Palacio Mundo Imperial

Resort Mundo Imperial is Acapulco’s biggest resort and opened in 2013. The massive property feels a bit like a vacation factory. The resort has two entrances and two modern, marble-floored lobbies. Expect plush white love seats, vintage clocks, and when things are busy: lines 10-deep of guests checking in and out. The grounds are sprawling and full of Roman-styled statues, sandy areas with lounge chairs overlooking the pool (there’s no beach), palm trees, and blossoming bougainvillea and hibiscus flowers. Four of the resort’s five pools are located next to each other so its an easy hop from the wave pool to the huge figure-eight shaped pool or the shallow kids' pool next door. Most hotel guests are families from Mexico City. There’s also a huge on-site convention center and theater, so Mundo Imperial draws quite a few conference and business travelers. 

Located a five-minute drive from Acapulco’s General Juan N. Alvarez International Airport, Resort Mundo Imperial could arguably be called one of the world’s most fabulous airport resorts. Even the hotel’s priciest rooms (the ones with distant ocean views) have airport views. Within a six-minute walk of the hotel are a taco restaurant and a supermarket. There’s also a Walmart a five-minute drive away. La Isla, a high end shopping mall with a movie theater and restaurants serving barbecue, international, pizza, and Italian cuisines is a 10-minute walk from Mundo Imperial. The nearest beach is located at the hotel’s sister property, Hotel Princess Imperial, and a 10-minute drive away (or free hotel shuttle). The sleepy oceanfront fishing village Barra Vieja, known for its oceanfront eateries serving grilled fish, is a 20-minute drive from the resort. The Acapulco Historical Museum, located in a 17th century fortress, takes a 41-minute drive (depending on traffic) to reach. La Quebrada, Acapulco’s iconic spot for watching cliff divers jump 80-feet into the Pacific Ocean, is a 46-minute drive from the resort. 

Mundo Imperial has 10 different room types and over 800 rooms. The marble-floored rooms range from 377-square foot Superiors to 1,000-foot Premium Suites, to the choicest offering: a 10,000-square foot, three-bedroom Owner’s Suite. In general, rooms are bright and modern with turquoise and lightly-colored wood paneled walls. Standard room amenities include free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs with cable channels, built-in desks and dressers, coffeemakers with free coffee, bottled water, safes, luggage stands, and mini-fridges. Bathrooms have tile walls and marble floors with stand-up showers, hairdryers, toiletries, and magnifying mirrors.Master Suites are more stylish and have themed interiors inspired by countries like Libya, United Arab Emirates, and Mexico. The Mexican-themed Master Suite has vibrantly embroidered floral-patterned bed runners and throw pillows, a gorgeous live-edge dining table with seating for six, a dripping glass chandelier, a kitchenette with full-size fridge and Lavazza pod coffeemaker, and plush couches and lounge chairs. Bathrooms in the pricier categories are fittingly luxe. Expect double sinks, whirlpool bathtubs, stand-up showers, robes, and additional toiletries including bath salts, shower gel, sewing kits, shower caps, loofahs, shoe-polish towels, shaving kits, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. All rooms also have balconies -- some are huge -- with views of either the airport and the ocean in the distance, or the surrounding Diamond neighborhood. 

There are a ton of amenities at Mundo Imperial. The hotel has five freshwater pools including a wave pool, a shallow kids' pool, and an adult-only pool. The adult pool is located a short walk across the resort from the other pools and is much calmer and quieter. Two of the pools (including the adult-only pool) have walk-up pool bars and there’s also a cold water whirlpool. The resort’s restaurants get mostly positive reviews and are scattered throughout the resort. It can be challenging to keep track of the restaurant hours. During our visit, the front desk staff did not have the information and posted hours were wrong. Carnivore is the meat and seafood buffet restaurant that serves three meals a day and has live stations. The a la carte restaurant, Aqua, is located near the pool and serves Mexican, seafood, and snacks. It’s also the restaurant most dependably open. Aroma is the resort’s Italian restaurant located in the convention center. Mizumi offers Asian fusion and also has a sushi bar. Marche serves international cuisine and also has a breakfast buffet. Blu Lobby Bar is located near the hotel’s second lobby and has breezy and modern open-air decor with plush couches. There are also bars next to the adult-only pool and main pool. Room service is available with limited hours. The resort definitely excels when it comes to fitness. It has a big, fully stocked gym with the treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bicycles, and CrossFit and TRX equipment. There’s also an outdoor fitness area with fitness equipment and free half-hour fitness classes. There are three gorgeous clay tennis courts and a full-service pro shop with equipment to purchase and rent, lessons, and workshops. Next to the pro shop is a sandy soccer field. Sol Imperial is the hotel’s full service spa. It offers standard spa services like massages, and specialty offerings like acupuncture and a clinic for Oriental medicine. They hydrotherapy circuit features a sauna, steam room, and whirlpool tub. There’s also a full-service salon offering services like haircuts and manicures and pedicures.The resort has a huge convention center and a 4,000-seat theater. Near the lobby is the hotel’s Starbucks and an ATM. There’s a business center with four computers, free printing, and meeting rooms. The kids' club and teen club are probably the biggest (and best we saw in Acapulco). The kid’s area has a ball pit, indoor climbing wall, and a small movie theater with lots of beanbag chairs. The teen club has an air-hockey table, foosball table, and video game machines like Xboxes and Sony PlayStations. For shopping, there's a small mini-market, jewelry store, and clothing boutique. The hotel's dedicated tour desk can assist in arranging city tours, fishing, snorkeling, diving, car and boat rentals, airport shuttles, and tour guides. Since Mundo Imperial’s a landlocked resort, they offer a free 10-minute shuttle to the Princess Imperial, their oceanfront sister property. Laundry service is available. Valet parking is free. There’s also free and fast Wi-Fi throughout Resort Mundo Imperial.