Glamorous Acapulco, the heart of the Mexican Riviera, caters to destination honeymoons and romantic couple getaways, with something for every budget. Set around a crescent-shaped bay and framed by verdant mountains that plunge into warm, sapphire waters combined with non-stop excitement of countless nightclubs, discos, and restaurants, Acapulco creates an exotic mix that's fantastic night and day for couples.
Celebrities have long enjoyed the resort for romantic honeymoons. Elizabeth Taylor came with Richard Burton, her most famous husband, and then returned to marry and honeymoon with her third husband -Mike Todd – in 1957. John and Jackie Kennedy chose Acapulco for their 1953 honeymoon and so did Bill and Hillary Clinton in 1975. Today visitors can follow in their footsteps, choosing from a variety of accommodation styles, romantic restaurants, and Instagram-ready tropical settings.
“We always look forward to welcoming honeymooners and couples on the search for a romantic getaway to Acapulco,” says Pedro Haces, president of the Acapulco Destination Marketing Office. “Our choices fall into every budget and style, whether a luxurious hotel that would keep Elizabeth Taylor happy to something small, quiet and tucked away for a candlelit dinner.”
Hotels & Spas
The first part of planning a romantic Acapulco couple’s escape is deciding where to stay.
Overlooking Caletilla Beach, Hotel Boca Chica’s retro 1950s-style, chic nightclub and thatched dome terrace restaurant are all about having fun. The hotel’s invigorating spa uses simple, natural holistic ingredient, aromatherapy and traditional methods for rejuvenating after a day at the beach. One of Acapulco’s favorite romantic hotels, Banyan Tree Cabo Marqués’ epitomizes refined elegance. The 45 subtly opulent villas offer striking ocean views. Guests can enjoy exceptional restaurants and a wonderful spa, with Asian inspired massages and treatments indoors or beachside, taking cares away.
Constructed in 1957, Las Brisas Acapulco has become a symbol of the city’s Golden Era glamour. Built on a former Mexican fort in the hills above Acapulco Bay, the property features stone walls, antique cannons, and exceptional views. Rooms that accommodate families with children are clustered in a single area, helping to preserve the calm, romantic ambience for couples throughout the rest of the hotel. Some suites feature grotto-like bathrooms with rainfall showerheads, step-down baths, and rock walls. A small spa, steam room and sauna add to the charm.
On the southern coast of Guerrero State, Hotel Punta Jamaica offers a romantic escape from every day cares surrounded by nature. Accommodations take in striking views of the sea, and the property offers private, grass-roofed villas along the Laguna de Coyuca de Benítez, providing couples the ultimate seclusion, with massage artists available for treatments in the rooms, on the hotel’s terraces or directly on the beach to the sound of the ocean waves.
The refreshingly modern Hotel Encanto is set like a vivid white dream on a high hilltop peak overlooking Acapulco Bay. Its large guest rooms, including the secluded Ocean Vista Pool room, with its own disappearing edge pool sets the right mood for romantic couples to take in the vista. The luminous hotel offers a cinema, a gym and a relaxing spa with open-air rooftop treatments to fully enjoy the Pacific ambience. The hotel’s Origen restaurant and the Sunset Bar are the perfect spot for couples to spend the evening.
Restaurants & Nightlife
Restaurants allow romantic couples to explore Acapulco and mingle with locals, whether for evening candlelight romance or a refreshing beach break:
Tony’s Asian Bistro has French and Asian fusion dishes under the direction of chef Erik Nguyen. Acapulco’s centuries old role as the port where Spanish imperial galleons arrived bringing oriental spices is honored at Zibu, its cuisine a Thai and Mexican-Spanish fusion. Italian flavors come alive in Becco Al Mare, an architectural jewel box of glass and wood, with one of Acapulco’s largest selections of Italian wines.
Another favorite wine bar is Carmenere, with an informal, elegant atmosphere near the Costera’s Casa de la Cultura. Nestled within the Las Brisas complex is the bar and restaurant Bellavista de las Brisas, its half covered crescent moon shape offering elegant dining under the stars with a view to the Pacific. The cuisine at Kookaburra is an enlivened fusion of French techniques and traditional Acapulco and Mexican regional favorites, all served in a luminous modern setting.
Acapulco offers some of Mexico’s hottest nightlife, with perennial dance club favorites like the Palladium on the Las Brisas hillside reigning over the city, and Love, the 24-hour bar and disco. For nearly four decades, Baby O has been a place of magic and glamour, where couples and friends dance the night away. Great food, karaoke, hookah, special events and good times await at the restaurant and bar Petra. Romantic couples seeking out sultry singing and music find their way to Siboney Piano Bar, known for its bohemian atmosphere. From salsa, to live music and endless mojitos, the sensual, fun loving spirit of Havana has a home in the beachfront bar Mojito.
Activities in Acapulco
Acapulco and the surrounding Mexican Riviera offer an astounding array of activities for couples. La Quebrada, home to Acapulco’s world-famous cliff divers, is as popular today as it was half a century ago. Twenty minutes away is eco-tourism beach Pie de la Cuesta, famed for its casual seafood restaurants. Few destinations offer a chance to watch the sunset over the Pacific like Acapulco with its Mexican West Coast location, signaling the beginning of a romantic evening. Sunset horseback riding is one of the most romantic ways to see Acapulco, whether along the hotel zone beachfront or in Playa Revolcadero, with a distant view of the Bay of Acapulco.
Just to the southeast of Acapulco, Laguna de Tres Palos is an enormous lagoon where the Tarzan movie was filmed, and one of Guerrero State’s best birdwatching areas, heron and other birds frolicking among the lily pads and blossoming tropical flowers edges. Just off the coast is Isla Roqueta, a tropical forest covered island, its central mountain topped by a lighthouse, and a popular site for snorkeling and kayaking.
The choices are endless and Acapulco is without parallel in its romantic offerings.
