulco as part of an initiative to increase awareness of Acapulco as a destination for families. I had four days to do some recon for my readers, enjoy the Acapulco sun, and sample the resort activities.

Without question, the number one thing this resort has going for itself is its location. Overlooking Acapulco Bay, you get a panoramic view of the entire area from your personal balcony. The first thing I did every morning was open the drapes to look at the gorgeous view, and feel smug at my good fortune, while my family was home in Minnesota carrying on with work and school.

Hospitality is either an aspect that the resort really focuses on, or everyone in Mexico is just incredibly helpful, because I was treated like a queen the entire time I was there. Granted, it doesn’t take much to make me feel that way, as I usually feel like Cinderella in my own home, but I feel fairly confident that the service is always top notch.

If your family loves lying by the pool (with a swim up bar – ooohh), hanging out at the beach and eating sinful amounts of food like I do, then this place would fit the bill. Boats and jet skis can be rented daily, there’s Karaoke on Friday evenings, and a little kids club that kids up to five or so would enjoy.

Some considerations you’ll want to keep in mind are that there are a lot of stairs and the resort is built into a hillside. The appeal of this is obvious. It’s gorgeous and makes for great views, but walking up and down, even with the tram that’s provided, may be difficult for some people. Also, I recommended that they invest in a couple of pool tables, a ping pong table, and a big screen TV for those times when the teen and tweens have had too much hot sun.

Remember, that every member of your family now needs a passport to get into Mexico by air. Drivers can get by with the drivers license and birth certificate.

Unlike Cancun, and some of the other, newer, resort areas, Acapulco has a history. It was at it’s heyday in the ’50′s when Hollywood saw fit to hang out in the discos and exotic hotels. The 70′s and 80′s brought regular folks to the area (See Love Boat). But then something called Cancun happened, and Acapulco became the red headed step child of Mexico.

Like a Phoenix Rising from the Ashes

While we weren’t looking, Acapulco has reinvented itself without losing its original appeal. Newly developed resorts, shopping areas, and restaurants have been added, while the original Acapulco remains the same. Attractions are convenient to the airport, and there’s even a Super Walmart on the main drag. But the best part of Acapulco is the part that’s always been there, the foamy blue green water, fiery sunsets, and that WEATHER!

And the Winner is…

I had every intention of getting this up earlier today, but needed to get my work area (kitchen counter) back in order after my absence. I think the family was passive- aggressively retaliating against me by making bigger messes than usual.

I put all of the realistic (see cuban cigars) requests into a bowl and chose a winner. And the Love Boat contest prize goes TO….. Colleen Lanin! Actually her kids. Colleen, who blogs about travel with kids at Travel Mamas requested maracas for her kids. Yay! So I purchased some lovely maracas (Okay, Maraca-like:), and they will be sent off to the lovely Colleen and her children. Congratulations Colleen, and thank you to everyone who visited and took the time to comment. I appreciate every one of you!