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By admin On March 14th, 2011

Mazatlán is gearing up for its Carnival titled the “Return of the Muses”. See what is in store for you!

El Cid Vacations Club Members share with you their great vacation experiences. What makes their stays with us so fabulous? Our people, locations, restaurants, and a myriad of activities for all ages! This makes our Vacation Ownership system one of the finest. Read what our members have to say, and see their videos. We look forward to welcoming you as a member of El Cid Vacations Club!

Destination photos

Everything that we have seen and done in your place, is really great!
Lily, USA

The El Cid staff was informative and thorough in showing all the opportunities with El Cid properties. From the breakfast tour, and cost associated with purchasing a vacation, we never felt pressure nor overwhelmed to buy. And, it was too good of an oportunity to pass!
Brian & Tonya, USA

Riviera Maya

The grounds are immaculte and the people are very kind. This is Paradise One! We are treated like royalty!
Donna, USA

It is very easy to make reservations! The staff is very helpful and accomodating. Everyone is very friendly. And what beautiful views!
Seth & Sarah, USA

Cozumel

We love this place. We have made many beautiful memories here with our friends and family, and will continue doing so in the years to come.
Julia, USA

Mazatlán

As always, customer service is excellent! The staff is very friendly and helpful, and the accomodations are also superb.
Bertha & Francisco, USA

El Cid Resorts is a safe place to spend your holiday in México. The staff and people in Mazatlán are friendly and very courteous. We have stayed at El Cid almost every year for approximatly 10 years and have enjoyed our holidays. We recommend the resort to our friends and familly.
Fred, Canada

Food

We became El Cid members two years ago. We upgraded beacuse we were impressed with the All- Inclusive program. We love vacationing with El Cid beacuse they treat us like royalty. It has always been fabulous. Our guests are always so impressed and appreciate that we bring them here.
Janet, USA

The people are very friendly and helpful. There is an amazing view of the beach and pool from the room. The food is excelent!
Jaime, USA

Staff

I am very pleased with the service and hospitality of the El Cid Resorts. It is always a pleasure to walk through the doors of El Cid El Moro Beach Hotel and see familiar faces!
Blair, USA

Great service, and the people were very nice. They are always very willing to explain all the programs they offer. The kids just love the pool area!
Julie, USA

The staff is very helpful and courteous to us and our guests. They have exceded our expectations!
Chris, USA

“The Monument of Life”, Mazatlan

If you stroll near the clavadistas (cliff divers) on the famous malecón (a 4-mile Oceanside boardwalk), you will see this monument that honors “the continuous harmony that must exist between Man and Nature” with dolphins representing the joyous aspect of life.
This is the first of Mazatlan’s many monuments, so stay tuned!

RCI Golden Crown Award

On Friday, February 25, 2011, RCI awarded Hotel Marina El Cid Spa & Beach Resort with the RCI GOLD CROWN RESORT 2011 recognition. This represents the sixth consecutive Gold Crown Award the resort has received since 2006.
This award honors the facilities and service quality offered at the El Cid Cancún/Riviera Maya resort.
Congratulations to everyone!

Kitesurf World Champion, Sean Farley gives a unique tour of Mazatlán

A board skims over the water, pulled along by A small kite billowing out with the wind. Controlling the line is Sean FArley, world ChAmpion kitesurfer, trAining in Mazatlán. When he finishes, he tAkes us on an athletically paced tour of his favorite town.

Shrimp and Mardi Gras are two things people instantly associate with Mazatlán, but it has so much more to offer. And, lucky me, I got to discover them on the arm of… or better yet, on the kite of Sean Farley, world champion kitesurfer and natural born Mexican who loves his country. Sean hangs out a lot on Mexico’s Pacific coast, because the winds are just right for practicing his sport. So touring Mazatlán with him turned me onto some really great places you ought to know about. Let me share some of them with you.

A Note on History and Smells

Sean tells me that the Cervecería Pacífico started brewing its Pilsner in Mazatlán, in 1901. Unfortunately, I
don’t recall the names of the five Germans who founded it, because when I heard them, I was busy sampling
their product. So maybe I should talk about something I know for sure: one of the things I like about Mazatlán is its saltwater smell. That waft of Pacific Ocean brings to mind scenes from the port city’s romantic past, of galleons and traders sailing in from distant shores.

