Taxco (Silver City) excursion is a 14-hour day with the drive there and back taking about 8 hours; however, the scenery is breathtaking and our driver Reuben was an interesting and humorous individual. The first two hours are devoted to stops in a three silver shops. They really pushed shopping, which was a bit much for my husband and I. The next two hours included a wonderful lunch at a very nice restaurant overlooking the city; a walk and tour of Santa Prisca Church (absolutely beautiful) and then a short authentic taxi trip (Volkswagen Beetle) to the bottom of the city to head back to Acapulco. They did not let you explore the City yourselves and you only spent 10 minutes in the city square, which was full of activity. This would be a wonderful city to visit on your own. Mexico City is another 2 hours from Taxco. Transportation is provided via air-conditioned vans so you may not get to sit beside your partner and there were no headrests so sleeping was not really an option. We would recommend that you make sure that your tour is done via a large air conditioned bus and we did pass quite a few of those.
The City Tour was a half-day trip. Our tour guide was excellent. The tour started at the Chapel of Peace where the cross overlooking Acapulco Bay is located. Very beautiful and peaceful. Then, you take a drive down the main drag into Old Acapulco for shopping at a flea market. A good start to get you acquainted with sites in the city for future excursions or if you rent a vehicle.
The boat cruise (daytime) was excellent. There was a stop for snorkeling, kayaking, swimming, etc. There was a very nice hot meal and drinks were included. This was a half-day tour. There are also evening dinner cruises.
Quick Tips:
The front desk of the Mayan Palace will cash Canadian travellers cheques and there is an on-site ATM. The concierge desk was excellent. There are approximately five on-site restaurants. We only used the pool bar/restaurant and the seafood restaurant. The food was good; however, service is slow. Prices in Mexico are basically what you would pay in the United States, converted to pesos. The pool is wonderful. The beach is clean, the water warm. Head out early as the beach vendors are not as numerous. By 2pm, the vendors are non-stop and spoil any relaxation; time to head back to the resort pool. The vendors were not pushy. You can parasail, rent four wheelers and horses. There is a small on-site gym/spa, which you must pay for. I paid US for five days. Massages were US or US for three. Recommended restaurants were Elfogons, Paradise, Betos, Madeiras and Sou Casa, with the later having an absolutely beautiful view overlooking the bay with very reasonable prices, and efficient and humorous staff.
Best Way To Get Around:
We rented a car via Budget on the internet for pick-up at the airport; however, when we arrived, they said they had no more cars and didn't have our reservation in the computer. We ended up having to rent via SAAD (Mexican company) through Mayan Palace concierge; however, it was much more expensive.
Your really don't need a vehicle as the tours pick you up at the hotel; there is a shuttle to the grocery store every 10 minutes and cabs are definitely plentiful. The blue-and-whites are not air-conditioned and are all Volkswagen beetles. The yellow-and-whites are medium sized vehicles with air-conditioning. Ask for Roberto. He spoke English quite well, acted as a tour guide, and would accommodate you however you wanted.