FORGET THE SNOW – GO TO MEXICO

By now the holidays are complete and bank accounts depleted. I used to ask myself how on earth can I afford a vacation? I really need a rest. After the crazy joyfulness of the holidays I retreat to Puerto Aventuras, Mexico.

Here is the deal, there are no crazy parties, loud music and rowdy teenagers. Puerto Aventuras is a good hour south of all that racket.

About an hour drive south of the Cancun International Airport in Puerto Aventuras, Blue Caribbean is waiting to facilitate a great, safe, quiet winter getaway.

Curt and Rosa help pick out accommodations that will fit your budget from their inventory of dozens of clean, beautiful condominiums right on the beach or in walking distance.

Not only does Blue Caribbean help facilitate a great, safe Mexican getaway vacation, they also help with with your leisure activities.

About an hour south of Puerto Aventuras are the Mayan ruins, an historically rich ancient area that is a must-see. Curt and Rosa will recommend the various ways you can visit this historical area.

When you arrive at Puerto Aventuras you do not have to get in a car for your entire stay. Everything you could possibly need, want and desire is located within walking distance from your condo.

The coral reef is close and within swimming distance from the white sand beach that will not burn your feet regardless of how sunny and hot the days may be.

Blue Caribbean has it all: beautiful beach, coral reef within swimming distance, dive shops, fishing excursions, restaurants, gift shops, dolphin experience and wonderful people, all located in a safe environment.

Let Blue Caribbean host a beautiful Puerto Aventuras getaway this winter. Check out their condominiums and book your dates today. The first step in any experience is making the reservations.

http://bluecaribbean.com/index.asp

Staying Safe In Mexico

For decades, Mexico has been stereotypically labeled as an unsafe vacation spot, due to few instances occurring in certain areas of the country. In Puerto Aventuras, however, safety is never an issue. In fact, it is one of the main reasons why many tourists visit the location each year. Puerto Aventuras is located roughly an hour south of Cancun, Mexico. Though fairly close to each other, the two locations are not alike in the slightest way.

Unlike Cancun, Puerto Aventuras has a relaxing resort called the Blue Caribbean Resort. This resort contains beaches, pools, and marinas full of friendly, drug-free people. The white powder beaches are full of sand that never burns your feet, no matter how hot the temperatures. The pools are as relaxing as the beaches, and the marinas are full of fresh fish available for purchase daily. 

When families go on vacations to other parts of Mexico, a major thing they don’t look forward to is the street vendors or children-sellers that bother you as you try to take a relaxing walk along the beach. In Puerto Aventuras, the Blue Caribbean Resort not only gives you the right to walk along the beach, but they also ensure that you won’t be bothered by annoying street vendors or children trying to sell cheap, unwanted items.

Puerto Aventuras is not part of the stereotypical, unsafe Mexico that many people believe it to be. The gated community and safe resort ensure families that they have nothing to worry about when it comes to safety. In fact, the Southern part of Mexico is known to see less violence than many U.S cities.

The only way to really know, however, exactly how safe and enjoyable Puerto Aventuras is, is to ask someone who has been there. Feel free to contact Ed Primeau, an experienced traveler who thoroughly enjoyed his stay on several occasions at the Blue Caribbean at Primeau@PrimeauProductions.com, or call at +1-248-853-4091.  Or call Rosa and tell her Ed sent you!

Recent trip to Puerto Aventuras

Recent Trip to Puerto Aventuras

Our family recently traveled to Puerto Aventuras for a Spring Break getaway and had a fantastic time. My husband and I had traveled there before 3 years ago but I really wanted to take my kids to experience the Tulum ruins and all the other adventures the city had to offer. The weather was absolutely beautiful the entire week and the great breeze off the ocean was just paradise. One of the best features is the general location and all the restaurants and shops right in the area and walking distance from the condo. The condo was roomy and beautiful-overlooking the pools and ocean-an amazing view. We enjoyed trying all the different restaurants and ate almost every meal in the area. My kids also swam with the dolphins on the property which they said was the highlight of the trip. We even enjoyed a little karaoke after dinner which was also fun.

Other exciting things were only a ride away-one afternoon we shopped and dined at the nearby Playa Del Carmen which was only a short 10 minute cab drive away. A lot of folks seemed to have the same idea that day because it was very busy and we had fun shopping for clothes and other unique items. My son enjoyed taking a picture with a monkey on his shoulder-this is now proudly displayed in his room.

Other highlights of our trip included a day at Xel-Ha Water Park which was truly amazing. My kids had lots of activities to enjoy including zip line, snorkeling, and the lazy river. Additionally we visited the Tulum ruins which were one of my favorites on my last visit. We hired a tour guide to truly understand the history and he was very informative. The best part about it though was going to the ocean area via the long steps and taking amazing pictures of the water and scenery. These breathtaking pictures overlooking the ocean I will treasure forever. I’ve attached one of my favorite shots-we had an amazing time.

We all felt very safe and the area, restaurants, and atmosphere couldn’t be better. I look forward to our return trip and so do my kids. It is exciting to visit new places and they thoroughly enjoyed the trip. I would strongly encourage anyone to visit and stay in these condo’s. The location is great and everything you need is in walking distance.

