Archive for the 'San Jose del Cabo' 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.
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 »
Hurricane Jimena: Travel waiver/change policies from airlines
September 1, 2009 10:35am
Our friends over at the Outposts blog report in a Hurricane Jimena update that Cabo San Lucas is no longer in the path of Hurricane Jimena, which is just short of being just short of a Category 5 hurricane. However, the Baja California peninsula is still on alert. “The Mexican government has extended a hurricane warning northward on the Pacific side of the peninsula from Cabo San Lucas to Punta Abreojos, and along the gulf side to Mulege,” Outposts reports.
Many of the airlines are trying to accommodate customers who are altering their travel plans because of the hurricane. Find out more information here:
American Airlines: If you are traveling to, from or through Cabo San Lucas Los Cabos, Mexico (SJD), Mazatlan, Mexico (MZT), Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (PVR), Aug. 30-Sept. 2, and your ticket was purchased no later than Aug. 30, you may change your reservation without penalty as late as Sept. 3-8, 2009. To change travel dates, contact Reservations, (800) 433-7300, within the United States or Canada. American Airlines Hurricane Jimena information page.
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
4-day Mexico cruise for $154, and other Carnival deals
June 26, 2009 11:20am
Thinking about cruising this fall or winter? If you want to get your feet wet with a short excursion to Baja, now’s a good time to secure an advanced-bookers’ discount. Some of Carnival’s “Early Saver” rates for its three- to five-day Mexico excursions from Long Beach and San Diego are incredible deals.
Deals: Various itineraries are available, some midweek and others weekend, some from Long Beach on the Carnival Paradise and others from San Diego on the Carnival Elation. The starting rates listed below are for the cheapest of the bunch, the interiors, though if your tastes run fancier, or at least less claustrophobia-inducing, rest assured that discounts are offered across all types of staterooms. Prices are pre-tax, per person and based on double occupancy.
From Long Beach:
> Three-day cruises departing on Fridays hit Ensenada. Early Saver rates begin at $229 per person on the Dec. 4 and Dec. 11 sailings. Read the rest of this entry »
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 »
Mexico: Los Cabos hotel deals ‘a la carte,’ or all-inclusive
June 3, 2009 2:56pm
No, this isn’t a post about a restaurant week. Rather, the Los Cabos Convention & Visitors Bureau’s new campaign is more set to whet your appetite for a relaxing, pampering resort getaway.
Under the “Los Cabos a la Carte” promotion, a number of hotels in Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo and the corridor in between are offering some attractive packages, a few examples of which are below:
Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort
Its “Fun in the Sun” package is offering rates starting at $179 per night (pre-tax) for a room; with that you get a $100 daily resort credit. A three-night minimum stay is required. You can book through the hotel’s website or over the phone.
When: Valid for stays through Dec. 17, 2009.
Note: This hotel has a number of online specials going, so check them all out before booking. For instance, if you’re not one to fully utilize a resort credit, you might opt for the “limited time only” deal of $99 per night (pre-tax) for a room and breakfast buffet for two. 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]
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 »