Of late, the tourist hotspot has been the Zona Dorada, which has a wide range of hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs. Then, too, the historical downtown area has recently been making a comeback.

Musical Theater and Fights

The city center overlooks the Olas Altas Bay shoreline, a parade ground back in the 1950s for lots of Hollywood stars–John Wayne among them–, who were drawn to Mazatlán’s beauty, charm and weather. A downtown must-see is Plaza Machado, the heart of community life since 1837. Among the historical buildings surrounding
the square is the Ángela Peralta–formerly Rubio–Theater that stages operettas and the Spanish musicals known as zarzuelas. The theater has also become a boxing venue in a town that fell head-over-heels for the sport back in the 1940s and has turned out such famous contenders as Joe El Dandy Conde, El Chango Casanova and Juan Zurita.

Conditioning Test

After practice, Sean showed me around the port area. Keeping up with him was a real test, because Sean runs the entire 17-kilometer length of the seawall (one of the longest in Latin America) every morning, setting off at the Fisherman Monument and pulling up in the Zona Dorada. I must confess that I dropped out at the halfway mark, where I found a spot to cool off with sips of the aforementioned Germans’ product.
Strolling around Olas Altas Bay is also ideal at sunset, when the endless ocean horizon presents a many-splendored light show that has photographers trying to snap every single instant.

Window onto the Ocean

Man of the sea that he is, one of Sean’s favorite places in Mazatlán is the city’s aquarium. In his company, I couldn’t help but be fascinated by the water-dwelling animals like sharks, seahorses, lobsters and over 250 exotic species from all over the planet on display in the nearly 50 tanks, both saltwater and fresh. Coming out of the aquarium, Sean took me to the Panamá, a laidback restaurant that draws a crowd of locals and tourists alike, attracted by the tasty food at reasonable prices. I especially enjoyed the desserts and pastry, known as pan dulce. el monumento a Pedro Infante, en el Malecón de Mazatlán, festeja al hijo predilecto de Sinaloa. the monument to actor/singer pedro Infante, on Mazatlán’s seawalk, honors sinaloa’s favorite son. con 17 kilómetros, el malecón de mazatlán es uno de los paseos más largos a la orilla del mar de américa latina.

About “Spiders” and “Pneumonias”

The way to get around Mazatlán is on a contraption known as a pulmonía (literally, pneumonia), a sort of glorifi ed golf cart that came along in 1965 to replace the horse-drawn wooden arañas (spiders) of yesteryear. Th e pulmonía so typifi es the spirit of Mazatlán that there’s a traffi c circle honoring it on
Mar Avenue.
We went for a ride on a pulmonía, but Sean felt a little cramped and we got off at the corner of Benito Juárez and Gabriel Leyva. This is where major civic events like Mardi Gras festivities, the book fair and other cultural activities take place. The area consequently has its fair share of cafés and restaurants.
The afternoon coffee break gives me a chance to get Sean talking about his accomplishments. It turns out that in 2009, he won the world, North America and U.S. championships in kitesurf course racing. This year, he competed in the Fourth Continental North America Championship and in the Mexican Bicentennial Regatta Cup and maintained his title as champion.

Statement in Iron

Next morning, while Sean gets in his run, I head for the market. I’ve always felt that a town’s markets reflect the nature of the locale, and the Pino Suárez Market, “Mazatlán’s Iron Giant”, confirms my belief. Stately, bustling with life and color, this art nouveau architectural jewel is built of iron and steel. Operating since 1899, it’s a big downtown tourist attraction and has stalls selling fresh fish and seafood,
meat, fruits and vegetables, in addition to beautiful wood, ceramic, coconut shell and seashell handicrafts.
We meet up after a while for a delightful stroll around downtown, which sharpens my appetite for our visit to Los Arcos Restaurant, renowned for fine seafood dining on Mazatlán’s freshest catch.

Sean’s training regimen demands a strict diet, no alcohol and an early bedtime, so nighttime activity was limited to a relaxing massage therapy session on my last evening in The Pearl of the Pacific. I guess you’ll just have to wait until I tour Mazatlán again–without Sean–to find out what I have to say about nightlife with an ocean scent.

