We've found this huge, diverse land to be an inexhaustible source not only of beachy vacation fun but urban sophistication; folkloric fabulousness; spellbinding historic and archaeological sites; culinary wonders; and mucho, mucho más...

 

cover photo: Gerson Represa

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Nifty (and Gnarly) Puerto Escondido

  Esconced on the lower Pacific ¨Emerald Coast¨ in the state of Oaxaca, the town of Puerto Escondido (which means ¨hidden port¨) was up until the 1960s barely a pinprick on the map, with dirt streets and just a handful of residents mostly devoted to fishing. Then in 1960 a coastal road reached the village, making it accessible to the outside world, and a village hall was built. Most consequentially for tourism, it was during that decade that surfers (pioneered by a group of Venezuelans,…

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3 great underwater tours on the Riviera Maya

The vacation-oriented coast south of Cancún on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula is famed for its resorts as well as their various shopping, dining, nightlife, and a broad menu of daytime activities. And one of the Riviera Maya's top activities is diving and snorkeling amid the corals that lie offshore, part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef - the world's second largest after Australia's Great Barrier Reef. For snorkeling you don't need any prior training or experience, and here's a trio of the top…

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5 of the best things to do in Cancún

Located at the northeast coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, this L-shape resort island, alongside a city home to hundreds of thousands of Mexicans, many of whom work in the tourism industry, was essentially created by the Mexican government in 1974. Its core appeal has always been its beaches and nightlfe (along with the chance to take day trips to incredible Mayan archaeological sites; there's even a tiny one right here, called Ruinas del Rey). And over the years many other options have…

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  • Unfortunately the "mainstream press" has done enough to panic the traveling public and it is devastating to those of us who are enjoying the peace, tranquility and beautiful weather here in Cuernavaca Morelos (historical highlands of Mexico) which had some violence months ago, mainly with street sellers and their gangs in the adjacent poor communities, a detail which of course was never mentioned since journalism today evidently doesn´t require actual investigative reporting. The violence today is where the drugs are being transported to their American consumers AT THE BORDER and because there are few restrictions on arms sales at the US´s many gun shows, 80% of all grenades, ak47´s, etc.are being used by young gang members who are being paid $1,000 USD every 15 days instead of the minimum wage of $8 USD/day. The wanton violence is increasing at the border and until this is viewed as a BI-NATIONAL PROBLEM, this Pandora´s box is a result of the NRA´s influence, the racism that is fueled by the immigration fiasco which then has ALL of Mexico as the convenient scapegoat for the "mainstream press". We just had an incredible Gastronomic Fair in our Centro Historico and it was PACKED...
  • You must be right, John. In fairness to the mainstream media, they have been saying that the violence (28,000 dead so far) has been concentrated in a few places, mostly along the border. But thinking back to the Achille Lauro incident, which young people reading this may not remember, I'm still surprised travelers are not panicking.
  • Maybe there enough intelligent people that don't listen to what the 'mainstream media' tells them. Read Tripatini.
  • Today's New York Times reports, "Undeterred by travel warnings and frightening headlines about safety in Mexico, an increasing number of...tourists are flying to the country." I remember that after the Achille Lauro incident, Americans stayed away from Europe as if the whole continent were a war zone. Am I wrong to be surprised by this news?
  • And PLEASE CLICK HERE to help a Tripatino with a question about accredited travel agencies in Mexico. Gracias otra vez!
  • PLEASE CLICK HERE to help a Tripatino with a question on Cabo and Mazatlan. Gracias!
    Need Cabo and Mazatlan info
    Who knows Cabo? I live in Puerto Vallarta in the winter. Look for my new P.V. web site coming soon Puerto Vallarta Planet Now, I won 3 nights at the…
  • Conditions change from month to month, so I cannot speak for what the situation might be like in any give place right now. But I will say that over the years (including recent years) I have traveled a fair bit around parts of Mexico -- including Mexico City, Sinaloa, Durango, and the border areas of Culiacán -- and have never felt threatened. And the tourist areas in particular do feel insulated and seem better policed. I don't want to minimize the problem, but at the same time I've seen over and over how the media can generate alarm not even on purpose necessarily, but by amplifying bad news and sometimes turning a proverbial molehill into a mountain. I had friends in Europe who back in the 1980s would never for a moment consider visiting New York City because they thought they'd be shot the moment they left JFK. And the area where I'm currently based, Miami, has had plenty of its own bad press, including tourists killed both by accident and on purpose. So as Sylvia Laitre says below, let's be concerned but at the same time try to keep a sense of perspective.
  • These were great links that you all posted-please read my comments on Steve Winston´s blog for specifics (excuse my verbosity as I am passionate about this). Mexico is safe for tourists. Cuernavaca, Morelos is safe and I feel more secure than ever-and that is over 26 yrs and counting! There is a concerted attempt at Mexico-bashing and it has to do with scapegoating a whole country for immigration xenophobia, depressed economy, racism and poor TV news ratings. Even the LA times has a whole section called "Mexico Under Siege" which apparently does not publish any comments that do not fit in with their agenda to promote the image that all of Mexico is violent. I lived in LA for over 25 years and the violence due to drug gangs, anti-police riots, and run-of-the-mill crime (rape, murder, theft, extorsion,etc.) was and is constant in the areas controlled by gangs of all races and groups. If you don´t buy or sell drugs and avoid the violent border towns where the municipal police are being replaced by a new federally trained police force (Mando Unico which is eliminating low-paid and poorly trained corruptable police with a professional, certified police force) you will not only be safe but glad you did not buy the hype...
  • Its an absolute travesty the situation regarding tourism in Mexico, especially Cancun & Riviera Maya where I currently live!
    The effects of 1000's of hotel workers being given forced vacation with no guarantees of a date to return. Hotel chains closing completely due to the huge downturn in visitors. Bars & Restaurants closing completely and many more people out of work.

    The ironic thing is the Tourism Board haven't acted quick enough to combat the the massive injustice the world's press have reported on the problems within Mexico. It's the same old story, "lets lock the gate after the horse has bolted", and a prime example was the H1N1 epidemic "swine flu" saga, when Cancun & Riviera Maya where not even effected, but did the local authorities do anything to allay fears....3 months too late!
    All of the reports I have read, and the posts listed are of the same opinion, that most of the "Tourist Zones" within Mexico are safe, within reason. You wouldn't venture into the downtown of most world cities without maintaining an amount of caution. So why would Mexico be any different !
    It' a crying shame, because I am British, and my wife and family are Mexican. If the situation gets any worse then we may be forced to leave our fabulous home and make home back in England. Eight wonderful years I have lived here, and I will be hoping it could be many more , but we need to make tourists aware of the "real" situation regarding all tourism. Keep up the good work, and together we'll spread the word. http://communitymaya.com
  • I agree with Sylvie's "bad rap." All parts of Mexico I visit (and frequently) are pretty mellow compared to major US cities! Here's a piece from the Economist (headline is a little out there): http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2010/08/mexico .
    Saludos, John
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