1. Age: Both of us are 23 years old
2. Live in Vancouver as students (so we’re a bit on a budget)
3. Budget: Between $700-$900 per person
4. Duration: 5-7 days

• Other: Both of us are fairly inexperienced travelers (I already done some research on general safety in Mexico: drink bottled water, avoid salads, stay in the resort unless you’re with a big group, make sure you only go to the Resort shuttle bus that’s parked outside of the airport , not with some stranger in the airport). With that being said, we’re not planning on going anywhere outside of the resort. We just want to enjoy the beaches, food & meet new people.Finally, my girlfriend is pretty food sensitive. She doesn’t have food allergies, but if the food isn’t properly made or fresh she WILL get stomach issues.

And that’s about it. I guess I was hoping you’d tell me what do ya’ll think would be the best place & hotel for us to visit based on your experience. Ideally we’d love to go to a resort with other young couples so we attend to some night events.

I’ve also heard that non-all inclusive resorts are MUCH better than the all-inclusive ones. Do you feel we’d be able to fit a non all inclusive resort in our budget?

Thank you all in advance!

The post All Inclusive Mexico Tips (first time traveling) first appeared on Best Cabo San Lucas Beaches and Resorts.

Read a bunch of other websites saying its safe for tourists, and while there has been violence in the past few years, there has been a negligible number incidents involving tourists (and nothing appears to happen at the resorts … tourists get in trouble if they go looking for gambling or drugs or prostitution).

But in the past 24 hours a fucking WAR between Jalisco New Generation and the police in PV has broken out and it sounds like we shouldn’t go there at all.

We have the option to switch this package to Cancun or Cabo. For our first vacation in 14 years (and the first since we have been married), we really need to be able to chill the fuck out. We can also pick an alternate in Jamaica, but the price difference is significant enough that we’re thinking of calling the whole thing off.

Are we stupid to even consider going near Mexico?

The post Should my wife and I avoid Mexico for our first vacation in FOREVER? first appeared on Best Cabo San Lucas Beaches and Resorts.

I’ve seen a lot of “I’m visiting Mexico, please help”-type of posts recently. Yet, the description of this sub-redditis for aggregation of “News, blog-posts, odd-stuff, and other interesting things about Mexico, in English and in Spanish.”

Most of us don’t mind answering your questions, but I think that doing it every other day is redundant, and misses the point of this sub-reddit. So, this FAQ has been created for questions that people living outside of Mexico may have about Visiting Mexico. If, after reading it, you still have further, specific questions about coming to our country, the r/Mexico community will be happy to guide you, and will welcome your question posts (Mods reserve the rights to link to your posts). But, please read the following before posting:

– Do you recommend any activities/lodging/transportation now that I am visiting Mexico?

Mexico is a very big country, there a lot of things you can do here in Mexico. The good news is that a lot of r/Mexico redditors are glad to give you the “inside scoop”.

However, before asking this question in a post submission, please consider the following:

Mexicans pay, on average, 60% of their income in taxes. A lot of it goes to wasteful spending and a lot of it goes to corruption. However, some of it is spent in services that are, actually, kind of cool. One of them is this amazing website put together by the Department of Tourism!

Please go to that website and research for yourself what you’d like to do in Mexico, and then come here and ask more specific questions of the particular activities and destinations you are most interested in. Please do this out of respect for us taxpayers, as we are most likely overpaying for this service.

Also, if you already have a specific destination in mind, some local governments also have websites dedicated to tourists to those areas. You might want to check them out:

• Mexico City Spanish only
• Monterrey, Nuevo León
• Guadalajara Spanish only
• Puebla
• Morelia
• Oaxaca Spanish only
• Cancun

Air travel

If you’re not careful, a lot of airlines may have you making a stop in Mexico City. It is a good recommendation to try and find alternate routes, unless you plan on staying in Mexico City. The Mexico City airport is a very complicated, unorganized nightmare.