Cozumel: An Economical Destination for All Ages

Find out why Mary Shelton Reynolds and her family revisit Cozumel.

This Christmas season my family is headed to Cozumel, Mexico, for some family relaxation. Our “gift” to each other is a memorable vacation with time to enjoy ourselves and reflect on the reason for the season.

For some of us, it is our seventh visit to Mexico’s largest inhabited island in the last three years, yet no one is saying, “Not Cozumel again!” Instead, I hear, “We love that place.” We have traveled with bird-watchers, divers, outdoorsmen, beach lovers, history buffs and shoppers ranging in age from 8 to 80, none of whom were disappointed in the adventure.

If you want to see what local life is like in Cozumel, hire a taxi to drive you around the island. Just outside the pier area, we found an excellent driver, who spoke good English, for about $25. In about three hours, we walked on three types of beaches (sandy, rocky and manmade), visited the nesting areas of sea turtles, drove through residential areas where locals eat, shop, attend school and church, and learned about our driver’s family life.

Meanwhile, two adults and all the children went swimming with the dolphins near a downtown pier (a cruise ship excursion). Later, the dolphin group took a taxi for about $14 and joined us at Chankannab Park. Admission to the park is about $10 per person. Some of us sat on the beach, some went snorkeling, some went iguana/bird watching and some investigated the lagoon.

For serious sun worshippers, snorkelers and beach party fans, clubs like Corona or Paradise Beach are a short taxi drive from the pier. The spots are generally free, but you are expected to purchase food and drinks. Closer to the pier, El Cid timeshare sometimes offers a day pass including lunch and drinks if you spend 45 minutes touring the facility.

Diving excursions and outdoor adventures such as mountain biking, horseback riding, hiking and ATV tours are available Fishing enthusiasts can book a half-day bone fishing trip with a local captain. Golfers can play a round at the Cozumel Country Club.

For serious history buffs, ancient Mayan ruins like San Gervasio are available for exploring on Cozumel, and more spectacular Mayan ruins are located on the mainland. Depending on your arrival and departure times, you can take a ferry (about 35 minutes and $7) to Playa del Carmen on the mainland for a bus excursion to Tulum to visit fascinating ruins.

We took an all-day, all-inclusive shore excursion to Tulum and Xel-Ha guaranteed by the cruise line for around $130 per person. Xel-Ha is a natural “aquarium” that has been developed into a tourist haven. You can swim with the dolphins, go snorkeling or enjoy the ambiance of the five open-air restaurants.

We have found Cozumel to be clean, safe and friendly. While it’s not a good idea to drink water (except the bottled variety) or to buy food from street vendors, the restaurants in the San Miguel area are great choices for lunch, snacks and drinks. The drug problems in other areas of Mexico seem far away from Cozumel, and we have never felt tense or scared there. Simple, common sense behavior is all that is necessary.

Cozumel offers so many things to do that you can choose activities to fit your budget and personal interests every time you go.

Hotel Marina El Cid Spa & Beach Resort, A Green and Environmental Hotel!

All-Inclusive Hotel in Mazatlan

Witten by:Johanna O’Nan, Demand Media

USA TODAY Travel Tips

Overview

Touted as the “The Pearl of the Pacific,” Mazatlán sits on Mexico’s Gold Coast. It is the closest Mexican resort to the U.S. and features 17 miles of shoreline. Old Mazatlán is the opportune stomping ground for history buffs and avid sightseers, while the city’s modern “Golden Zone” is home to tourist hotels and resorts, a handful of which offer all-inclusive vacation packages. Mazatlán’s Golden Zone abuts the coast and houses authentic eateries, shops and nightlife.

El Cid Resorts

The El Cid Resort company boasts four all-inclusive resorts in the Mazatlán area. The El Cid Marina Beach Hotel sits in the heart of the Golden Zone Marina, while the Castilla Beach Hotel lies four miles from the downtown district and Olas Altas. The nearby El Cid Granada Country Club and Moro Beach Hotel are also nestled within the Golden Zone, and each hotel is either beachfront or within a two-minute walk to the ocean. All-inclusive options are offered at all four resorts. These cover the amenities exclusive to each property. Most plans include accommodations, daily meals at any Mazatlán El Cid resort restaurant and unlimited house-brand alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. Access to both the Kids Club and Teens Club, nightly adult entertainment, nonmotorized water sports activities and daily access to the pool, fitness center, steam room and sauna are included as well(…).