Lynn Holley

The Best Vacation and the Best Host

The Mayan Rivera is the best place for Vacation; Blue Caribbean is the best host in Puerto Aventures.

I just took a tropical vacation in paradise at one of Blue Caribbean’s properties in Puerto Aventuras, a secure gated community located about an hour south of Cancun. Unlike Cancun, Puerto Aventuras is relaxing and wonderful in its own right. No street vendors, no kids trying to sell you stuff as you walk the streets, no drugs, just relaxing white powder beaches that for some reason never burn your feet no matter how hot the air or water temperature.

Plus, PA is a gated community spanning about a 12 mine circumference around a beautiful bay where snorkeling is just a short swim away. You do not have to get on a boat to enjoy their great marine life and coral reefs.

You will save money in Puerto Aventuras over Cancun because all condos that Blue Caribbean offers have their own fully stocked kitchens equipped with everything you need to make a beautiful meal for your family or sweetheart. In fact, the marina in PA has fresh fish available for purchase every day. You can buy 2 pounds of any fish that is in season for about 80-100 Pecos.

In PA you are walking distance from dozens of restaurants and shops as well as the Dolphin Experience that is like no other dolphin experience on the planet! My fiancé was able to spend one hour with a dolphin, swim, play, and learn about her dolphin one on one with a well educated expert guide.

There are no bugs that bother you in PA during the winter months. This was another unexpected welcome to us as we have had bugs everywhere else we have been regardless of the time of year.

The fresh seafood has to be the best part about Puerto Aventures because it’s caught and prepared daily by old and new world chefs. PA is much more affordable than the expensive all inclusive resorts because you can purchase your own food, soda, liquor, fresh fruit and vegetables and cook in your condo.

Or you can order the absolute best New York style large pizza for $10 and eat it on their patio or yours. PA is about the most affordable vacation on the planet. The village is safe from crime and outside influence. Blue Caribbean is the best organization to rent your vacation property from because they know firsthand how to take care of their customers.

When you rent from other websites promising to give you the lowest prices, you have no local contact when you arrive. To me that is no way to spend a peaceful vacation. It is much better to have the staff and support of Blue Caribbean available to help guide your experience and answer any questions you have about bike rentals, gold carts, restaurants, shops, beaches, snorkeling, events and dolphins.

We rented a bike for $8 and spent the day riding around looking at all the condos in the village, then went to the far south side and snorkeled in the lagoon. I saw more rock formations and marine life than any other vacation destination I have even been to.

I highly recommend that you call Curt or Rosa today and find out more about how you can take the vacation of a life time! Please feel free to also contact us if you have any questions +1-248-853-4091 or Primeau@PrimeauProductions.com.

Things I like about Puerto Aventuras

There’s more than one thing to like about Puerto Aventuras, Mexico. In fact, there are a number of reasons why staying at Blue Caribbean might cause Puerto Aventuras to become your favorite getaway destination.

1. White sandy beaches
2. Excellent food (especially the local recipes)
3. The people
4. Coral reef right off the beach
5. Freshest tasting fish
6. Amazing fruit that you can smell before you eat
7. Peaceful surroundings
8. Snorkeling
9. Taxi drivers who know everything
10. Beautiful flowering hibiscus hedges
11. Birds
12. The pools
13. Golf carts to get around
14. Fishing
15. Massage experts everywhere
16. The tourists
17. Ceviche (seafood dish)
18. Most people speak English
19. Locals who love tourists
20. You’ll feel welcome
21. Watching the pelicans fish
22. The water
23. The breeze
24. The temperature
25. Low airfare to Cancun, then short taxi ride
26. Very inexpensive vacation
27. Tacos
28. Night clubs
29. Popularity growth
30. Dolphins

31. Different shades of blue in the water
32. No beer bottles on the beach
33. Architecture
34. Coffee
35. Occasional rain
36. Clean, unpolluted air
37. No crowded beaches
38. The Caribbean music
39. The Caribbean Sea
40. Local culture
41. Art

That’s just the beginning of things to like about Puerto Aventuras. We’re sure that you’ll be able to add to the list when you come to visit!

How safe is travel in Mexico? How safe is travel in Mexico? Mexican Tourism Secretary Gloria Guevara talks about drug-related violence and its toll on travel and tourism.

I’ll be taking my first trip to the Yucatan in Mexico later this year, and I’m excited to delve into Merida’s music scene, explore ancient ruins and relax along the Mayan Riviera.

I’m also thrilled about the prices. I’m paying $60 for two, including breakfast, at the Hotel Julamis, a boutique inn with a garden and pool in Merida’s historical center. For a short stay in the beach town of Puerto Morleos, I found a studio apartment for $80, with free bikes thrown in.

I’ve traveled in Mexico for years, and I always look forward to going back. Mexico is cheaper than Hawaii and, to me, more interesting than Costa Rica. But with all the reports of drug-related violence and killings, people ask, “Is it safe to go Mexico?”

I put the question to Mexican Tourism Secretary Gloria Guevara, who was in Seattle recently for meetings with airline executives and travel agents.

