Mexico Travel Tips & Information

Most U.S. residents gave up on once­-famed Acapulco Bay as a vacation destination a long time ago. They ceded it to the Mexico City millions, who helped make it a big city on the beach.

But now there is a new reason to come back.

It’s the “new” Acapulco conveniently located about 10 miles southeast of Acapulco Bay.  Also conveniently, the international airport borders it.  Called Acapulco Diamante, it began about 15 years ago as mostly luxury homes and $250,000-and­ up condos for Mexico’s ultra-rich.

Peasant farmers and fishermen were bought out from the lush area, which features the open Pa­cific Ocean with mild-to-surfable waves on one side and a massive lagoon on the other. Three golf courses were constructed just off the beach.

The mid-1990s economic crisis froze much of the development today, however, its wind-swept beaches and miles of lightly popu­lated oceanfront have enough ho­tels (eight) and enough services to offer variety and competitive rates.

Acapulco Diamante (“dia­mond”) is practically eco-tourism. You can run alone on the beach or take a truly romantic walk at sun­set. There is no fast food – yet ­and only a few mini-marts.

Diamante’s newest hotel, The Grand Mayan , offers a sprawling, open-air island of good taste and plenty to do. A pool that’s more like a river runs through the place,as does a lagoon. It joins its slightly, older sibling, the Mayan Palace, and the two hotels share many of the same services, which include two water parks.

Nearby, Mayan Palace Resorts also has a mostly time-share property, Sea Garden, that offers rooms just off the beach. The pool is across the street, practically on the sand. It’s a superb hangout.

It may be hard to turn your back on Banderas Bay, the liquid half-moon that flows into the horizon off the beaches of Puerto Vallarta. But PV, as this alluring Mexican resort on the Pacific coast is commonly known, has much more to offer than beaches and water sports. Unlike the master-planned resort towns of Cancun and Ixtapa, PV is Romantica. Whitewashed houses seem to tumble down the green hillsides along the Rio Cuale, and sinuous street are packed with incredible restaurants and galleries. Downtown is still a traditional city where families stroll the malecon (seaside promenade) and dance in the plaza on Sunday night. Shake the sand from your toes and join our journey into the heart of Puerto Vallarta-and beyond.

ARTFUL BROWSING

Amazing art captures the eye wherever you look in Puerto Vallarta, starting with the parade of sculptures along the malecon. Recent additions include the bulging-bellied Rock Eater and swirling Vallarta Dancers, whose artists are represented by galleries here in town. To avoid crowds, study the sculptures in the early morning, the set off to roam through our favorite haunts.

GALLERIA DANTE 269 Basilio Badillo

You don’t need to know much about fine art to be entranced by the works in this enormous gallery’s rambling rooms and courtyards. In the garden, look for sculptures by Alejandro Colunga, who created the sky-high abstract creatures at the Rotonda del Mar on the malecon. Prices range from $200 for a small painting up into the thousands.

GALERIE DES ARTISTES 248 Leona Vicario

You could browse for hours on gallery-packed Leona Vicario, starting at this airy space with Esau Andrade’s whimsical paintings and magical watercolors by Evelyne Boren. Continue on toward the water for more arts and crafts in upscale shops and galleries.

LEONA 226 JEWELRY 226 Leona Vicario

The gorgeous wearable art sold in this chic gallery would make anybody look great. The owners design stunning silver pendants and earrings, and comb through workshops in Taxco, San Miguel de Allende and PV for of-the-moment pieces. Prices start as low as $10, but quickly escalate.

A SHORT HOP TO THE MOUNTAINS

Our small plane glides over Banderas Bay then heads inland, leaving the tiled roofs and high-rise hotels of Puerto Vallarta far behind. After 15 minutes of flying over forests, waterfalls and milk green rivers, the pilot sets down by a brick shelter outside San Sebastian del Oeste, a 17^th-century silver and gold-mining town high in the Sierra Madre. The tour’s dozen passengers gather around guide Martin Aver while he runs through the town’s history, from the Aztecs and the Spanish Conquest, up to the mining boom of the 1800s when the population peaked at around 30,000. Today, only about 600 people live in the area.

San Sebastian, a UNESCO World Heritage site, seems trapped in the 1920s (It didn’t even have a generator until 1985.) Visitors were once rare but now tour companies are bringing groups in by van and by plane. Still, Aver says as we board the back of his pickup truck, it’s not like Disneyland here. People aren’t sitting around waiting for the tourists to come.”