To read the original article visit http://traveltips.usatoday.com/all-inclusive-hotel-mazatlan-34584.html

Mazatlan’s Many Attributes Include the Longest Stretch of Beach & Affordable Retirement Housing

Written by Bea Broda (Travel Video News)

At the recent Tianguis Turistico tourism conference held in Acapulco, Mexico, the Mayor of Mazatlan, Mayor Alejandro Higuera Osuna, and Governor Mario Lopez of the State of Sinaloa, joined a number of reps from the Mazatlan and Sinaloa region to give information and statistics about the current state of tourism, and the outlook is very positive. There are 8000 to 9000 foreigners living in Mazatlan all year round who have activities to do with the city’s notable historical center. The city’s attributes have been able to capture people to retire there; it has the biggest seafront in Mexico and tourists can enjoy it without hotels obstructing the view. There is a natural lighthouse, and since 1840 there has been an influx of German people that helped to develop the city. (Keys to the city were just exchanged between Hanover and Mazatlan with the mayor of Hanover.)

A new government is starting in Sinaloa and the state has a new political force different from the traditional one. He hopes people will have the confidence that the people of Mazatlan will think they are citizens of Sinaloa.

There is an appetite for Mazatlan which the mayor says is due to the work of the airlines and tour wholesalers that want to go there. There are new flights being added in the US and in Canada. (Sunwing in Canada.)It is the goal to take Sinaloa to a new level.

Governor Lopez remarked that his state of Sinaloa, is a state that is tourist friendly. The president has declared 2011 as Tourist Year, and it’s the second motor of the economy and represents 12 points of internal product. They want Mexico to do well, want to do business and are aware of the problems that exist.

They just make them try harder and to justify what the people there are really made of. There is extraordinary gastronomy, the best beer, good music and lovely people. They have the spirit of renovation now and have met with the foreign residents to ascertain the wishes of the people. From them, they heard what the main problems are and they feel legislation needs to be changed about only being able to have a property through a trust. It is an outmoded system from another century. There was so much empathy that they wanted the foreigners to be a part of their cabinet; a move to be closer to the tourists. They want to make Sinaloa a safe and happy destination – a place where they can live with Mazatlan as their second home.

Sinaloa is more than Mazatlan – it’s the entrance to a canyon, a center for the railway system of Mexico too. Lopez appreciates the tourist promoters, hotel chains and all that are forming the team to renovate tourism in this area. He sees the tourists as the most important ally and he wants everyone to come back.

There are so many beautiful things in Sinaloa – he feels that other countries have far more crime but that reportage about crime in Mexico is accentuated. They are creating a huge team with the mayor, hotel associations, municipalities and visitors and want our confidence and want visitors to be in touch about anything. Higuera also invites us to ask the people that have lived there for 20 or 30 years about the change in the government, and that things are set to improve. The state is blessed by God with 720 miles of coast, developed agriculture that produces so much of what is consumed. You are welcome in Mazatlan and Sinaloa – a place for everybody.

Tourists are happy when they go there as the service industry is friendly and patient with visitors. The weather is amazing, and the prices are still very good for people seeking a retirement property. Many places are more dangerous, like Mexico City, for example, but all the attention is going to certain incidents. It’s like anywhere else in the world, that possibly there is random crime; otherwise you have to be looking for trouble to find it.

Many new hotels are opening as well as condominiums – much construction is underway. It’s possible to pay $300 a month for an apartment in a nice area.

Silks for Silver: Tales of the Manila Galleons

Written by: Bob Schulman

Imagine it’s the 16th century, and you’re on a 2,500-ton Spanish super-galleon sailing off the Pacific coast of Mexico. You’re on your way back from a long, dangerous voyage to Manila, where traders from New Spain swapped silver coins and ingots – looted from mines across Mexico and Peru – for silks, porcelain, ivory, spices and the other riches of Asia.

