Mexico Travel Forum

Hi..we are a mature West Australian couple intending to travel to Mexico shortly.

We have posted on another forum and had some really disturbing views put to us from a few people.While most love Mexico, a few say it is very dangerous and we should look elsewhere!!

we cant believe it is that bad and would like any info that anyone would be willing to give us.

We love the beach and most of our travels revolve around beaches and surf.He has surfed for 40 years and still tries to surf daily, altho really only into small fun waves now.

It has always been a dream to go to the U.S and go on down to Mexico to look around and just relax for a while.

Our time is pretty short and we are used to getting a lot done in a short time, so maybe we can say what we propose and hear back anything, good and bad?

We want to fly from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas on May25.We prefer early travel so we can spend a lot of our daytimes actually doing 'tourist' stuff.

The idea is to stay there at a reasonable hotel, as close to a nice beach as possible (around $100 to $130 a night), maybe hire a car and do a little sightseing along the coast, as far as a few hours away each day.

Then we would like to fly to Acapulco, ( we understand that we have to stop over in Mexico City...no plans to stay there tho..)..then either hire a car, stay a few days...from May 28/29/30 and drive up to Ixtapa for 3 days..May 31/June 1/ 2, then fly back direct to Los Angeles to catch our flight back to Australia on June 3 at 2230.

We know it is tight, and while we would love to drive round a little, we are being told it is too dangerous and there are kidnappings and murders etc.

If we have to, we are ok staying at the major towns and stay near the hotels if safety is that big a problem, but if it is so bad, why is Mexico so popular??

Are we being too naiive?

We have travelled extensively thru Indonesia (some 210 times), Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Singapore,Maldives, Mauritius, Malaysia and are reasonably aware of normal precautions to take when travelling.

Is Mexico that bad?

Would love to hear comments on the above..is it reasonable to do so much in a short time as we plan?

Are the places we mention safe and is car hire the nightmare we are led to believe it is?...some say that accidents are common and insurance may not cover them, and it can be a rip off?

Thanks for your time and we would appreciate any feedback.

cheers

Bruce and Barb

I would do that trip any day and never have a worry.

Great areas you plan to travel to. As long as you are not in the drug trade and don't wear a lot of jewelry, then it should be a great trip. Have you ever thought of a cruise to Mexico from the San Diego area?

I travelled in Mexico several times, each time with another lady, and we did not have any problem at all. We even had a small accident - which was funny and not funny at the same time, as the policeman wanted to be bribed to get into action, and the two insurance agents of the two parties involved discussing the latest football results ;-)

Apart from that I did not perceive driving a big problem, apart from the many speed bumps (topes), and I would not drive at night either. I would not always stay near the hotels either because in this case you could stay at home as well.

The stories about murders revolve around Tijuana where innocent people obviously get killed in drug wars, so I would surely avoid this place under all circumstances.

Due to the big distances in Mexico we also flew a lot on one of the trips, so if you do not have a lot of time but want to see several places it is the best way to travel, and then rent a car at the respective destinations.

Mexico is so popular because it has everything a traveller can dream of, great beaches, fantastic culture, great food, tequila, friendly people... As in other places in the world, there is crime, but nothing to worry too much about if you avoid Tijuana and places with temporary safety concerns due to local problems (Chiapas sometimes, and you will not be there anyway). In all other places apply common sense, and do not leave your belongings on the beach unattended, or they might be gone. I think this is not specific for Mexico but for (nearly) everywhere.

Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco and Ixtapa are like going to Disneyland. They're are very safe destinations. Mexico is a beautiful country and the unsafe places revolve around drug cartels fighting over territory and what not. Besides, those bad guys are fighting each other. Its not like if they see caucasians they decide, "oh, there go some caucasians, lets kill'em"! You are safe in Mexico and the USA media puts a bad light on the entire country when in reality its centralized in one particular area, (just as they do with many other countries). You don't hear about caucasians getting gunned down left and right in Tijuana, do you? The point is that you two will be fine, just exercise common sense as you would anywhere else in the world. Your destinations are very safe. Have fun in Mexico, surf, and enjoy the seafood, and tequila! Remember to see the cliff divers in Acapulco

I live in San Diego, I would travel to the areas you are planning to go to.

Here is an advisory from the U.S. Government. It is an Advisory only but do read it all the way down.

The best surf in Cabo is on the east cape side, the Pacific there closes out allot.

Might be able to hook you up with Mike Doyle if he is down there at the same time. email if you like can give you some surf spots, reefs and beach breaks.

Unless you into fishing, the next town around Cabo and East Cabo of any size is La Paz but that is longer than a couple of hours.

Drive during the day only.

I agree with Kakapo2. I've been to Mexico 4 times by myself between 2001 and 2008 and never had any problem. The people are friendly, it's affordable, sunny, lots of culture, etc. You have to be more careful in Mexico City, but you're not planning to go there anyway. The incidents I've heard about seem to be political in nature, and not directed at tourists.

