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My wife really wants to spend some time on a beach in Mexico. However, she comes from a place where one guy getting stabbed in 2004 means it's dangerous. She wants to go to some tourist-prison all inclusive resort. All I want is to know I'm in Mexico, but she's never really done a beach trip and I have. I figure it's more important to get what she wants this time. I can certainly appreciate a good beach trip and there's the potential for a cultural trip later on. Basically pretend I'm the guy from the Monty Python travel agent sketch. I've already mentally taken the loss with everything else, but what I'm hoping for is a place that doesn't have glorified mall food. I want to eat local food with local ingredients. I can deal with the rest being touristy and white bread if it makes my wife feel safe. And just to be clear, yes, I know there's more to Mexican cuisine than Taqueria food. She's most interested in the area around Cancun but is open to other Mexican beaches. Does anyone know of an all inclusive that doesn't just try to be Orlando, Florida? I realize that most people who want local culture wouldn't go to a resort, and I'm prepared to take one for the team if I have to. Our budget is flexible if everyone's happy. if not we'll be looking for a good value. We're doing our own research as well but if anyone knows anything we'd really appreciate it.
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Jun 13, 2015 04:08
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I can't offer any personal experience, but a good friend of mine spends a few months every year in Puerto Vallarta now that he's retired, and a big part of that is the fact that it has some level of culture, in addition to having a pleasant climate and being reasonably safe. It also has all-inclusive resorts, so it might be a good compromise for the things both of you want. From everything I've heard, it has much less of a "drunken frat boy" type culture than Cancun.
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Jun 14, 2015 05:20
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PT6A posted:I can't offer any personal experience, but a good friend of mine spends a few months every year in Puerto Vallarta now that he's retired, and a big part of that is the fact that it has some level of culture, in addition to having a pleasant climate and being reasonably safe. It also has all-inclusive resorts, so it might be a good compromise for the things both of you want. From everything I've heard, it has much less of a "drunken frat boy" type culture than Cancun. Just an FYI the State Department put out a travel warning last month for Jalisco state, which is where Puerto Vallarta is located. Mostly due to escalating drug cartel violence. It's bad enough that a few cruise ships have rerouted around it as a port of call.
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Jun 14, 2015 07:56
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I can tell you to avoid every AMR property. The worst food, we tried befriending the staff in Cabo at one of their resorts and they laughed at us when we asked about getting some food with some real flavor. Only reason we went was it is a short flight and was dirt cheap after the hurricane. We wanted a quick trip out but never again. Can I ask why Mexico instead of another area perhaps in the Caribbean? And is there any way to avoid the all inclusive. It's just a recipe for bland, safe, and white.
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Jun 14, 2015 09:01
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sellouts posted:I can tell you to avoid every AMR property. The worst food, we tried befriending the staff in Cabo at one of their resorts and they laughed at us when we asked about getting some food with some real flavor. To be honest, pretty much everywhere else in the Caribbean is either somewhat unsafe or completely homogenized, too. The possible exception is Cuba, which is safe and has culture, but you have to put up with the many issues of being in an impoverished communist country (and, if you're American, the embargo).
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Jun 14, 2015 16:30
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There are nice, safe, but not tourist-hellhole parts of the Yucatan, like Merida or Tulum where you could go. Actually, really almost anywhere as long as you avoid Cancun and Cozumel.
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Jun 14, 2015 16:37
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Saladman posted:There are nice, safe, but not tourist-hellhole parts of the Yucatan, like Merida or Tulum where you could go. Actually, really almost anywhere as long as you avoid Cancun and Cozumel. Definitely seconding Tulum. I couple years ago I was at an all-inclusive place in Cancun for two weeks for work. We took a day off and drove down to Tulum and it was amazing. We snorkeled in a cenote, found a totally deserted stretch of beach with coconut trees, and ate at El Tábano, an incredible restaurant tucked into a clearing in the jungle. So even if you get stuck in a lame resort you can still get out for awesome adventures during the days and return to the "safety" of your beached cruise ship at night.