Currents on the return portion of the trip took you across the Pacific to Northern California, after which your ship lumbered down the coast to the tip of the Baja Peninsula, then skirted the Sea of Cortes to the Mexican mainland.

On the way to your home port at Acapulco are some of the most gorgeous bays in the world, at places like Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo and Zihuatanejo. But your captain casts a nervous eye on these spots – particularly Zihuatanejo – because they’re known to shelter pirate fleets. And yours is the biggest prize of all.

The story of this ancient, seagoing version of today’s jumbo jets goes back to 1564, forty-three years after the Spanish conquest of Mexico.

East meets west in Manila

In the Far East, silver rules. Emperors, pashas and shahs dream of filling their palaces with the shiny stuff – and hundreds of mines across the Pacific in the New World are loaded with it. Meanwhile, the viceroys, marquises and grandees of Mexico yearn to fill their grand haciendas with silks and porcelain from China and their kitchens with hot stuff from the Spice Islands.

So East and West made a deal to swap their goods. The trading post would be at Manila, a Spanish colony already serving as a commercial link between Europe and Asia. To get there from Mexico, the westerners came up with a new breed of galleons, big enough – some were nearly as long as a football field – to carry hundreds of thousands of silver pesos (coins about the size of a U.S. silver dollar) and as many as 1,000 traders, crewmen, soldiers, settlers and convict laborers traveling to the Far East.

The vessels went down in the Spanish history books as the “Naos de China” (ships of China), in the Chinese books as what translated to “the Silver Argosies,” and in the English books, “the Manila galleons.”

Their eastbound voyages started at Acapulco, Mexico’s chief western seaport, where the galleons were loaded with silver and supplies for Spain’s overseas colonies. They sailed out of the bay under protection of the five gun-studded bastions of Fort San Diego, then latched on to the westerly trade winds to arrive in Manila two to three months later.

It was a lot harder getting back. The ships, now re-loaded with Asian treasures along with returning passengers, sometimes had to sail as far north as Japan and even the Aleutians to find winds and currents heading back across the Pacific. Usually, they ended up off the California coast near Cape Mendocino (170 miles north of modern-day San Francisco); from there, they caught winds blowing off and on down the shorelines of California, Baja California and western Mexico.

Some galleons stopped at a customs station at San Blas on the Mexican mainland.

The trip from Manila to Acapulco typically took five or six months, and it was fraught with perils. Not only did the sailors have to worry about storms, tricky currents, starvation, dehydration, scurvy, and rocky, fog-shrouded shorelines, but their exotic cargoes were the prize targets of pirates, privateers (legalized pirates) and wartime enemies of Spain.

No wonder of all the galleons’ voyages – they trekked back and forth across the Pacific singly or in pairs for 250 years until Mexico gained its independence from Spain – around one out of five trips ended in some kind of disaster.

Prize prey for the jolly roger

It didn’t take a galleon scientist to figure out when the homeward-bound ships would show up off the coast of Mexico. They usually left Acapulco in January or February to take advantage of the season’s steady winds to the Philippines. They’d arrive in Manila in late spring, and after a few months of trading would start the homeward voyage around July – which would normally put them along the Mexican shoreline heading to Acapulco by mid-winter.

So all the pirates had to do (when they weren’t otherwise picking off coastal commerce) was to find a cozy harbor and sit around for a month or so waiting for the galleons’ enormous sails to pop up on the horizon.

The “pirate gauntlet” began at the tip of the Baja Peninsula, where the galleons stocked up on fresh water, fruits and vegetables at an eden-like estuary at San Jose del Cabo (now part of the huge resort complex of Los Cabos) before crossing the Sea of Cortes. While loading up, they were sitting ducks for the scofflaws of the seas.

Pirates hid behind islands off the beaches of Mazatlan.

Those that made it across the Sea of Cortes faced similar attacks along the Mexican mainland when they stopped to replenish their supplies. First up was the bay of Mazatlan, where three offshore islands provided natural hiding places for the swashbucklers. After that came attacks from hidden coves dotting the 60-mile-long bay of Puerto Vallarta. And a little further down the coast, a good number of galleons were picked off while trying to load up at the two secluded bays at Manzanillo.

hideaways was Zihuatanejo. If the galleons could make it past there, the remaining 150 miles to their home port at Acapulco were usually a breeze.

