My trip to Acapulco, was quite frankly one of the most enjoyable trips of my life! We stayed at Las Brisas. A beautiful seaside resort with panoramic views of Acapulco Bay. The steepness of its location requires motorized transport to and from the room to the lobby. And, this unique feature along with first class service; a private pool; and ample sized rooms make staying here a pleasure! Clearly what I remember the most is the incredible view from our room!
I was first introduced to Acapulco by my parents as a child. Back then in early 1970's, we would make the trek to Mexico City from our home in Hayward, California via the Interstate 5. We'd drive through California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Once we got to El Paso, Texas we'd head south through Mexico. I guess that's how I came to know towns like Flagstaff, Arizona and Albuquerque, New Mexico. And places like Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, and Guadalajara in Mexico. Once we arrived to Mexico City, the place to vacation for the locals was Acapulco on the west coast of Mexico. And this is where my parents took us!
Stuffed in a car for two-thousand miles seems impossibly cumbersome. But, I bet my folks, especially my Dad, instilled that sense of adventure in me on these trips that has stayed with me throughout my lifetime. In fact, some of my earliest memories are of incredible lightening shows in New Mexico.
They scared the wits out of me but then again I was a kid! But, Dad knew how to handle any on road situations including the wind gusts that often turned up in the open plains we encountered!
Journal Excerpt Rick Rodriguez August 31, 1997 "Our activities included deep sea fishing; a ride on the Shotover Jet, and 18 holes at Tres Vidas golf course." The day we went deep sea fishing was incredibly calm. "Jim & Donna went on the fishing trip. Our Captain was named Gregorio Roque. He's a young guy. He gave us some good insights. The ocean is a wonderful place in calm conditions. We enjoyed a beautiful day at sea. We went out about twelve miles!" Yes, and it took awhile adjusting to the idea that we were in a small boat and hours away from the shoreline; and in a relatively small boat! We did end up catching a lone sail fish, and of the boats that went out that day our boat was the only one with a raised flag; signifying a catch for the day! We gave the locals the fish and they readily lined up for their share!
Another highlight was a ride on the Shotover Jet. This little adventure is a high risk boat ride that is incredibly exhilarating. Journal excerpt "We also took a ride on the Shotover Jet. This is a high speed boat that rides over a couple of feet of water. The jet propels through the water very fast! Our driver's name was Polo: a highly skilled driver. He took us onto Rio Papagallo at incredible speeds and dangerously close to the protruding rocks at rivers edge. He showed us where parts of the movie Rambo II was filmed. It was a great experience." I'd rank this experience pretty high on the adventure spectrum. The only downside is the possibility of error by the boat driver. We had to sign a waiver stating we complied with the risks associated including kissing your butt bye bye in a crash! Yikes!!
My last treat was getting the opportunity to play the world class golf course Tres Vidas Golf course. Journal Excerpt "Tres Vidas golf course is about the best course in Acapulco (1997). I was fortunate to have played it. My caddy was named Rodolfo. A young man of twenty-three years. We had an interesting day. The highlight was a 4 iron I hit at a Par 3 into the ocean side Number 3 hole. I watched the flight of the ball as it soared to the green!" Playing golf with a caddy is always a special treat, and on this day I had a good guy. I also played on a remarkable day with very few players on the course. Perhaps, the $200 USD keeps players away but I'd certainly recommend playing here. It's the 1st course I've been to that has an Olympic size swimming pool at the clubhouse. A nice retreat after a game of golf!
