fay637

Which city on the west side of Mexico would you recommend? Would love to hear from those who have been to all 3

Eastbay1K

You should absolutely not consider Acapulco. It is not safe, and this is not "alarmist" not safe. Many Mexican nationals are avoiding vacation visits.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-m...-idUSKBN1KB0TZ

Even bread deliveries are affected.

jaymar01

Completely agree about Acapulco. Even Jason Bourne would have reservations about travelling there.

With regards to Cabo vs. Puerto Vallarta.....
For the same hotel quality, Puerto Vallarta is cheaper.
The town is cuter. Downtown has been transformed in recent years with cobblestone streets, the old Cathedral, and historic architecture.
Great views of the PV bay from the hills that surround the city.

With all that said...unless I snag an incredible hotel deal in PV, I always go to Cabo.
Outside of the summer/early fall months you get a dry heat in Cabo.
The coastal Mexican cities (Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa and Acapulco) are far more humid.

There's also a very stark beauty about Cabo. It's a desert environment, and you get a very blue sea.
Cabo has a bit of a Greek island/Mediterranean Sea vibe about it.

Eastbay1K

Funny you mention that now. I'm in Northern Israel right now and was on a ride that reminded me of Cabo earlier today.

JDiver

My family began going to Acapulco before there was a road (my uncle Ricardo had a light aircraft - he turned down cheap beachfront property that turned out to be Caleta Beach), and visited often over the years.

We wouldn’t touch it with a ten meter pole right now. Unsafe: though they attempt to provide security at the best resorts, there’s some spillover. Corruption is on a massive scale. Health issues cabn occur as well, particularly in the rainy season when overflows and flooding occur, releasing sewerage that also contaminates the bay.

Puerto Vallarta area and Cabo San Lucas are safer, though I’d not travel too far out of the greater Puerto Vallarta area. That’s what my family members do.

germ65

Of the three (and I have visited all of them), Acapulco is by far the most beautiful. Too bad about the current conditions, and I agree I would avoid it, although you would probably be fine. Acapulco is now mostly visited by Mexico City residents given its proximity. This makes it a more authentic destination than the other two (especially Cabo), where everything is geared towards satisfying the Yankee tourists. Also, Acapulco is an old tourist destination. Tourism from the U.S. peaked in the 50s and 60s. This gives it a very special feeling that I like. It's very pleasant in winter.

Cabo is the one that has developed most recently. It has the rugged beauty and dry climate of the Baja. However, the two towns are excessively touristy, and the stretch between them is an endless sequel of resorts. Not something I am attracted to. Once you leave town, most roads except main roads are unpaved. Safety-wise, it's between Acapulco and PV. Some episodes of violence have happened in the last two years.

Puerto Vallarta is by far the safest. It's one of the safest places I ever visited. The nice part is that the city itself is not entirely taken over by tourism. That is, it maintains a bit of Mexican culture. You have a choice to stay close to downtown or in one of the resorts along the coast. It is hot in the summer (but with great thunderstorms!). Best visited in winter.

JDiver

Missing from this mix is Zihuatanejo (pretty different from nearby Ixtapa). It’s definitely worth considering.

RFNJ

I don't know why you are all running down Acapulco. I have been there a bunch of time, most recently for a month in July, with no issues whatsoever. The reality is that with the exception of Puerto Vallarta, no place is really insulated from the issues. As for saying even the Mexicans aren't going down there, that's a crock. I am over by Caleta & Caletilla and the beaches were packed 2-3 umbrellas deep every day, with buses from Mexico City hogging all the parking.
All three places have their charm, and all three are worth visiting, all are different experiences. If security is going to be your overarching concern, go to Puerto Vallarta.

eponymous_coward

I bailed on going to Zihuatanejo this winter for PV in part because of posts like this:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29282730-post71.html

I originally wanted to do Zihuatanejo because I've gone through something slow and grueling and wanted a warm place with no memory, like someone else of note.


But "yeah, my relatives who speak the language and have considerable local knowledge won't go there any more" is a for me.

But I found a cute place in PV for $55 a night on Hotwire immediately after Christmas, nonrefundable (it won't be fancy but I mostly want cheap, cheerful and local) and got plane tickets for PVR-MEX to spend a few days there too before going back on an AS award ticket (MEX-DFW-SEA, plus bonus PHX one way ticket during baseball spring training- nice to get two different one ways on a one way booking).

Is it really different from a few months ago? I think the cake is baked on my current trip but I could see going there on another trip if it's safer. I enjoyed Cabo and being outside the Zona Hotelera in Cancun on my previous Mexico trips.

JDiver

The post you linked to says nothing negative about Zihuatanejo.

Puerto Vallarta and environment seem fairly safe. Some out of the way areas in the mountains may not be.

eponymous_coward

Am I misunderstanding this?

"My family used to holiday in Acapulco abd Zihuatanejo. And we’d be careful, drive only during the day, etc. Most recently, they’d fly from MEX to Zihuatanejo to enjoy their Ixtapa condo. They’ve dumped the condo."

RFNJ

PV is by far the safest of the big beach resorts in Mexico. How long that lasts depends on how long the ruling cartel (CJNG) lasts. Acapulco was safe until Beltran Leyva blew up. Cancun/PDC was safe until Los Zetas fractured. Cabo was safe until the Sinaloa Cartel was partially decapitated.
CJNG is for the time being probably the most powerful cartel in the country, but that never seems to last very long. But until CJNG breaks up, PV should continue to be safe.

eponymous_coward

This is what I gathered from all of that...

JDiver

* Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación – CJNG), a transnational criminal organization that has expanded its power and control fairly rapidly. They have antitank weapons including RPGs.

Acapulco and the state of Guerrero have been safer during some previous tim s, but in recent decades I’d say “safe” might not quite fit.

marilau6

I traveled to mexico with Yoplan, they gave me a tour in The Riviera Maya and was amazing because their attention was always in. I could dive in Cozumel and made yoga on the beach