Globetrotters of HORT - travel question for Mexico

[Tenacious E]

In the next year or so, our nest will be empty and we will be looking for some shorter trips for just the 2 of us. We have done the Playa area a couple of times, but would like to give Cabo a shot. I am a bit of a planner so I thought I would see what our rich and famous have to share to give us something to daydream about. Calling out @FSUTribe76 in the event you have anything - TIA!

 

[FAUlty Gator]

Charge your iPad2 well.

Drink as much of the local water as you can early to get your body acclimated to it.

 

[millah_22]

Charge your iPad2 well.

Drink as much of the local water as you can early to get your body acclimated to it.

@3boysmom have you thought about partnering with this guy?

 

[Tenacious E]

Charge your iPad2 well.

Drink as much of the local water as you can early to get your body acclimated to it.

I will add copious amounts of local water to the menu, to chase down as much unwashed fruit I can get my hands on.

 

[Jimmy McGill]

Don't pay for drugs from a teenager.

I've done my part.

 

[Tenacious E]

Don't pay for drugs from a teenager.

I've done my part.

 

[FSUTribe76]

I will add copious amounts of local water to the menu, to chase down as much unwashed fruit I can get my hands on.

So I haven’t been to Baja California yet. My trips have mainly been to the Yucatán, a couple of border towns that are tourist friendly/safe and Mexico City for work about twenty years ago.

But I have been looking into trips there myself. Specifically taking a cruise ship from LA down to the port cities.

The consensus is don’t waste time stopping in Ensenada. And that Mazatlan is by far the best current stop for Western Mexico. Cabo and Puerto Vallarta are in a fight for second best.

I will say I’m very tempted to add a stop to the Catalina Islands as well or in lieu of one of the Mexican stops. The diving there is cold but gorgeous and unique from true solar powered coral reefs elsewhere.

 

[Tenacious E]

So I haven’t been to Baja California yet. My trips have mainly been to the Yucatán, a couple of border towns that are tourist friendly/safe and Mexico City for work about twenty years ago.

But I have been looking into trips there myself. Specifically taking a cruise ship from LA down to the port cities.

The consensus is don’t waste time stopping in Ensenada. And that Mazatlan is by far the best current stop for Western Mexico. Cabo and Puerto Vallarta are in a fight for second best.

I will say I’m very tempted to add a stop to the Catalina Islands as well or in lieu of one of the Mexican stops. The diving there is cold but gorgeous and unique from true solar powered coral reefs elsewhere.

Just kind of nosing around tripadvisor, mazatlan looks a little more touristy and not as nice/lux as what I have seen for cabo. Could be totally off base, but that is just my first impression looking at photos.

 

[FSUTribe76]

So I haven’t been to Baja California yet. My trips have mainly been to the Yucatán, a couple of border towns that are tourist friendly/safe and Mexico City for work about twenty years ago.

But I have been looking into trips there myself. Specifically taking a cruise ship from LA down to the port cities.

The consensus is don’t waste time stopping in Ensenada. And that Mazatlan is by far the best current stop for Western Mexico. Cabo and Puerto Vallarta are in a fight for second best.

I will say I’m very tempted to add a stop to the Catalina Islands as well or in lieu of one of the Mexican stops. The diving there is cold but gorgeous and unique from true solar powered coral reefs elsewhere.

I should have pointed out that Royal Caribbean does have a week long cruise that includes Cabo, Mazatlan AND Puerto Vallarta on the same trip. And it’s pretty cheap.

 

[FSUTribe76]

Just kind of nosing around tripadvisor, mazatlan looks a little more touristy and not as nice/lux as what I have seen for cabo. Could be totally off base, but that is just my first impression looking at photos.

Let me see if I can the YouTube video that convinced me Mazatlan was more interesting.

 

[RicoSuave102954]

In the next year or so, our nest will be empty and we will be looking for some shorter trips for just the 2 of us. We have done the Playa area a couple of times, but would like to give Cabo a shot. I am a bit of a planner so I thought I would see what our rich and famous have to share to give us something to daydream about. Calling out @FSUTribe76 in the event you have anything - TIA!

Learn Spanish, pay for everything in Peso's once you get there.

 

[gojojo]

I’ve been to Cabo 5 times and really enjoy the view, the vibe, and marina.

Do you want a very chill, romantic, 5* experience? Look into Garza Blanco

Are you looking for a more social, fiesta, with a great view of the Arch? I like Riu Palace. Not Riu Sante Fe, the neighbor resort.

 

[B1GDeal]

We've been to Cabo many times and love it. Basically, you have the towns of San Jose (airport) and San Lucas... then the corridor that connects them with various resorts along the coast. You also have La Paz a few hours to the north, Todo Santos to the NW and East Cape to the east. Think of the area as the rugged desert mountains meeting the blue ocean. From Nov-March you'll see plenty of whales.

