by: Jerry Spady
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A CURRENT PASSPORT FOR EVERYONE IN YOUR GROUP, AND IF NOT,
YOU CAN PAY EXTRA TO EXPEDITE ONE FOR AN EXTRA CHARGE.
#1
I will need a one day food and drink list for your
arrival and I will
have the staff pickup in advance and save you receipts. On food, I would let
staff do their own thing and you will be well pleased.
You
can do the food and drink shopping or can send the staff. They are real honest
so settle with them daily or give them money when needed. Our staff has a
fantastic menu. Just tell them what times you want your 3 meals a day. I will
need to know if anyone is allergic to anything. Drink bottled water only. Our
house people wash all vegetables and fruits in disinfectant so you don't need
to worry about getting Montezuma's Revenge (the runs) from eating at our house.
#2
In case of an accident or any emergency problem For our security people I need
list of all names, same as on their passport, their permanent address and phone
numbers including cell, their age and gender.
and an emergency name, address and phone number for each. Please don't forget
to email me this 2 weeks before your arrival.
We are in a gated security area at Casa Delfin with 3 security gates.
Also remember if you are staying at Casa Delfin, there are passes at our bar to
get you in our private Marina Las Brisas Marina Club down the mountain from the
house directly on the waters edge. You can purchase drinks and snacks for cash
and it is a nice place to lay out at their pool and enjoy the ocean. We paid
25,000. U.S.D. for this membership so our house guests could enjoy.
For your
information we have high speed wireless internet at our houses so bring your lap
tops. Also your cell phone is easiest and cheapest way to receive and send calls
in Acapulco. You will NEED TO CALL YOUR SERVICE PROVIDER
AND GET ACCESS NUMBERS FOR CALLING AND RECEIVING IN ACAPULCO,MEXICO. Also bring
your IPOD as we have a sound system that you can play your own music.
Watch the sun as you might get a bad sunburn if you stay out over 15 minutes at
a time and it might ruin your vacation. The sun is vicious in Acapulco.
Don't buy any
jewelry on the beach or from peddlers on street and if you do buy jewelry, buy
from only jewelry stores which have the certified stamp on each piece certifying
how much gold or silver is in the piece. One lady guest bought $2100 worth of
silver and found out her skin turned green when wearing.
Below is the English speaking driver I recommend. I would email him or call him
and email your flight info and for how many people. Definatly get a price
beforehand . If you use them during your stay, get a price and pay them after
each trip. Only line up sightseeing, deep sea fishing trips, golf, shopping
trips, scuba diving trips, ect. thru our house people as the others including
taxies tend to add on a little. Taxi is about $30 dollars for 2 people one way
to Casa Delfin from airport so all drivers will be cheaper per person for 4
people or more as they have several big air-conditioned suburban and small
buses. You can also rent cars at airport or rent them on line but I would
recommend a driver as it will be cheaper in long Run with out the hassle. Taxis
are cheap and everywhere when a driver is not necessary. Airport is a long way
out of town over the mountain (about 10 miles to Casa Delfin, so you can get the
drivers cheaper if he picks up all of your group.
#1 Driver I recommend Driver’s Name is Carlos Macias
. He speaks good Spanish and English
TELEPHONES ARE:
(011)(52)74 44 697759 _________________ DIRECT. I.D.NEXTEL:62*146036*1
(011)(52)74 41 859361__________________ CELL PHONE.
(011)(52)74 41 141165__________________ CELL PHONE
THE FIRST NUMBER IS NEXTEL ON ACAPULCO IS LIKE a LOCAL CALL; DIAL 4697759 will
work FROM EVERY HOME in ACAPULCO
His Email is: carlos_macias@hotmail.com
His website is: www.rentsuburbansacapulco.com
<http://www.rentsuburbansacapulco.com/
Carlos is a nice person, real honest I think, real helpful and speaks good
English. He has suburbans or buses and even a big 14 pass van available to go to
airport and hold up their sign with your name on it to pick you up. They all
have to pay airport to get in to pick you up, so rate will be a little higher,
say $10 dollars a trip extra. Tipping is same as U.S. so give them 10% to
15%extra depending on their service to you.
