A Bali-style day bed at Playita Santa Lucía, the new beach club. It’s Saturday afternoon, and a group of five Djs, most from Mexico City, are huddled over their shared table on the beach, as well-oiled vacationers sip micheladas on white-curtained Bali day beds. I’m in the adjacent open-air restaurant, slicing up a fresh whitefish…
Category: Mexico
3 Things I Love to Eat in Acapulco (and a couple drinks to wash it all down with)
I’ve been visiting Acapulco annually for years, thanks to the Tianguis Turistico, Mexico’s annual tourism conference (and I’ve come here a few additional times when the conference wasn’t taking placeas). So over time, I’ve discovered plenty of interesting and tasty local food that I always try to incorporate into my menu while in town. I’ve…
HOTEL REVIEW: Relaxed Retro Chic at Boca Chica, Acapulco
Yesterday afternoon, I checked into a hotel where several decades earlier a Hollywood starlet named Rita Hayworth slept. That was back when Acapulco was becoming Mexico’s first jet-set resort destination, and celebrities were flocking to small, independently owned hotels in the hills by the bay. Today, Hotel Boca Chica — which opened in March 2010…
HOTEL REVIEW: El Encanto, Acapulco
After some nine years with no new openings, the city of Acapulco has welcomed no less than three new upscale properties within less than a year’s time: The villa-style Banyan Tree Cabo Marques, the retro-chic Boca Chica (which is where I’m staying now — more on that later) and El Encanto. So even as Acapulco has…
Group Splurge: Villa Sábalo, Acapulco
Last night, I sipped tamarind-infused cocktails and gazed at the sunset from the glamorous hills of an Acapulco neighborhood called Las Brisas. It was a cocktail party hosted by the Los Cabos Convention & Visitors Bureau (during Tianguis Turístico, Mexico’s annual tourism conference), but it was a classic Acapulco experience. The locale is called Villa Sábalo,…
Roberto Santibañez’s 5 Favorite Restaurants in Mexico City
Chef Roberto Santibañez Fonda An award-winning chef and Mexico City native, Roberto Santibañez knows a thing or two about the best cuisine in Mexico’s capital. Now based in New York City, Santibañez trained at Paris’s renowned Le Cordon Bleu culinary school and opened several restaurants in Mexico City before spending four years as executive chef…
LF DEAL ALERT: Puerto Vallarta Luxury and Value
One of the places I’ve most enjoyed staying in Puerto Vallarta is Villa Premiere Hotel & Spa. Part of the pleasure is the size; with only 83 rooms, it’s not crowded like larger resorts, yet it’s big enough to offer plenty of services (including excellent spa treatments). Part of the appeal is the comfortable and…
Too Much Snow? Consider a Hot Date in Cancun
Dreams Cancun watery wonderland. If you’re in my part of the world, you just might be a bit snowed in right now and thinking how nice it would be to get away to somewhere warmer. Perennial favorite Cancun has a pretty good remedy for anyone sick of the snow. Over the past few months, public…
Hotels Where the Stars Slept in Acapulco
Sure, years may have passed since the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley and John F. Kennedy graced the swimming pools along Acapulco’s beautiful bay. But Mexico’s first jet-set destination is regaining some of its retro-chic, thanks to the imminent re-opening of Boca Chica, a 1950s-vintage beachfront hotel re-imagined by the folks at Grupo Habita,…
Hotels Where the Stars Sleep in Acapulco
Sure, years may have passed since the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley and John F. Kennedy graced the swimming pools along Acapulco’s beautiful bay. But Mexico’s first jet-set destination is regaining some of its retro-chic, thanks to the imminent re-opening of Boca Chica, a 1950s-vintage beachfront hotel re-imagined by the folks at Grupo Habita,…
Hotels Where the Stars Sleep in Acapulco
Sure, years may have passed since the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley and John F. Kennedy graced the swimming pools along Acapulco’s beautiful bay. But Mexico’s first jet-set destination is regaining some of its retro-chic, thanks to the imminent re-opening of Boca Chica, a 1950s-vintage beachfront hotel re-imagined by the folks at Grupo Habita,…
LF DEAL ALERT: Acapulco Luxury, with Banyan Tree
Mexico’s first jet-set resort destination, Acapulco, is getting a needed shot in the arm with a spate of new luxury hotel openings. During my last visit, I checked out the pre-opening model of the Banyan Tree Cabo Marques, the newest property in the Americas run by the Asian luxury hotelier. And it’s quite a luxurious…
LF DEAL ALERT: Last-minute Mexico from Brendan
Brendan Vacations is offering Last Minute Deals for escorted tours to Mexico. Itineraries include “Treasures of the Yucatan,” with a price tag lowered from $1,825 to $1643 (promo code LMDUSA118). The nine-day trip includes visits to Chichen Itza, with accommodations on the Riviera Maya.The price on the “Mexico’s Copper Canyon” tour, meanwhile, has been lowered from…
The World’s Best New Hotel and Restaurant are in Latin America
Wallpaper, the British-based magazine and Website that focuses on travel, design, entertainment, fashion and media, has announced the winners of its annual Design Awards for 2010. The style-conscious magazine and Website assembled an impressive panel of judges to determine who deserves kudos. And guess what? The world’s best new hotel for 2010 is in Mexico. The…