Archive for the 'Mexico' Category
Yalapa, Mexico: Stand-up paddle surf workshop in paradise
November 23, 2009 4:57pm
Stand-up paddle surfing. The first time you saw it at the beach you probably exclaimed, “What is THAT?” Or you rushed right out, rented a board and tried it yourself. Stand-up paddle surfers (or boarders) have been in the Los Angeles Times’ Outposts blog in recent years for coming close to humpback whales in Australia and for stand-up fishing in Baja. Now there’s a chance to build a quick Mexican getaway around the activity. Verana, the award-winning luxe resort in Yelapa (fly into Puerto Vallarta) that you need to get to by boat, has some openings left for their Stand-Up Paddle Surf Workshop Dec. 6-13.
Verana Stand-Up Paddle Surf Workshop: $825 per person based on double occupancy includes three nights’ accommodations at Verana, two days of paddle surfing at the Stand-Up Paddle Surf workshop with breakfast and lunch, optional yoga class, one optional spa treatment per day, full use of spa, steam room, pools and bath, and a three-course evening dinner. Day passes are also available ($160 per person) and include the two-hour class, practice in the ocean and one-hour spa treatment costs.
When I checked with Verana today, the following guest houses were still available. Visitors can book any three nights/two days, if available, from Dec. 6th to Dec. 13th. :
Dec. 6 - 13, 2009: Stone House, Studio, Mayan, Jungle Suite
Dec. 6 - 10, 2009: Palapa
Dec. 7 - 10, 2009: Bungalow, Tea House
December 8 - 13, 2009: Casa Amor
Contact: Verana, (866) 687-9358
— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger
[Photo: Verana guests paddling in Banderas Bay, Mexico. Credit: Pacific Paddle Surf ]
Water parks vie to open first U.S. looping water slide
November 22, 2009 10:19am
The race is on to see which water park debuts America’s first looping water slide — a gravity-defying attraction that has awed Europe and Asia.
Noah’s Ark water park in Wisconsin and Jay Peak ski resort in Vermont both plan to unveil the combination water slide-thrill ride on Memorial Day Weekend 2010.
Canadian-based manufacturer WhiteWater confirmed that the two locations would install the first AquaLoop slides in the United States.
Cabo San Lucas: Luxe ‘Thanksgiving in the Sun’ 4-night package (with football!)
November 13, 2009 5:58am
If you’ve never thought about leaving town for Thanksgiving because there was no way your family could live without the tradition of watching football, this splurge of a deal is for you. I bet you didn’t even know you could watch NFL games in Mexico. The brand-new Hacienda Beach Club & Residences in Cabo San Lucas knows what you want. It has put together a Thanksgiving package complete with turkey dinner, the NFL, and if you can break away from the bar — a sunset cruise on the Sea of Cortez.
Deal: Four nights in a one-bedroom residence for two people comes to $740 per person, or $1,480 before the 13% tax. When I called, there was plenty of availability for Wednesday, Nov. 25 through Nov. 29. If there are four people staying in a two-bedroom residence, the cost is $640 per person, pre-tax. The package includes a traditional turkey dinner prepared in your residence by a personal chef and butler, a margarita and chips & guacamole welcome, a sunset cruise on Friday, and a tailgating party at the Palapa Bar at the Beach Club, where NFL games will be shown. If you’re feeling guilty about the big turkey dinner, a personal trainer is also included one day during your stay. It’s worth noting that one-bedroom residences are priced at $575 per night after their grand opening in January.
When: Valid through Nov. 30, 2009, based on availability.
Note: The Hacienda Beach Club & Residences has a vacation rental component to it, but because there is no minimum night requirement it operates like a hotel.
Contact: Hacienda Beach Club & Residences, (949) 388-8590
— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger
[Photo credit: Hacienda Beach Club & Residences]
Where Americans die abroad, and why: By the numbers
November 9, 2009 5:58am
Of course you should beware of crime while planning and making your next international trip. But the numbers say that if you’re among the unlucky few to die, a car, bus or motorcycle is more likely to kill you.
Death by traffic is a recurring theme in a fascinating State Department Web page that I came across last week.
For instance, by the department’s count, of at least 126 Americans who died of “non-natural causes” in Mexico in the first half of 2009, at least 45 perished in vehicle accidents. The figure for homicides: 36. The figure for drownings: at least 22, 10 of them in Baja California Sur (which includes Los Cabos and La Paz) and seven in the state of Quintana Roo (which includes Cancun and Cozumel). Other types of accidents, and suicides, accounted for the rest.
Keep in mind that during that spell from January through June 2009, about 2.6 million Americans boarded flights to Mexico and many more visited by car or ship. The odds overwhelmingly suggest that your vacation will be nonfatal.
Two California luxury hotels added to AAA’s 2010 Five Diamond Award list
November 6, 2009 2:45pm
Open less than a year, the Resort at Pelican Hill in Orange County like all hotels, has struggled against the tides of a beleaguered economy. But that doesn’t mean it can’t take a great compliment. The luxury coastal property is one of two California resorts that have danced into the exclusive ranks of AAA’s just-released Five Diamond Award list for 2010. [Corrected at 5:45 p.m. Nov. 6: An earlier version of this post said the Resort at Pelican Hill is south of Laguna Beach. It is north of Laguna Beach.]
California, with 20 five-diamond hotels, also added the opulent Grand del Mar in San Diego to its coffers.
