mexico :: general

[missLA]

Looking to find really cool diggs in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to spend new years..... does anyone have any super recommendations?

[missLA]

great site for super recommendations for hotels in mexico www.petithotels.com

[volchonk]

Any recommendations for good shops? Thanks

[englandmj7]

I have free tickets (I gave up my seats on a previous flight) to go anywhere Alaska Airlines flies to. My wife and I are planning on using them to go to Mexico at some point this summer. They only fly to:

- Cabo San Lucas

- Cancun

- Guadalajara

- Ixtapa

- La Paz

- Manzanillo

- Mazatlan

- Mexico City

- Puerto Vallarta

- Zihuatanejo

These cities pretty much seem to run the whole gamut, so I am sure one will be decent enough. I have been to the "border" towns such as Rosarito, Tijuana, San Felipe, etc. and have had tons of college buddies who have been to Cancun, Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, etc.

Unfortunately, I don't know many people who can give me a sound opinion on a place that isn't ridiculously touristy (Cancun, etc.), and has beautiful beaches (this is pretty much the criteria we are going by). It also needs to be in the proximity of one of the cities above. I was looking into Playa Del Carmen:

http://playaguide.com/

And a couple days in Tulum (I would fly into Cancun).

Since the tickets aren't really completely "legit" in that they have blackout dates, etc. I need to find a good time to go when the weather will be nice, but the tourists won't be flocking by the thousands.........

For all the traveling I have done elsewhere, I don't know shit about Mexico. Any advice?

[the wit of the staircase]

tulum or somewhere near there. fly into cancun get the fuck out as soon as possible.

[englandmj7]

^^ Yeah.

I guess no one else knows anything about Me-hi-co.

Bastards..........

[Ahlvahroe]

my family is from guadalajara, and i have to say i wouldnt choose a vacation there. ive never done the touristy shit before i actually want to try something when i go this summer. it just seems kinda boring and dirty, but the girls are gorgeous. i went to puerto vallarta when i was in my early teens and i remember it being pretty fun, while too hot and humid. so in summary the teen me like mexico the adult me has not really explored it yet, but the family is there so i have to go back.

[soraanaam]

Be Fuking Careful

[azsker]

Check out Barra de Navidad, near Manzanillo. Small town with a nice beach; has one rather luxurious resort as well as several very reasonable places to stay, particularly the Hotel Barra.

[lms]

sounds like you have experience and an idea of what you want. i've been to cabo san lucas, rosaritos, and a few small beach cities far down the coast of mexico (i can't remember where...).

i think you'd want someplace more adventuruous than cabo san lucas. cabo is the same as rosarito, only a little more charming and scenic. unfortunately it's more touristy as well.

[ordo]

I was in Zihuatanejo last year and really liked it. Here are a couple of panaramas that I stitched together. It has a beautiful beach (Playa La Ropa) with waters that you can actually swim in (as opposed to neighbouring Ixtapa which which has some treacherous waters due to being right on the coast). It is also less touristy than Ixtapa and maintains a sort of bohemian quality. Here is a link to the site for a hotel there that I did the photos and design for - http://www.beachresortsotavento.com. I only include the site link so you can see some other pictures of the area and maybe get a bit of a feel for it. The hotel is a bit of a dump but it is incredibly cheap compared to other places on Playa La Ropa which run up to $900 US / night. I hope that this helps. Cheers.

[Carl]

when your there just make sure you try and buy some drugs

mexico drugs are the best

they are scrumptous

fry in that mexicant jail ENGLAND!

[poly800rock]

a friend's sister in high school tried to bring back peyote from mexico. she spent the next 6 months in jail. no lie.

[englandmj7]

Thanks dudes.

Those pics look great Ordo. I will look into it.

Carl: no.

[cirix]

I live in Mexico City and considering what you have said I recomend going to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, they are very very close so you can visit both and choose one. Both have beautiful beaches.

[TragicBliss]

England, I'll be in Puerto Vallarta August 2nd - 9th. It becomes a pretty amazing once you've been there a few times, and know the ends and outs. Lemme know if you end up heading out there this summer and I'll lace you with a list of spots. High end restaurants every night of the week, wine bars, sick views, secluded waterfall swimming, cuban cigars, where to throw your duckets around, etc. Get at me.

[garcon core]

highly recommend playa del carmen. not as touristy as many of the others mentioned, great beaches, restaurants, bars, and clubs. it's the most cosmopolitan beach town i've been to in mexico.

if you go, stay in the city, avenida de cinco is very cool. i've never understood why people travel so far to be stuck in a resort the whole time.