.
Be sure and have the driver take you to Tres Marias Restaurant
www.tresmariásacapulco.com at Pie de laquesta lagoon some noon for barbecue
red snapper or barbecue chicken, as this is a real treat. Ask for Eddie,
the owner and friend of mine and tell him you are staying at my house and he
will make you a special price on a boat ride for your group for an hour or two.
This is where Tarzan and Rambo done all the movies in the old days and you will
think you are in Africa. This is a must on your trip.
AIR-CONDITIONG AND LIGHTS;
WHEN YOU LEAVE YOUR ROOM FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR, PLEASE TURN OFF AIR-CONDITIONG
AND LIGHTS AS ELECTRIC IS A REAL EXPENSIVE ITEM IN ACAPULCO..BELIEVE IT OR NOT
ELECTRIC BILL At CASA DELFIN IS ARROUND $1500 DOLLARS PER MONTH
There are NO extra charges or taxes at our houses like the hotels and some other
rental houses in Acapulco that we hear about who charge 15% IVA Tax and other
service charge extra at end of your stay.
It is customary in Mexico to tip the staff for their service which is about
same as in states for personal service, 10% to 15% of total house rental price
from your whole group given to our whole Staff. Please do on last day of your
stay and give to Julian as He divides up with their people depending on their
duties. . This is entirely
up to your group on how they serve you. Manicures, pedicures and massages can be
ordered by our staff for you in a half days notice and are very cheap and
reasonable and very professional. Tip them the same 10% to 15% for their service
too.
Casa Delfin address is
Vereda Nautica #50
Marina Las Brisas
Acapulco, Gro Mexico
Tel: 446-5896
.
Phone to Acapulco (from US)
Casa Delfin (011) (52) (744) 446 5896
Or drop off prefixes if calling from Acapulco
I would not go to Taxco ( about 2.5 hours in car) unless you have not been
there and then maybe so, if you are in to silver, which is cheap. The best food
is at the house for about half the price you will see. If you do go out, I
would recommend these restaurants
1. Zibu Restaurant (on way in from airport and ask for Lalo,
owner and our friend),
2. Becco Restaurant and ask for Rolly, our friend too
3. Japanese restaurant Suntory (Jerry’s favorite}
4. La Mansion Steak House.(Sandy says the best steaks she has ever had and we
are from Nebraska)
All are fantastic and no reservation needed unless maybe Saturday night Don't
go to Discos until after midnight as there won't be anyone there. They are open
from 11PM all night and Acapulco is the disco capital of the world and you won't
believe it. I recommend Siboneys Piano bar at Mandara disco,
Pladdium Disco and Babyo's Disco as owners are all are my personal
friends. If they are waiting in line to get in, give them my name and it
might help as I know all the door men.
Info on Mexico Travel from U.S. Starting January 8, 2007 passports are required
for all travelers, including US citizens, reentering the United States by air or
sea from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America. By
January 1, 2008,
land crossings will also require passports. Industry watchers expect delays at
passport offices in the weeks leading up to January 8, 2007. Please make sure
to obtain or renew your passport as soon as possible. Complete passport
information is provided by the State Department. Visit
www.travel.state.gov/passport or you may visit your Post Office.
Downtown & Old Acapulco
This is the
traditional heart of the city, noted for its bustling seaside
promenade, main square (remodeled 1996), San Diego Fort, the Aquarium, and
famous La Quebrada.
The downtown area has the clamor and excitement of a tropical harbor. The area
may not appeal to everyone due to its bustling tempo and seaport unsightliness.
Acapulco's zócalo, or main square, is a pretty, treeshaded plaza teeming with
activity (completely remodeled in late 1996). It faces one of Mexico’s more
unusual churches. The Nuestra Señora de la Soledad Church has a stark white
exterior and two bulb-shaped blue and yellow-tiled spires. It looks more Russian
Orthodox than Mexican.