I don't drive so can't comment much on that, except to say that the roads I've seen so far are in very good condition. The buses are great too, so an alternative might be to take a bus between Acapulco and Ixtapa. By the way, I didn't like Ixtapa (looks too artifial and American: big hotels, strip malls..). The beach backs up into hotels and the waves are huge. I stayed in Zihuatanejo which is a fishing village nearby, also surrounded by nice beaches. You must do a day trip to Isla Ixtapa though.

Hope this helps.

I live in San Diego and I would go to the locations you are considering.

Here is an advisory from the U.S. Government:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3028.html

Surf on the East Cape side as the Pacific Side closes out.

Besides East Cape, La Paz is the next biggest city but it is more than a couple of hours away.

Email me and I can give you some surf spots, reef and beach breaks.

There is allot going on down there that is not reported in the news, but you will be OK, only drive during the day time, and visit areas frequented by tourists.

Don't let anyone convince you to put off your planned trip to Mexico. Yes, there are some very dangerous areas there....but the majority of the violence that's been reported in the media recently is drug gang vs. drug gang warfare. Like others have said....if you aren't involved in the narcotics business you'll probably avoid all of that drama. Very few tourists have been caught up in any violence down in Mexico recently. If I took the advice of all the paranoid people who informed us how dangerous one place or the other was I probably would have missed out on many great adventures.
You are experienced travellers....and Mexico is too fascinating to miss. Also, Mexico City is not so bad...I actully loved the place. Teotihuacan is a wonderful pre-spanish historical site to visit. I think its not to be missed if you find yourself in the Mexico City area.
Enjoy it...and don't miss out on Mexico!
(P.S. I just got back from Tijuana and northern Baja after a drive with my family.....no problems at all despite the daily news reports citing drug violence).

Thanks everyone..the replies have all been so positive and helpful...

We have made a decision....at last!!!...

we are going to cut out the Acapulco /Ixtapa section of our trip.

The reason for this , is the large number of great comments about the southern Baja area, and the limited aount of time we have.

I am almost positive, now, that we will maybe take an extra day in San Diego to get past the Memorial Day weekend at airports!!

We will fly down to Cabo San Lucas on Tuesday May 26th...as early as possible....book into a local hotel near the beach until the morning of May 29th.
We will hire a car at the airport so we are mobile...

The aim is to drive up the coast daily and have a look around..always within a days travel of where we stay...try to find some nice beaches, cafes, bars...and some waves!

Then on may 29th we will drive to San Jose Del Cabo and stay there until the morning of June 3...using the same vehicle.
From there we can travel again, either side of the town looking at beaches and some tourist stuff...

Both places look great and from the various comments we have received, it makes sense to do less travelling by air, save money that can be spent on better hotels, and spend more time on the beach!!

I guess we can adjust the days we spend in each place, as we dont know either, but it makes sense to have a great time in as few places as possible than hanging out at airports and moving round.
Maybe next trip we can go to Ixtapa and beyond.

Any comments on these two places and maybe suggestions as to hotels?

We would like to be as near to the beach as possible and surf spots, and we understand that prices rise a lot near the beach.

Is it cheaper to book hotels before coming than once we get there at this time of year?..and is the weather going to be warm?

cheers and thanks

Bruce and Barb

Hi Martin, thanks for your info.As we are now staying in the Cabo area for the full time we are in Mexico, can you please advise of your email address?
would like to hear more about your exp there (and SD)and some of the spots you can recommend?
ours is balibch@iinet.net.au

cheers

B and B

Another vote for you doing your trip as planned. We have been to Mexico numerous times, and to places where there weren't a whole lot of gringos. We always felt safe -- in fact I feel safer in Mexico than I do in my city in Canada! On the whole, Mexicans are very friendly, welcoming, and very hospitable.

As stated before, much of the violence is drug related. They aren't interested in the average tourist. If there was a murder in Darwin, would you cancel your trip to Sydney? Mexico is a huge country and much of it is extremely safe. Just remember: Don't do drugs, don't hang out with people who do drugs, and don't hang out in bars and get drunk.

You will find near Acapulco there will be more military stops as the state of Guerrero has unfortunately more problems with drugs than other states. Please don't let these check points scare you, there will be soldiers dressed in fatigues and will be carrying semi-automatic weapons. These checkstops are for YOUR protection. They will most likely check to see where you are going, and when you are a tourist they will wave you through. Sometimes they will check your trunk.

I would recommend staying in Zihuatanejo instead of Ixtapa for a more intimate, less resort-like experience. Zihua is extremely safe. Have a wonderful time! You will love Mexico.

Sorry, I did not see your last comments. When you plan to go to Ixtapa and area, try www.zihuatanejo.net. It's a wonderful website with great forums that will address any questions that you may have. It was very helpful when we were planning our trip.