Archive for the 'Cozumel' Category
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.
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 »
Cozumel dive-package deals in the off-season
September 30, 2009 5:57am
If getting a good travel deal is worth risking a rainy day, know that there are some deal-tastic dive packages to be found in Cozumel this fall. The busy season is mid-December through New Year’s, so you’ll find low rates from now until mid-November, with many incentives such as free scuba, free breakfast, evening dives, spa discounts and more.
Many of the highly rated hotels such as Hacienda San Miguel, Occidental Grand Cozumel and Cozumel Palace Resort, as well as other local hotels, have dive packages on their websites. I found an easy in-and-out package with three nights of hotel plus two days of diving for two people under $450 at the Coral Princess Hotel & Resort.
Deal: Get a three-day dive package that includes a deluxe jungle-view room, a complimentary daily American breakfast and two days of diving. Each guest will be entitled to two diving tanks per day. Packages start at $332 for a single room and $437 for a double room, taxes included. This rate is good until Nov. 19. The price goes up to $476 for a single and $582 for double occupancy Nov. 20-Dec. 17. Without a dive package, hotel rates are $75 per night plus tax for a Jungle view room and $90 per night plus tax for an Ocean View room through Nov. 19.
SkyTeam’s new Mexico Pass a boon for intra-country travel?
September 17, 2009 2:04pm
To see a whole lot of Mexico in a little bit of time, you’re probably better off traveling by sky than road. To help make ventures by air easier, global airline alliance SkyTeam has just added a Mexico Pass to its cadre of discounted-flight packages for various countries and continents internationally (like Italy and Asia, for instance).
Though the Mexico Pass program doesn’t seem to be up and running smoothly just yet, those eager for a long-winded, exploratory look at the country — rather than a quick one-resort stay — might want to keep this option in mind for future travel.
The pass allows passengers from the U.S. and other international departure points on any SkyTeam airline to obtain discounted intra-Mexico flights on Aeromexico. To take advantage of the special rates, you must buy at least three flight coupons for travel within Mexico (there is no coupon maximum), and these can be booked anytime before your departure to Mexico. All coupons must be booked outside of Mexico.
Some of the 42 destinations included in this pass offer are Acapulco, Cancun, Campeche, Cozumel, Guadalajara, Los Cabos, Mazatlán, Mexico City, Monterrey, Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz and Zacatecas. Read the rest of this entry »
Mexico travel alert from U.S. State Department
August 21, 2009 12:16pm
Citing rising violence, the U.S. State Department’s latest Mexico alert urges travelers to delay trips to parts of Michoacan and Chihuahua states.
The alert, issued Thursday, advises U.S. citizens to delay unnecessary travel to those areas and to exercise “extreme caution” if a visit is necessary.
The alert notes the abduction and killing of two resident U.S. citizens in Chihuahua in July. It gives no details from Michoacan (which includes the city of Morelia and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, which draws many visitors), and a spokesman said he was not immediately able to supply more than was in the posted alert.
Pleasant Holidays offers cancel-for-any-reason coverage
August 6, 2009 10:26am
Pleasant Holidays, the giant package-tour operator based in Westlake Village, this week began offering cancel-for-any-reason coverage to customers who book its trips to Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean and Costa Rica.
Unlike its regular Protection Plan, which refunds trip deposits if you cancel for reasons such as illness, death or job loss, the new Cancel Anytime Protection Plan Plus covers you for virtually any unforeseen cause, said Jack E. Richards, president and chief executive.
The downsides: Cancel Anytime Protection costs more (starting at $119 instead of $89 per adult) and reimburses you for only 80% instead of 100% for many of the covered causes. And of course, as with all such plans, there’s plenty of fine print.
For plan details, visit Pleasant Holidays’ website, call (800) 448-3333 or contact your travel agent.
— Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor
Photo: Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve in Hawaii. Credit: Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times
Get ready for new border rules on Monday
May 30, 2009 7:39am
Starting Monday, June 1, most Americans will need a passport, passport card or other high-security document to drive back into the U.S. from Mexico or Canada. Don’t have the right stuff? You may face a secondary inspection and delays.
Actually, you may be delayed anyway because no one can say for sure what will happen Monday.
“We are expecting a smooth implementation,” Kelly Ivahnenko, spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told me this month. She explained that about 80% of travelers were already showing the right documents at checkpoints. Those who don’t, she added, won’t be denied entry.
But because about 800,000 people cross into the U.S. by land every day, even 20% arriving unprepared could cause delays. And two years ago, when new rules required fliers to show passports when returning from these countries, and also the Caribbean and Bermuda — a change that affected fewer travelers — backups and confusion resulted.
Checkpoint procedures will change for everyone Monday. To help you figure it out, CBP has posted videos that show the process, from start to finish.
For details on the new documents and rules, visit the government’s GetYouHome website. For information on passports and passport cards, go to the U.S. State Department’s website for travelers.
— Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor
[Image: The San Ysidro port of entry in San Diego. Credit: Denis Poroy / Associated Press]
Countdown to June 1: New rules for Mexico, Canada travel
May 21, 2009 2:00pm
Procrastinators’ alert: In less than two weeks, tougher border rules take effect for Canada and Mexico. Starting June 1, most Americans will need a passport or other high-security ID to drive back into the U.S. from these countries.
Don’ t have the right documents? Basically, you’ve run out of time to get them before June 1, unless your trip is an emergency. The good news: You’ll probably be allowed across the border anyway, although you may face delays.
The 411:
What docs you’ll need: If you’re arriving by land or sea from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean or Bermuda on June 1 or later, you’ll generally need to show a passport or passport card, which is a new type of document that the U.S. began issuing last year. You can also use a so-called enhanced driver’s license, or EDL, a new high-tech version issued by only four states (not California) ; or a Trusted Traveler card, issued to frequent border crossers.
Mexico’s astounding post-flu-crisis vacation deals
May 21, 2009 11:48am
Now that the swine flu-related travel advisories for Mexico have been lifted, let’s take a good look at some of the numerous deals available throughout the country.
What with the H1N1 virus in recent headlines, and the drug cartel-related violence before that (and still ongoing), heading south of the border still may not be for everyone. But if you’re game for Mexico, get ready to travel on the cheap like never before. Travel operators, hotels and airlines have slashed rates, and vacation prices right now are at a jaw-dropping low.
Deals: What do you think of a beach resort stay of seven nights with food and flights included for under $600 per person? “Impossible!,” you say? Well, keep reading.
Apple Vacations is running what it has deemed its “Biggest-ever Mexico sale,” offering deep discounts on all-inclusive packages to Cancun, Riviera Maya, Puerto Vallarta, Cozumel and Los Cabos. Read the rest of this entry »
Swine flu travel warning lifted for Mexico
May 15, 2009 5:13pm
The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, Friday lifted its recommendation that U.S. citizens avoid nonessential travel to Mexico because of the swine flu outbreak there, and the U.S. State Department followed suit. Cruise and tour operators wasted no time trumpeting the news, although port calls may not resume immediately.
In lifting its warning, the CDC said, “There is evidence that the Mexican outbreak is slowing down in many cities though not all.” It also said that the “risk of severe disease” from the H1N1 virus “now appears to be less than originally thought.”
Carnival Cruise Lines said it would resume Mexico port calls for ships departing May 28 and later from Mobile, Alabama, and June 19 and later from Los Angeles. Read the rest of this entry »
