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| Baja | Cancun | Cozumel |
| Isla Mujeres | Playa del Carmen | Puerto Vallarta |
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Baja Reviewers
David Hughes' Northern Baja Review
I grew up in La Jolla, near San Diego, have traveled extensively throughout the Baja, and have surfed, fished, golfed, bet the horses, jet-skied, camped, and gotten drunk in myriad towns and establishments. Amazingly, I have never been arrested. For anyone unfamiliar with Baja California, it is a 1000-mile long Mexican peninsula located directly below the State of California. Baja is a land surrounded by the sea; the cold and mighty Pacific borders the west, and the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez line the east. The bustling, impoverished sprawl of Tijuana is the gateway to Baja, and as far as I am concerned, should be avoided as much as possible. At the southern tip, 1088 miles along highway 1, lies Los Cabos, the high-end resort towns of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose Del Cabo. Imagine Palm Springs with water and you've got it. Enough said. My thoughts are to avoid both ends of the peninsula. There is enough variety and excitement in the rest of the baja to keep you busy for a lifetime of visits. The drive from San Diego to Ensenada, a mid-sized busy seaport located 90 miles south of the border, makes a good first day or weekend trip for any visitor. The trip follows the coastline all the way, and features a diverse landscape. Just make sure to stay on the Toll road as much as possible, as the free road is unkempt and strewn with all sorts of local vehicles in various states of disrepair. In passing through Rosarito Beach, 20 miles from the border, plan on stopping at the Rosarito Beach Hotel, an icon from days gone by, and be sure to have a Coco Loco served in a real coconut. JB himself calls the Hotel one the best getaways anywhere. If it's a warm day, check out the Papa's and Beer beachside bar on the water just north of the Hotel. It has volleyball courts, a sand floor, several bars, and a usual plethora of college kids in their swimwear, getting drunk on Corona's and trying to pick up on each other. For classic Baja dining El Nido, on the main drag, is an absolute must. Be sure to have a Grande Margarita at their unique cactus-wood bar. I recommend the broiled lobster or any of their steaks. Baja, unlike mainland Mexico, is blessed with some of the best beef on earth. Luis, the owner, owns large tracts of land and much of the meat comes from his own herds. Next stop might be the seaside sprouted-up village of Puerto Nuevo (Newport) famous for it's many Lobster restaurants. Try Ortega's Restaurant for a reliable experience. Back on the road heading south, be sure to get your next cocktail at La Fonda, marking the halfway point between Tijuana and Ensenada. La Fonda has some excellent hotel room views perched high above the pristine sand beach below. If the timing is right, this is also a good choice for lunch or dinner. Further south, golfers should keep their eyes open for Bajamar, one of the most ruggedly difficult courses anywhere. Anyone who plays a round here with the same ball all the way round (I've done it once) should get a free drink on the house. A bit further south and you will turn the corner and find yourself looking at one of the most breathtaking views in the entire pacific rim. The Bay of Salsipuedes (literally: leave if you can) is the closest thing to Big Sur in all of North America. The road is perched 300-400 feet above the crashing sea and a photo op is not to be missed. Next stop, the busy ,working seaport of Ensenada. The one must-do here is a long and beer-filled visit to Hussong's Cantina, the oldest bar west of the Mississippi, featuring sawdust on the floor and drunken Americans in generally good spirits. An afternoon or night at Hussong's is THE quintessential northern Baja experience. Eight miles out from the port is Todas Santos Island, home of some of the largest surf found anywhere in the world. You'd never know it to look out from the city, but on certain days, the waves hit 30-35 feet and the best surfers in the world are risking their lives for the sheer thrill of it all. Below Ensenada lies 900 miles of sparsely populated desert seacoast. There are literally thousands of great surfing, camping, and fishing spots all the way down. For a real fisherman's delight, I recommend a week in La Paz. This unspoiled colonial Mexican town is located on the Sea of Cortez, some 100 miles up the coast from Los Cabos. The Marlin and Dorado here simply make for some of the best big- game fishing in the world. If you ever get the chance to visit, just remember that the Mexicans offered Baja to the U.S. in the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and try to imagine the real estate prices if this land was an annex of Southern California. For more information, contact David Hughes
