I agree with the last review. My sister and I visited on February 24th and we were reluctant to leave the bus as well. I normally travel to 5* hotels, so this was really showing as a 2*. The room was okay, a little nervous because we were two girls and the room did not have a dead bolt, but we did not ever have any problems. We lived out of our suitcases all week and kept them locked when not in the room. The water worked in the bathroom, the airconditioning worked and there were no bugs in our room. It was a convenient location to Walmart (for water), the beach (across the street) and central to most of the bars and restaurants. This hotel is like a Melrose Place, a small community, where you get to know the guests and the staff. The food got better as the week went on and the french toast is awesome, no syrup required!

We met so many great people and partied at Copacabana during the day and wherever the tour companies were going at night. Being the beginning of Spring Break, there was a lot of activity. However, the bars charge full price to women and men, anywhere from $28 - 40 U.S., which includes all of your drinks. You should be able to take a bug taxi for $1U.S. or 10 peso's up and down the strip and that includes to the clubs. The locals really try to rip you off, negotiate, negotiate! When coming home from the clubs though, expect to pay $5U.S. We went to Mango's for dinner and it was a beautiful place to eat and the only real food I had the whole trip. My sister is 19 and I am 32 and we had a blast together and the disco's were awesome. Must visit Palladium at least once and stay until 4:30am for all of the shows. The hotel was better than initially thought, looks can be deceiving and at least we could go for a swim after the disco, unlike most of the other hotels!

Seeing the hotel from the road, I was reluctant to get off the tourbus and check-in. The hotel looked like a disaster from the outside, and seeing the washroom in our suite for the first time - I was ready to check-out.

Thankfully, the rest of the suite was decent, and the service at the hotel was good. We requested a room change and were given a slightly better room at no cost. Food was excellent as it was always fresh and sometimes even cooked right before you :) Drinks are drinks - I stuck to the Corona which was nice and cold (a great thing in the heat of Acapulco).

The hotel is not located at the beach - you first have to cross a road which reminded me of the 401 in Ontario :) Although this is a bit of a pain, the hotel is fortunate to be close to the centre of Acapulco. Depending on what you're looking for, different beaches are suited for various needs. If you're looking to party, try the Copabana Hotel. If looking for something more secluded, take a yellow/white cab for 10 pesos to Playa Marquis.

Also, be wary of leaving valuables in the hotel. A couple we met while staying there had 1000 pesos stolen from their room, in addition to the key to their safe! I had no problems with the staff though.

All in all, the hotel is of good value. You get what you pay for, and considering the food at the hotel, it's not a bad deal! Further, the beach is public for all to use, so if you're ok with a 5 min. walk, you'll be ok.

Also - general rule in Mexico: never EVER pay what they ask for...always divide by 2 (in some cases more)....especially with taxis.

My husband and I went to Acapulco for the first time this year. We stayed at the El Tropicano. The outside of the place is nothing to look at but the gardens on the inside of the hotel are nice. The rooms were clean...a tip, if you can, get a room on the left side of the building, these rooms are better maintained than the right side (or so it seemed to us). The food here was not bad, and the staff and drinks were great. The location of this place was awesome....right in the heart of the action.

My husband and I loved Acapulco. You can relax on secluded beaches or party all night...it has it all. One thing I would not recommend(unless you love silver and want to get it at a good price), is going to Taxco. It's a silver mining town that's 31/2 to 4 hours away. It was a neat place to see but we wasted a whole day driving to and from Taxco.
Other than that, our trip was a great time and we plan to go back as soon as possible.

When you pull up to El Tropicano, it doesnt look like the other beautiful hotels that you see on your travel. You go inside to the lobby and when you look onto the grounds it reminded my sister and I of Melrose place. It was a cute little hotel located downtown so it was close to bars and the beach. The only bad thing I have to say about this hotel is that the bathrooms arent that nice but other than that it was a great for the money. The food wasnt that good but sometimes it was. The staff were great. It was a nice place to stay because it is so close knit. We ended up partying with all the young people that stayed in that hotel which was really nice. There wasnt any bugs in our room and it was really clean when we arrived. If you could request a room, ask for the second or third floor to the right or left of the second pool. I had room 514 and a couple of my friends staying there had the opposite side of me and they were nice. Also the hotel is located right beside Wal Mart which is 24 hours and VIPS, a restaurant also open late but the food isnt really that good (dont order the enchilada)!

Here are some tips:
Do not pay anymore than 10 pesos for a cab ride when going anywhere on the strip, which includes all the bars; palldium, maderas, disco beach, baby lobsters. There are two bars in walking distance of this hotel, baby o's and el albrises ( i think thats how you spell it).

Try to take the bugs because they are more likely to accept your offer than the nissan sentras. BARGAIN UNTIL YOU GET IT. Also, give them the money as you get in because they try and up the price when you get out...this happened to us twice. If you would like anymore information, you can email me or add me on msn...phat_n_fine69@hotmail.com.

One more thing, the beach that is close to the hotel is not that good, so I suggest taking a trip to Coleta beach. It is beautiful. Also, since this was spring break, if you like to party with rowdy people, Copa Cabana is the place to be during the day. They have amazing entertainment while you lay by the pool and get a sweet tan. This hotel is about a 20 minute walk from El Tropicano. I would walk along the beach because you get better sun and its easier to get to. It's the big yellow building.

For clubs, it costs anywhere from $20-$40 american to get in. Tuesday and Thursday is ladies night at Palladium which costs like $8.00 american. Wednesday night is ladies night at Manderas. The reason why it is soo expensive is that its open bar all night...the bars dont close until 5:00am. So what we did was have a siesta (a nap) until like 10:30-11:00pm and then got ready and went out at 12:00am, which is when it usually starts getting busy. It will cost a bit more for a cab ride back because its late but I think we paid 20 pesos at the most. Offer your lowest and dont go until you find someone who will do it for that price.

Restaurants:
You have to go to Mango's. Excellent food and a beautiful setting.
Los Tacos has great tacos.

Have fun and remember these tips! It's stuff that we learned while we were there!

I went on February 24 and got back on March 3, 2005, and it was the best time of my life. It was really good weather too!