Mexico City, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, La Paz, Loreto, Muluge', S. Jose' del Cabo, La Paz. From Linate (Mi), duration 27 days, hotels and flights booked online through Expedia. Flights with Air France via Paris, 19 hours including 7 hours of time-zone difference. Car booked from Italy on the website "easyterra.com", the most convenient. This is the third time we visit Mexico, on different itineraries. The last time was in 2001, we were there on holiday when the twin towers collapsed in N.Y. A nightmare returning to Italy with the total grounding of the airlines!
MEXICO CITY
Arriving in Mexico City we picked up the car directly at the airport, set up our TomTom with maps of Mexico's roads and headed for our booked hotel, (blessed be whoever invented the satnav!) The "Gran Hotel Ciudad del Mexico" is on the cathedral square, elegant with spacious rooms equipped with every comfort, but overlooking the inner courtyard (only the suites look onto the square), at the price of 60 euro per room, breakfast included. The dinner was excellent in the restaurant on the panoramic terrace with a view of the Cathedral and the Government Palace. Mexico City deserves at least three or four days (on Mondays the museums are all closed); we had already visited it on other occasions.
Not to be missed: Diego Rivera's murals inside the Government Palace, the cathedral, the Palace of Fine Arts with its stained-glass dome, Frida Kahlo's house museum, the site of Teotihuacan, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the canals and floating gardens of Xochimilco and much more... to round off a cheerful evening, go and enjoy a tequila with the mariachis in Garibaldi Square. This time we limited ourselves to a ride on the Turibus (an open-top tourist bus which, for 230 pesos, about 15 euro, allowed us to visit the various neighbourhoods, getting on and off as we pleased). The traffic is chaotic and the street names repeat in different areas, so even with a satnav you need the right directions. For dinner we had booked at the "Hosteria de Santo Domingo", in Plaza de Santo Domingo two blocks from the zocalo: traditional Mexican.
Their speciality is chiles en nogada (a large green pepper stuffed with meat and raisins, covered with a cream sprinkled with pomegranate seeds); we spent 550 pesos for two (30 euro).
GUADALAJARA
Departure for Guadalajara, 500 km in 7 hours; we lost an hour just getting out of Mexico City. Guadalajara is a beautiful city. It can be visited in two full days. For 90 pesos you get on the Tapatio (a bus similar to Mexico City's that stops at the places of greatest interest in the city. The ticket booth is at the Los Jaliscienses Ilustres roundabout next to the beautiful Cathedral, characterised by two twin towers covered in ceramic tiles. Also worth visiting are the Plaza de Armas and the Government Palace with the large mural by the painter José Clemente Orozco that dominates above an internal staircase, depicting Miguel Hidalgo. Then the vast Plaza Tapatía with, at its end, the majestic Cabañas cultural institute with its 57 rather unsettling murals by Orozco depicting humanity in flames and the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
At lunchtime we stopped at the "San Juan de Dios" market (mercado libertad), a mix of small restaurants and three floors of little stalls selling every kind of goods (good value). On the outskirts of the city is the Tlaquepaque district, with many lovely shops selling artisan ceramics and excellent aged tequila (reposada). The prices are good and you can take the chance to buy non-tacky souvenirs. We had dinner at the Tapatio, a lovely restaurant with outdoor tables serving international and Mexican dishes. On the main square stands a complex of restaurants and bars, "El Parian", where it is worth going to sip a Kahlúa or a tequila after dinner and listen to excellent live music. The waiters are friendly, but the food is not the best! Another suburb worth visiting is Tonalá, 13 km from the centre of Guadalajara.
We happened to be there on a Thursday morning, when the streets turn into a gigantic open-air market. It is so big that it would take hours to see it all. We bought pretty terracotta and ceramic objects at affordable prices. Lots of photos to take. Overnight at "Casa de las Flores" (a very characterful bed and breakfast. Excellent breakfasts.
