Tag: Mexico

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Travel

Mexico City Travel Guide

I’m back, everyone! It’s been a minute. Life has been happening and most everything has not been going as planned! But I’ve been embracing the change and trying to enjoy whatever comes, just like this little getaway to Mexico City! You guys, I fell in love with Mexico City!! I wasn’t something I was expecting. I honestly have not loved a city this much since Barcelona!! Mexico City is beautiful, full of history and culture, has an amazing food scene, and no shortage of things to do.

+Getting to Mexico City- I don’t know if any of you have checked out flights to Mexico City lately, but it is a very reasonable place to travel. Most any day of the week you can find a round trip flight for under $300! In the travel world that’s a crazy good deal. Once you arrive in CDMX it is very easy and affordable, and by affordable, I mean super cheap, to use Uber for all of your travels. A ride from the airport to our Airbnb in Roma Norte was under $10, which is just crazy based on the distance and time in the car. However, it makes it very easy to get around and see everything you’ve been wanting to check out. We also, took a our chances on the metro to get from Roma Norte to Zocalo. I have never in my life seen a metro station so clean! Seriously, it’s obviously very busy, frequently used, but well kept, clean, just unreal. The metro was relatively easy to navigate, but be prepared for packed cars all throughout the day. It was easy enough and definitely and option for anyone traveling the city.

+Where to stay– Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world and there are no shortage of hotels all throughout the different areas of the city for you to book for your stay in the city. We opted for an Airbnb in the area of Roma Norte and it was one of the best decisions we made for the trip. This area is not located close to many popular attractions, but as I said it is very easy to navigate the city on the metro or by Uber. So we preferred to stay in an area we preferred and travel during the day to the busier areas and attractions. I truly believe when visiting Mexico City, much of what you experience and enjoy about your trip will be based on the area of town you are staying in. The coffee shops you find around the corner, the parks and restaurants you stumble across while exploring the city really make the trip for you and make you fall in love with the city. There are so many amazing areas and the prices are amazing for the amazing, modern, accommodations you can find. With a little searching you’ll find an amazing place for a great price.

+ Area to consider staying while in Mexico City:

  • Roma Norte
  • Condesa
  • Polanco
  • Coyoacan

+Things to do- As I mentioned before, Mexico City has no shortage of things to do. I’m sure, if you have been considering traveling to CDMX, you have your own list of attractions to visit. Depending on the length of time you will be in the city, you should have time to visit most everything within a few days. We didn’t get to do everything we wanted to but we we more than content with everything we got to see and what better excuse to visit the city again.

CDMX Areas & Attractions:

  • Plaza Nacional
  • Angel de La Indepencia
  • Museo de Bellas Artes
  • Zocalo
  • Tempo Mayor
  • Coyoacan
  • Frida Kahlo Museum
  • Museo Soumaya
  • Museo Nacional de Antroplogia
  • Xocomilco

Frida Kahlo museum is in the area of Coyoacan, which is a great area to explore. This attraction is very popular. I recommend buying tickets online, before hand to minimize your wait. Even with tickets you will wait in a shorter line, without a ticket and purchasing at the location you will wait in line for at over an hour. It’s worth the online purchase.

+Areas To Explore-

  • Roma Norte
  • Condesa
  • Zocalo
  • Polanco
  • Coyoacan
  • El Centro
  • Templo Mayor

+What and Where To Eat- Another thing you may not have heard about Mexico City is about it’s amazing food scene! The amazing food we ate was one of the most amazing things about our trip. And let me tell you about the price! Incredibly reasonable!! We could believe our bill each will after the amazing food we enjoyed. We ordered everything family style, which helped us try many more items on the menu than ordering on our own.

You will run into amazing restaurants while exploring the city. If you pass by something you like, I’d stop and see if they take reservations. Most restaurants do and it is the best way to make sure you get to enjoy the food you are looking forward to trying. Most of the popular restaurants named below will be booked a few weeks in advance and will require a reservation.

+CDMX Restaurant Recommendatios-

  • Pujol
  • Quintonil
  • Huset
  • Rosa Negro
  • Barra Buena
  • El Balcon de Zocalo
  • El Morro (Churros)

Categories
Travel

Cancun Travel Guide

Hi, everyone! I’m back and spring has me planning and dreaming of summer vacations and days on the beach. Today, I’m sharing my Cancun Travel Guide with you all to help you plan your first, or next, Mexican getaway. If you love gorgeous blue water, white sandy beaches, maybe some ancient ruins, Cancun might just be the next best vacation spot for you. 

+Getting to Cancun-Cancun, located on the Yucatan Peninsula, is a popular tourist destination any time of the year. With a large international airport, Cancun, is an easy destination to fly in and out of from most any city in the United States and around the world. Depending on the size of your travel group, you can book a shuttle to pick you up and take you to your hotel or Airbnb. You can also catch a taxi or an Uber at the airport to take you to your destination. While in the city, you can continue to use taxi’s and Uber’s or ride the city bus for about $1.
+Where to Stay-Cancun being a very popular tourist destination has many major hotels to stay, with all major accommodations. Most hotels are located in Zona Hotelera along the beach coast. Many hotels offer all inclusive packages for your stay, food and drink. You can also find many Airbnb’s for rent, depending on the area you would like to stay.

