Archive for the 'Ixtapa & Zihuatanejo' Category
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.
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
Two-day sale on Mexico flights by Alaska and Horizon
June 15, 2009 10:31am
Now is the time to book, if you’re seriously contemplating a Mexico beach vacation sometime this summer or fall. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air have announced a two-day sale, which began this morning, on the eight destinations that they serve in Mexico: Cancun, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, La Paz, Loreto, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.
Deal: Book a flight online to one of these spots, and you’ll get 25% off.
Tested: Starting via the sale page, I found round-trip flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to Puerto Vallarta (PVR) in late June, traveling both ways on Tuesdays, for $264, including taxes and fees. This represents a $53 discount on the base airfare. Read the rest of this entry »
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 »
Perceptions changing on Mexico travel?
April 15, 2009 12:59pm
Has the tide been turning for the positive for Mexico tourism? A substantial decline in drug-cartel-related murders was reported in the first quarter of this year in Baja California, as mentioned in the L.A. Times Outposts blog. And the sentiment lately among visitors to Mexico is that resort towns feel as safe as ever as long as common sense is used (check out the post “Readers Weigh In on Mexico Travel,” if you missed it).
For those still needing some convincing that a trip south of the border isn’t a reckless idea, the Mexico Tourism Board recently launched a website hoping to address misconceptions.
The public relations effort, www.mexico-update.com, includes video testimonials from smiling, sun-tanned vacationers; travel tips; and positive articles related to Mexico tourism. Read the rest of this entry »
Mexico & Caribbean: two nights free at Club Med
September 17, 2008 2:27pm
The stretch between Thanksgiving in November and Presidents Day in February is, for many Americans, one full of family, food, shopping, stress and not a whole lot of timeout time. If you think a week’s vacation away from it all might be the perfect coping mechanism — or, er, gift — to give yourself, have a look at this wintertime deal from Club Med.
Deal: Book seven nights at a participating Club Med resort and receive two of those nights free. The family-oriented properties offering this deal include resorts in Cancun and Ixtapa in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe and Martinique. If you’re a single traveler, or traveling with friends or your partner, you might be more interested in a stay at the non-family-focused resorts in Turks and Caicos, Bora Bora or the Bahamas. Read the rest of this entry »