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Jun 15, 2015 00:43
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Saladman posted:There are nice, safe, but not tourist-hellhole parts of the Yucatan, like Merida or Tulum where you could go. Actually, really almost anywhere as long as you avoid Cancun and Cozumel. Merida's great from everything I've heard (I know a guy who has property there), and very safe, but beach-all-inclusive it ain't. I'm not sure about Tulum.
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Jun 15, 2015 01:46
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PT6A posted:To be honest, pretty much everywhere else in the Caribbean is either somewhat unsafe or completely homogenized, too. The possible exception is Cuba, which is safe and has culture, but you have to put up with the many issues of being in an impoverished communist country (and, if you're American, the embargo). I don't think the Caribbean is nearly as "unsafe" as Mexico comes across right now. The all-inclusive bit is really what keeps any destination from being fun. Can't they just pay for their own drinks and food? What about Costa Rica?
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Jun 15, 2015 02:14
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Belize is another option to consider. English as a first language, reasonably safe, and small enough that you can trivially take a chicken bus or cessna flight from the rich whitey island to the hippy backpackpacker island to the jungle lodge interior to the sleepy coastal fishing villages. If you can travel off-season, like about september, it is great, half-or-less price on everything, and enough european tourists to have somebody to talk with at dinner, but not enough that you ever have to make reservations. The 'local' food is only ok, lots of stew chicken, beans and rice, and plantain. But the diving, jungle trekking, mayan ruins and so on are all very good indeed.
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Jun 15, 2015 15:07
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Belize is a great option, but you're not going to find much in the way of All Inclusive there. Certainly not like in Mexico. You can sell your wife on being safe and everyone speaking English. 
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Jun 15, 2015 20:13
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Whip Slagcheek posted:Belize is a great option, but you're not going to find much in the way of All Inclusive there. Certainly not like in Mexico. You can sell your wife on being safe and everyone speaking English. "Safe" isn't the first word that comes to mind when I think about Belize, from what I've heard. Safe if you stick just to the touristy, safe areas, perhaps, but one could say the same thing about most of Mexico.
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Jun 15, 2015 22:38
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I've never had a problem in Belize and I've been there a few times, and not just to white people island. If you go looking for trouble (Belize City) at night, you'll find it. But I mean really, who's doing that? If you're going for a beach getaway and to see some ruins you'll be completely fine.
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Jun 16, 2015 01:05
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Eifert Posting posted:My wife really wants to spend some time on a beach in Mexico. However, she comes from a place where one guy getting stabbed in 2004 means it's dangerous. She wants to go to some tourist-prison all inclusive resort. All I want is to know I'm in Mexico, but she's never really done a beach trip and I have. I figure it's more important to get what she wants this time. I can certainly appreciate a good beach trip and there's the potential for a cultural trip later on. If you're willing/able to break out of Central America, and aren't looking for significant historical sites, then check out Madagascar. The resorts see a lot of international activity, are generally pretty isolated, are very safe, and don't try to cater to a very specific tourist crowd.
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Jun 16, 2015 07:27
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Madagascar is a hell of a lot more of a financial commitment than Mexico/Caribbean. 
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Jun 16, 2015 14:04
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You could maybe do a place like Curacao? Not a whole lot of all inclusive, but seemed like Willemstad kind of blended beaches with a European feel. Didn't seem to come across much in the way of safety issues, when we were looking it up.
gtkor fucked around with this message at 17:02 on Jun 16, 2015 |
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Jun 16, 2015 16:59
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gtkor posted:You could maybe do a place like Curacao? Not a whole lot of all inclusive, but seemed like Willemstad kind of blended beaches with a European feel. Didn't seem to come across much in the way of safety issues, when we were looking it up. Curaçao is great if you just want a beach getaway. You're not going to have much to see, it's a desert island. There's a few parks you can hike and watch the waves crash. Willemstad is pretty nice, never felt unsafe. Westpunt is on the opposite side of the island but very very nice. Pretty isolated from the bustle of Willemstad. Also a few really good restaurants out there. PM me if you're interested and I can direct you to where we stayed and answer more specific questions.
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Jun 16, 2015 18:15
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I'm pretty sure the OP's wife would flip poo poo if he said "let's go to Madagascar" when what she wanted was an all-inclusive beach vacation to Mexico.
