We had stayed at the Princess in '98 and were looking forward to experiencing the Princess as a Fairmont property. We were not disappointed. The perfectly manicured grounds with the most beautiful mature vegetation, the beautifully furnished rooms, and the classic architecture combined with the Fairmont service made for an unforgettable stay. The food served in the Princess' Veranda and La Hacienda restaurants, while pricey for Mexican standards, was delicious and the service was always top-notch. For airport transfers and excursions, we hired Roberto Alarcon, a native of Acapulco, who speaks fluent English. He was awaiting our delayed arrival at the airport, he took us shopping, and he gave us the most interesting and insightful city tour we could imagine.

I recently stayed at the Acapulco Princess together with my girlfriend. The hotel has a large room with a good bed. The furniture looks old and not well maintained. There are two pools (one was out of service) and the beach is good. What surprised me was to be charged 10 USD per day for the use of the gym, 20 USD for using the hotel beach beds and 10 USD if I wanted to have my car available next to the hotel (there is a parking lot 1km away from the hotel at no cost). I find this unacceptable for an hotel in this category. Additionally these costs are not mentioned in the hotel information. When I complained about this the answer I got was that they were hotel policies. If you are evaluating hotels in Acapulco be sure to include this additional costs in your calculations.

We found this facility to be a delightful venue to use as a base for our stay in Acapulco. The beautiful grounds, attentive staff and interesting decor gave us the feel of a tropical oasis and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay here with only a couple of small issues.
We highly advise that you take advantage of thePresident's Club membership available at no charge and true benefit to you. Make sure that you sign up BEFORE you arrive- it can be done by phone or e-mail- and take advantage of the benefits when you arrive. The spa discount and express check in alone make it worth your while and it only takes a few minutes before you arrive.
We were situated on the 16th floor with wonderful views of the ocean and the golf course. The room was furnished in mahogany, rataan and bamboo furnishings that we found appropriate and well-sized for the environment. Some have complained that the beds are too hard and or small, but we did not find this to be the case in our room at all. Sliding plantation shutters across the windows allow you to deermine the amount of extra light and privacy that you choose and extend the ambiance of a tropical paradise.
The bathroom is not enormous, but comfortably sized. I'm not sure if that floor is marble but it is similar stone, none the less and the counter is granite. The one quirk is that there is a hand-held shower head available to use, but getting it work properly was a bit of a challenge the first time. It is an older model that uses a slide on the main valve to operate it. Generally we did not need the additional pressure afforded by the hand-held...even on the 16th floor we had adequate pressure all but one morning.
We tried the Veranda, Chula Vista, Beach CAbana and Los Angeles eateries on site. Though my meal at the Veranda was a little disappointing as the side dishes were cold in the center and I felt the ravioli could have been more generously filled, we loved the restaurant for its atmosphere and lovely decor as well as the terrific view of the ocean while in airconditioned comfort.
Chula Vista food was delicious, but the birds are a distraction and we would suggest that the management try to find a humane way to deter the pests...perhaps one of those ultrasonic devices that ward away pests but humans can't hear it...
Cabana food was delicious each time we ate there.
Recommend that everyone spend one day on the beach in a cabana tent enjoying the ocean with exceptional service from the attendants Guillermo and Oscar. For $20 US in food and drink service, the cabana is free and it is easy to accumulate this just by ordering lunch and a beverage.
The beach vendors were a nuisance at times as there are so few people at the resort now so they "hit" on you frequently. We found that "no, gracias" usually sent them away easily, but not for too long. If you sit on the inside rows of cabanas, this isn't a problem.
The time of year is not the best, so there are some services/restaurants unavailable at this time, which is unfortunate and it would be helpful if the management would make clear what is closed in a more public way. We planned to dine at LaHacienda one evening only to find it closed on arrival.But, VErandaturned out to be just fine, so we weren't inconvenienced.
Take advantage of the chance to use the Pierre Marque's facilities as well- this sister facility is smaller than the Princess and cozier in ambience. We ate at the Pierre Bar one night and it was good.
The main thing you need to know is that if you plan to go off site, it will cost you about $30 US round trip just for transportation. Plan 20-25% of your trip budget to accommodate transportation to town for activities if you planto go more than once or twice.
The only real negatives that I would say need attention are the painting of the rooms and the cleaning of the exterior where the sludge from the flowerboxes has accumulated. Updating is needed throughout, but In my opinion that is not reason to downgrade this wonderful hotel - over modernization would spoil the charm.

We were sorely disappointed after our stay here, as we had high expectations for two reasons: the good reviews on this site and the fact that it was a Fairmont Hotel. Slapping Fairmont decals everywhere, adding the Fairmont logo to the letterhead and putting Fairmont robes in the rooms do not a Fairmont Hotel make.

The expansive property does have much to offer in the way of many pools with waterfalls, waterslides for kids (and the young of heart), many restaurants, most featuring buffet-style dinners, and large grounds that make it easy to spend a week with the family and not wish to go anywhere else. Also, there are high quality golf courses on the property that we did not explore, but that looked amazing and would be a strong attraction for many.

For us, a couple looking for a nice hotel with Fairmont quality amenities, it was not a good fit. From the start, things went wrong. We had problems every day ... a mix-up on rooms at first so after much wrangling we got a different room, that was larger but contained beat-up and old furnishings; the next night, a sales convention party outside in a public pool area continued playing music on speakers (easily heard in the rooms facing the pool) until 12:30 am; a room service order that was completely wrong; busted air conditioning in our room; and finally, my favorite story -- while lounging poolside one day, being the object of a candid camera-style prank that was captured on video camera. Only after complaining to poolside security (who had watched the whole thing) did it turn out that the camera guys were there for yet another sales convention group and had mistaken us for one of them. Scared the bejusus out of me and did not make for a relaxing afternoon by the pool.

We were not impressed by the food options, although there are a few restaurants to choose from. We are not a fan of the buffet-style dinner -- this may be why. Our favorite meals on the property were lunch at the Beach Club -- great options, lots of seafood, good prices, great service. Dinners were subpar. Our best meal was had at the sister property down the road, which we will review elsewhere.

We would not return to this hotel; we would try out the sister property down the road, the Fairmont Pierre Margues. Did not see the rooms but the property and the furnishings we did see were clearly Fairmont quality and taste. However, we know that this hotel fits many needs and has a lot to offer for families or groups traveling together.