The new Golden State additions join the company of some real longtimers, like the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, which has populated the list for 24 consecutive years, and the Peninsula Beverly Hills, with 17 consecutive years under its belt.
40% off Marriott and Renaissance leisure rates in Caribbean, Mexico & Costa Rica Resorts
November 2, 2009 10:55am
If you are a hotel chain snob, you’re going to want to put aside your inclinations and have a second look at this amazing deal. Marriott and Renaissance are offering 12 of their properties in the Caribbean, Mexico and Costa Rica at 40% off during high season this winter. So what? This hotel offer includes the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa (pictured) a winner of the AAA Five Diamond Hotel Award for 2009. If you go to the Paradise by Marriott website, you can’t miss the sale. It has a great name that I wish other hotel and resort providers would adopt—”Life begins at 40%.”
Deal: Use promo code LLF to get 40% off leisure rates starting at:
JW Marriott Cancun Resort and Spa - $209 (usually starts at $349 without the deal)
CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa - $149 (usually starts at $249 without the deal)
CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resort - $131 (usually starts at $219 without the deal)
Participating properties: St. Kitts Marriott, Frenchman’s Reef Marriott, Grand Cayman Marriott, Aruba Renaissance, Aruba Marriott, Curacao Marriott, Curacao Renaissance, San Juan Marriott, JW Marriott Cancun, Casa Magna Cancun Marriott, Puerto Vallarta Casa Magna Marriott and Los Suenos Marriott.
Dodgers cruise to the Mexican Riviera with Steve Garvey, Mariano Duncan and 2009 teammates
October 30, 2009 3:14pm
Dampen your post-season Dodger blues with a seven-day cruise on the Mexican Riviera out of Long Beach. It will feature former first-baseman Steve Garvey, first-base coach and former infielder Mariano Duncan and broadcaster Steve Lyons.
Interior staterooms start at $855 per person, but book soon: The cruise embarks Nov. 15. The trip, aboard Carnival Cruise lines, includes stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas. Also included are photo sessions, cocktail parties and Q&A sessions with the former ballplayers.
The ship returns to Long Beach on Nov. 22.
–Chris Erskine, Los Angeles Times deputy Travel editor
[The home runs may be over, but Dodger fans can celebrate aboard a special cruise; photo by Christina House/For The Times]
Mexico: Top-rated luxury resort in Riviera Maya offers half off and other perks
October 16, 2009 12:03pm
The consensus on Banyan Tree Mayakoba, a new-ish luxury resort on the southeast shore of Mexico’s Riviera Maya? Phenomenal, if you’re basing it on on TripAdvisor.com reviews.
The resort, which opened officially on the luxury development Mayakoba in March 2009, ranks No. 1 of 179 hotels in Playa del Carmen (Mayakoba is about six miles north of Playa del Carmen). Review descriptions include such comments as “best of the best” and “heaven on earth.”
Yes, this piece of luxury on the Caribbean coast is the kind that you pay a pretty penny for, but a stay here may have just become a little more accessible for some, with a current promotion meant to lure visitors before the holiday rush.
Deal: With the online-only special, book a three-night-minimum stay this fall and receive 50% off of the best available rate on the lowest price-level room, the “garden pool villa.” The starting rack rate on these rooms is $655 per night, pre-tax, so half off that means you pay $328 per night. The special also includes a complimentary daily breakfast buffet at the onsite Oriente restaurant for two people, and one 60-minute massage (plus 30 minutes of spa “relaxation time”) for one person. Read the rest of this entry »
Last-minute Club Med resort deal in October: Mexico, Bahamas, Caribbean
October 7, 2009 11:09am
There are still three more weeks in the month. Consider that when you hear that Club Med is offering a last-minute travel deal to Mexico, Bahamas and the Caribbean. Three-night getaways with departure dates this month start at $249 per person for its resorts at Cancun Yucatan and Ixtapa Pacific, Columbus Isle and Punta Cana, and Turkoise (adults only). But the sale is good for stays up to six nights, plus the seven-night Bahamas special.
Deal or no deal? When the sale crossed my desk, the first thing I noticed was that it was offering flights to the Bahamas for only $1 on Spirit Air. My gimmick detector went off, but I couldn’t help testing it anyway. The deal is valid on seven-night trips to Columbus Isle for flights out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., (FLL) on Oct. 24 and 31 and Nov. 7. I tested booking the trip online for a departure on Oct. 24, and the total price for the all-inclusive trip including the flight for one person came to $1,352. Note that in this deal the single supplement is being waved for select room grades.
7-day Mexican Riviera cruise for $299 from Norwegian Cruise Line ‘Deals of the Decade’ sale
October 6, 2009 8:29am
Norwegian Cruise Line is celebrating its 10-year anniversary of Freestyle Cruising with a big sale. Check out the “NCL Deals of the Decade” sale and find special offers up to 82% off the brochure price. Choose from itineraries that sail to the Bahamas and Florida, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, Mexico and through the Panama Canal.
I had a look at Mexican Riviera cruises out of Southern California and found a seven-day cruise on the Norwegian Star with rates starting at $299 per person.
7-Day Mexican Riviera round-trip Los Angeles
This cruise aboard the Norwegian Star includes calls on Mexico’s Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. The departure dates that you could choose starting at $299 were Oct. 17, Oct. 24, Oct. 31, Nov. 7 and Nov. 14. Other dates were available at rates that started at $449 per person.