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Jun 16, 2015 22:08
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Maybe somewhere like Huatulco on the Oaxacan riviera? Safe, a few all-inclusive places and not overrun by tourists to the degree of other sites.
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Jun 17, 2015 01:42
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MothraAttack posted:Maybe somewhere like Huatulco on the Oaxacan riviera? Safe, a few all-inclusive places and not overrun by tourists to the degree of other sites. My parents went down there last winter, and apart from it being safe, didn't have a single positive thing to say about it whatsoever.
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Jun 17, 2015 03:18
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S/He's gotta drop the all inclusive. It's such a silly thing to want anyways. Pick a resort, ask to see their menu for costs, budget accordingly and have fun.
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Jun 17, 2015 16:03
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My sister's going to the Yucatan in a few days, this town specifically: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%E9rida,_Yucat%E1n None of my family has been in that region (at least for a while) but I hear it's pretty safe.
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Jun 17, 2015 17:12
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computer parts posted:My sister's going to the Yucatan in a few days, this town specifically: It's very safe, and apparently a great city. One of my friends owns a place down there, he's going to renovate it and retire there someday he says. It does not have a beach, nor any all-inclusive resorts as far as I'm aware, so it's probably not ideal for OP and his wife.
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Jun 17, 2015 18:10
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Check out Isla Mujeres, a small island near Cancun. There are a few all-inclusives, but many other lodging options as well. If you explore the island you will find the local culture and food you are looking for, and it's very safe there. I loved it.
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Jun 17, 2015 19:05
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had a similar situation a few years ago where we had to stay in Cancun for my girlfriend's friend's wedding. We took a few days off from Cancun and took a bus to Valladolid, which is a small city/big town near Chichen Itza. The benefit of that is if you take the bus to Valladolid, stay over, and get up early in the morning you can get to Chichen Itza and wander around for about 3 hours before the day trippers from Cancun show up around noon. Valladolid itself was a great place to poke around, extremely safe, with some awesome restaurants and whatnot. PM me if you want me to give you a better rundown of what we did and how
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Jun 17, 2015 19:11
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Saladman posted:I'm pretty sure the OP's wife would flip poo poo if he said "let's go to Madagascar" when what she wanted was an all-inclusive beach vacation to Mexico. Seriously y'all stop trying to get me killed.
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Jun 18, 2015 01:56
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Beaches are dumb. The correct answer is Mexico City. 
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Jun 18, 2015 02:45
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You can do what we did several years ago. One week in San Ignacio, Belize. In the middle of the jungle, close to a lot of great ruins (like Tikal in Guatemala). Second week on the beach on Ambergris or Caye Caulker.
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Jun 19, 2015 15:01
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Kaddish posted:You can do what we did several years ago. One week in San Ignacio, Belize. In the middle of the jungle, close to a lot of great ruins (like Tikal in Guatemala). Although this does sound like a good plan in essence, I think we need to know what sort of "culture" OP wants out of his side of the vacation. Being in the middle of the jungle and hiking around ruins isn't what jumps to mind, personally, when I say I want to take in a bit of culture (although it's not at all wrong). If that's what OP wants, it's an ideal plan. If OP wants restaurants, music, art, nightlife, etc., less so.
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Jun 19, 2015 18:30
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Mexico isn't what it was 10 years ago. As unlikely as getting kidnapped/murdered might be statistically, the Mexican government is effectively fighting an active insurgency that maintains a lucrative side business in kidnapping those tourists who wander outside the heavily guarded resorts. Your wife isn't being irrational, she just has a lower tolerance for risk.
