Hotel El Presidente Acapulco

It's a shame the hotel has been left in such poor shape. It used to be my family's first choice in Acapulco and a nice experience, but if this doesn't change, we'll probably stop coming. This was our third stay and the worst one yet. The reception and valet staff were friendly and did a fine job, but our room was a different story. It was generally dirty and smelled like a dirty mop. The old air conditioner wouldn't cool the room down, so we were hot day and night. We were given a wifi password but couldn't connect, and there was no safe for valuables. The location and view are lovely, but not worth what we're paying. The hotel needs maintenance, and they charge for parking too.

The sea view doesn't make up for how poorly maintained this place is, especially at this price. The air conditioning runs loudly nonstop, the towels and linens are old and dirty, there's no hot water, and the TV doesn't work. The rooms look nothing like the photos. I wouldn't pay by card, since refunds seem impossible. They wouldn't even let us see the room before paying. Now I understand why, I would've run straight back out.

I stayed here in 1988, and it was already a dump. The reviews suggest nothing has changed. The bathrooms seem to have been added after the original building, which may once have had a shared bathroom on each floor. They looked just as funky then as they do now. The rooms appear to have had a coat of paint once or twice in all that time, and "gross" hardly covers it. Calling this a two-star hotel is generous, probably because it's on Condesa Beach.

We spent December 18-25, 2022 in a Miramar Suite, six of us including five family members. The suite was huge, with lots of glass, a wraparound balcony, great beach and ocean views, and a firm, comfortable mattress. Most employees were helpful and kind, though a couple of Adam Henrys caused problems. The hotel is right on the beach, but the water isn't great for swimming or for little kids. The place is old and neglected. We had no hot water all week, the safe didn't work, and the WiFi signal was hard to find, though TelCel 5G worked well. We got one key card for six people, and there's no parking on site. Getting the car back from the valet could take 10-30 minutes. There were hardly any outlets, none by the bed, and the switches made little sense. One by the bedroom door did nothing, while one beside the bed controlled the TV. The furniture had damaged drawers, the walls had humidity stains, some doors didn't fit, and tiles were missing. The walls were bare, and the TV only got over-the-air channels, no cable. I killed a big cockroach one morning, and after housekeeping came that evening, it was still sitting in plain sight on the white tile. We needed the two sofa beds, but there were no sheets for them. The maid who came to make them up seemed a little crazy and kept talking about being in a love triangle with Gerardo Ortiz and Paulina Rubio. We also bought our own towels to use on the bathroom floor because there were no bath mats. The no outside food or drink rule was petty and frustrating, especially since there's no room service. We were stopped from bringing in tortas we'd just bought, while other people walked in with pizza. You can get around the rule by hiding things in a backpack or beach bag, or coming in from the beach or pool side where nobody watches the entrance.