PUERTO VALLARTA
300 km from Guadalajara, covered in 5 hours including an hour's lunch break. The city stretches along the Banderas Bay. It is divided in two by the Cuale river: new Vallarta is a succession of large luxury hotels, mega shopping centres and the big marina. On the other side, the old town with low houses, souvenir shops and cobbled streets that when it rains (and we found rain) turn into rushing streams; crossing the streets is a disaster. For 3 nights we stayed at the "Los Arcos beach" in the romantic zone (the neighbourhood favoured by the city's gay community). A typical mass-tourism hotel, with private beach and large pools. Small rooms in need of maintenance. On the plus side, we went for dinner at an elegant restaurant in Col Alta Vista, "Casa Isabel" (stunning view over the bay and excellent food.
The next morning we headed for Boca de Tomatlán, a small fishing village where we hired a boat for 800 pesos (it was just the two of us and the boat's owner) that took us on a cruise to the various beaches (Yalepa, Caleta, Los Animal). At lunchtime we moored in front of Los Animal beach, equipped with umbrellas and a palapa, to swim in those warm, crystal-clear waters and eat excellent grilled fish in a small restaurant on the beach. Back at the little harbour by 3 pm. To round off the day beautifully we drove on to the very beautiful botanical garden. A succession of orchids, agaves and wild palms. A pity it started pouring and in a few minutes the paths turned into quagmires.
TOWARDS ACAPULCO
From Puerto Vallarta to Acapulco there are more than 900 km; we stopped halfway at Caleta de Campos, a charming seaside village. Hotel Dayaz, 40 euro a night with breakfast (for two), modern but with no lift. Very basic (but the place offers nothing better). Some restaurants along the beach cook excellent fresh lobsters at a good price.
ACAPULCO
Acapulco, a city with chaotic traffic. Roads full of potholes, thousands of 1970s Beetles turned into rickety, polluting taxis. As soon as we arrived in the city we ran into a local police patrol that, for no plausible reason, ordered us to stop the car and issued us a fine of no less than 300 euro (the equivalent in pesos) with the confiscation of the licence, for failing to signal a lane change with the indicator and for speeding. After a brief discussion (due to poor knowledge of the language), they settled for 60 euro in cash (legalised swindle). The visit to the city's sights began with: Fort San Diego, a fine museum and fortification, worth visiting, free entry. The Cathedral of Our Lady
Day 127 Aug 2011
CONTINUING THE TRIP MEXICO AND BAJA CALIFORNIA
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Solitude (a 1930s film set) with blue-colored domes located in the historic center. The Capilla de la Paz perched on a hill overlooking Acapulco Bay, to be moved before a beautiful sunset. Before dinner we went to watch the cliff divers' show. Six daring boys dive from the cliff into the tumultuous waters of the narrow cove below from a height of 30 meters, not to be missed. The observation point for taking good photos is limited, so it's best to arrive half an hour before the start (7:30 p.m.). The following morning we headed toward Playa Caleta, from where the glass-bottomed boats depart, for the circuit and docking at De la "Roqueta" island (10 minutes from the mainland). Long sandy beach, crystal-clear and calm sea, a few spartan little restaurants offering fish menus at a good price. On the beach you can rent sunbeds and umbrellas and various equipment.
A beautiful day to spend relaxing. The boats from the island leave continuously. For shopping, the "Mercado de Artesanias" is convenient, a collection of small shops crammed with souvenirs. American cruise ships dock at Acapulco, and the merchants take advantage of it. Haggle! The three evenings we stayed in Acapulco we dined at "Su Casa," a very nice restaurant with a beautiful view over the bay, and enjoyed their specialty "pescado a la talla"; at "El Gaucho," mixed grilled Argentine meat with a music and tango show; at "Il Cabrito," charcoal-roasted kid. All located on boulevard La Costera.
LA PAZ
To save on the rental price, we returned to Mexico City airport (400 km of highway) to return the car. On a plane of the Mexican airline we landed in La Paz. After picking up a Renault SUV (but there's nothing stopping you from renting a sedan, the roads are paved and the few cobblestone ones are easily drivable), after about ten km we arrived at the beautiful seafront of the city. The traffic is congested. The nerve center of La Paz, the malecon is embellished with large bronze sculptures, wrought-iron benches, gazebos. Along the beach there are numerous little harbors with fishermen's boats docked. On the opposite side of the road are located hotels, souvenir shops, discos, pubs, restaurants and ice cream parlors. At sunset you can witness the gathering of pelicans, herons and seagulls waiting for the fishermen to throw the leftovers of the catch into the sea.