Zihuatanejo’s snug, meandering bay, however, was a formidable hurdle. Often lurking there were ships flying the Jolly Roger under the command of notorious swashbucklers of the likes of Sir Francis Drake, William Draper and Thomas Cavendish. What’s more, towns around the bay were home to many of the pirate crews and their families.

Local historians tell the story of one hapless galleon on its way back from Manila that blundered into the bay – right into the cannons of a pirate fleet at anchor in the harbor. Fine Chinese silks from the ship drifted ashore on a beach, from which it got the name still on the maps today, Playa La Ropa (beach of the clothes).

Rough seas to rough roads

The galleons’ grueling trans-Pacific voyages were just part of the silver-forsilk odyssey. It began at mines across Mexico, from which raw silver was smeltered into coins and ingots to be carried overland to Acapulco, and at the mega-veins of Peru, from which the coins went by sea to Acapulco.

When the ships returned from Manila full of porcelain, silks, ivory and spices, they were off-loaded at Acapulco where a large share, the so-called King’s Fifth (equivalent to a 20 percent tax on the cargo), was earmarked for a 6,000-mile trip to the Royal Court of Spain. Another big portion was divided up between merchants who’d financed the trips. Still other goods mysteriously disappeared from the docks to show up for sale elsewhere in Mexico and at Spanish ports all the way down to Peru.

The King’s Fifth was carried by mule trains and on the backs of Indians over crude roads from Acapulco half-way across the country to Mexico City, and then on to eastern Mexico’s main port at Veracruz. From there, treasure fleets took the goods to Spain, starting with a harrowing day or so dodging pirates hiding just outside the bay in the Gulf of Mexico.

A few days later they were in back in pirate-infested waters, this time in the Caribbean for a stop at Spain’s outpost in Havana to pick up supplies for the final leg of the trip. After that, there was one last hurdle: staying afloat and on course during horrendous weather across the Atlantic.

By the time the Asian treasures got to the Royal Court in Spain, much of the goods had traveled two-thirds of the way around the world.

To real the original article visit
http://www.watchboom.com/index.php/articles/silks_for_silver_tales_of_the_manila_galleons/

El Cid Vacations Club has been awesome to deal with. Thier service from reservations straight trought to housekeeping have been extremely accomodating. We have enjoyed the personal service of the sale staff of Frank and Susana. Awesome, awesome, awesome. El Cid makes this experience feel like a home away from home!
Calgary, AB

Sunny Mazatlan is a great escape from the rain in Seattle. El Cid Resorts are located on beautiful beaches with rooms with fabulous views. With the addition of all-inclusive and deeded trust this becomes more appealing, adding greater value to this time share.
Forrest Park, WA

The El Cid is a peaceful, beautiful place to come to renew, relax and enjoy! Come as a couple with kids, you will be in for a treat!
Centennial, CO

I have loved my past 19 years at El Cid Resorts, first at the Granada Country Club and then at El Cid Marina Beach, being a founding member in 1994. I have always found the properties to be clean, beautiful, well furnished and carefully maintained. I can rely on the resorts’ services and friendly helpful staff.
Miramar Beach, FL

Mexico’s Best Kept Secrets

By Lonely Planet Autor, Adam McCulloch

Venture beyond the seaside margaritas to discover Mexico’s best kept secrets (…)

6. Mazatlán

Lesser-known than its flashy coastal counterparts Acapulco, Cancun and Cabo, Mazatlán offers more subtle charms for the intrepid traveler. This Central Pacific Coast port city – located in the state of Sinaloa parallel to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula – has had a few heydays, most notably in the 1930s and 1970s, and is finally shaking off its slightly tacky reputation thanks to a large-scale restoration of the historic center to its original Spanish Colonial glory.

Stroll the Centro Historico, watch cliff divers launch themselves off the craggy headland containing El Faro, the lighthouse, or take a trip by boat to one of the city’s three islands, the most popular of which is Isla de Venados (Deer Island) (…)

To read the full article visit http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/central-pacificcoast/mazatlan/travel-tips-and-articles/76589#

Travel Expert: Why You Should Go to Mexico

Written by: Robert Reid, Special to CNN

May 6, 2011

Reports of mass grave sites, daylight shootings and carjacking from the escalating drug war don’t exactly build confidence for a family planning a week’s holiday. And on April 22, the U.S. State Department upgraded its travel warnings to target 14 of Mexico’s 31 states. Now’s not the time to visit our southerly neighbor, right? Well, wrong. Mexico is a lot safer than you may realize.

