I just wrote a huge, detailed review and then my computer decided to delete it. So, here is the overview:

Food: Its OK. I never went hungry, decent selection, nothing spectacular. Nobody that I met at the resort ended up with travellers sickness, which I know can be common in Mexico. Definitly go to the A La Carte restaurant- the food is AH-MAZING.

Pool: Not small, not old. Never had any trouble finding a pool or beach chair. We preferred laying here as pool chairs are comfier than beach chairs, beach sand made lounging there hotter,and the pool had activities that are fun to do/watch.

Resort: Not the newest, not run down though. Great location on the beach. Nice (small) roped off area on the beach where merchants can not come (though they will come to the ropes). Resort was not very busy through the week, but crawling with weekenders from Mexico City for the 2 days.

Safety: as two 22 yr old females travelling alone, we never felt unsafe. We did our research before and knew all of the dangers. Be smart, as you would anywhere, and you should be fine. We left the resort several times for excursions or shopping and were just fine.

Excursions: Loved the City tour at the beginning of the week to get some good info and see around. Met great ppl from our resort and made friends quickly. did the 3 hr boat tour, nice sights but only spanish narration. Slight waste of time/money. Loved the Palladium night club- went with a group of about 9 guests we met and 2 staff members.

Entertainment: Not near as good quality as a cruise ship, but fun to watch and neat to see the "friends" you make (pool entertainment staff) on stage. Pool staff were GREAT and tons of fun. Most staff in the restaurant do not speak much english, but try and are so friendly- always remember you and what you want to drink, etc. We took part in daily activities like aquarobics, pool volleyball, beach volleyball, music trivia, and kayaking.

Common Tripadvisor complaints: Yes, the beds are kind of hard. Yes, Acapulco is a loud city with honking and lots of crazy drivers (nothing that kept us up at night). We found that the alcohol selection was totally sufficient, though not extensive. As college students, we found that for a cheap vacation, the pro's outweighed the con's by far and we ate better than we usually do 8 months of the year!

Highlights: Extremely friendly and fun staff, the friends you meet at the resort, staff dressing up in ridiculous outfits daily around the pool for laughs, Palladium nightclub, and by far the best part was waking up daily and basking in the beautiful oceanfront view from our balcony. I still have dreams about those moments.

This hotel isn't for everyone (ie: my parents with bad backs would not be able to get a good sleep here and are used to the luxury of cruise ships) but I would go back in a heartbeat and recommend it to anyone who wants an affordable, relaxing, fun and simple getaway. (of any age)

No time to get wordy.. but what a piece of s*&t stay?!
Food - Horrible
Drinks - Disgusting (all made out of the cheapest brands possible)
Rooms - Old
Pool - Tiny! PACKED with local Mexicans and their loud obnoxious kids..

Bottom line.. we RAN first thing in the morning and moved to Princess - which was a totally different level hotel.

If you want to get away for a relaxing vacation, this is not the place to go!! It's crazy busy!! The traffic is insane!!! You are right in the city , there are so many cabs and everyone of them honk at you even the bus honks at you to see if you want a ride and getting across the street is a challenge, you have to run whenever you get a chance. We had a very tiny room with no balcony, it really sucked!!! We asked to change it, so they gave us a room with 2 double beds and a balcony with no problems, the beds are hard as a rock so don't expect comfort! Everything is in spanish hardly any english tv stations....Everyone is harassing you to buy things, especially on the beach and when we didn't buy something from one guy he got mad at us and said "See how you are" I couldn't believe it....... We bought tickets for a "tour bus" to see the city, we were waiting for a bus to arrive and two guys arrived in a van!! I honestly thought that was a joke!! Waste of money..... We went on a boat ride, the view was nice and the weather was awesome, the beach was beautiful the food was bland, whatever we ate we felt like something was missing....but i guess mexico is not known for the food.....also the drinks were horrible!!! you would think they'd have good coffee but it was nasty and the alcohol....even worse!!! Honestly if i could do it again i wouldn't go to mexico, i would go to dominican or aruba....... i've been to many hotels and this was just different and run down, if your planning on going, don't go there with high hopes..... We felt really out of place and outside the hotel no one spoke english..... it was awkward.... it would be wise to learn a few words or sentences.

Normally I don't write reviews, but given the bad publicity Acapulco is receiving, I feel the need to comment. My husband and I travel yearly to the Caribbean and/or Mexico. This year, we stayed at the Acapulco Ritz the week of 02/21-02/28/11. The hotel was very nice - listed as a 4.5 star but I would say more of a 3.5 star. The quality of food was good, though after a week, it gets redundant. The service was great! The room was basic, but clean. The beach was beautiful but the water is very rough - a strong undertow - not for weak swimmers. Even though there have been many killings there lately, we did not feel unsafe at all. Just know your limits - travel in groups - and be smart. We went off the resort daily - to the market, to restaurants, to the casino, on side trips. I wouldn't recommend renting a car - the traffic is crazy! Cabs are very inexpensive. We would definitely go again - but we did miss the blue of the Caribbean - which you don't get here.