Cancun Reviewers
When visited: November 1995
Cancun is Mexico's most popular resort area with thousands of visitors each year. It's located at the northeastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Our good friend Becky has visited Cancun several times in the last few years and has a lot of good information to offer. For Becky, flying there from Boston takes about 4 hours if you fly non-stop. She recommends taking a charter flight. "Otherwise," she says, "you must fly through Miami or Houston and that makes the trip considerably longer." Becky made her first trip to Cancun, "because it was available on short notice. The next 6 trips (were) because Cancun is a fun, relaxing place with friendly people and great weather. Cancun's weather has highs in the 80's and overnight lows in the upper 60's. Like most tropical locations, rain is a short-lived problem, if at all. Cancun was created by the Mexican government purely as a tourist destination. It was close to the US and this particular area has more days of sunshine than just about anywhere in Mexico. Becky has sampled various types of accommodations on her visits, staying at both large and small hotels as well as sharing condos with friends. Becky says she's, "...not much of a water person, so I spent most of my time on the beach. There are plenty of opportunities for people to snorkel, dive, jet-ski, etc. You can also parasail, rent mopeds, or take a variety of tours... One of my favorite things to do is just to walk around...either in the shopping district or the hotel zone or the open air markets downtown." If sun, sand, and the sea get old, "There are many opportunities to sightsee. The Yucatan Peninsula is full of Mayan ruins, many of which make good day trips. My favorite was Chizen Itza...(the ruins) are really spectacular. You can either travel with a tour group, or rent a car and drive there yourself. I suggest you go with a tour group as it is a 3 hour ride each way and the roads are really bad." Becky says, "I have never done anything in Cancun that I wouldn't advise anyone else to do." For dining options, Becky suggests our vegetarian friends try 100% Natural. "They have a wide variety of fruit shakes and some great salads." She comment that you should avoid all the American chains in Cancun, "These...are just like they are at home! Cancun has some excellent restaurants with a wide variety of food choices. I've never eaten a bad meal in Cancun." For night life, Becky lists Senor Frog's as a "must do". "This is the most fun place in Cancun! The best place to party, especially on the weekends. They have a live reggae band, a great DJ, some incredibly cute guys MCing and even a bit of karaoke thrown in makes things really wild. "Both Christine's and Daddy'O's have great light shows and music that varies depending on the day of the week. Christine's is the only nightclub in Cancun that has a dress code. I don't recommend La Boom, a really loud disco that is mainly a meat market." Becky says renting a car is unnecessary, "unless you want to take a day trip down the coast to either Tulum Xel-Ha." The hotel zone has excellent public transit. Changing dollars to pesos is not necessary, she says, but you may get better deals on some things by using pesos. Change money at a bank or a Casa de Cambio. She advises, "the airport has the worst exchange rate and your hotel won't offer the best rate either." Becky says she appreciates the relative safety of Cancun, even for a single female. According to her, even the water is safe. "All water, especially in the hotel zone, is purified, including the ice in your frozen margaritas." In fact, Becky is planning another return trip this spring. She says, "I'd move there if I could just win the lottery! It's fun, relaxing...heaven on Earth. My second home." For more information, contact Becky Coltan
Cozumel Reviewers
Chris and Kim Wilson's Cozumel Review
When visited: July 1997
Kim and Chris were due to fly out of O'Hare at 6:20 am Monday morning. We stayed at the O'Hare Hilton, which is connected to the airport, which makes an early morning flight more tolerable. We visited the gift shop the night before to pick up some reading material for me. In all the madness of the wedding, I had forgotten to pack any books. I picked up The Third Twin and Harvest. I will say that Harvest was very good, a worthwile read. Skip the Third Twin. Continental Airlines served us breakfast on the way to Houston, a good bowl of cereal and a banana. I was surprised at the quality of the food. We made our connection in Houston without a hitch, and landed in Cozumel around noon. The 85 degree sunny skies greeted us walking off the plane. We had our Tourist Cards stared at for quite awhile by Mexican authorities, but