We tend to lump all of Mexico — a country the size of Western Europe — together. For example, a border incident resulted in the death of a Colorado tourist last year, and the Texas Department of Homeland Security recommended against travel to all of Mexico.

Yet it’s in the 17 of 31 states not named in the newly expanded warnings where you’ll find the most rewarding destinations: the Yucatan Peninsula and Baja California beach resorts, colonial hill towns like the ex-pat haven of San Miguel de Allende, even the capital Mexico City.

An hour inland from Cancun’s beaches, Yucatan state — home to the most popular Mayan sites and “real Mexican” colonial cities such as Merida and Valladolid — is among the country’s safest. The state, with roughly the same population as Kansas, saw two drug-related deaths in 2010. Wichita, Kansas, alone had six gang-related killings over the same period.

In most of central and southern Mexico, drug violence simply isn’t on the radar of daily life. “It’s as easy-going as it’s always been,” said Deborah Felixson, a diving operator on Cozumel who is “shocked” when people say they had been scared to go to the Caribbean island. “We’re just small communities here. We all know what everyone’s up to.”

That sentiment is found even in places once linked with political tension, such as Chiapas state and Oaxaca City, where political protest turned into a stand-off in 2006. “Things are so much quieter now,” said Rogelio Vallesteros, who runs a Spanish-language school in Oaxaca City.

“People call to ask about safety all the time, then they come and see how quiet it is. We’re normal, really.”

After the swine-flu crisis of 2009 — when some cruise ships diverted routes from Mexican ports that had no reported cases to American ones that did — travel bounced back a bit last year. Interestingly, the increase of returning Canadians and many Western Europeans doubled that of the American rate. We seem to remain particularly leery of Mexico. That’s sad. My love of travel began with childhood visits to Mexican ruins and beaches, and I feel the U.S. is fortunate, not cursed, to be so close to a place that offers jungles, deserts, volcanoes, beaches, coral reefs, ancient pyramids, living pre-European cultures and some of the world’s most satisfying cuisines. And of course the best reason to go: the people.

A couple years ago, I informally polled various innkeepers and tour operators worldwide to find out who are the world’s friendliest travelers. Guess who won. “Mexicans are such a joy to have here,” one Bulgarian guesthouse owner e-mailed back. “They make everyone feel happier.” And it’s often better in Mexico, where locals show particular gusto in love of life. Once I saw fireworks go off in Mexico City, before sunset, and asked a local why. He was surprised I didn’t know. “It’s Friday,” he explained.

In restaurants, strangers seeing each other’s eyes instinctively say “buen provecho” before eating. It’s an earnest wish that their food should not only be tasty, but really pleasurable, and that the hope that their life will be a bit better as a result. There really is no English equivalent. Even our adopted “bon appétit” pales in significance. Naturally, crime exists everywhere in Mexico. I’ve been pickpocketed in Guadalajara (and in New York, too). But that’s the extent of my unpleasant scrapes in a dozen visits that have taken me to home-stay language courses, traditional Mayan markets, mummy museums, cenotes (surreal limestone sinkholes in which you can swim) and even Zapatista zones in the south.

Most travel to Mexico, ultimately, is simply good travel. It’s fun, affordable, eye-opening and fascinating (seriously, what other city of 21 million other than Mexico City is founded on a filled-in lake?). But, no, you don’t have to visit Mexico. And there are certainly places, like Ciudad Juarez or Tamaulipas state, I’d never visit now. Just know that the Mexico experienced on the ground almost never matches the Mexico we increasingly see and read about.

To read the fulll article visit http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/05/06/opinion.mexico.travel/

Things to Do in Cozumel, Mexico With Kids

Although the expansive white beaches and aqua waters near your hotel can occupy your kids for hours, everybody needs a break from the water sometimes. Kid-friendly attractions throughout Cozumel will teach kids about the culture and natural environment of the island while providing them with engaging, interactive experiences and will allow kids too young to snorkel or dive to see some of the island’s underwater marvels.