It’s a short walk to Acapulco's historic San Diego Fort. Perched on a hill
overlooking the harbor, the fort was originally built in 1616, then rebuilt in
its present configu-ration following a massive earthquake in 1776. TheFort was
the staging area for the loading and unloading of the Manila Fleet, and served
to protect this lucrative trade link from Dutch and English pirates.
The Fort is a classic five-point fortress surrounded by a moat. A fascinating
museum (Spanish/English signage) is housed within the fort’s original hallways.
Displays focus on the cultural exchange between Asia and the Old World, with
exquisite, rare relics on exhibit (open Tues.-Sun., 9:30am-6:30pm).
The sprawling Municipal Market was destroyed by fire in 1996. It was rebuilt,
and reopened in late 1997.
You’ll also want to see Acapulco's Caleta and Caletilla Beaches, two picturesque
coves. This is the historic residential heart of the city, with many palatial
homes. It is where Acapulco got its start, and from here grew to the south. The
beaches here tend to be crowded on weekends.
Between these two placid coves is the new Mágico Mundo Marino aquarium. It
combines indoor and outdoor marine exhibits with a pool, two water slides, a
restaurant, scuba lessons, snorkeling equipment rentals and family fun.
Admission is about $6 U.S. for adults, $3.30 for niños (tel. 7-483-1215).
Stop in for a drink at the nostalgic Hotel Gran Meigas or at the hilltop Los
Flamingos Hotel. Los Flamingos, built in the 1930’s, has an illustrious past.
Hollywood’s biggest stars (John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Frank Sinatra, Johnny
Weissmuller) partied here. Caleta Beach is also where you hire a skiff to whisk
you across to Isla Roqueta. The five-minute boat ride to the island costs about
$2.75 U.S. per person. On the island you’ll find the world’s only island zoo,
gentle waters, good snorkeling, and a restaurant
(Palao).
Last, but not least, is Acapulco's sensational La Quebrada, site of the famous
cliff diver’s performance.(This is very close to Casa Iguana). Since 1934 this
has been one of Mexico’s feature attractions. The divers leap from cliffs 136
feet above the crashing Pacific, landing in an 11ft. deep inlet. There are five
performances daily,.including four evening shows, performed with divers carrying
torches - an unforgettable spectacle. Best viewing is from La Perla Nightclub
at the cliff-side Hotel Plaza Las Glorias (formerly Hotel El Mirador). A cover
charge applies.
Another fascinating down town attraction is the Casa Dolores Olmedo. Here artist
Diego Riviera spent 18 months creating a 60-foot-long streetwide mural of tiles,
seashells, and stones. Riviera lived here during the last two years of his life.
Pie de La Cuesta and Coyuca Lagoon Take my advise, this is a must!!!! Go to
Restaurant Tres Marias there ON LAGOON SIDE OF STREET AS THERE ARE 2 TRES
MARIAS. Jerry and Sandy Spady
This zone, 10 km west of the city, is loved for its rustic, palm-lined beach and
dreamy sunsets. The nearby lagoon is an exotic “Tarzan-meets-Jane” estuary noted
for its tropical vegetation, wildlife and tiny islands.
If you’re looking to take a break from the activity of downtown and the resort
circuit, take a taxi or bus or your driver to this open stretch of Pacific Ocean
beach known as Pie de la Cuesta. This long sandbar rests between the crashing
Pacific Ocean on one side, and scenic Coyuca Lagoon on the other. The main draw
is the area’s flaming tropical sunsets. Grab a hammock, order a cool one and
reeelaaax. Coconut gin is the specialty.
Acapulco's nearby Coyuca Lagoon offers boat tours, excellent water skiing, and
exotic wildlife. Freshwater fishing is quite good here. “Rambo II” was partially
filmed at the lagoon, along with some early Tarzan movies, and a few scenes from
“African Queen.” There are several small hotels and restaurants in the area.
