Always Have a Backup Plan

The drive to Acapulco started out like most of our other Mexico drives – figuring out how to get out of a city (sometimes taking a wrong turn or back-tracking a bit because of the traffic patterns that we aren’t used to) followed by stretches of highway dotted with small towns. This drive was particularly beautiful, though, because the road was along the ocean for a good while!

Acapulco used to be a top destination for celebrities in the 50’s and 60’s, but as soon as we entered the city, we could tell it has not maintained its posh reputation. The problem with cities based largely on a touristic economy is that when the tourism goes away, so does the income, and the people living there are left to figure out what to do. Everywhere we looked as we drove through the city were dilapidated and run-down hotels. You could see how it was once a beautiful and thriving city, and it definitely still had the hustle and bustle of a big city.

We drove through the city – again navigating crazy traffic patterns and buses that just stop in the middle of the road – to get to our Air BnB. The first location that Google Maps took us to was a very industrial area with lots of construction… this didn’t look right at all. So we recalibrated and tried again. Same result. The problem is that Mexico doesn’t really use addresses like in the US, so the numbers identifying what address you are at sometimes don’t exist or aren’t easy to see. And street signs are optional for most of the towns we’ve seen, so we really rely on Google Maps. Luckily, Nikk and I are pretty savvy travelers by now, so we start driving down the street in the opposite way that Google Maps says to go, and lo-and-behold – our Air BnB! We pull in, happy to see private parking, and I go to the front desk to check in (this particular Air BnB is a condo inside a hotel-type property, so there is front desk staff). The kind woman at the desk gives us our key and two towels (weird…) and a gentleman says to follow him to get to our room. We start walking with him and he takes us between two buildings to the back of the complex (weirder…) and we finally arrive. The room is at the very back in a section that looks like it hasn’t seen human inhabitants in a good 20 years. I’m immediately uncomfortable. Nikk isn’t happy that Chivo (and all of our life’s possessions inside of it) is so far away. We walk in and the place looks okay… but… you know how an empty room in the basement has a musty smell?… yeah that smell was there. And then there were bugs. Now, we are starting to travel further south in the world, so bugs are pretty common and you just have to be used to it. But I killed three or four the second we walked in. Nikk asked me if I wanted to leave. I said I didn’t know. Then I found a bug in the bed and killed it. Nikk said he found a hotel on his Marriott app that wasn’t too expensive. We exchanged a look and he knew to book it. Then we booked it out of that Air BnB. If there’s one thing we’ve learned on this trip, it is that you can’t get hung up on plans – they change as quickly as busses stop in the middle of the road!

You know how I always say everything happens for a reason? Well we were absolutely MEANT to be at the Hotel Boca Chica! This adorable boutique hotel on the bay in Acapulco was a dream come true! As soon as we arrived, the lovely woman at the reception desk could see that we were distraught, so she offered us a shot of tequila! That’s a Mexican welcome if I’ve ever seen one! Then she upgraded us to a Suite! We walked up to our room where we had our own private balcony, overlooking the bay, with a hammock and table and chairs. The two main walls inside had floor-to-ceiling windows with shutters that could be opened to allow the sea breeze in, but screened so that the bugs would stay out! Everything was perfect and our moods immediately improved.

Since it was still early afternoon, we decided to take a quick dip in the pool, so headed down with Bosco in tow. Once again he was happy as a clam to be water-side. I think we’ve taught him well! We had a couple of margaritas pool-side and then headed back up to our Suite.

The hotel had a nice restaurant onsite so we decided to not leave the property and have dinner there. Their head chef is Japanese so the menu had some very interesting Mexican-Japanese combinations. We started with some seared Ahi tuna that was seasoned perfectly! Then we each had a fish dish – mine over Udon noodles and Nikk’s over rice. Both were delicious! As the sun set, we ordered a couple more drinks and the server brought over a candle for our table. It was a great end to a challenging day.