From San Diego, Our First Destination was Acapulco

We were having a cold spell in San Diego with highs of around 50 degrees F. Two days later it was beautiful and 86 degrees F.

Compared to many cities in Mexico, Acapulco has wealth that shows in its buildings and lifestyle. I thought to myself, "I could live and be happy in this Mexican city". Being a San Diego, CA resident, that is saying something.

In Acapulco we went on the Jet Boat Tour

I like speed! This tour delivered. We left the ship and a van was waiting for us and drove us for 20 minutes along the beach route through the city to the mangroves. It was a pleasant experience.

If you like action then this is for you! The driver is highly skilled making high speed turns and spin outs.

Weaving through the mangroves

It takes a lot of skill and experience to drive a jet boat through these mangroves. Our driver did not miss even once - luckily for us or we would have been eating leaves and branches.

There are many interesting things to see in the mangroves too, such as the wildlife.

One of my favorite features of this tour is that it is tax deductible because it is a business expense.

Wildlife

Ok, this is not the wildlife you were thinking of, but it is Mexico. There really is a lot of wildlife to see in the mangroves; birds, reptiles, and more.

A fishing village called Zihuatanejo

I took this picture from our cruise ship balcony. Zihuatanejo (pronounced Z what ten a ho) is a quaint town with many small shops and a nice beach.

The cruise ship shuttle boats took us back and forth to the dock.

Zihuatanejo - entering the town

The shuttle boat dropped us off at he dock and it was a very short walk (about 200 feet) to the area to meet up with our tour guide.

We were going to ride horses through a small village on a coconut plantation and along the beach.

The horse ride on the beach tour

After about a 20 minute van ride to the ranch in Zihuatanejo, we were given some instruction and a horse to ride.

Those that preferred the city took a short ride North to Ixtapa.

The beach was beautiful

As you can see, the beach was deserted! The only others for miles happened to be another tour on ATV's.

Being on a beach that is not loaded with others is a unique experience.

The horses like trotting in the water if you let them, and if you do, plan on getting splashed.

After the horse ride

After completing our ride we gathered in a covered area with tables and chairs. The ranch owner gave us some drinks and a nice gift.

His new puppy had a good time chewing our shoe laces.

Our stateroom

Our ship, the Carnival Spirit, was built in 2001 and beautifully decorated in art deco styling. This picture was after room service which is included at no extra charge 24 hours a day.

And yes, I did gain a few pounds. The food was excellent.

We saved over $650 on our cruise fares alone!

I've put this web site together so you can see how we travel wholesale or below wholesale and that it is real, not just some come on to sell you a more expensive vacation.

Here is the PROOF of prices when we booked this trip.