//first post

[englandmj7]

England, I'll be in Puerto Vallarta August 2nd - 9th. It becomes a pretty amazing once you've been there a few times, and know the ends and outs. Lemme know if you end up heading out there this summer and I'll lace you with a list of spots. High end restaurants every night of the week, wine bars, sick views, secluded waterfall swimming, cuban cigars, where to throw your duckets around, etc. Get at me.

Shit man. It sounds awesome there. I didn't even consider PV as I didn't know enough about it. Unfortunately, I already booked my trip down to Cancun/Playa Del Carmen/Tulum.

Your going in August? How's the weather? I am a bit worried as I heard that June (when I'm going) is rainy season........shit.

highly recommend playa del carmen. not as touristy as many of the others mentioned, great beaches, restaurants, bars, and clubs. it's the most cosmopolitan beach town i've been to in mexico.

if you go, stay in the city, avenida de cinco is very cool. i've never understood why people travel so far to be stuck in a resort the whole time.

//first post

Looking forward to PDC!

[mizanation]

lucky you, england. have fun!

[todesengel]

I've been to Zihuatanejo, and it's gorgeous. Fantastic beaches and food, people are really friendly. Stay as far away from Ixtapa as you can and you'll have a blast.

[TragicBliss]

Your going in August? How's the weather? I am a bit worried as I heard that June (when I'm going) is rainy season........shit.

Yeah June through August is the rainy season, but it's fucking cool. It'll rain for like, 20 minutes and then the sun will burst out. Or maybe one or two nights it'll rain for a few hours, but it's those sick ass tropical rains where the lightning is raging and the raindropps are huge as fuck. It's just beautiful. You'll have fun.

[englandmj7]

lucky you, england. have fun!

Thanks man

Yeah June through August is the rainy season, but it's fucking cool. It'll rain for like, 20 minutes and then the sun will burst out. Or maybe one or two nights it'll rain for a few hours, but it's those sick ass tropical rains where the lightning is raging and the raindropps are huge as fuck. It's just beautiful. You'll have fun.

That sounds fun. There's something exciting about being caught in a damn monsoon at random...........should be great.

My hotel in Tulum looks sick too.

http://www.mezzanine.com.mx/

[kiya]

I'm going to revive this request..

I'm going to Mexico City tomorrow for three days.

My time is limited.. What two stores should i not miss?

[Ahlvahroe]

ive never been to mexico city but i would check out http://www.headquarterstore.com/htm/contact.htm

just cause i want to check out the santa muerte line, first hand. i actually might have a 12 hour layover in mexico city while going to guadalajara so i might check it out. other than that i have no idea.

[xcoldricex]

alright. bumping this thread.

i'll be in mexico for 2 weeks. flying into mexico city

thinking about taking the bus, taking stops along the way to end up in the yucatan and then take the bus back to mexico city.

so things that are on the way look like:

puebla

veracruz

palenque

ciudad del carmen

uxmal

merida

tulum

anyone have any tips, recommendations on what to see, what to skip, any other cities/towns i should see instead, places to find cheaper hotels (online or not)... etc?

oh yeah. and what i should definitely eat.

[englandmj7]

Something like this would be a semi-interesting option to consider:

http://www.geckosadventures.com/latin_america/trip_daybyday.asp?trip=2244&bhcp=1

Although it skips Tulum and puts you in Cancun for two days (a place to avoid at all cost, although Playa Del Carmen is only 40 minutes from here and is very nice).

I knew two couples who rented cars when they were in Mexico (Yucatan area) and they didn't have any hassles at all. They strongly recommended it to me for my next visit. Might be an option as well.

Also, keep in mind that the bus ride from Cancun to the Yucatan is about 22 hours, so that's at least one of your days gone.

For eating, you can't miss Cochinita Pibil in the Yucatan area. It's a slow-cooked pork with orange peel that is an exceptional traditional Mayan dish:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochinita_pibil

They are also well known for their mole sauce in this area:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_poblano

They make a very good liqueur there called Xtabentun:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xtabent%C3%BAn_%28liqueur%29

Either way, you have to get to at least one traditional Mayan restaurant when you're down there.

[BOORADLEY]

mazatlan is underrated and cheap

[xcoldricex]

I knew two couples who rented cars when they were in Mexico (Yucatan area) and they didn't have any hassles at all. They strongly recommended it to me for my next visit. Might be an option as well. .

i'm under 25 still guess that's one of the only reasons to look forward to 25 haha.

[englandmj7]

i'm under 25 still guess that's one of the only reasons to look forward to 25 haha.

True. Most places, however, will allow it but you may have to pay a little higher of a premium. Call ahead and ask. I rent cars all the time for work and I'm not 25 yet.

[xcoldricex]

oh word? in the states it's like another $25-50 a day. rip off.

you think it'd be better to rent a car though? just getting around tulum, playa del carmen, and the area?