Acapulco: Where is the Apple TV+ Show Filmed?

of Acapulco: Where is the Apple TV+ Show Filmed? Shubhabrata Dutta
April 30, 2024

Created by Austin Winsberg, Eduardo Cisneros, and Jason Shuman, ‘Acapulco’ is a bilingual comedy series inspired by the 2017 Mexican-American comedy movie ‘How to Be a Latin Lover,’ directed by Ken Marino. The series is set from the POV of successful mogul Maximo Gallardo Ramos, who reveals his rags-to-riches story about how he got the chance to work at Las Colinas, the most posh and glamorous resort ever. We get to see his professional and personal experiences as a young pool boy at the resort in this charming and humorous drama set in the 80s.

The cast of ‘Acapulco’ is spearheaded by Emmy-SAG Award winner Eugenio Derbez in the role of Maximo Gallardo Ramos and is supported by compelling performances by talented actors such as Enrique Arrizon, Jessica Collins, and others. Considering the series is set in a posh resort for the most part, it is natural for many to be interested in learning about the exact location where the Apple TV+ show is shot.

Acapulco Filming Locations

To honor the core setting of the series, the production team settled on Mexico as the primary filming site for ‘Acapulco.’ However, it was not shot in the titular city but in the various sites in and around the state of Jalisco. Due to it being a show that incorporates Mexico’s culture and vibe during the 1980s, tremendous effort has been undertaken to ensure that the resort becomes an aspect of the narrative.

Filming for the inaugural season commenced on April 7, 2021, and wrapped up in June of the same year. The following season was shot in the Spring of 2022. For the third season, the cast and crew set their camp again in Mexico in March 2023, and shooting continued for a few months.

Jalisco, Mexico

In the show, the Los Colinas Resort, where most of the story takes place, is situated in the famous coastal resort city of Acapulco in the state of Guerrero, Mexico’s Pacific coast. However, in reality, it is not the shooting site. In fact, the 4-star hotel Barceló Puerto Vallarta located precisely at Manzanillo – Puerto Vallarta Km. 11,5, Zona Hotelera Sur, 48300, near Mismaloya Beach in the state of Jalisco, doubles up as Los Colinas Resort. Mismaloya is also where John Huston’s 1963 film ‘The Night of the Iguana’ was shot.

Originally white, Hotel Barceló is painted pink top to bottom on the ocean side and inside and retro-fitted with 80s interior and exterior décor to give it the vibrant, hot 80s look. The production team utilizes multiple locations in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta to paint the vibrant canvas of the series. In particular, several streets, such as Mina, Agustín Rodríguez, Corona, Galeana, as well as Matamoros, can be spotted in the backdrop of a few sequences in the series. Just a few minutes from the downtown area of the city, the filming also occurs in the planned development area of Marina Vallarta and other surrounding regions.

To be specific, a few scenes are taped on the boardwalk located at Mástil 14 in Marina Vallarta. From what we can tell, it appears that the shooting site for the second, as well as the third season, was moved from Barceló Puerto Vallarta, and the team actually lensed the installment in the Westin Resort & Spa, Puerto Vallarta, at Avenida Paseo de la Marina Sur 205. Like the beach resort of Barceló Puerto Vallarta, this luxurious property is also painted pink to stand in for the Los Colinas Resort during the course of the filming of the show.

Acapulco is Mexico’s largest beach and is most famous for its nightlife. During the 80s, it served as the perfect getaway for Hollywood stars and millionaires, but the recent reports of a crime surge in the city have cost it its popularity. It could be why production was based in a different state, i.e., Jalisco, and not in Guerrero, which is where Acapulco is actually located. As for Mismaloya, it is a beautiful tourist destination- heaven for scuba diving and snorkeling, thanks to the Los Arcos sea rocks, the Vallarta Botanical Gardens, and, of course, the Barceló Puerto Vallarta.

Read More: Is Acapulco Based on a True Story?

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