– Do I need a visa to enter into Mexico?

If you have a US Tourist Visa, or if you are a citizen of any of these countries you do not need a Visa to enter Mexico for a period of less than 6 months, for tourism only.

If you do not have a US visa, if you are not a citizen of any of the countries listed in the link, or if you intend to enter into Mexico for more than 6 months, or if you intend to enter into Mexico for a purpose different than tourism, then yes, you do need a visa.

It goes without saying, you need a passport from your country to enter Mexico.

– If I do need a Visa, what type of visa is right for me and how do I get it?

This website provides a good start to understand the types of Visas you may require to enter into Mexico.

As for how to get a visa, your best bet would be to contact your Embassy or Consulate.

Here is a list of Mexican Embassies around the World.

If you do not live in the capital city of your Country, Mexico also offers Consular Services in secondary cities in the United States & Puerto Rico, Canada, China & Hong Kong, Spain, Germany, Brasil, Dubai, Honduras, and Guatemala. Here is a list of Mexican Consulates.

The Government Agency in charge of handling immigration is the National Immigration Bureau (Instituto Nacional de Migración, or INAMI). Visit their website if you have any further questions.

– What about all of that violence and insecurity I hear about in the news?

There is no denying violence and crime in Mexico is very bad and intense. However, it is localized to very specific areas and there are things you can do to prevent becoming a victim. Outside of certain areas of the country, crime in Mexico is actually lower than even the US! In fact, USA Today recently ran an article titled Mexico’s violence not as widespread as seems.

Having said the above, there are a few things you should consider before coming to Mexico:

a) If you are not travelling by air, try to avoid travelling by bus, or by night, or both.

b) If in a major city (non-resort town), try to stay near your hotel, or if possible, be inside your hotel, by 10:30pm and until 6:00am.

c) Most big cities have regular taxi cabs and premiere taxi cabs which guarantee safety (usually recommended by the hotel, restaurant, airport, or mall you may be visiting, and they also have cards too). The “premiere” cab service is not much more expensive than the regular taxi cab service, and the price differential is worth it.

d) Don’t try to confront police officers.

e) If you plan on drinking a bit too much, always be accompanied of someone you trust who is not drinking, or stay in your hotel, or both.

f) Ask the locals about the parts of town you should avoid, and avoid them.

You may also Read this Travel Warning by the US Department of State. Take their recommendations seriously.

– What other things should I consider when travelling into Mexico?

Taxes and Tariffs

If you are bringing into Mexico (or getting out of Mexico) things that are charged a tariff, you can either risk to try and smuggle them in or out (at your risk), or you can pay the tariff. The Finance Ministry (Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público) is in charge of both, but they collect taxes through the Tributary Administration Service (The Mexican equivalent to the US’s IRS, known as SAT, or Servicio de Administración Tributaria), and tariffs are in charge of the Customs Agency (Aduana de México). If you intend to work in Mexico, you need to be registered in the SAT.

Healthcare

Don’t drink the tap water. If you think it will make you sick, it will. Period. It has nothing to do with whether or not the water is good or bad. Buy bottled water and that’s that.

Mexico claims to have achieved “Universal Healthcare Coverage”. What this means is that, the people who don’t have a private health insurance (paid for by themselves or their employer), have access to some form of government-provided health insurance, from the basic and preventative “Popular Insurance” (Seguro Popular), to the Government-run hospitals of the Mexican Social Security Service (IMSS).

In Mexico, particularly in the big cities, you will find high quality hospitals, but they are expensive. If you ever get sick in Mexico, your best bet is to go to these hospitals. If you have private insurance in your home country, ask your insurer for a plan that covers you in Mexico. This should be available in the US, as many US health insurance companies also operate in Mexico.

– What time is it in Mexico?

Mexico has 3, 4 or 5 time zones (depending on the time of year and who you ask). Most of the country is in Central Time, but we do Daylights Savings a bit differently than in the US, so if it’s that time of year, you may want to check.

Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Cancun, Acapulco, the Mayan Riviera, the entire Gulf and Carribean Coasts, Central Mexico, and most of the Texas Border are in the Central Time Zone. Here is a link to the current time in this time zone.

The States of Chihuahua (Ciudad Juarez), Nayarit (San Blas, Banderas Bay, Chacala Bay) and Baja California Sur, sometimes called “Baja Sur” (Los Cabos, La Paz) are all in the Mountain Time Zone. Here is a link to the current time in this time zone.

The State of Sonora (Rocky Point, Nogales, Guaymas, Hermosillo) is also in the Mountain Time Zone, but, like the US State of Arizona, which it borders, it doesn’t observe Daylight’s Savings Time. Here is a link to the current time in this time zone.

The State of Baja California, sometimes called “Baja” (Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada) are in the Pacific Time Zone. Here is a link to the current time in this time zone.

Finally, Passion Island, or “Clipperton Island“, is an abandoned Coral Atoll claimed by both France and Mexico. It is mostly recognized to be of French Dominion, and France has both the strongest legal argument, and the strongest army, to defend this position. But Mexico is just not letting go, mostly because of Cinco de Mayo. Anyway, here is a link to the current time in Passion Island…

Detailed Wikipedia Article on Mexican Time Zones.

If you have any further questions, feel free to ask the r/Mexico community. We will be happy to help!

The post Visiting Mexico? Here are some things to consider... first appeared on Best Cabo San Lucas Beaches and Resorts.

I recently travelled through every state in Mexico, and it took me 5 months to see the country in great detail.

I thought I would share some tips & my POV about how Mexico is looking, if you’re interested in coming here. Remember, this is just my opinion from what I learned in this trip.

Mexico has every single weather known to man, jungles, deserts, mountains like the alps, cloud forests, pristine beaches, you name it. Except for tundra, everything else is in.

there’s currently a drought in the central part of the country.

Security

stay downtown and don’t look fancy

The narco wars do not happen in tourist places. If you stay downtown, travel light, and don’t look fancy you’ll be fine. I was in over 100+ towns and some named the “danger capitals” of the world. I did not get robbed, no insecurity, took tons of footage with my GoPro & iPhone and I was fine. The cops are doing a fine job keeping security high on the downtown. But still. Don’t go around wearing jewelry or a Gucci suit.

Fake news and rumors about narco wars are all over the place. Don’t get me wrong, cartels are fighting themselves and the police, but they never go against the civilians or tourists. There are cities where narcos protect tourists from harm (as some consume the drugs they sell).

the road & car

I traveled by car in a Mitsubishi mirage 2018, which is an ok ride, and no issues to report. except for the road from Puebla to Cuetzalan, it’s a terrible road. Get an off-road car if you can.

Maximum speed is 110 KM/hr in every toll road, but depends. don’t go too fast, 120 KM/hr should be tolerated, but don’t speed-up, I got a ticket for speeding at 141 km/hr and it was around 300 USD, but they charge 150 USD if you acknowledge your fault and promptly pay. Don’t argue with the cops, they have hand-held speed radars and it’s the first thing they show you. Don’t try to payoff the cops if you are “gringo” or of a whiter skin, they may charge you ridiculous prices for letting you off the hook. Although i did not find corrupt cops, you can never be too careful.

This is important – Mexico has ejidos, which are pieces of land owned by communities. They can govern themselves and put a toll on highways. If civilians stop you and ask you to pay to go across, just pay up. It’s their right to ask for tolls and there’s nothing we can do. In some states, like Chiapas, they become aggressive if you don’t pay for traveling through their lands. It’s safer to pay the toll.

INAH

Archeological sites and national parks are mostly closed in the entire country,. only the most visited are open. Check the “instituto nacional de arqueologia” website https://www.inah.gob.mx/ or ask in forums if a specific archeological site or national park is open. Do your research, don’t end up wasting hours arriving just to be turned back, like I was (many times).

telecommuting?