they eventually let us go. We picked up our bags, then proceeded to Customs. Here you had to press a button on a stoplight; if the green light lit then you were free to go, but if the red light lit you had to be searched. Kim got green, while I had the pleasure of seeing the red light come on. The nice customs man looked in my suitcase for all of 3 seconds then said ok. Must have been my honest face. We were met by a representative of Ferinco Travel, who explained to us how to find the truck to our hotel. We made it to the Diamond Resort without a problem. The Diamond is an all-inclusive resort, so we had "free" all you can eat and drink at the 3 restaurants and 3 bars. I'd say we got our money's worth that week. The Diamond has its own beach, with palapas offering shade. I'll scan some pictures and make them available on the web. That afternoon we spent on the beach, and it was uneventful. Tuesday was spent on the beach and snorkeling, and for dinner we went to San Miguel and ate at Carlos N Charlies. Kim drank a half yard of strawberry daquari. CnC's is a must stop. Wednesday morning we flew to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. I wasn't so hot on going, but I was very glad I did, as they were very impressive and I learned a lot about the Yucantan's history. Wednesday afternoon we slept. Thursday we went to Cozumel's only town, San Miguel. I thoroughly enjoyed going from shop to shop and bartering with the islanders. I was able to pick up a hammock and a cool bag for myself. Friday we went back to the mainland to visit Xcaret. This is an ecological theme park that isn't worth going to. We wasted an entire day there on the tour. We spent 2 hours in the morning lounging on hammocks in the shade afternoon sitting on chairs in the shade. We did snorkel through an underground river, but there were all of 6 fish I saw throught the 1/3 mile length. Skip this. Saturday we were paid a visit from Senor Montezuma, but thanks to our handy dandy meds we were both fine within 24 hours. Unfortunately, we had to cancel our snorkeling excursion to 3 of the reefs around Cozumel, so we didn't get to see the famed coral reefs. We did go back to San Miguel to do some more shopping. Sunday we snorkeled and spent the day on the beach. I had the pleasure of seeing a barracuda swimming straight at my head about 6 feet away, so I pulled a fast 180 and got the heck out of there. I'd never seen a barracuda that wasn't in an aquarium before, and all of a sudden I felt quite out of my element. I did manage to see him again later in the day, but this time from the side where I was able to confirm his nasty little teeth and 5 foot length. Unfortunately Monday we had to leave. A great trip home aside from waiting for over an hour for my bag to come off the plane in Houston. By the time I had my bag, we had already missed our connection. So after making it through customs (it was a lot easier to get into the U.S. than it was into Mexico) a friendly Continental Airlines rep got us on the next flight to O'Hare. Now I must comment on the quality of Continental's food. It is the BEST airline food I'd ever had. Our dinner was a grilled chicken breast sandwich with lettuce and tomato, and an optional caeser dressing, carrot sticks, a Baby Ruth, and Jelly Bellies. Wow. We landed at O'Hare where my parents were waiting for us and drove us back to South Bend. It was a fantastic trip that I'd love to do again. For more information, contact Chris Wilson.
When visited: February 1996
Joe and his wife spent a week on the island of Cozumel and had a fantastic time there. The flight from Cincinnati to Cancun took about 2.5 hours. Clearing Customs in Cancun took nearly the same length of time. They then boarded a twin-engine turboprop for the somewhat bumpy, 18 minute flight to Cozumel. The brevity of the flight didn't keep the AeroCozumel flight attendant from dispensing Cerveza Fria to any interested passengers. "Now", Joe says, "the hallmark of any good vacation will be, 'did I have a cold beer in my hand when I deplaned?'." Cozumel was chosen as their vacation destination because of the good value Mexico presented, due to the strength of the dollar vs. the peso, and Cozumel's reputation as one of the world's top Dive locations. The weather was nearly perfect. Highs were typically in the mid-80s with low humidity and a gentle breeze most of the time. "We stayed at the Diamond Resort, an all-inclusive located about 12 miles south of San Pedro. It was situated on San Francisco beach and was very nice. The rooms were in 6 unit, thatched-roof, cottages that were scattered across the grounds of the resort. All drinks, meals, and activities except Scuba Diving were included. "Diamond caters to a lot of Germans and Canadians, as well as Americans. Some of the German guests engaged in the custom of topless sunbathing, which I found