Visit Chankanaab Park

Kids can frolic with colorful fish in the shallow, protected surf of the children’s pool at Chankanaab Park (cozumelparks.org.mx). In addition to the pool and a large playground, your admittance fee to the park includes a dolphin presentation, a manatee exhibition, a sea lion show and an archaeological tour. The park also offers plenty of child-friendly amenities, such as snack bars, restaurants and changing rooms with showers and lockers.

Go Beneath the Sea on the Atlantis Submarine

Explore underwater Cozumel — without ever getting wet — on the Cozumel Atlantis Submarine (atlantisadventures.com). After a 12-minute ferry cruise to the Atlantis dive site, your family will board the Atlantis submarine for a 40- minute trip along the ocean floor. Through the submarine’s portals, kids can see large coral reefs filled with a variety of aquatic life, such as groupers and parrotfish.

See the Island Wildlife at Punta Sur Ecological Reserve

Punta Sur Ecological Reserve & Lighthouse (cozumelparks.org.mx), located at the southern tip of the island, provides kids with an opportunity to see some of Cozumel’s wilder habitats. In addition to the Celarain lighthouse, which kids can climb for bird’s-eye views of the island, the park has a large lagoon surrounded by mangrove swamps and jungle. The lagoon shelters a variety of wildlife, including crocodiles, wild birds, fish and iguanas. Because there is no public transportation to the reserve, families will need to either drive or take a taxi.

Explore Cozumel’s History and Culture

Visit Cozumel’s largest town, San Miguel, to learn about the history and culture of the island. Stop at the small waterfront museum Museo De La Isla De Cozumel (cozumelparks.org.mx) to see what a typical Mayan home looks like and view exhibits on the history and ecology of the island. Kids can see a wide array of Mexican fruits and vegetables at the downtown market at Avenida 25 and Salas, open daily from 6 a.m. to noon. On Sunday nights, take the kids to the downtown Plaza to listen to live music and mingle with Cozumel natives.

To read the full article visit http://traveltips.usatoday.com/things-cozumel-mexico-kids-53610.html

Secret Places In Mazatlan Mexico For Vacation

Written by: Owen Walcher

May, 2011

Mazatlan is a city in the state of Sinaloa and is considered to be the second largest city, with Culiacan as the biggest. If you are traveling to Mazatlan Mexico on vacation, there are tons of things you can do and fun activities you can participate in. Known as the “Mexican Riviera”, Mazatlan has excellent landscaping, beaches that are a sight to behold and numerous lavish resorts on the island.

The beach and water. Mazatlan Mexico vacation goers often hit the beach because of its golden sands that span for ten miles. It is ideal for sun tanning and basically lazing off the entire day. Other than sun bathing, one can do some surfing on the high waves of the water. However, the only downside is due to its popularity, the Mazatlan beach can get very crowded at times especially during peak season.

Fishing. The city is very popular among enthusiasts and is Mexico’s most popular location for sport fishing. You can rent fishing boats that are available year-round and catch fish off the coast of the region. For your benefit, some of the fish that you might be able to catch are marlin, tuna, grouper, sailfish and Dorado. You can even have a local restaurant prepare the fish you caught and have it served to you for lunch!

Bullfighting. Being able to watch a bullfight is one of the most artistic and exhilarating experiences you can partake in during your stay in Mazatlan. Bullfighting is part of Mexico’s rich history and showcases skill, courage and form during the event. The bullfighting events are held on Sundays at the Plaza Monumental in the city. Other than bullfights, you can also watch a rodeo in the same area during summertime.

Shopping. No one travels to a foreign place without doing some shopping. Mazatlan has numerous shopping centers such as the Mega and La Gran Plaza. These shopping centers contain a lot of different stores that you can shop in, as well as having small restaurants and food courts that feature Mexican, American and Asian cuisine. If you do not want to shop, you can stop by the movie theater and relax by watching a film from the choices in the three screening rooms it offers.

(…) There is literally no end to the things you can do and experience in Mazatlan.

To read the full article visit http://ezinearticles.com/?Secret-Places-In-Mazatlan-Mexico-For-Vacation&id=6245916

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