Mayan Palace Acapulco

The pool area is lovely.

Quick Tips:

Avoid the timeshare presentation. It was brutal!

Best Way To Get Around:

Rent a car from home. It's much cheaper than taking cabs back and forth from the resort to the city.

Best Things Nearby:
Kookaburra restaurant.

Best Things About the Resort:
Accommodations, pool, beach.

Resort Experience:
Mayan Palace Acapulco is a lovely resort, claiming to have the longest pool in the world (1 km). Our two-bedroom accommodations were very nice, but like other Mayan Palaces, there were no balconies. On an ocean-front property, I find this vexing. Nothing is more wonderful than sitting out on one's balcony when one has an ocean view, and I can't imagine what the architects had in mind when designing these properties.

The property is quite far from the city of Acapulco, and taxis are not cheap. I would therefore recommend renting a vehicle for the duration of one's stay at the Mayan Palace. Booking a car from home will be much cheaper than renting one on-site. The food in the main restaurant was average. Nothing exceptional on any of the days we ate there. The rooms are well-appointed, but there was no kettle for tea lovers.

The worst part of our experience there was the timeshare presentation. It promised to be 90 minutes, but it took us 5 hours to extricate ourselves from the grasp of the RCI saleswoman. She used every trick in the book to manipulate, cajole and devise a way to keep us from going anywhere. Many attempts to tell her that we could not think any longer fell on deaf ears. Our good manners kept us from telling her off and leaving. Thanks to the shenanigans of her and her manager, we will never go to an RCI timeshare presentation again--no matter what they promise.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Fair
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

This is a lovely restaurant with an exquisite view of Acapulco. Service is attentive, but almost too attentive as waiters dive in to remove a plate just as one takes the last bite. Presentation is very nice. Food items imaginative.

Pipo''s is a low-key establishment, with basic tables and chairs, cutlery, and china. Nothing fancy here. The service was attentive, and when the waiter saw that we spoke English, he quickly found an English-speaking waiter to serve us, who was friendly and helpful.

The place was filled with large families and babies were seated all around us. If you''re looking for a quiet, romantic place, this might not be your first choice. But, we loved it ecause it was popular with Mexicans of all ages.

Pipo''s is famous for fish and seafood, but when my children (ages 16 and 19) indicated that they might want something else, the waiter brought an entirely different menu. They both ordered chicken. They both thought it was tasty.

I had grilled lobster, which was delicious, but pricey given its size. I paid $35 for a small lobster. My husband had fish, which was tasty as well, and about $18. The plates came with unimaginative Mexican cole slaw and vegetables.