Asian Style in Acapulco! Banyan Tree Cabo Marques

Have you ever been totally happy just to stay put in your hotel?

That was our experience recently at the Banyan Tree Cabo Marques in Acapulco.

We’d booked the Banyan Tree – one of the best Acapulco resorts – for a couple of days following a cruise that ended (for us) in Acapulco.

Banyan Tree Cabo Marques

After sailing from Vancouver, we’d called in at San Francisco (where we huffed and puffed up and down hills from the Embarcadero to Telegraph Hill and everywhere in between).

We then visited Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea and cruised expedition-style for several days in the Sea of Cortez (snorkeling, hiking and zipping off on Zodiac excursions).

We disembarked in Acapulco, where we made a beeline for the Banyan Tree, Acapulco, hotel.

Will Acapulco’s star rise again?

But before we get into our Banyan Tree review, let’s talk a little about Acapulco.

Part of the reason for feeling no urge to explore beyond our hotel was because of what we’d seen on the taxi drive from the Acapulco port to our hotel. Boarded-up shops. Empty beaches.

It all looked a little, well, down-at-the-heel.

It was sad, really, because Acapulco Bay itself is stunning in its natural beauty – green jungle-clad hillsides cascading down to a dazzling sea.

Maybe there’ll be an opportunity to revisit Acapulco again in future and spend some time exploring the resort city? Sometimes first impressions aren’t the right ones.

Having enjoyed the Diego Rivera Museum in Guanajuato, we’d love to see Diego Rivera’s mosaics at Casa de los Vientos.

(We’ve only read about this art museum and cultural center in Acapulco, once the home of Rivera’s one-time mistress, Dolores Olmedo.)

One of the best hotels in Acapulco

But back to the hotel and our Banyan Tree Cabo Marques review…

The bigger reason for not wanting to venture out was because the Banyan Tree is just so darn gorgeous.

Tucked away within the affluent gated Diamonte area, this luxury hotel in Acapulco boasts 45 deluxe villas, all with private pools.

The smallest villas are 2,000 square feet in size!

From our pool, perched high up above the bay – with a smashing ocean view, by the way – we watched squawking parrots in the trees above us and feasted our eyes on fiery orange sunsets.

Sometimes a hotel buggy would whisk us to the resort’s main infinity pool, also with a drop-dead ocean view.

There’s also a more intimate pool nestled by rocks washed by waves at the bottom of the cliff (where there’s a great lunch restaurant too).

And speaking of food, we drank lychee martinis and ate delicately spiced Thai delicacies at the resort’s signature Saffron restaurant.

Why would we want to leave?

Is Acapulco safe?

Yes, you should be cautious if deciding to visit Acapulco. It’s hard to ignore the city’s high murder rate. But the violence is mainly drug cartel focused.

You’re not likely to get into harm staying at the Cabo Marques hotel though.