Wednesday, December 24, 2003
This is it, I think I'm forever healed of my initial infatuation with Cancun! Undoubtedly, the beach is a jewel and the infinite palette of turquoise colours of the ocean is still as fascinating as ever. However, I'm growing a solid disgust for the restaurants in this resort. From La Dolce Vita, to the Blue Bayou, including Cenaccolo, the Laguna Grill, the Cambalache, Savio's and many more, they all share the same traits: unimaginative, over-priced food accompanied with poor service. No exception, your only right in Cancun is to spend over Pesos $300 per person for dinner and eat tasteless food in dull conditions - or break your eardrums at some of the party places like Senor Frogs.
In 10 days my best meal by far has been a delicious dinner at The Glass Bar in Playa del Carmen. Their parmesan salad with honey sauce was thoroughly original and simply exquisite. All the courses in my dinner were of similar high quality and backed by a solid and efficient service. The cuisine team from Italy makes all the difference and will not disappoint you. Highly recommended! Interestingly, the restaurant belongs to the Mosquito Blue, a charming and rather luxurious boutique hotel conveniently located in the touristic center of Playa del Carmen.
Most hotels in Playa del Carmen seem to fall either in the "backpacker's den" or the "all-inclusive paradise" category, with several stunning examples in nearby Playacar area. An good example of fair-priced medium range hotel is La Tortuga. If you come off-season to Playa del Carmen, your best bet could be to simply wander down Avenida Quinta and visit one of the numerous travel agencies who could show you all the various options available. One such agencies is Small Hotels Playacar which handles a directory of a dozen small hotels.
Besides a more laid-back atmosphere than Cancun and better restaurants, Playa del Carmen is also close to the diving reefs of Cozumel and only one hour by bus (Pesos $32 one-way) from Cancun, if you really need that injection of packaged fun.
Posted by Serge @ 09:06 PM MEX [Link]
Saturday, December 13, 2003
The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12th in Mexico and is a rather amazing event. First, it must be said that the celebration is unnoticeable in the upscale areas of Lomas de Chapultepec or Bosques de las Lomas - it's business as usual there. However, should you come to a village like Cuajimalpa, you will witness a totally different spectacle!
For my part, on December 11th in the morning I noticed that altars to the Lady of Guadalupe were erected at almost every street corner. Many people were toiling hard to hang decorations across the streets, keeping the stray dogs away from their carefully arranged displays (these dogs are a plague in Cuajimalpa - there are hundreds of them, each dirtier than the other - a mobile flea-market at your doorstep, every day!). Yet, the fun really began at night on that same day...
As my taxi was returning into the village I noticed the crowds in the streets, mostly teenagers (Mexico is one of the world's "youngest" countries). My usual access road home was blocked by people busying themselves with some mysterious activity. My driver smartly took a main street and soon got stopped by a pickup truck parked right in the middle of the road. End of the journey, everybody gets off and walks! I was still several hundred metres from home, but never mind.
Given my European background I couldn't help marveling at the fact that no policeman was in sight, no sign had been installed - the population had just taken over the streets to celebrate! Walking past the pickup truck, I discovered a group of men building a podium made of wood, smack-bang in the middle of the road. I just continued my way wondering the purpose of that stage. I will probably never know what it was for (and it won't prevent me from sleeping at night either).
However, what really made me drop my jaw to the floor was the open-air discotheque that had mushroomed in a few hours a the turn of the street leading to my house! Complete with giant speakers and blazing lights, the disco had attracted hundreds of teenagers that made a neat circle of shyness around the central "dance floor". While I crossed decidedly in the middle of the empty area they looked at me as if I was from another planet. I assume I will have to buy a new suit, there must be something wrong with the cut of this one!
As I escaped the noise of the disco, a deafening "bang!" sounded above my head. The whole village was rocked by a barrage of fireworks launched seemingly from everywhere at the same time. By the time I arrived home, hundreds of fire-crackers had exploded around me. This religious manifestation of joy (I have other descriptions for this unceasing bombardment but I will abstain from mentioning them here) lasted until 3AM and it is truly thanks to the kindness and mercy of the Lady of Guadalupe that none of my windows has been shattered on that "special" night.
Posted by Serge @ 12:58 AM MEX [Link]
Sunday, December 7, 2003
Christmas is coming soon and so is the urge to find a cheap flight from Mexico D.F. to Cancun. I will describe below some recommended sources of low-cost tickets:
Mexicana Mex-E-Savers sometimes lists bargain flights, mostly in low-season and essentially from Mexico to foreign destinations.
Aeromexico Faresavers usually has a good selection of cheap domestic and international fares but with stringent dates restrictions.
Despegar Mexico is a leading travel Web site with very competitive prices for flights, and poor offers for hotels and car rental, as well as an apalling customer service line. Definitely a "must-check" when flying domestically in Mexico. However, beware of the Pesos $200 ticket issuing fee and the Pesos $100 delivery charge!
Rumbo is a competitor of Despegar which might have good deals. Worth checking, but don't expect miracles.
Aviacsa is a smaller airline that flies from Mexico D.F. to Cancun for around Pesos $2500 per person, sometimes even less. Aviacsa flights are also listed on Despegar. Their Web site does not allow online reservations.
A couple more options include the airline Lineas Aereas Allegro which I flew a couple of time. Expect no comfort, sort of Ryan Air style, but prices as low as Pesos $2000 return (check Despegar or call directly). If you are really courageous (or fearless of your life), you can try "Lineas Aereas Aztecas" (ex-TAESA), but please make sure that you write your will first!