+Things to do-There is no shortage of things to do in and around Cancun.  From relaxing on the beach to getting away for some adventure and historical site seeing. Cancun is an easy place to please most anyone in your group.

+Spend time at the beach. As I mentioned earlier, Cancun has some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. White sandy beaches, surrounded by aqua blue water, you really cannot go wrong with a day or two on the beach. 

 Shopping-If shopping is your thing, you can certainly take advantage of several shopping malls, from luxury to local markets and goods. Many of the shopping malls are located  close to the Zona Hotelera.      

 Visit Parque De Las Palapas-If you’re looking for an authentic experience while visiting Cancun, Parque de las Palapas comes with my highest recommendation to visit. The town square, located in downtown Cancun, is a square full of amazing food and vendors. I’m talking about the best food you will eat on your trip! You can find a variety of tacos, tortas, elote, marquesita, churros, you name it they have it. Plus, it’s delicious and authentic. The square often has entertainment such as music and activities for kids and is busy each evening. By far one of my most favorite experiences of the trip and a place you should consider visiting while in Cancun.

+Day Trips- Although, there are plenty of activities to keep you busy in Cancun itself, there are many day trips to book to explore more of Yucatan Peninsula. Here are some popular day trips around the area, not to mention, the 7th Wonder of the World, Chichen-Itza! Most of these day trips can be arranged by your hotel concierge or through a travel site. Most bookings include transportation to and from the location, one meal and entrance tickets.

Chichen-Itza- Located a few hours from Cancun is home to a complex of Mayan ruins, including, El Castillo or Temple of Kukulcan. This ancient structure, said to be thriving in about 600 AD is well worth the day trip.

Tulum- A gorgeous, small port city on the coastline of the Yucatán Peninsula. It’s known for its beaches and well-preserved ruins of an ancient Mayan’s. Tulum is beyond beautiful and more than likely where I will stay on my next visit to the area.

Swim in a Cenote- A cenote is a natural sink whole, usually created by the collapse of the limestone bedrock, exposing the ground water underneath. There are many cenotes all over the Yucatan Peninsula, where many people visit and swim daily. We were able to book a took taking us to a local cenote and Chichen-Itza in the same day, completely worth the long day of traveling.

Other quick day trips from Cancun:

  • Isla Mujeres    
  • Xcaret      
  • Playa Del Carmen

There is so much to do and see around Cancun, no matter what your traveling style, you will find plenty of activities to keep you busy and enjoy your time. Hope this travel guide helps you plan and enjoy your trip to the Yucatan Peninsula.

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Travel

Ensenada-Baja California Weekend Getaway

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I have to tell you all how surprised I was about our little weekend getaway to Ensenada! I had done my research, figured out how to get there, where to stay, things to do, but I was not prepared for what this little Mexican town had to offer. Let me start of by talking about the drive to Ensenada from San Diego. The entire drive, nearly 90 minutes, is entirely along the coast! It is beautiful, and something I did not expect. Driving along the coast line, seeing the waves crash up along the shoreline, took me by surprise and started our weekend getaway off right.

What I loved most about Ensenada, was the fact it felt like Mexico. It is hard to explain, but I have been to several Mexican cities, some more popular than others, and many more “Americanized” than others. Ensenada had an authentic Mexican feel, which I loved. The town is small, people were friendly, gave us recommendations on things to see, places to eat. There are plenty of shops, restaurants and attractions for travelers to visit. As almost all Mexican cities, Ensenada has a city sign for tourists to visit and take pictures at and enjoy a great look out point of the ocean.  Another popular attraction is the La Bufadora, a blow-hole spewing water up to 60 feet in the air. The city center is full of life, especially during the summer season, markets are open to buy fresh food, fish and any kind of good or trinket you can think of.

The food was outstanding, especially the sea food! There are many places to eat and drink in Ensenada, many locals and friends who have travel there before recommended Papas & Beers and Hussongs Cantina. However, of all the places we tried, Mariscos Bahia de Ensenada, by far had the best seafood we tried, not to mention the best mango margarita! I woke up the following morning contemplating if we should go back for more or try something new. The fish was fresh, especially the lobster, and delicious. A must do when traveling this area is indulge in some seafood, you will not be disappointed. Ensenada is lively town, there are many coffee shops and bars open into the evening to enjoy and get a feel of the town.

Another highlight of our trip was our stay at Hotel Lucerna. A new hotel to the area, Hotel Lucerna, is a great place to stay while traveling the area. The hotel itself is beautiful, with all the ammenities of  luxury hotel, including a heated pool. The staff was helpful, assisting us with finding a wine tour, places to eat, and attractions to see. The hotel provides a wonderful breakfast spread each morning and encourages the guests to sit and enjoy the hotel. It was a great places to relax and wind at after a busy day of traveling and sight seeing.