If you are telecommuting, driving and must leave the hotel, get a current inverter from AutoZone. I got a 250 watts inverter and telecommuted from the back of my car when I needed to leave the hotel.

Also, check the 4G coverage in nperf.com for the cities/roads you’re driving through. Most major highways have 4G, yet there are towns & cities with terrible internet speed.

try to stay in closed parking lots to avoid being seen with your laptop if you do that, or you can just go to a nearby Starbucks in major cities, whatever works for you.

Cash is King

Most small business take cash only, try to keep around 2000 pesos for emergency in case you need it. There are tons of ATMs, and the cheapests ATM fees are in Banbajio > Santander > Banrejio, in that order.

This is important – always decline conversion when getting money from ATMs, or you’ll be charged a markup. stay away from BBVA & HSBC, they do they conversion with 6% markup and you cannot refuse. there’s a santander ATM in every “palacio municipal” in the country, which is incredibly affordable.

Meals are inexpensive

You can get a good breakfast for two for around 5 USD, and there are tons of dishes to choose from.

the cost of living is really low, and prices are unbeatable if you come from a wealthier country.

I couldn’t give you a recommendation on what to eat because every city has different typical dishes.

Hotels

Always check the room before you buy it. There are hotels with bad hygienic standards, and out of 100 I found 3 of them with roaches. Check the restroom and see if it’s dandy before you buy it. red flags of roach infestation include post signs about “food not allowed” in the room,. if you see post signs about “food not allowed” in the room, don’t take the room. If they don’t let you check it before you buy it, and come-up with a covid excuse, just get out of there.

The Wi-Fi sucks in most hotels, so try it out before you get the room. i got a lot of BS hotels telling me they had good Wi-Fi, and it sucked. Negotiate, ask to try out the internet, they will let you try it every time.

Always check for the time to leave, in some hotels it’s 11 am, in most is noon, and rarely after 1 pm. If it’s a popular chain like fiesta inn or more expensive hotels, you can ask them to store your luggage after you leave.

Prices vary from a low 15 USD/Night to 50/USD night per room. In some hotels they charge for the room, and in a few they charge per person. if you are travelling on a budget ask for “habitacion sencilla”, some hotels will try to sell you a king or queen room if you don’t check.

The people

Mexicans are truly amazing persons, warm, friendly, well-mannered folks. they are always willing to help or lend out a hand whenever you need it. It is incredibly rare to find unfriendly people. Try to do some small talk if you know Spanish, you’ll find so many unbelievably friendly folks that you’ll have splendid memories of.

conclusion

In my trip I found a deep love of Mexico and realized there are places that compete or outshine many european towns (for a tenth of the price!). it’s an enormous country, and there are soo many things to see,134 pueblos magicos, beaches, national parks, and so on that I could write for hours.

Before travelling I was afraid of the roads and insecurity and the usual, but after my trip I can’t wait to go back to the places I was in, or explore a state in more detail.

Let me know if you have questions about pueblos Magicos, I visited every single one (except for

oaxaca)

The post Travelling to Mexico? Here are some tips/ideas/lessons learned. first appeared on Best Cabo San Lucas Beaches and Resorts.

I’ve seen some travel videos/blogs where people advise to keep a low profile and ‘blend in’ with the locals.. even saw one where they said don’t wear a baseball cap because they’ll know you’re a American.

My own two cents, anyone that’s a local will know you’re not from there pretty quickly even before you open your mouth to speak. Those who want to pickpocket you already saw you walking out of your hotel or taking photos at a tourist site.. multiply that by 100 if you don’t physically look like the locals .. It’s almost futile to try and “blend in”, and even if you could why would you?

Thoughts?

The post Is it bad to “stand out” as a solo traveller? first appeared on Best Cabo San Lucas Beaches and Resorts.

I’m in my 30s now, no child or spouse, and I really want to go to Asia again and I want to solo travel again but I feel…old?