The hotel where we stayed is "la Concha," carretera Pichilingue, with private beach, pool, continental breakfast included, (free internet) but without elevator. The porters carry the luggage up; the brightest rooms are on the third floor. On weekends the hotel fills up with rather noisy Mexican families; the pool and the small adjacent beach with sunbeds and palapa become their property. The restaurants in La Paz are countless, many run by Italians; we dined at the restaurant pizzeria "Milano," the owner is Sardinian; the place is a bit cramped but the tagliolini with cuttlefish ink and sea urchins are tasty.
The following evening we tried the "Palermo" restaurant on the malecon, truly elegant and with an excellent Italian menu; the third and fourth evenings at "Tre Vergini" and at "Buffalo," excellent and very tender large grilled steaks; all the restaurants range from 25 to 35 euros per person, (meat or fish). The beaches around La Paz are splendid. Balandra beach is about 20 km toward Pichilingue; there are 6/7 straw umbrellas available and nothing else, no bar or little restaurants; the sea is warm and clear, and the much-publicized "mushroom" is half a hoax! Moreover, we were stung (slightly) dozens of times by microscopic jellyfish, very annoying. In the morning you swim with the high tide, in the afternoon the sea recedes by about 10 meters.
We preferred the Tesoro beach, which is in the same direction but closer to the city (10 km from the center); the sea is clear and not stingy..., and it doesn't feel the tide phenomenon; it is equipped with umbrellas and sunbeds (120 pesos all day); the restaurant under a large palapa is clean and prepares typical Mexican dishes, besides the inevitable margarita, pina colada and more.....A paradise... From Tecotele beach, 30 km away (a scheduled bus reaches it, traveling the entire beach road every hour), we took a motorboat (260 pesos per person, departing around 11) to "Espirito Santo" Island, a paradise of Sea Lions with which we swam without danger; they are curious and playful. Fins and mask are available on the boat. At lunchtime, docked in front of a small beach, the 2 sailors unloaded umbrellas and a cooler from the boat and prepared marlin ceviche and ham and cheese toast.
Drinks at will. This island is very large; it took us almost an hour to go around it even with our fast speedboat. Among its attractions you can admire the various rock formations: the Arch, the Mask, the bush attached to a rock nicknamed the Medusa, and some specimens of Blue-footed Tule, birds endemic to the island. Return to the pier around 3:30 p.m. Truly a splendid day of sea and sun.
MULUGE'
After 3 days spent in La Paz we headed to Muluge, 500 km away. Stupendous panoramas over Baja Conception, with its spectacular beaches, El Coyote beach, Burro beach, Sueno, Santipac, El Requeson (the most beautiful). We had booked the very spartan motel camping "Cueva Real." Small rooms, poorly functioning air conditioning, meager breakfast, (but the town doesn't offer anything better!). In the evening we dined at "los Equipage," excellent, (steak and lobster, beers and tequila, for two 700 pesos). Muluge is located in the heart of an oasis of palm trees crossed by a long river. Just outside the town stands the Mission. We went there shortly before sunset, with the sun setting behind the Giganta mountain range. Thrilling. The Sea of Cortez is very warm, calm and clear.
The following morning we easily reached Playa Requeson (you can drive right onto the beach), not very crowded, clean, spacious and equipped with straw huts that protect from the scorching sun, 38/39 degrees. With the low tide (afternoon) a strip of white sand emerges that joins the beach and a small island in front. There are no bars or anything else; fortunately from Italy we had brought a small cooler bag; the only annoyance was asking every evening to be able to put the ice packs in the freezers of the hotels where we stayed. No one objected. For lunch we moved to Playa Bonaventura; in a small restaurant we enjoyed some excellent grilled prawns.
