Acapulco

Dazzling lights frame Acapulco Bay at night, when Mexico's oldest beach resort comes to life. Acapulco was wildly glamorous in the 1950s, when Hollywood stars and the European elite played in gorgeous villas around Las Brisas, the famed pink and white hotel overlooking the bay. These days the mid-range hotels lined side-by-side along the Costera are packed with travellers seeking modest prices and rowdy beach bars, while the Las Brisas area still attracts a well-heeled clientele. A new destination with all-inclusive and timeshare resorts and golf courses is rising at Acapulco Diamante near the airport.

Mexican families in all economic brackets throng to Acapulco during holidays and the summer months. Youthful travellers (18-35) find a wild Spring Break scene in March and April, while an older crowd is lured away from harsh winters to the warm tropical climate.

Acapulco faces the broad Bay of Acapulco at the foot of the Sierra Madre in the state of Guerrero on the west coast of Mexico. The Costera and main hotel areas are located 20km (12.5 miles) northwest of the airport.

Overlooking the beach and Acapulco Bay, the city and resort areas are sandwiched beneath the sierras with steep narrow roads twisting up hillsides to exclusive hotels and villas. Acapulco Diamante is just east of the airport, and the Las Brisas neighborhood covers forested hillsides between the airport and the Costera. Old Acapulco sits at the northwest edge of the bay.

Acapulco's main beaches along the Costera are packed with sunbathers most days. Holidaymakers can hire parasails, inflatables and jet skis beside most hotels. The surf can be strong along the Costera and the water's not at its cleanest after summer and fall rain showers. Swimming is more pleasant in the waters off Isla Roqueta, a small island a short boat ride from Old Acapulco.

The traditional center of the city is the zócalo, also called Plaza Alvarez, in Old Acapulco southwest of the Costera. El Fuerte de San Diego (Avenidas Costera Alemán and Hornitos) overlooks the bay from a slight hill. The star-shaped fort, originally constructed in 1616 and rebuilt after the 1776 earthquake, is home to an impressive historical and nautical museum.

For all sorts of water fun take the kids to CICI (Costera Alemán at Colón), a wildly popular water park with water slides and wave machines. Mágico Mundo Aquarium (Playa Caleta in Old Acapulco) is a combination amusement park, beach club, and aquarium with seals, tropical fish, turtles, and alligators on display. Kiddie-sized amusement rides, a roller-skating area, and a shady lagoon with boats bring local families to Parque Papagayo (Costera Miguel Alemán at Calle Manuel Gómez Morín 1), especially popular on weekend afternoons.

Shopping malls carrying standard sportswear and beach togs line the Costera, as do cramped arts and crafts markets packed with serapes, sombreros and tacky souvenirs. Look for silver jewellery from Taxco, a historic silver mining town in the mountains north of Acapulco. Plenty of giant superstores (Wal-Mart, Commercial Mexicana) carry cigarettes, alcohol and all manner of imported supplies and treats.

Begin the evening with a sunset cruise in the bay for the best views of lights sparkling along the water's edge and up the hillsides - if you're lucky, fireworks set up for a party will shimmer over the water. The La Perla supper club at El Mirador Hotel (Calle Quebrada 74) is the best place to watch Acapulco's famed clavadistas (cliff divers) carrying blazing torches as they soar some 40m (130ft) into waters roiling in a rocky gulch. Acapulco's discos and clubs are the most famous in the country. Wear your best flashy dresses and linen slacks for a wild night of dancing at Mandara  (Carretera Escénica) followed by a slightly more subdued scene in the club's after-hours piano bar Siboney.

The view vies for attention with the food at restaurants lining the hills above the bay in the Las Brisas neighborhood, where Italian, Mediterranean, and pan Asian cuisine is expertly prepared. Along the Costera, several casual cafes serve regional pozole, a thick hominy stew, while beach bars specialise in international fare (burgers, barbecued meats) and plenty of booze. Seafood cafes line the sand in Old Acapulco.

Don't even think about renting a car in Acapulco - the traffic is so dreadful that the horse-drawn carriages plodding along the Costera often move faster than cars. Taxis are plentiful and reasonably priced, and public buses run along the Costera into Old Acapulco.

For the best sunsets head to Pie de la Cuesta, a small beach town about a 25-minute cab ride west of the city. The long beach lined with palapa (palm-thatch) seafood cafes is pleasant escape from the bustling Costera, and nearby Laguna Coyuca is a great spot for boating and waterskiing.

Far removed from the hubbub on the Costera, the Fairmont Pierre Marques (Playa Revolcadero s/n) (website: www.fairmont.com/pierremarques) exudes an air of refined luxury. Built by J Paul Getty as a secluded getaway in 1958, the hotel now has a series of bungalows with private plunge pools set amid lush tropical gardens. The best suites overlook the waves pounding the sand at Playa Revolcadero, a long beach perfect for sunset walks. The restaurants are excellent, and guests have access to all facilities at the Fairmont Princess next door.

Acapulco Airport (ACA)