Hotel El Mirador Acapulco - Acapulco, Review

The Hotel El Mirador Acapulco is a faded blossom in the old part of Acapulco, appealing to a certain kind of traveler who waxes nostalgic for the glamorous Acapulco of the 1950s jet-setter age. Today, the hotel has been long-since eclipsed by grander hotels with beachfront locations, and the traveler who seeks out the Mirador comes for the low rates as much for its spectacular cliffside location with up-close views of the famous cliff divers. Though European and Latin travelers often prefer the naturally organic old-town feel of the Mirador's neighborhood, a middle-class American tourist will feel uncomfortable without the close proximity of strip malls and chain restaurants. Acapulco's old downtown area isn't where today's jet setters want to be --- they want to be on a sandy beach with big resort-class pools with swim up bars and 24-hour room service, not downtown on top of a cliff in a neighborhood that looks so darn un-American.

The Mirador is an excellent choice for the traveler who is happy with mid-range accomodations and would rather save money than pay for upgraded luxury. The rooms seem a bit dated to me. Furniture is heavy, clunky modern style pieces and sofas are nothing but thick cushions on concrete slabs. It's quite functional, and I think the amount of space you get for the money is excellent.

My wife and I own a timeshare (actually, we do own a week here at the Mirador, and my experience is with the larger, suite units, not the hotel rooms). The suites are very spacious with separate living, dining, and bedrooms. I like having a full-size refrigerator to store all my beer, and I like the big balcony where I can sit and drink that beer as I watch the crowds gathering on the observation platforms below.) We've got two TVs in our unit, with a good selection of cable channels, and the beds are firm platform beds that, again, will not appeal to travelers used to Westin Heavenly Beds. I like the rustic look of the saltillo tilework throughout the unit, though most of the decorations are unimaginitive and rather plain. It's a basic mid-range kind of place. Very un-fancy, but very functional in my opinion.

The hotel boasts of three pools, but when we were there, the "Poza" saltwater pool was closed off and looked like it hadn't been used in some time. The Tulipanes pool was located on a deck about halfway up the hillside and it was small and fairly crowded. The Mira pool is in a weird location where you have to walk across an alleyway to get to it, and it overlooks the backside of the hill, giving you a view of the town below. It wasn't a particularly attractive pool, and none of the three come close to comparing to what you find at the big hotels down on the strip or out in the Diamante area. The pools basically aren't a whole lot better than you'd find at a Holiday Inn in Dubuque.

The hotel's lobby is wonderfully airy and even on a hot sunny day, there's always a refreshing sea breeze blowing through to cool it off. There's an excellent gift shop on site, but you're not really close to anything of real touristic interest.

The best feature of the Mirador is the presence of the divers. Acapulco's cliff divers are renowned throughout the world, and their show is nothing short of spectacular. You can catch glimpses of the show from the hotel room balconies, but you're on top of the cliff from which they dive, so if you don't get off your behind and set the beer down long enough to go down to the observation decks (or at least the restaurant), you'll never see the show in all its spectacular glory. The hotel's La Perla restaurant is famous for its dinners and drinks during the show, but I thought the show was the only thing the restaurant really had going for it. The food was unremarkable at best and definitely a poor value for the price: you're definitely paying for the location here, and to be honest, you get a more honest value by ponying up a few pesos to just walk out onto the observation decks (it's what I recommend).

If you're a budget traveler looking for an interesting place with genuine history and character, the Mirador is a good place to hang your hat. It's lack of luxury amenities, old town location, and lack of a beach make it an unpopular choice with many tourists, but if those things don't matter to you, it can offer some real bang for the buck.