San Lucas... has a marina that take people out to fish, see whales or out to El Arco. Lots of restaurants, tourist shops, bars and night clubs.

San Jose has a plaza that comes alive on Thursday for the Art Walk (people set up booth/tents to sell drawings, paintings, jewelry, food, candles, carvings, etc. The area also has restaurants and stuff to enjoy, but a more low-key spot that San Lucas.

You can find local dives with amazing tacos for really cheap or hang with the high end crowd at places like Flora Farms, Acre, Luna, Casa Martin, etc. It's all in what you are looking for. There's a lot of AI spots where you can just stay at the resort, but we always get a car and drive around which is easy to do.

 

[FSUTribe76]

Let me see if I can the YouTube video that convinced me Mazatlan was more interesting.

 

[Tenacious E]

I’ve been to Cabo 5 times and really enjoy the view, the vibe, and marina.

Do you want a very chill, romantic, 5* experience? Look into Garza Blanco

Are you looking for a more social, fiesta, with a great view of the Arch? I like Riu Palace. Not Riu Sante Fe, the neighbor resort.

This is why I love this place! I think our sweet spot would be not quite 5*, but maybe a strong 3 or a 4, with some social/fiesta stuff so as to not get bored. But then again, we would probably do a 4 day thing rather than a whole week, so maybe there would not time to be bored...

 

[Tenacious E]

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grazie

 

[Tenacious E]

This thread seems to heavily favor puerto vallarta over cabo...

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

grazie

Thought you were talking Mexico and not Italia.

 

[B1GDeal]

This thread seems to heavily favor puerto vallarta over cabo...

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We've been to Playa, Cancun, Tulum, Cabo... plus all over the Caribbean and Cabo is right at or near the top of the list. Only thing to keep in mind is most beaches in the area are not swimmable. The surf is too rough/rip tides in a lot of the area. If looking for the bright shallow teal water with powder sand beaches... go to the Caribbean (Jamaica, Cayman, etc.)

 

[Tenacious E]

Thought you were talking Mexico and not Italia.

I'm multilingual baby!

 

[Tenacious E]

We've been to Playa, Cancun, Tulum, Cabo... plus all over the Caribbean and Cabo is right at or near the top of the list. Only thing to keep in mind is most beaches in the area are not swimmable. The surf is too rough/rip tides in a lot of the area. If looking for the bright shallow teal water with powder sand beaches... go to the Caribbean (Jamaica, Cayman, etc.)

We have done the Caribbean a couple times over the last 10 years. We loved it but it is a major undertaking. Eleuthera has a paucity of flights, but was easy to get around on with rental car once there. For Jamaica, we were pretty much at the resort other than a couple of daytrips by bus. I do not think I would do either one if not there for a whole week. Looking for more of a targeted in/out 4-day type thing. Maybe it doesn't exist outside of the well-oiled machine which is Quintana Roo!

 

[B1GDeal]

We have done the Caribbean a couple times over the last 10 years. We loved it but it is a major undertaking. Eleuthera has a paucity of flights, but was easy to get around on with rental car once there. For Jamaica, we were pretty much at the resort other than a couple of daytrips by bus. I do not think I would do either one if not there for a whole week. Looking for more of a targeted in/out 4-day type thing. Maybe it doesn't exist outside of the well-oiled machine which is Quintana Roo!

I see no difference in getting around and experiencing things in 4-5 days at places like Cayman, Cancun, Playa, Cabo... especially if not scared to drive. Can't go wrong with any of them, but Cabo is just different.

 

[funksouljon]

I'm multilingual baby!

 

[DogBoyRy]

I should have pointed out that Royal Caribbean does have a week long cruise that includes Cabo, Mazatlan AND Puerto Vallarta on the same trip. And it’s pretty cheap.

Holland america, princess and royal all run alot of cruises down the coast.
Good way to hit everywhere and decent value.

 

[lonestar50]

Wife's friend (no pics of either) has a timeshare in Cabo that we used for a week at Grand Solmar Land's End that was really nice. Although the beach is not swimmable.

I really enjoyed the hike up Mt Solmar where a guy guides you up with his pack of rescue dogs.

Todos Santos is a cool little beach town 45 minutes north of Cabo

We used a car service anytime we left the resort. Juan Pablo with Need a Ride was great.

Some pics from top of Mt Solmar

 

[Tenacious E]

Wife's friend (no pics of either) has a timeshare in Cabo that we used for a week at Grand Solmar Land's End that was really nice. Although the beach is not swimmable.