(Hacienda Vayma Beach Club is one of the better overnight choices, tel.
7-460-2882. Head to Tres Marias and ask for Eddie for an enjoyable seafood
meal.)
COSTERA: This attractively landscaped, yet very urban boulevard, is where
Acapulco earned its reputation as Mexico’s original party town. Countless
restaurants - from fast food to gourmet - and bars - from quiet to uproarious -
keep the action going 24-hours a day. Hotel hopping is easy as most properties
are within easy walking distance from one another. There’s plenty of shopping
here (souvenirs, art galleries, clothing boutiques, even WalMart!) as well as
family attractions. Don’t Miss…
PARADISE ON CONDESA BEACH: facility features bungee jumping and a full-service
beach club.
PAPAGAYO PARK: a 52-acre playland, and one of the best parks in Mexico for
family fun. There are plenty of carnival rides, a Manila galleon replica, a
wonderful aviary, and meandering tree-lined paths.
CiCi: a water-oriented theme park for children. There are dolphin and seal
shows, water slides, an enormous pool area (with a “wave machine”), and other
family attractions. The park just completed a $3 million renovation project that
included adding a dolphin swim program (rate is currently $600 pesos/hour). Open
daily 10am - 6pm.
Puerto Marqués & Revolcadero Beach
To the southeast, between the airport and town, you’ll find pretty Puerto
Marqués, a lovely bay of white sand beaches surrounded by jungle-clad mountains.
Just south are the seemingly endless openocean beaches of Revolcadero (site of
the Princess, Pierre Marqués, Mayan Palace Resort, and new Quinta Real Hotel).
PUERTO MARQUES: a tranquil bay that tends to get lost beside the sheer grandeur
of neighboring Acapulco Bay. This is changing, as the bay and its southern
peninsula are the sight of the new Punta Diamante development. Today, visitors
come to lounge on the bay’s pretty beach. Dozens of restaurants line the shore,
and the super deluxe Camino Real Diamante Hotel rests across the bay.
REVOLCADERO BEACH: a wide swath of white sand, lined with tropical
plantations and palm groves. It is a beach comber’s delight with open-ocean
surf and long untouched stretches of sand. The spectacular Fairmont Acapulco
Princess and the intimate Fairmont Pierre Marqués resorts are on this beach.
Two fine 18-hole golf courses are just behind these hotels. The Princess,
one of the world’s great hotels, has become a tourist attraction in its own
right, and makes for a fun excursion. Also worth a visit is the posh Mayan
Palace, a masterfully planned ultra-modern resort of canals, pools, and
stunning Mayan decor. Two additional outstanding 18-hole golf courses, Tres
Vidas and Mayan Palace are also here
GOING TO: ACAPULCO
Acapulco, for a certain generation, is suave Frank Sinatra songs and Elvis
Presley movies, Kennedy honeymoons and Elizabeth Taylor weddings (O.K., only
one of the eight weddings). The high-flying Hollywood crowd took Acapulco to
the moon with it in the 1950's and 60's then went on to their next
playground. Although the names of the clubs, the style of the music and the
clientele have changed since La Perla was opened in 1949, Acapulco has always
been counted on for night life. Now a new generation of impresarios is taking
over the clubs that their parents built, and raucous foam parties on the beach
and writhing on dance platforms until 4 a.m. is often followed by more dancing
at an after-hours club until morning breaks. The disco anthems will be ringing
in your ears all day as you lie on the beach and recover. Where to Stay or even
visit their grounds. Some of the old hotels around Acapulco are destinations now
simply because they were destinations then. Two built in the 1930's, the Hotel
Los Flamingos, and the Hotel El Mirador , Acapulco, are away from what is now
the strip, but both have photo galleries that allow old Hollywood to speak
through photographs of John Wayne, Johnny Weissmuller and Errol Flynn. The
resort where Elvis Presley, Rita Hayworth, Elizabeth Taylor and others lounged,
the Villa Vera, is an enclosed enclave set back from Condesa Beach on a hill and
part of it is now a private club, The place that most seems to keep the buoyant
and flamboyant 1960's alive is the Hotel Las Brisas Acapulco, which was built in
1957 about 15 minutes from the center of Acapulco. The 263 casitas of this hotel
climb up a steep, hibiscus-covered hill high above Acapulco Bay in a confection
of pink, flat-roofed modernism. Each casita has its own (or shared with one
other) plunge pool, and at the base of the hill by the ocean (via a short
shuttle ride from the open-air lobby) is Club la Concha, its pool and oceanfront
set with chairs, bridges, bars and restaurants bathed in festive pink.