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Jun 19, 2015 21:29
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at the date posted:Mexico isn't what it was 10 years ago. As unlikely as getting kidnapped/murdered might be statistically, the Mexican government is effectively fighting an active insurgency that maintains a lucrative side business in kidnapping those tourists who wander outside the heavily guarded resorts. Your wife isn't being irrational, she just has a lower tolerance for risk. In some places, sure, but the likelihood of getting kidnapped and murdered in Yucatan is roughly equivalent to the probability of that happening in New York City or Seattle. E: Don't pay any attention to US State Department travel advisories; they'll tell you to be wary of Paris, London, or Madrid because of "past history of terrorist attacks" and "high future threat of terrorist activity". I've found them to really push cry wolf to almost comical limits. A literally verbatim, currently-active warning from a 9 Jan 2015 travel advisory on travel.state.gov posted:U.S. citizens are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure. Extremists have targeted and attempted attacks on subway and rail systems, aviation, and maritime services. In the past, these types of attacks have occurred in cities such as Moscow, London, Madrid, Glasgow, and New York City. Seriously, gently caress that website, it's like they get their pointers on giving safety/travel tips from Fox News. Saladman fucked around with this message at 21:59 on Jun 19, 2015 |
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Jun 19, 2015 21:53
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Saladman posted:In some places, sure, but the likelihood of getting kidnapped and murdered in Yucatan is roughly equivalent to the probability of that happening in New York City or Seattle. So the DoS is adamantly in favor of Americans sticking to South Dakota vacations?
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Jun 20, 2015 00:03
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:So the DoS is adamantly in favor of Americans sticking to South Dakota vacations? There are worse destinations than Mount Rushmore/the Black Hills
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Jun 20, 2015 02:44
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PT6A posted:Although this does sound like a good plan in essence, I think we need to know what sort of "culture" OP wants out of his side of the vacation. Being in the middle of the jungle and hiking around ruins isn't what jumps to mind, personally, when I say I want to take in a bit of culture (although it's not at all wrong). If that's what OP wants, it's an ideal plan. If OP wants restaurants, music, art, nightlife, etc., less so. 1. Food. 2. More food. We picked out a place in Playa Del Carmen. This one's for her and we can do a trip more in my wheelhouse next time. Thanks for all the advice, guys.
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Jun 21, 2015 04:08
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Where did you end up staying? And why call it culture then?
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Jun 21, 2015 07:55
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Why not call it culture? It's not wrong -- food is an incredibly important part of most cultures, although it might have been a bit more convenient for everyone if OP had been more precise about what he was looking for. I feel for the OP, because food tends to be my favourite part of travelling to new places and also one of the weakest points of the average all-inclusive.
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Jun 21, 2015 13:26
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It is, but why waste time with people suggesting great locales where he can interact with locals, see history, do something new when all he wants is the chance to eat tripe or drink horchata? Culture is so much more than that. If he's specific in saying it's only about food he'd likely get better results. There's no shame in calling the thread "She wants Mexican all inclusive, I want great local food" And all inclusive is equally terrible at all things culture. It's made to insulate by design.
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Jun 21, 2015 17:56
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All-Inclusive: where culture goes to die.
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Jun 21, 2015 17:59
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sellouts posted:It is, but why waste time with people suggesting great locales where he can interact with locals, see history, do something new when all he wants is the chance to eat tripe or drink horchata? Culture is so much more than that. If he's specific in saying it's only about food he'd likely get better results. There's no shame in calling the thread "She wants Mexican all inclusive, I want great local food" I don't disagree with you about all-inclusives, and all-inclusives generally don't include anything resembling "food culture" (if they ever do). It's going to be standard buffet with a touch of texmex. They're not going to offer anything remotely unfamiliar to an American palate at an all-inclusive in that part of Mexico. It's like calling Olive Garden "Italian food culture". But also you should take a chill pill. The OP probably does want to do something more cultural but doesn't want to get in an argument with his wife over it. Sitting on a beach and drinking and all-you-can-eat Cheesecake Factory is nice too and it's not like anyone here poured their heart out and hours worth of their time to recommend poo poo to the OP.
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Jun 21, 2015 18:11
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Mexico's dangerous spots are concentrated in specific areas: Tijuana, Alcapulco, Mexico City outskirts (the city itself is actually really safe) and Juarez mostly. It's unfortunate that the stigma seems to be unfairly applied to the country as a whole. I've visited Mexico extensively and know a few people who have lived there so I have a decent sense of what is dangerous and what is not. Of course any area can be dangerous (just like in the USA), but if you use common sense, don't flash valuables, and don't stay out too late, you will be fine. My recommendation would be the old town in Puerto Vallarta - beautiful beaches in combination with a historic Mexican town. If you go to the hotel zone in PV you'll get more of the same resorts you can find anywhere else. Seph fucked around with this message at 20:14 on Jun 21, 2015 |
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Jun 21, 2015 20:10
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