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Ritz Acapulco

Acapulco, Mexico

4.2(8,009 reviews)

Family

Ritz Acapulco is an independent 251-room all-inclusive in two towers on Playa Hornos, mid-bay on the Costera, with no tie to Ritz-Carlton and a website that is Spanish only. It is built for Mexican family travel: a buffet with drinks included, three pools, a kids' club, and a show every night at 21:30 in the Salon Teatro de las Estrellas, at Bar Maritas or on the sand. Every room faces the bay, fully or partially, and that view is the reason to stay here. It was also one of the first hotels on the beach back in business after Hurricane Otis, reopening December 15, 2023 with remodelled rooms when the city had only a handful of beachfront hotels taking guests.

Things to Know

Site Not in English

Traveler Insights

Pros

+Directly on the sand in the middle of Acapulco Bay, at Costera Miguel Aleman 159 on the Playa Hornos stretch, with all 251 rooms in two towers facing the water with full or partial bay views
+Three separate pools that actually serve different guests: an adults-only pool, a family pool with a shallow splash section, and a children's pool with play features
+A kids' club for ages 4 to 10 that runs two sessions a day, 9:30 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:00, plus babysitting bookable for a fee, which is rare at this price in Acapulco
+A different show every night from 21:30 to 22:30 in the Salon Teatro de las Estrellas, at Bar Maritas or on the beach; the entertainment and live music are what guests on traveler forums and booking sites praise most
+High-speed Wi-Fi throughout the property is included, not just in the lobby
+The all-inclusive is genuinely all-in for food and drink: the Villalinda buffet serves breakfast 7:00 to 11:00, lunch 13:00 to 16:00 and dinner 19:00 to 22:00 with wine, beer, cocktails and aguas frescas included, and the Snack La Fiesta palapa on the beach does burgers, hot dogs and hot snacks from 13:00 to 18:00
+One of the first hotels on the bay to come back after Hurricane Otis: it reopened December 15, 2023 with remodelled rooms, when only four beachfront hotels in the city had rooms to sell

Cons

−No connection whatsoever to the Ritz-Carlton brand; it is an independent hotel with a Spanish-only website, and the name still misleads people who book expecting a luxury chain
−The activity program is low-key: beach walks, calisthenics, aqua aerobics, water polo, beach and pool volleyball, dance classes and a kayak tour when the sea allows. There are no jet skis, windsurfing, catamaran sailing or diving on the hotel's published list; anything motorised is a beach vendor at your own cost
−Dining is buffet-only. Villalinda is the one restaurant and it keeps set windows, so dinner is 19:00 to 22:00 and the beach snack bar closes at 18:00; there are no a la carte restaurants to rotate through on a week-long stay
−The rooms were remodelled for the December 2023 reopening but the towers are old, and guests on booking sites still report wear, maintenance lapses and uneven housekeeping
−Street noise: the hotel fronts the Costera, so lower floors and street-facing rooms hear buses and traffic
−The U.S. State Department advisory for the state of Guerrero is Level 4, Do Not Travel, as of its August 11, 2026 update, and it bars U.S. government employees from Acapulco by name; check what that does to your travel insurance before booking
−Acapulco itself is still rebuilding after Otis in October 2023 and John in September 2024; expect construction along the Costera and businesses that have not come back, and treat the hotel as a comfortable bubble rather than a base for wandering
−Late dinners are loud: the nightly show starts at 21:30 in the theater, at Bar Maritas or on the beach while the buffet is still serving, so a quiet dinner means eating early

The practical experience is simple and consistent. The Villalinda buffet runs breakfast 7:00 to 11:00, lunch 13:00 to 16:00 and dinner 19:00 to 22:00, with wine, beer, cocktails and aguas frescas on the house, and the Snack La Fiesta palapa on the beach covers burgers and hot dogs from 13:00 to 18:00; there is no a la carte restaurant. The three pools are the best-designed part of the property: adults-only, family with a shallow splash area, and a children's pool with play features. The kids' club takes ages 4 to 10 in two daily sessions, and high-speed Wi-Fi is included throughout the hotel. Activities are gentle, with kayak tours when the sea allows, aqua aerobics, water polo, volleyball and dance classes; there is no jet-ski, windsurf, catamaran or dive program. Rooms are clean enough but old, and the Costera brings traffic noise to the lower floors.

This is for families who want the bay, a pool for every age and a show every night at a domestic-market price, and for anyone who wants to see Acapulco's La Quebrada divers, about 4 km away, without paying resort-chain rates. The caveat is the destination: the U.S. State Department rates the whole state of Guerrero Level 4, Do Not Travel, as of August 11, 2026, naming Acapulco, and the city is still rebuilding after two hurricanes. Travelers comfortable with that, who stay in the hotel zone and use hotel-arranged tours, generally report a good time; those who are not should look at Pacific alternatives outside Guerrero such as Puerto Vallarta or Huatulco.

Common Questions

Is this hotel related to Ritz-Carlton at all?

No. Ritz Acapulco is an independent hotel with no affiliation to Ritz-Carlton, Marriott or any luxury group, and it has traded under its own name on the Costera for decades. Its website is in Spanish only. Set expectations for a solid, old-school Mexican family all-inclusive on the beach, not a luxury-brand property.

Is Acapulco safe to visit right now?

The honest answer is that the U.S. State Department disagrees with going. Its Mexico advisory, updated August 11, 2026, puts the state of Guerrero at Level 4, Do Not Travel, for terrorism, crime and kidnapping, and bars U.S. government employees from any part of the state, naming Acapulco, Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo and Taxco. The tourist strip along the Costera, where the Ritz sits, keeps a working tourism infrastructure, and guests who stay in the hotel, use hotel-arranged tours and skip independent nighttime exploration generally report feeling fine. Read the current advisory yourself, and check whether your travel insurance pays out in a Level 4 destination before you book.

How do you get to see the La Quebrada cliff divers?

La Quebrada is about 4 km from the hotel on the old-town side of the bay, and the easy route is a hotel-arranged city tour that includes it. The divers resumed in early December 2023 after a 45-day pause for Hurricane Otis, with admission reported at about 100 pesos for adults and less for children; there are several shows a day and the evening ones are the famous torch-lit dives. Go in daylight the first time if you want to see the divers reading the waves, then come back at night.

What is included, and what activities are there?

Meals and drinks at the Villalinda buffet, the beach snack palapa from 13:00 to 18:00, high-speed Wi-Fi throughout, the pools, loungers and umbrellas, the kids' club, the daily activity program and the 21:30 show. The published activities are beach walks, calisthenics, aqua aerobics, water polo, beach and pool volleyball, dance classes, contests and a kayak tour that depends on sea conditions. Anything motorised on the beach is sold by independent operators, not the hotel. Valet parking, laundry, the doctor and babysitting cost extra.

How is the pool setup for families versus couples?

Three pools, each with a job. The family pool has a shallow splash section for small children, a separate children's pool has play features, and the adults-only pool is the escape for couples and anyone traveling without kids. The kids' club runs 9:30 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:00 for ages 4 to 10, which is when the family side quiets down. Couples should know that the family areas set the tone of the whole hotel; the adults' pool is a refuge, not the default atmosphere.