Pink Jeeps ferry visitors along winding ways from the lobby to rooms as if they
were elevators. In the morning, drivers can be seen driving up the cliff holding
a tray with breakfast in one hand and steering with the other; a Continental
breakfast appears in the room via a drop box before most people are awake. Rates
during this season are $310 for a one-bedroom casita with shared pool, $959 for
a casita with private pool and $1,453 for a two-bedroom casita with private pool
and each has an additional 15% a day in staff tip.
Where to Eat
Eating in Acapulco is informal, with good beach food like tacos and seafood
found in open-air restaurants along the Costera, the coastal area running from
Papagayo Beach to Icacos Beach. Particularly soothing in the morning (or early
afternoon) are the palapa
bars, covered with thick thatched roofs that keep the decks cool. At Bamb˙,
attached to its sister restaurant, TÌo Alex, at Avenida Costera Miguel the
gentle Mexican salsa from the 1950's and 60's mixes with the rhythm of the waves
to make a calming backdrop for fresh grilled red snapper, $19.60. The motto is
''siempre hora feliz'' and beers are two for one at $3.50 all day long.
A small enclave of interesting restaurants is clustered around the
beacon-like nightclub Palladium
What to Do During the Day
The scrambling for a beach space or deck chair poolside begins at about 8:30
a.m. Most of the large hotels along Condesa Beach have elaborate pools that
open directly onto the beach. Condesa, and to the east, Icacos Beach, are
the beaches that international and Mexican tourists flock to, even if sun
worshipers are occasionally hassled by vendors pushing sarongs, seashell
necklaces, henna tattoos, wind chimes or hair-braiding services.
On Sunday afternoons January through April, visitors can see a bullfight at
5:30 at the Plaza de Toros, Caletilla. Tickets are $4.45 for general
admission and $11 to $31 for reserved seats. The stadium was built in 1955
and can hold 10,000 people, though these days the ring is not nearly full,
and most who show up are tourists. This is not a sanitized exposition --
things almost never end up well for the bull -- but it is a chance to get to
another part of town and sit in the late-afternoon sun with a cup of beer or
cola while a Mexican marching band plays festive tunes.
What to Do at Night
Night life does not wake up until midnight, although the clubs along Condesa
Beach begin to stir around 10 p.m. Brian Rull·n, 27, runs his father's
hillside nightclub dynasty Palladium and Mandara, while on Condesa Beach at
the more informal and rock 'n' roll dance club, Disco Beach, Jonathan
Rodriguez, 23, prepares to take over for his father.
Disco Beach, Avenida Costera Miguel Alem·n 111, is the alpha male along this
strip. Since 1980 it has pulled in young partiers (and throngs of spring
breakers) with live bands on a rock 'n' roll stage (and a fleet of scantily
clad house dancers) on the street level, while downstairs the D.J. area
opens onto the beach. The cover changes depending on the entertainment,
theme of the evening and time of year, but is generally about $30 for men
and about $24 for women.
Heading east, Baby O, Avenida Costera Miguel Alem·n 22, (52-744) 481-1035,
www.babyo.com.mx has been open since 1976, although now it is across the
street from a Hooters and next to a Wal-Mart. The club, with a multileveled
labyrinthine space with a vaguely jungle theme, is open only Wednesday
through Sunday starting at 10:30, $9 for women and $35 for men, and does not
have an open bar.