But the Sanchez family is happy to welcome guests to their coffee plantation, where beans ripen on century-old trees. While Aver tells us about coffee growing, Rosa Sanchez bags cinnamon scented beans. Then, it’s a short bumpy ride on dirt roads past adobe houses and tiny shops to the center of town, which seems like something straight out of Romancing the Stone. After a tall shot of raicilla (the local moonshine) at the cantina, Aver leads us to the home of Dona Conchia, who opens her doors to lucky tour groups. Showing us around, she steers her wheelchair past cabinets crammed with china, crystal, mining documents and albums of photos that go back six generations.

For lunch at Lupita’s family members lay out fresh corn tortillas, beans, machaca (shredded beef), quesadillas and hibiscus tea. After lunch, we have an hour to wander the town’s steep rocky streets, where brilliant bougainvillea tumbles over adobe walls. Finally, the plane makes a quick taxi before soaring away from this slice of Mexico’s past, bound for Puerto Vallarta.

Maribeth Mellin

Few places on earth cause as much amazement as the Riviera Maya. This is a 125-mile-Iong coastline that extends along the incredible turquoise blue waters of the Mexican Caribbean, on the eastern shores of the State of Quintana Roo on the Yucatan Peninsula.

What makes the Riviera Maya so different from other coast­lines around the world? It has a large quantity of beaches with glistening white sand and mild surf. Near the shore, a low-ele­vation jungle, typical of the tropics, acts as a wall to the sea.

Practically impenetrable, it’s a habitat for a rich variety of flora and fauna and for geological formations. Here are the “cenotes”-deposits of capricious shapes and different sizes, produced by the subterranean rivers that emerged to the surface over the course of millions of years. Facing the Riviera Maya’s coast is the world’s second-largest coral reef, making it an ideal place for scuba diving and snorkeling.

The starting point of the Riviera Maya is Puerto Morelos. Just south is Playa Maroma, a 370-acre eco-park of tropical jungle, mangroves and cenotes, where travelers can enjoy biking, canoeing, kayaking, trekking and horseback riding. Playa del Carmen, the largest town in the Riviera Maya, offers the flavor of a small fishing village mixed with a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Shopping, restaurants and nightlife center around Playa del Carmen’s Fifth Avenue (Quinta Avenida). The resort area of Playacar is home to a number of upscale and all-inclusive resorts, more than 100 small archeological sites, the Xaman-Ha Aviary (home to more than 200 bird species)and Cavernas Sacbe, a rock cavern.

Xcaret is an eco-archaeological park offering a unique glimpse into the region’s natural surroundings and inter­active activities like snorkeling in under­ground rivers, swimming with dolphins, horseback riding and scuba diving. There’s also a natural aquarium, museum, botanical garden, Mayan village and unique folkloric shows at night.

Continuing south, visitors will note Xpu-Ha, a large beautiful bay and beach with calm waters and great visibility, as well as Kantenah, another secluded beach area. Xpu-Ha is home to the Cenote Manatee, one of the largest cenotes in the region, and the Xpu-Ha Lagoon. Kantun Chi is a remarkable eco-park in the heart of the Riviera Maya that is excellent for snorkel­ing in freshwater cenotes and exploring the underground caverns. Its name means “yellow stone mouth” in Mayan. Aktun­Chen features three caves filled with stalac­tite and stalagmite rocks, cenotes and an opportunity to see the Riviera Maya’s diverse wildlife.

The small town of Akumal, known as “the place of turtles,” is a favorite place of the endangered marine turtles, as well as for divers. It’s also well known for its eco­logical center, Ukana-I, which is used for both research and as a community center. Just north of Akumal is YaIku Lagoon, ideal for swimming and snorkeling.

The beaches of Soliman Bay and Tankah are favorites for both locals and tourists. Further south is Xel-Ha (“the place where water was born”), a l50-acre eco-archeological park. An incredible nat­ural aquarium where the ocean combines with the freshwater springs and under­ground rivers, Xel-Ha is ideal for tubing, snorkeling and swimming. Xel-Ha is also home to macaws and is surrounded by a thick jungle, caves and cenotes. Archeological sites containing altars dedi­cated to Yum Chac are located nearby.

The archeological site of Tulum (“walled city”) offers some of the most impressive Mayan ruins anywhere. Built on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea, this site contains more than 60 well-pre­served structures. Tulum also offers beauti­ful beaches and cenotes, including the well known Calavera, the Grand cenote and the Car Wash. Located inland, Coba is one of the most important archeological sites in the Riviera Maya. The main pyramid, Nohuch Mul, is 138 feet tall, the highest on the west side of the Peninsula.

