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Avenida Costera Miguel Alemán hugs the Bahía de Acapulco from the Carretera Escénica (Scenic Highway) in the east to Playa Caleta (Caleta Beach) in the southwest—a distance of about 8 km (5 miles). Most of the major beaches, shopping malls, and hotels are along or off this avenue, and locals refer to its most exclusive stretch—from El Presidente hotel to Las Brisas—simply as "the Costera." Since many addresses are listed as only "Costera Miguel Alemán," you'll need good directions from a major landmark to find specific shops and hotels.
A water park for children, El Rollo has dolphin shows, a freshwater pool with a wave machine, a waterslide, the Sky Coaster (a safe, low-key bungee jump for kids), and other fun attractions. If you book an hour-long swim with the dolphins, the folks here can have you picked up at your hotel (it's easy to catch a cab for the return trip).
On the southern peninsula in Old Acapulco, this beach and smaller Playa Caletilla (Little Caleta) to the south once rivaled La Quebrada as the main tourist areas, and were quite popular with the early Hollywood crowd Today their snug little bays and calm waters make them a favorite with Mexican families, and the newly renovated Boca Chica, one of Acapulco’s original hotels, keeps the glamour alive. Caletilla also has many small family-run restaurants serving good, cheap food. On both beaches vendors sell everything from seashells to peeled mangos; boats depart from both to Isla de Roqueta.
