After sweeping renovations that will end by 2008 (the hotel's 50th anniversary), this legendary resort is looking better—and more modern—than ever. With its romantic casitas edging down a hillside overlooking Acapulco Bay, this hotel is still at the top of its game after nearly a half-century in operation. Like the old part of town, Las Brisas is a flashback to the Acapulco of yesteryear, when smaller hotels dotted the cliffs and ocean views were a necessity since air conditioning was a novelty. Las Brisas, Spanish for breezes, has always been a magnet for honeymooners and celebrities, synonymous with glamour and exclusivity. The hotel has hosted European royalty, U.S. presidents and various heads of state.
Newer deluxe resorts, opening to the south over the past few years, are providing stiff competition for this property, yet the patina of history glazes this pink beauty with a sheen that the others lack. Indeed, this remains Acapulco's finest self-contained resort, and the only one that is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. The recent renovations have created different categories of casitas, some of which boast competitive rates.
Clinging to 43 sloping hectares on the eastern side of the bay, the resort surveys the glorious scene from afar, taking in the beauty but not the squalor. Privacy is a signature amenity here; guests expect it and revel in it. Encased in glass, the renovated roadside reception provides guests with a preview of the stunning panoramas. Sleek rattan furniture with pink pillows offers a place to rest, but once checked
in, most guests hole up in the private luxury of their casitas.
Scheduled for major renovation, the chic tropical main restaurant, Bellavista, is divided between an air-conditioned room and a panoramic terrace and boasts dramatic, sweeping views of the bay and city. Its service is the white-glove and sterling-silver variety, and it features a creative mix of Mexican and international fare. The Continental menu is predictably expensive, but the delicatessen and the beach club's alfresco seafood grill, La Concha, provide less pricey alternatives.
This club, reached via shuttle, is for guests and members only, and offers two saltwater pools carved from rock and a freshwater one with a swim-up bar, as well as a variety of watersports equipment for rent. The only thing missing is a beach. Ample options for diversion can also be found at five lighted tennis courts (two clay and three of synthetic grass), a fully equipped health center, a lounge with a big-screen TV, and a guests-only disco dramatically perched above the Pacific. Social activities center on cocktail parties, Friday Jeep safaris to neighboring villages, and fiesta nights. Jeans are discouraged after 6 pm. Parking and transportation are free within the resort. The shuttle to the beach club runs only every 20 minutes, and that delay might justify the extra charge to rent one of the hotel's signature pink Jeeps; however, the wait for the Jeep could be just as long.
Meeting space can accommodate 500 people, and groups of up to 800 can gather down at the beach club, but the business center is ill-prepared to deal with anything more complex than sending faxes. There are several inspired indoor and outdoor spaces available for meetings and events. All rooms have wireless Internet access.
For many years, the hotel advertised itself as a "total escape from civilization." The rooms and suites were designed to enhance this effect, with private walkways and dense flowering vegetation. The casitas meander up and around cobblestoned roads framed by cool coconut palms and named after world-famous avenues like Fifth Avenue and Champs Elysees. Accommodations throughout are purposely strewn with hibiscus blossoms, which also find their way onto room-service trays, pools, towel racks and pillows at turndown. In fact, guests can request messages artfully spelled out in blossoms on beds and tables.
Accommodations consist of 92 casitas with semiprivate pools, 93 with private pools, 48 beach-club casitas, 21 junior suites, and eight master suites. Every single unit has been completely renovated, trading pink honeymooner kitsch for a natural, modern look that nods to the hotel's 1950s past. Soft gray walls of stone, crisp white sheets from Pakistan, arty lamps fashioned from driftwood, sleek handmade furniture and new beds are standard throughout, as are flat-screen TVs, DVD players and safes.
Baths are 
another standout of the renovation, richly paved with oxidized local stone and complete with expensive toiletry sets from London. Each casita is a variation on the same theme, so guests should be specific with their needs during booking. Of the casitas that share pools, the quieter ones with better bay views fetch slightly higher rates. Some units, particularly upper-level ones, are more luxurious and isolated, and two have pools that snake into living rooms. The piece de resistance is still the private pool found on many of the casita terraces, which are filled with hibiscus blossoms each morning by an attentive staff.
Room service operates round the clock, and in the morning, Continental breakfast appears through a hidden door at around 6 am. Guests pay a mandatory daily fee for service. Four rooms accommodate guests in wheelchairs.
The clientele is more cosmopolitan and international than at any other resort in Acapulco, with a large number of honeymooners (as high as 30%) among them. However, the new categories of casitas are broadening the market to include both business travelers and families. This pink jewel continues to sparkle thanks to an abundance of the commodity most lacking in Acapulco—conscientious professional service, which is hardly surprising with staffers outnumbering guests 2-to-1 here. If your vacation revolves around the beach, try the Fairmont Acapulco Princess or Pierre Marques.