To the extreme south of the Riviera Maya on a small peninsula is Sian Ka’ an Biosphere Reserve, which offers an oppor­tunity to explore mangroves, ancient Mayan canals and the almost untouched wilderness of the jungle. Only a limited part of the reserve, a large protected area of 1.5 million acres with more than 62 miles of the Great Maya Reef, is open to tourists. Located within the Reserve are Boca Paila and Punta Allen, a village with only 600 inhabitants whose livelihood is dependent on spiny lobster fishing.

The southernmost point in the Riviera Maya is the town of Felipe Puerto Carillo, considered a central point for all Mayan communities of the area. It provides a glimpse into the past, as the town has pre­served much of its ancient Mayan culture. Its numerous historic and archaeological sites include The Temple de la Cruz Parlante (Temple of the Talking Cross) and a cultural center from the last century.

J. Bernhardt

All Inclusive Family Resorts Mexico

“One of our best selling points for families is that at Palace Resorts our child rates are for kids ages 4-17,” says director of Marketing Maira Briceno. “Children 3 years of age and younger stay and eat free.” Most hotels, she adds, offer children’s rates only for those 12 years old and younger-once they turn 13, they pay the adult rate.  At Palace Resorts, children 4-17 pay $50 per night when sharing the room with adults.

All Inclusive Palace Resorts has a number of family-friendly properties through-out Mexico with a variety of activities, amenities and perks for the whole tribe. “On the west coast of Mexico we have Vallarta Palace. In Cancun, we have the newly remodeled Cancun Palace. This hotel has a spectacular kids’ club with its own pool and water park with slides, theater table games and lots of entertainment,” explains Briceno.

“The Moon Palace Cancun is its own destination in itself. Here kids have plenty of fun; aside from the kids’ club, we offer miniature golf and a playground, an entertaining pool with slides, and for older kids (13+) we now feature paintball (for an additional fee). Xpu-Ha Palace offers a mini-zoo, snorkeling and kayaking onsite, and ecological tours around the property. Kids and parents can also rent bikes and explore the property on their own.” Each resort, she adds, has its own unique features and personality.

Added convenience is on the way at Palace’s kids’ clubs. According to Briceno, Palace has begun providing parents with cell phones so they can go about their day without worrying about the little ones. “If a child wants to leave the kids’ club, we just phone their parents and they can go and pick them up. We have implemented this feature at the Cancun Palace already and soon all the kids’ clubs will have it.

Briceno encourages guests to learn more about all of Palace’s All Inclusive Resorts and decide which is best suited to their needs and wants. “We offer a variety of hotel options for all tastes, whether it’s the hip Cancun hotel zone or secluded Moon Palace. If [you] prefer a more laid-back retreat, the Riviera Maya offers a variety of options or an island feel at Cozumel Palace.”

We suggest that you make contact with a Palace Premier member to get the Best Deal Cancun Resorts.

Cancun is an affordable fly-in destination with bone-white beaches and impossibly blue water. Problem is, it’s increasingly hard to see beach or water when you drive along the 13-mile corridor that comprises Cancún’s Hotel Zone. High-rise resorts line the sidewalk, and masses of tourists crowd the adjacent malls and entertainment complexes. But you can escape the hordes — and get closer to nature — at eco-style lodgings in the area.

Family Affairs

For a family vaction all inclusive resorts style, go wild at Palace Resorts Xpu-Ha, 50 miles south of the airport. No one would mistake this five-star property for a boutique resort, but with 144 rooms spread over 37 acres of tropical terrain, it’s a far cry from its over-built neighbors. Xpu-Ha originally operated as an eco-park, so aside from enticing pools and lots of sand, it has cool extras like a fish-filled lagoon, an aviary, and pens for wildcats, monkeys, and crocs.

Children get up-close access because its Kids’ Club adds ecological activities to the usual round of crafts and games. Parents can take guided nature walks, kayak excursions, or visit a plant nursery to learn about age-old healing methods from a Mayan doctor.

Lodgings look rustic but are quite upscale. Indeed, beneath the thatched roofing you’ll find satellite TVs, air-conditioners and Jacuzzis. Nightly adult rates start at $173; there’s a $50 charge for kids ages 4-17, while little tykes stay for free. When you reserve three or more nights, the all-inclusive price includes outings to popular attractions such as Palancar’s reef and assorted ruins.