Lastly, if you are planning on visiting Ensenada you can not miss scheduling a wine tour  through the Valle de Guadalupe-Mexican Wine Country. The Valle de Guadalupe, located in Baja California, just a little more 30 miles from Ensenada, Mexico, you will find what people are calling “the new Napa” with miles and miles of beautiful landscape and more than 200+ wineries. We were lucky enough to book a private driver to take us to and from Ensenada to wine country, to several wineries and back to our hotel. It was such an amazing day and truly opened my eyes to the hidden treasures of Mexico.

 

Categories
Travel

Valle de Guadalupe-Mexican Wine Country

I’ve been so excited to share this post about my wine tour through Mexican wine country with you all! Especially, my wine and travel lovers! The Valle de Guadalupe, located in Baja California, just a little more 30 miles from Ensenada, Mexico, you will find what people are calling “the new Napa” with miles and miles of beautiful landscape and more than 200+ wineries. You could spend weeks visiting each winery but I will highlight a few we loved on our visit.

If you are interested in a wine tour, there are several different ways you can book a tour for your liking. If you are not willing to venture down the coast to Ensenada, there are many tours willing to pick you up at your hotel in San Diego, drive you across the border and through the Valle de Guadalupe to and back to San Diego at the end of the tour. Other options are to rent a car, make sure you get insurance to cover you across international boarders and drive the wine route on your own. You will however, have to endure the very long line of vehicle’s attempting to cross back over to the United States upon your return. So pack your patience! Every day is different and you may be sitting in line for a few hours. Lastly, you can do as we did and take the San Diego trolly to the last, most southern stop and walk across the border on your own to the ABC bus stop, less than a mile from the crossing and purchase a bus ticket for $20 down the coast to Ensenada, about a 90 minute trip. We then, with the help of our concierge at Hotel Lucerna, booked a tour with a private driver to several wineries through the Valle of Guadalupe.

Our first stop, the oldest winery in The Valley, and in my opinion, with the best tasting wine was Santo Tomas Winery. Located on a beautiful estate tucked away in the rolling hills this is what wine country looks like. Vines as long as the eye can see, beautiful green rolling hills and a colorful, welcoming space to taste and enjoy wines. Each winery has their own cost for a tasting ranging from $10-$20 per person per tasting. Such a deal! Especially, if you have traveled to Napa, you know tasting can cost more than $50 per person. Santo Tomas, had the most wines of any other winery with a typical tasting including five different types of wine.

Our next stop was the Clos de Tres Cantos Winery along the wine route. This winery was chosen by our tour guide company we booked our tour with. Of the four wineries we visited, it was one of my favorites for the establishment and the scenery. It was very unique and rustic looking, with many places to sit and enjoy our rainy wine tasting day. Even the bathroom had cute details such as the neat window made out of bottles to swivel and open.

The wine was decent and was accompanied by a little wine and cheese, which was definitely appreciated as we still had two more winery to visit, and had started with a five wine tasted at the previous winery. The landscape overlooking the vineyards was beautiful, even on a rainy day, and they were kind enough of give me a small bag of wine corks to take home with me. They are expanding the building at this winery and there will soon be more to explore and see while on the property.

Our 3rd winery, the ATP Vinos y Familia, was the smallest and one of the best experiences of the day.  Family owned, ran by a husband and wife, this winery has won many awards for their wines. The wines available for tasting depend on the season and they it is well known they tend to run out of award-winning wines during the busy summer season. The wines were tasty, but more than anything, I loved the homey feel of this winery. We were allowed to walk through the vineyard, sample grapes still on the vines and see the cellar with the barrels of wine. It was spectacular and the most fun of the day! Getting to know the owners, learning about the history of the vineyard and entire Valle de Guadalupe was a great experience for the day.

The final winery on our stop is currently one of the most famous wineries in the Valle de Guadalupe, Bruma Winery. Bruma, known not only for thier wine but also for their modern casitas available and their beautiful structures and landscape. This is a great places to stay if you would like to stay in the valley and not have to travel back to Ensenada. It is a great way to travel to many more wineries during your visit! However, if you would like to stay at Bruma, you will need to email to make reservations as early as possible as the establishment is small, popular, and they book rooms quickly and months ahead. This is also one of the wineries you will need to have reservations ahead of time for a wine tasting. If you do not have a reservation you can wait up to an hour for the next available tasting. However, the wine is good and the grounds are beautiful and is worth checking out.

We finished up our day with a great dinner set up by our tour guide, lounging on hammocks, drinking more wine and enjoying the rain before our driver drove us back to Ensenada. It was a perfect end to the day.  Valle de Guadalupe wine country was such as great experience and so easy to access from San Diego, we will definitely be back to explore more wineries across the valley. If you love wine or have always wanted to check out Baja California, this is a great getaway for you!