thoroughly delightful!" Joe reports that Cozumel has something for almost everyone: "There's some shopping, but not as much as St. Thomas. There are some Mayan ruins, but not on the same scale as Chitzen Itza. The beaches and sea are beautiful. Diving or snorkeling are something you have to do while there. The Diamond Resort had a great Dive shop right on the premises, Dive Palancar. Since the hotel was located far to the south of town, it was close to the best reefs. We only had about a 10 minute boat ride to Palancar Reef while some dive shops had about an hour trip one way. The diving was like being in a Jacque Cousteau special." Two 'must sees' are the lighthouse at Punta Celerain. "You'll need a jeep to get there but it's a cool drive, and the view from the lighthouse is spectacular! Also Chakanaab Lagoon has some outstanding snorkeling. If you can only do one thing in Cozumel, don't miss Chakanaab." He says that nightlife is plentiful in San Pedro as are some great restaurants: "If you're staying on Cozumel, do not miss eating at La Choza. It is highly rated in all the guides and lives up to it's reputation. Great food at a unbelievable price. I think dinner for 2 plus drinks, and tip set us back about $24.00. Las Palmas is also a nice spot right on the main street, near the wharf." "There are lots of nightspots of all sizes. Carlos' and Charlie's seems to be hopping every night." While renting a car isn't necessary Joe does recommend renting one for a day trip around the island: "There are island tours, but it's more fun to do it at your own pace. You can stop when and where you want. You can't get lost since there's just one road around the whole island. The locals are spirited drivers so you have to be on your toes!" There's no public transit and a cab ride from the Diamond to San Pedro was about $7.00. Joe reports, "It wasn't necessary to change dollars to pesos but it did come in handy for cab fares and small purchases like Coke machines, postage stamps, etc. You'll get the best exchange rate at banks or at a Casa de Cambio, NOT at your hotel." Joe says, "We'd go back in a heartbeat, but there are so many islands and so little time!" He calls Cozumel, "A great destination for either the active or completely sluggish vacationer. Sitting on you ass on the beach is great; diving is world-class; shopping and sightseeing are enough to keep all but the most hard-core occupied." For more information, contact Your Old Pal Joe.
Puerto Vallarta Reviewers
Kathy Anderson's Puerto Vallarta Review
When visited: January 1997
Kathy visited the Mexican Pacific resort of Puerto Vallarta recently and offers these insights. She traveled from Chicago; the flight time was 4 hours. She stayed at the Hotel Sierra in Nuevo Vallarta. This is a relatively new resort area about 8 miles north of "El Centro", downtown PV. Kathy owns a timeshare in this large, all-inclusive resort. The weather was beautiful most days, with highs in the upper 70's or low 80's. Mornings and evenings were cool. Kathy says, "mostly we relaxed on the beach. The hotel has organized activities. We enjoy volleyball and there was quite a bit of this available. We took one boat trip to Las Mertos Island. There was snorkeling, diving, and a boat ride around the island...It included lunch and drinks." Kathy says she wouldn't recommend this side trip, "We had to be shuttled three time in smaller boats out to a larger boat. It was inconvenient and time consuming." She adds, "There are many trips available for an extra fee. Many times you can get a discount (usually 2 for 1) if you attend a timeshare presentation which takes about 90 minutes. If you do attend, I recommend that you do not purchase. Contact me for further details." Downtown Puerto Vallarta is pretty and interesting just to walk around and take in the sights. There are tons of shops including a large market where you can bargain with local vendors. The main Cathedral, Nuestra Senora de Guadeloupe, dominates the skyline and has a spectacular "crown" atop the bell tower. Puerto Vallarta is known for it's restaurants and night life. Kathy recommends El Panorama. There are all the large nightclubs you expect in a resort area; Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood, Carlos and Charlie's, and other smaller clubs. Changing money, while not necessary, can help you get a little better deal. Kathy observes that the best exchange rates were given at local banks. Kathy says she'd go back but would like to try a different hotel and get out and try more local dining. She also suggests, "just get out and experience the Mexican lifestyle. It makes you appreciate home. The people are very poor and work for almost nothing." She adds that it can be, "... a very inexpensive vacation. You can choose if you want to sightsee or just relax." For more information, contact Kathy Anderson.