I used to stay in the cheapest hostels that smell bad in dirty neighborhoods, make friends in guesthouses (no lifelong friends) and I feel like I was less careful and more spontaneous. I went clubbing all night, went on adventurous trips, said yes to everything.

I don’t know why I feel like I can’t do it anymore now that I’m 31. I don’t even go clubbing in my own country anymore. I don’t feel like staying in hostels and guesthouses again but what’s the fun in staying at a nice hotel if I can’t meet locals that are on a trip in their own country? I also feel too old to make ‘friends’ at hostels, the friendships are shallow and I feel like I can spend my time better, like traveling with my friends and create memories with them. But on the other hand, I want to SOLO travel through Asia again and they only want to go to 1 country, Japan or Korea, and only want to do anime-manga or k-pop things you know.

I was wondering if someone recognizes themselves in this and do you have tips? I wonder if I’m overthinking too much.

The post Solo travel in 30s VS 20s first appeared on Best Cabo San Lucas Beaches and Resorts.

Changed things up…as many of you know, we are long time Marriott folks and enjoy the marina area. But honestly, the Marriott priced themselves a bit out of our comfort zone for a 2-week stay. So we grabbed a great rate at the Sheraton, where as a Marriott Titanium (LOL, what’s next? Kryptonite?) we get lounge access which means free breakfast and evening wine/snacks. And it should save us a bundle in taxi fares to downtown.

I cannot wait to be back in my happy place – see you in November, PV!! And to my marina friends, ianp – I’m looking at you, we will definitely go there for Thursday market night while in town.

The post Ahhh! We are finally coming back :-) first appeared on Best Cabo San Lucas Beaches and Resorts.

So I had a few questions I was hoping to get HONEST answers about. The latest reviews I noticed popped up after a wedding party of 70 stayed… so it’s suspect.

First of all I read that if you lose your bracelet it costs 150+ bucks to get a new one. Which seems insane, but figured I would ask. Secondly it “seems” the most recent visitors are getting food poisoning, none of the A/Cs have been working and the staff overall has been hateful. Has anyone been recently and actually can give some honest input? I am starting to consider switching but wanted to make sure I am not coming across all BS.

Thanks!

The post Barcelo Maya Palace, good or trash? Reviews have been down. first appeared on Best Cabo San Lucas Beaches and Resorts.

I know that with Covid no one knows yet what all is going to happen during the celebration, and I know from YouTube that after no public events in 2020, 2021 was considerably scaled down. But we’re hoping there’s at least as much this year as last.

So assuming that’s the case, fingers crossed, any suggestions for how to enjoy the celebration as much as possible given our circumstances? I’ve seen video showing DdM crowds sitting in Lázaro Cárdenas park during concerts, but what’s the story on that? We’ll be moving from Mismaloya to V399 during that time to make participation easier, but even so, I don’t think we can schlep our own chairs to the park. I know you can rent power wheelchairs and other mobility devices in PV, but DH is so determined to think positive and be over this that he is resisting the idea. If he continues to do so, or even if I can convince him to rent or bring a rollator (wheeled walker you can sit on) but I’m still on foot, can you suggest where best to watch the parade with minimal exhaustion? Where to look for the best ofrendas and Catrinas near our condo? Or how to nab seating in the park if there is any?

(Of course we’re quadruple vaxxed and will be masked, as we have been nonstop whenever out of the house since the US’s first Covid cases hit here in Seattle. And we dine outdoors only. If it seems a little crazy to make trip plans under current conditions, you should know we’ve been weighing it very carefully and will continue to do so. But we’ve had to cancel two trips down this year, and the prospect of actually making it down to our favorite places this time is a huge morale booster for both of us.)

The post Dia de Muertos viewing for the mobility challenged? first appeared on Best Cabo San Lucas Beaches and Resorts.

The post Please help with itinerary for trip to Mexico. first appeared on Best Cabo San Lucas Beaches and Resorts.