Palladium, Carretera EscÈnica, Las Brisas, ,
www.palladium.com.mx, seems to be the club where everyone eventually ends up
now. On a recent night the crowd included a musician from Montreal, a
designer from South Africa, a chef from France, D.J.'s and club kids from
Brooklyn and young Mexicans working in government, media and fashion. The
huge pleasure dome is perched high on a cliff with a wall of windows 160
feet wide and 30 feet tall with views of the entire bay. The dance floor,
ringed by banquettes, cantilevers out over the cliff so that young men in
button-down shirts and leather shoes and women in form-fitting tank tops and
short skirts appear to be dancing in the sky. A man painted silver with an
Aztec headdress makes a high-energy appeal for continued partying with a
dance performance between 3 and 4 a.m.; a spray of fireworks outside the
windows follows his appearance. A sister club, Mandara, is just down the
street and has a similar, if smaller, dance space. It also has a relaxed
piano bar. If the right people are met while dancing, visitors may score an
invitation to the after-hours lounge Privado, which starts at 3 a.m., also
housed in the Mandara club. Admission to each club is $22 for women and $31
for men, with open bar for everyone.
Where to Shop
The open-air marketplaces that are called mercados des artisanÌas are
generally little more than flea markets with an endless array of T-shirts,
sarongs and ceramic frogs. Most of it is probably made in Asia, but the
markets are fun to stumble through.
Intergalerias S.A., Avenida Costera Miguel Alem·n 120,,
has some bright and interesting Mexican art (most of which would certainly
not fit in an overhead compartment). Oversized pieces of wooden fruit fill
the gallery and sculptures of centaurs and mermaids by Sergio Bustamante and
vibrant paintings by Gustavo Martinez. Most works start at about $500.
First Time or Your 10th
The tanned men flinging themselves off the rocky cliffs of La Quebrada, near
El Mirador Hotel Acapulco at Plazoleta La Quebrada 74,
have become the iconic image of Acapulco. Teddy Stauffer, a Swiss-born
bandleader who became an impresario of Acapulco night life, opened La Perla
nightclub with a view of the craggy gorge and made the informal dives by
local boys into a spectacle.
Today the divers, members of Clavadistas Profesionales de la Quebrada, or
association of professional cliff divers, (who will extract a charge of
$2.70 from spectators before allowing them into the viewing area), perform
five times a day, with one dive at 12:45 in the afternoon followed by four
on the half-hour starting at 7:30 p.m.; for the last two the divers jump
with torches in their hands. The divers, who are surprisingly young, make their
way through the crowd gathered on steeply tiered viewing areas. With no shoes,
they shimmy up the cliff on the other side to their posts between 80 and 115
feet above the
22-foot-wide channel below. With arms stretched above their head, each scans the
waves below for a water level that will make the water at least 30 feet deep.
After letting out a call that echoes through the cavern, the diver soars out and
down, traveling
about 55 miles an hour and hitting the water in about three seconds. A few
seconds after his performance, the diver climbs through the crowd, up the
hundreds of steps from the viewing area, toweling off and laughing.
How to Get Around
Taxis are everywhere, and the most effective way to get up and down the
avenue. But arrange the price before getting in -- usually $2 to $5 in town,
$30 to get to the airport -- because there are not any meters.
I hope all this info helps, Jerry and Sandy
Please reply to
jerry@spady.com
I will not receive if you reply to this email
Jerry Spady Cell 772 919-1290
Sandy Cell 772 919-1280 Spanish & English
jerry@spady.com Email only here
http://www.acapulco-villa-rental.com
http://www.acapulcosunset.com
http://www.acapulcoluxuryrentals.com (Agents)
http://www.acapulcohoneymoon.com
http://www.lostriverisland.com
http://www.spady.com Dealership
http://www.sandraspady.com (You can have special parties @ Casa Iguana)