Las Brisas Acapulco

I loved the setting between Diamante and Condesa, and checkout at noon was a nice bonus. This classic, historic hotel sits on a hillside, so every room looks out over the bay. It's full of character and very well kept, with spacious rooms even at the lower price points. Each group of two or three casitas shares a small semi-private pool. They also leave sweet bread and coffee in little compartments by the door each morning, a really cozy touch. The recently renovated beach club is gorgeous. Its natural saltwater pool has lots of fish and is great for snorkeling, and there's also a freshwater pool with fantastic views. I thought the value was excellent. The beach club hours were my one gripe. It opens at 10am and closes at 5pm, but the bar and restaurant don't serve until noon. Before then, you can't even get coffee or a glass of water down there, which is inconvenient.

I usually don't like going into the ocean, but my boyfriend brought me here knowing that. The private beach made it feel safe and enjoyable for me this time. Everyone was helpful, and the food and drinks were delicious. I'd especially recommend the shrimp burger.

The hotel and staff are great, and watching the parrots fly by is lovely. Mornings were especially nice with the complimentary coffee and fresh-tasting baked treats that seemed locally made. The coffee could be stronger, though, and it would be nice if they sold local beans. The Beach Club was great too. Drinks cost a lot, but seemed reasonable. We had the cheaper champagne bottle, though I forgot its name, and the Tamarindo margaritas on the rocks were excellent. The food was great, and when we asked for a dish to be spicier, the servers and chefs delivered. The rooms are starting to show their age. A few straightforward upgrades could make this a top destination, especially with that amazing view of El Puerto y Bahia de Santa Lucia. Our private pool had so many loose tiles on the bottom that they could cause an injury. I know maintaining a small tiled pool is hard, but it needs attention. They could modernize and maybe add infinity edge pools, or a hot tub where there's room outside. I don't know if other rooms have ants, but ours had them everywhere, on the luggage, the freshly made bed, and the towels. They didn't seem to bite, so we just swept them away with a towel. Still, nighttime tickling isn't exactly the service you'd expect at las brisas, though perhaps you get a courtesy one. The mini fridges should be replaced with ones that have temperature controls. My wine fridge gets colder, so don't expect water or wine to stay at the right temperature. My only other complaint was renting aquatic gear. The woman there was a bit unhelpful. She'd run out of anti-fog spray for the snorkeling mask and didn't offer a solution, like getting more.

We stayed three nights for a wedding at the hotel. The terrace dinner for the wedding was outstanding, and the food was good. The Sunday brunch, though, was nowhere near worth 550 pesos per person. You're definitely paying for the view, and I wouldn't recommend that brunch. The hotel feels dated and needs some upgrades. The only room left had a private pool, which was quite a treat, though the pool needed work. I also liked having coffee delivered automatically to the room with a few sweet breads, so we could enjoy the view from the private pool area.