Sights—The cliff divers at La Quebrada; a buggy ride past the shops and hotels of the Costera; downtown Acapulco, especially the Zocalo (main plaza); Caleta Beach and nearby Isla de Roqueta.

Museums—The Museo Historico de Acapulco in El Fuerte de San Diego; bizarre masks from throughout Mexico and around the world in the Casa de Mascara; Magico Mundo Marino at Caleta Beach.

Memorable Meals—Pacific lobster served beneath the stars at Coyuca 22; fusion cuisine and striking decor at Baikal; posole (pork and hominy stew) traditionally served on Thursday at Zapata, Nilla y Cia and other classic Mexican restaurants; salmon rolls in mango vinaigrette at El Olvido.

Late Night—A moonlight cruise on Acapulco Bay; dancing to salsa at Siboney; a sing-along at Pepe's Piano Bar; late-night decadence at Baby'O or Palladium.

Walks—Strolling along Revolcadero Beach between the Pierre Marques and Princess hotels; window-shopping in the Golden Zone; exploring Papagayo Park; taking in the lively scene along the "strip" between the Condesa and Calinda hotels after sunset.

Especially for Kids—The carnival rides and go-kart track in Papagayo Park; swimming with dolphins at CICI water park; a glass-bottomed-boat ride to Isla de Roqueta.

Acapulco Bay lies on the Pacific coast of Mexico—the so-called Mexican Riviera. Towering over the bay and its beaches are condominium towers and once-magnificent hotels, most of them built several decades ago and beginning to show their age. At night, the bay's crescent-shaped shoreline resembles a movie star's glittering necklace. By day the view is dominated by the high, verdant mountains that wrap around the port, sealing it off from the interior of the country.

The stretch of coastline on either side of the Acapulco Bay inlet runs roughly east to west along the Pacific. About 5 mi/8 km from the Acapulco airport, which runs along the ocean east of the city, you'll find an area called Acapulco Diamante. It has three golf courses and several luxury hotels.

Carretera Escenica (Scenic Highway), the road from the airport, heads west, hugging the shoreline before turning into the mountains. It passes lovely Marques Bay, with its luxury hotels and elegant villas dotting the hillside, before reaching Acapulco Bay, where it becomes Avenida Costera Miguel Aleman (usually called the Costera for short). The arcing stretch of beachfront and hotels that lie along the bay is sometimes called the Tourist Zone or Golden Zone.

The Costera passes west by Papagayo Park and then dips southwest into the older part of the city. That's where cruise ships and freighters tie up below Fort San Diego. Beyond lies the Zocalo, or main plaza, which is the center of the downtown area. The Costera continues south around a hook-shaped peninsula toward a pair of small bays, Caleta and Caletilla, whose beaches are favorites with budget vacationers. Acapulco's first hotels, now inexpensive places to stay and popular with Europeans, were built in the hills above these bays.

If you turn inland from the Costera (heading north from the shore) you'll find neighborhoods marked by poverty.

Note: Some businesses in Acapulco are located on unnumbered streets and labeled "s/n," for sin numero (without number). The addresses are described using the closest intersection.

Acapulco was an Amerindian fishing village until it was settled by the Spanish in the early 1500s. It then became a major port for Spain's trade with Asia. After pirates began plundering the area, the Spanish erected Fort San Diego in 1616 to protect their ships. Later, toward the end of the Mexican War for Independence, the fort was the site of a Mexican victory over the Spanish. When the Spanish left in the early 1800s, the town's importance declined. Then, in 1927, a road over the mountains linked Acapulco with the rest of Mexico, and the first hotel opened seven years later. Acapulco evolved as a resort because it was the closest beach to Mexico City. The trip there is downhill almost all the way—the altitude drops more than 7,000 ft/2,100 m to sea level during the drive.

Following World War II, Hollywood discovered Acapulco, and it became a fashionable hideaway for those who had the time and money needed to get there. Direct international air service began in 1964, bringing with it the jet set and a boom in hotel construction along the bay. The dollars that tourists squandered so freely inspired the Mexican government to promote the development of "more Acapulcos" from the Caribbean to Baja California. In the years that followed, these competing destinations caused Acapulco to suffer, and it fell into disrepair. Rejuvenation efforts began in earnest in the 1990s, but Hurricane Pauline slammed into the city in 1998. It caused deadly mud slides in the hills surrounding the city. The damage highlighted the great economic chasm between the glitzier hotel zone and the rest of Acapulco, which is poor, crowded and polluted.

Since then, renovations in the resort area have resumed, along with efforts to improve housing for local residents. The renovations included the development of Acapulco Diamante—an upscale resort area along Marques Bay that replaced a shantytownlike beach. More condominiums, which are rented out as accommodations, have been built near the airport, luxury hotels are spreading out along the Diamante area near the airport and Old Acapulco in the downtown area is constantly being improved. The rustic area west of downtown called Pie de la Cuesta, with its Coyuca Lagoon, has developed more small inns that cater to travelers looking for a quiet, laid-back ambience, far from the high-energy hotel zone.

To keep the beaches clean, a flotilla of yellow skiffs patrols the bay, scooping up trash in nets, and hotels scour their beaches every morning. But many people believe the water is still polluted. You might want to stick to sunning on the beach and swimming in the hotel pool.

One of Acapulco's most famous residents during the 1930s and '40s was Johnny Weissmuller, better known as Tarzan. The actor used to hang out with John Wayne and Errol Flynn at the lovely Hotel Flamingo. He later bought the hotel in partnership with Wayne and other film stars. Weissmuller kept a house in Old Acapulco, died there in the 1980s and is buried in Acapulco.

Acapulco means "place of dense reeds" in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, who ruled most of Mexico before the Spanish arrived.

Although The Night of the Iguana was filmed in Puerto Vallarta to the north, Acapulco is the setting for the Tennessee Williams play on which it was based.

Acapulco is famous for having the first major rock 'n' roll club in Mexico in the 1960s, called Tequila A Go Go, which drew celebrities of every ilk and launched its reputation as an after-dark mecca. Today, it's a shopping mall.

The resort city's most famous drink is the coco loco—tequila, coconut milk and a splash of secret ingredients—created at the Hotel Flamingo in 1935. The heyday of Hollywood made it world-famous.

From the 16th to the 18th centuries, Acapulco was the site of a bustling international trade fair centered around the annual arrival of the Manila galleon, a Spanish ship that was loaded with silk, porcelain, spices and other treasures from Asia.