Anarchapulco is happening next weekend from February 15 to 18 in Acapulco. (Anarchy + Acapulco, get it?) Website here: https://anarchapulco.com

I live in Mexico and have been to Acapulco many times. Here are some tips to make your trip more enjoyable and affordable.

The venue (Princess Mundo Imperial Resort) is not actually in Acapulco, but the next beach over, Diamante (Diamond) Beach, to the southeast of Acapulco Bay.

Diamante the beach is nicer than Acapulco’s beach. It’s wider and longer, less crowded, and less polluted because it’s on the open ocean.

There’s not much in the area, however, besides malls and strip malls and more malls. (Go to La Isla if you can’t resist a mall.)

Try to visit Acapulco at least once for some good seafood and a look at what once was the main resort town in Mexico, where celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor used to party. Those golden days are long gone, but it’s still a nice place and very affordable when compared to Cancun or other beach spots in Mexico.

Safety

By numbers, Acapulco is currently one of the most violent and dangerous cities in Mexico. But as a tourist you have nothing to worry about. Most of the violence takes place in bad neighborhoods on the other side of the mountains from the beach. Diamante Beach in particular is quite safe.

The main way to keep safe is to be careful which taxis you use. Ask the front desk of your hotel to call a taxi for you. Leave all essentials like credit cards and your passport in your hotel safe.

To return to your hotel, choose a taxi without tinted windows that looks like it’s in good condition. Don’t get in a taxi with someone sitting in the front or backseat. Make sure there’s a laminated paper in the window or hanging from the rearview mirror with the driver’s picture and other identifying data. To be really safe, take a picture of this paper or the car’s license plate and send it to someone before you get in, and make sure the driver sees you do this.

Taxis don’t have meters, so agree on the price before the trip. If you don’t speak Spanish, bring a pencil and a piece of paper for the driver to write the number on. Mexicans don’t tip taxi drivers, but give 10 or 20 pesos to a friendly driver.

Besides taxis, take all the usual precautions you would in any foreign country. Don't wander around empty streets after dark. Don't accept a drink from a stranger, even in the resort. Don't leave your purse hanging from a restaurant chair. Don't leave your stuff unsupervised on the beach while you swim.

The most important rule: If you get a bad vibe from someone, say goodbye and walk away. Travelers all over the world get into bad situations because they don't want to be rude to a rude person.

Hotels

If you don’t have a hotel yet, search for them at Diamante instead of Acapulco, which is a 20-30 minute taxi ride away.

Hotels in both Diamante and Acapulco are much cheaper if it’s on the other side of the road from the beach. In Diamante, for example, look at Rru, a decent discount option. Check Airbnb too.

The cheapest hotels are in downtown Acapulco, which is far from the beach and really far from Diamante. The money you save on the hotel will be wasted on taxi rides.

Whichever hotel you choose, check it on Google Maps and compare it to the beach and the venue for Anarchapulco at the Princess Resort.

La Quebrada

Acapulco’s main tourist attraction is La Quebrada on the west end of Acapulco Bay. These are high cliffs that locals jump off all day long. It’s quite a show and a beautiful area. Take a taxi to get there, and on the way back you can stop in Acapulco to check out the beach and eat some seafood.

Downtown Acapulco

It’s pretty run down, but if you’ve never been to Mexico, it may be interesting. It’s near the west end of Acapulco Bay. Ask the taxi driver for the “zocalo,” the center square.

Seafood

One of the best seafood restaurants in Mexico is in Acapulco, on the opposite side of the beach from La Quebrada and downtown. Search google maps for “Los Buzos Restaurante Bar.” It’s on the southeastern end of the bay in a neighborhood called Costa Azul.

The main road in Costa Azul that goes perpendicular from the beach is Cristobal Colon, and you can find some good taco restaurants there too.

A good seafood restaurant in Diamante is La Finca, on the main road.

Nightlife in Acapulco

The cheap and noisy party spots are right on the beach in Acapulco, roughly in the center of the bay. Look for the pirate ship and the bungee tower. Most of these places have no cover.

For an amazing night out, go to Palladium up in the mountains. The cover is expensive and it’s in U.S. dollars, something like $60 or $70. But it gets you an open bar and lots of shows. Go late (like 11 p.m.) and stay late.

At the restaurant

Tip 10% on food and drinks, more if the service is good. Check the bill carefully to make sure it wasn’t included. Look for “propina,” which means tip, or “servicio.”

Check your bill carefully. Foreigners are often overcharged in Mexico, especially when drinking. Count your drinks and make sure it’s the same on the bill. If it’s not, don’t get angry, just calmly tell them it’s wrong. Who knows, it might be a genuine mistake.

At the resort

For better service, tip your server or bartender right away if you plan on drinking a lot. After the first drink give him a 50- or 100-peso bill, or make sure the bartender’s watching when you put it in the tip jar.

Many resorts in Mexico serve rotgut booze in their margaritas and other drinks. Combined with the hot sun all day, this can make for a wicked hangover. You can usually taste the cheap booze under all the sugar. If not, take a look behind the bar and watch what they are pouring into your drinks, or switch to beer in bottles.

Money

Now to the most important part: Money. Don’t pay for anything in U.S. dollars unless it’s a fixed fee, like at the Palladium nightclub. Many restaurants and stores will accept dollars, but they will give you a ridiculous exchange rate. Get pesos and use them. This is true for credit cards too—don’t let them charge you in dollars or another foreign currency.

The best way to get pesos is to simply withdraw them from an ATM. Use a bank ATM, not a private ATM that has higher fees. You’ll see them in the Mexico City and Acapulco airports.

You can exchange pesos for dollars at the airport, but wait until you leave the customs area. There are also private exchanges in downtown Acapulco, but you’ll need pesos to get there by taxi. Do not pay for a taxi with U.S. dollars. Sure, they’ll accept them, but they’ll give you change in pesos and probably rip you off in the process.

Make sure you know the official rate so you can compare to the rate you are offered. Write it down, because it’ll be easy to forget once numbers start flying around. Search google or check a site like coinmill.com

The foreigner in Mexico who has no idea what the peso is worth is a sucker, just begging to get ripped off. Here are some example prices in pesos:

100-200 pesos — (about $6-12 USD): a long taxi ride, for example from Diamante to La Quebrada

100-300 pesos — a good seafood meal

70-150 pesos — a good but cheap taco meal

15 pesos (about $1 USD) — a tall boy of beer at a convenience store

20-60 pesos — a beer in a restaurant

Have a great trip, and I’ll answer any questions in the comments.