Acapulco has a long history of excess after dark, though the city's nightlife has contracted considerably from its 1980s golden era. What remains is good enough: open-air beach bars, a few legendary clubs, and the slow pleasures of drinking on the Zócalo.
Palladium is the landmark club, perched on the Carretera Escénica with wraparound windows overlooking the bay and a waterfall that cascades down past the dance floor. It opens around 10:30pm and runs until 4am on weekends. Baby'O on the Costera is the other institution — a cave-like interior with a long, glamorous history and a crowd that skews local.
Barbarroja near the Zócalo is a pirate-themed bar that sounds tacky and turns out to be fun, with live music and costumed staff in a multi-level ship-shaped interior. For something calmer, the cafes ringing the Zócalo serve good espresso in the morning and mezcal in the evening.
The beach bars along Condesa serve cold beer and frozen margaritas from early afternoon. Linger over a coconut cocktail and watch the parasailers. This is perfectly acceptable nightlife in Acapulco.