LORETO
Continuing on, we arrived at Loreto, where we stayed at the "In At Loreto" resort, 10 km from the center, in the Nopolo area. (free internet). Elegant, comfortable, private beach, with sunbeds and palapa, large pool and Jacuzzi. Bright rooms with all comforts (65 euros per night), recommended for those who have a car! Loreto can be visited in half a day. The beautiful Mission Our Lady of Loreto is located along boulevard Salvatierra (the main street) that leads to the malecon. At the hotel reception we booked a 4-hour mini cruise to Coronado Island (1,500 pesos for two); a few hundred meters from the beach we encountered hundreds of dolphins swimming in the direction
palace of fine arts - mexico city
Day 227 Aug 2011
sunset over the Giganta
Day 316 Sep 2011
On the island lives a colony of sea lions; we photographed them. Docked on a small beach, we treated ourselves to a swim in the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez, among pelicans and herons watching us warily; an exciting experience! The following morning, early, we headed to the San Francisco Javier Mission, the best-preserved in Baja California, built in the 1700s. In my humble opinion, it's not worth the long journey (31 km of switchbacks and 7 km on unpaved road). The small town of San Javier is desolate.... As every evening, we went in search of some nice place where we could have dinner. I had read the favorable reviews about the "Mita e Gourmet" restaurant located on the civic square. It did not disappoint us: refined and elegant setting, with an international menu, excellent linguine with clams and as a second course: prawns in tequila.
Another evening we dined at la "Palapa" with a mixed grill of shellfish, totopos (like corn flour chips) with guacamole (avocado), beers and tequila reposada (aged). A trio of musicians livened up our evening, dedicating "Celito Lindo" and "Mexico Lindo" to us, two traditional songs (50 pesos per song!)
TODOS SANTOS
Loreto - Todos Santos, 400 km, intermediate stop. Stayed at the hotel "Villas de Cerritos" (no internet) located 500 meters from the beach of the same name; small bungalows with indescribable rooms. (You couldn't stay anywhere worse) bathroom in the room separated by a wall without a door, 20 km from the city center plus 2 km on a cobblestone lane. Todos Santos is a small town visited by American tourists. The most elegant and famous building is the Hotel California, rather expensive. (the wood-fired pizza at the restaurant is good). In the many souvenir shops the dollar is the main currency! You have to haggle prices down by 60%. Almost all of them close at 6 p.m.
SAN JOSE' DEL CABO
Todos Santos - San Jose del Cabo, 130 km covered in 3 hours because the highway completion is under construction and there are hundreds of open construction sites. On September 15th all of Mexico is celebrating: dances, songs, fireworks, stalls, lights. We watched the celebrations until late at night. In Mijares square they had set up a large stage; the Cathedral facing the square was all lit up, as was the civic building. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant "La Dolce" located on the square; large portions, but little flavor and not at a good price! The following evening we tried the "Tropicana" on boulevard Mijares, a characteristic Mexican place; we ate much better and spent less. The following evening an Italian gentleman recommended "Passaparola," also on Boulevard Mijares, where we ate some excellent pizzas. In the shops of San Jose the prices displayed are in U.S. dollars.
If you ask, they convert to pesos! Expensive items of poor quality!
The "Bel Air" is the hotel we had booked for 3 nights. Located on the seafront, with pool and private beach, massage center, internal restaurant, spacious rooms with every comfort (internet for a fee), room cost 56 euros per night with breakfast. The following morning, upon our arrival in San Jose, we headed toward Cabo San Lucas (25 km) and from Medano beach we took a boat to photograph the rock formation "The Arch." The stretch of sea that separates the Sea of Cortez from the Pacific Ocean is nicknamed Land's End. Hundreds of pelicans, a few sea lions, the crystal-clear sea and the solitary coves of very white sand are the main attractions of this outing.
We swam in the calm waters in front of the beach of love (Sea of Cortez) and photographed the big waves crashing violently on the divorce beach (ocean) located on the opposite side of the promontory; on this beach swimming is forbidden. The excursion to Cabo Pulmo was not to my liking. The road that starts from San Jose runs along the ocean, many km of unpaved road, very long, solitary beaches, without beach facilities. The impetuous waves are ideal for surfing.
Our vacation has come to an end. We leave the rented car at the La Paz airport terminal and board the plane that will take us back to Italy.
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