Travel News You Can Use
By Judy Newell

Mexico Travel News

Puerto Vallarta hotels and resorts offer promotions

Puerto Vallarta hotels have never made it easier on the pocketbook to get away. Even the exchange rate is more favorable with the US dollar stretching further in Mexico. Visitors to Puerto Vallarta now receive, upon arrival at the airport, a book of coupons offering discounts at some of the city’s top restaurants, and for shopping, excursions and activities. Nearly every hotel and resort has promotions, from kids-stay-free, to long weekend getaway prices, girlfriend getaway specials, complimentary upgrades and last-minute rates.

Cancún’s rise in hotel occupancy 

Cancún’s overall hotel occupancy has been steadily rising, reaching 80 percent in July. The destination has been named one of the top five requested cities according to Tripology, a leading online travel referral service.

Casinos in Mexico?

Once again, when Congress convenes on September 1, lawmakers will be asked to legalize casino gambling in Mexico. Proponents say casinos would pay one billion dollars in taxes to the cash-short government and attract hordes of tourists. Opponents worry that organized crime could become involved in casino operations and doubt casinos would prove much of a tourist attraction, since they are legal in so many other places.

Good eats in DF

Mexico City ranks fifth on a list of ten cities where the best restaurants are to be found, according to a poll taken of European and Asian travelers by Forbes magazine. Mexico City was the only city in the Americas to be included. Paris ranked first in the survey, followed by Rome, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Riviera Maya Jazz Festival

The seventh annual Riviera Maya Jazz Festival returns to Mamita’s Beach, November 25–28, with complimentary musical performances by Al Jarreau, Sergio Mendes and others. Music lovers, foodies and pampered travelers can take advantage of a fourth night free at Royal Hideaway Playacar.

St. Regis opens in Mexico City

The St. Regis Mexico City, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, recently opened on the Paseo de la Reforma Boulevard overlooking the Plaza of Diana. It features 189 guestrooms and suites with views of the city, a Remède Spa and three signature restaurants. The St. Regis is a short distance from the city’s Polanco area, the financial district and the Historic Center. Its second hotel in Mexico follows the recent opening of the St. Regis Punta Mita near Puerto Vallarta.

To strengthen its presence in Latin America, Starwood plans to open the St. Regis Kanai in Riviera Maya and the St. Regis Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Mexico City offers free health insurance to visitors

In a first-of-its-kind move, Mexico City now automatically covers medical expenses of tourists if they come down with a disease or have an accident. A new “Tourist Assistance Card” gives travelers staying in the city’s hotels free coverage for emergency medical care, hospital stays, prescription drugs and ambulance services.

Other countries with nationalized healthcare treat visitors in their hospitals on an urgent-care basis, but Mexico City is the first in the world to set up a system specifically to assist visitors with medical care. Call center nurses speak Spanish, English, French, German and Portuguese. Some services require a modest payment and rules prevent people from abusing the city’s generosity.

International News

Degas exhibit at his New Orleans home

The New Orleans house where Impressionist painter Edgar Degas lived for 4½ months is hosting an exhibit of the most important work he did in the city. The Degas House dates to the early 1850s and was owned by relatives of the artist’s mother, who was born in New Orleans. Degas was 38 and not yet famous when he arrived in the city in 1872, after service in the Franco-Prussian War. The house, at 2306 Esplanade Avenue, offers tours and is also a bed and breakfast with rates beginning at US$99.

Tour de Forks celebrates Julia Child 

A Taste of Julia Child’s Paris & Provence is a new eight-day/seven-night package (US$2,150) drawing on Child’s memoir, My Life in France. The week of activities focus on the beloved cook’s discovery of France, French cuisine and herself. Highlights include a stay in the Left Bank’s legendary Hotel Pont Royal, where Child and her husband spent their first days in Paris, a culinary experience at her alma mater Le Cordon Bleu and a visit to her charming farmhouse La Pitchoune in Provence. 

Worldwide scramble to see top sports events 

Travelers who want to see the Winter Olympics in Vancouver this February or cheer their favorite soccer team at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa next summer had better get going.

Despite the recession, demand is high for events, making tickets hard to come by and sending prices for any remaining hotel rooms soaring. Travelers can still watch their teams compete if they’re willing to be flexible, spend a little more money and make their travel plans now. The official tour operators designated to sell hotel and ticket packages are a sure way to find a hotel room when most are already sold out and to have someone to contact who understands the ins and outs of these sporting events.



Airline News

More nuisance from Homeland Security

Since August 15, airline passengers are now required to submit their birthday and gender when booking an airline ticket. This new security measure comes as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) takes over checking airline passenger names against the terrorist watch list and it is expected to cut down on cases of mistaken identity. DHS expects to implement the new process completely by March 31, 2010, and passengers who don’t comply could be denied boarding passes.

Postal Service offers luggage options

The US Postal Service will ship your luggage for your next trip at a reasonable cost. For example, it costs US$42.50 to ship a 50-pound suitcase from Denver to Chicago to arrive in two to three days. That’s less expensive than some airlines’ rates, as well as most rates for the third checked piece of luggage. With the airlines losing up to 10,000 bags a day, it may be a better alternative for passengers.



Cruise News

Aqua riverboat robbed twice in two weeks

On August 6, nine bandits boarded M/V Aqua, a 24-passenger luxury riverboat on the upper Amazon River in Peru. Six bandits had taken cash and valuables from passengers on July 26. Aqua Expeditions reports no passengers or crewmembers were harmed in either incident. 



Deal of the Week

Crystal cruise features ballroom dance

Crystal’s trans-Atlantic voyage in November features classes with professional dancers and performances, afternoon tea dances and presentations from Town & Country editor Janet Carlson about her book, Quick, Before the Music Stops: How Ballroom Dancing Saved My Life. The 10-day cruise aboard Crystal Serenity departs Lisbon on November 12 and concludes in Miami. Fares start at US$3,165 per person, double occupancy, including a $500 per person shipboard credit. 


Sources: Travel Pulse, Cancun Travel, Mexico Travel News, Budget Travel, Associated Press, The New York Times, Smarter Travel, OSSN, Sydney Morning Herald


Judy Newell heads the travel company Perfect Journeys that specializes in discounted rates for airfare, hotels, tours and cruises worldwide, as well as luxury and adventure travel. Contact her with comments or suggestions at judynewell@perfectjourneys.net.