I really enjoyed the hike up Mt Solmar where a guy guides you up with his pack of rescue dogs.

Todos Santos is a cool little beach town 45 minutes north of Cabo

We used a car service anytime we left the resort. Juan Pablo with Need a Ride was great.

Some pics from top of Mt Solmar

This whole non-swimmable beach thing has thrown me. I'm like a 50-year old kid. I don't want to just lay on the sand I want to be in the water with the waves.

 

[B1GDeal]

This whole non-swimmable beach thing has thrown me. I'm like a 50-year old kid. I don't want to just lay on the sand I want to be in the water with the waves.

You can do that. I've seen people do this, but I wouldn't venture too far from shore and the lifeguard will try to talk you out of it so they don't have to save another gringo. That said, there are a few swimmable beaches if that's a huge must. The pools/views of El Arco from the Thompson Cape are great. The infinity pools at the Hilton are awesome... plus they have a small swimmable spot too.

 

[NoleATL]

When you're ready to try a non-beach Mexico destination, San Miguel de Allende... And, Mexico City. We love Puerto Vallarta but it is getting overrun with the club gays. Farther out from Romantic Zone (old town) are better.

 

[luvmyhawks]

This thread seems to heavily favor puerto vallarta over cabo...

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I’ve never been to Cabo but puerto Vallarta was awesome. You can definitely swim there and the snorkeling/diving was pretty solid. It is not the turquoise water you get on the Caribbean side though. What I loved most about PV was the culture. We got out and explored a lot of the PV community.

 

[B1GDeal]

I’ve never been to Cabo but puerto Vallarta was awesome. You can definitely swim there and the snorkeling/diving was pretty solid. It is not the turquoise water you get on the Caribbean side though. What I loved most about PV was the culture. We got out and explored a lot of the PV community.

Not so much PV, but we do want to go to north to the Punta Mita area at some point.

 

[gojojo]

Wife's friend (no pics of either) has a timeshare in Cabo that we used for a week at Grand Solmar Land's End that was really nice. Although the beach is not swimmable.

I really enjoyed the hike up Mt Solmar where a guy guides you up with his pack of rescue dogs.

Todos Santos is a cool little beach town 45 minutes north of Cabo

We used a car service anytime we left the resort. Juan Pablo with Need a Ride was great.

Some pics from top of Mt Solmar

Bro, is that divorce beach?

Do not go down there. Some say myth, but we were divoced within 2 years of setting foot down there.

 

[Dorrman]

Been pretty much everywhere with the exception of Cabo. My family loves Zihuatanejo. Enjoy going into town and finding some great restaurants and feeling completely safe.

 

[lonestar50]

Bro, is that divorce beach?

Do not go down there. Some say myth, but we were divoced within 2 years of setting foot down there.

Yes it is. And no we never set foot on divorce beach.

 

[B1GDeal]

Been pretty much everywhere with the exception of Cabo. My family loves Zihuatanejo. Enjoy going into town and finding some great restaurants and feeling completely safe.

 

[Tenacious E]

Great memory!

 

[DutchyFunStar]

I really liked Isla Mujares. Gotta take a van from the airport to get on the ferry but there are no cruise ships that dock there. Rent a golf cart and zoom all over the island. We were there over new years and the party went until well past dawn.

 

[fredjr82]

I'll be in Cozumel in less than a month. I'll always choose Cozumel if given the option. GF's parents place is great. We're going to spend a weekend back in Playa Del Carmen at an all-inclusive so my answer may change in the future.

 

[luvmyhawks]

Nice. I have as trying to remember where I had heard that.

 

[ThorneStockton]

We have done the Caribbean a couple times over the last 10 years. We loved it but it is a major undertaking. Eleuthera has a paucity of flights, but was easy to get around on with rental car once there. For Jamaica, we were pretty much at the resort other than a couple of daytrips by bus. I do not think I would do either one if not there for a whole week. Looking for more of a targeted in/out 4-day type thing. Maybe it doesn't exist outside of the well-oiled machine which is Quintana Roo!

I think it's less clear what you're looking for here. What's in a targeted in/out 4 day thing isn't found in the Caribbean?

 

[Tenacious E]

I think it's less clear what you're looking for here. What's in a targeted in/out 4 day thing isn't found in the Caribbean?

Fair. It is just in my limited experience getting to/from island nations it is a pain in the ass with infrequent flights. So I feel like you need to tack on another entire day at the beginning and end just for travel. this was especially true for Jamaica where we had a rather long and substantial bus ride from the airport to the resort. Whereas in my limited experience going to mexico, both times it was through Cancun with a shit ton of flights, and we could at least partially enjoy the travel day down there. But then again, maybe that was just a function of the size of our group and its members.