Her answer: “Get a map.”

Misconceptions of Mexico

Surprisingly, Guevara didn’t sugarcoat the impact the violence among warring drug cartels has had on how people feel about travel to Mexico. How could she when I brought along a news clipping about a man’s torso and arm found on a street near a beachfront hotel in Acapulco? Mexicans are as upset about what’s happening in their country as anyone.

But Guevara points out that Mexico is a big country, with 2,500 municipalities.

“All of the problems you hear about have occurred in just 80 of these places, less than 5 percent,” nearly all outside the places most travelers go.

“Asking if Mexico is safe,” she says, ” is a little like asking if something happens in Atlanta, is it safe to go to Seattle.”

Fair enough. So what is the biggest misconception people here have?

“When they think of Mexico, they don’t think about specific places,” Guevara says. “They just say ‘Mexico.’ ”

It’s true that drug-related violence has left thousands of Mexicans dead in the border towns of Ciudad Juárez and Nuevo Laredo. The violence lately has begun to spread, and the country remains under a U.S. State Department travel warning (see http://www.travel.state.gov).

It’s also true that most American tourists go to a handful of destinations such as Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and the Mayan Riviera, all areas as safe as they look.

Tourism is hugely important, generating 22 million international visitors annually, 2.5 million jobs in 2010, and $11.8 billion in revenue, according to Mexican government figures. It’s Guevara’s job to promote travel. But I get her point.

I’ve never felt unsafe in Mexico. Not taking the subway in Mexico City. Not riding a long-distance bus to Mazatlan in the state of Sinaloa, home to one of the most powerful drug cartels. Not walking the streets of Guadalajara, Sayulita, Oaxaca or Guanajuato.

Most people who go to Mexico feel this way, Guevara said. Ninety-nine percent of travelers who responded to a recent government tourism survey said they had a good experience and would go back again, she said.

“The fact of the matter is that most of central and southern Mexico sees less violence than many U.S. cities,” writes Lonely Planet guidebook author Robert Reid.

The U.S. travel warning advises which areas to avoid. None include Reid’s top destinations — Mexico City, Merida, Todos Santos, San Miguel de Allende, Huatulco, Playa del Carmen, Guanajuato and Puebla. I’d add Oaxaca for food and art and Guadalajara for shopping.

Guevara says that the best way to judge what it’s like in Mexico is to ask someone who’s been recently.

If that’s you, send me an email describing your experience, or see this column online at http://www.seattletimes.com/travel”>www.seattletimes.com/travel and leave a comment. I’ll share responses in a future column.

Travel Wise runs Sundays in print and online at http://www.seattletimes.com/ travel. Questions welcome. Contact Carol Pucci at cpucci@seattletimes.com.

Twitter: @carolpucci

Mexico safer than headlines indicate

Christine Delsol, Special to The Chronicle

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Quick – which national capital has the higher murder rate: Mexico City or Washington, D.C.?

If you answered Mexico City, you’d be in good company – after all, Mexico is a war zone, isn’t it? But you would be wrong, on both counts.

Based on FBI crime statistics for 2010 and Mexican government data released early this year, Mexico City’s drug-related-homicide rate per 100,000 population was one-tenth of Washington’s overall homicide rate – 2.2 deaths per 100,000 population compared with 22. (Drug violence accounts for most murders in Mexico, which historically does not have the gun culture that reigns in the United States.)

And while parts of Mexico can be legitimately likened to a war zone, drug violence afflicts 80 of the country’s 2,400 municipalities (equivalent to counties). Their locations have been well publicized: along the U.S. border in northern Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas states, and south to Sinaloa, Michoacan and parts of San Luis Potosí, Nayarit, Jalisco, Guerrero and Morelos states.

The flip side is that more than 95 percent of Mexico’s municipalities are at least as safe as the average traveler’s hometown. Yucatan state, for example, had 0.1 of a murder for every 100,000 people in 2010 – no U.S. tourist destination comes close to that. Most cities in central Mexico, outside of the scattered drug hot spots, have lower murder rates than Orlando.

It would seem fairly clear – fly, don’t drive, across the border into the safe regions. Yet whenever people say they are going to Mexico, the invariable response is “Aren’t you afraid?”

Media sensationalism accounts for much of the wariness. “Gangland violence in western Mexico” “Journalists under attack in Mexico” and “Mexico mass grave toll climbs” sound as if the entire country were a killing field. The story might name the state, but rarely the town and almost never the neighborhood. And some reporters apparently are confused by the word “municipality” – some of the killings reported as being in Mazatlan, for example, actually happened in a town miles away from the city – akin to attributing East Palo Alto’s slayings to San Francisco.

But the biggest factor may be that travelers looking for a carefree vacation simply find it easier to write the entire country off than to learn what areas to avoid.

The Mexico Tourism Board is working to change that. Efforts so far have concentrated on getting accurate information to travel agents, who funnel the lion’s share of tourism to Mexico’s popular destinations. Independent travelers’ primary source of information is the State Department travel alerts (travel.state.gov), which are finally getting better at pinpointing the trouble spots.

“We are trying to work with U.S. authorities in making these travel alerts specific and not general,” said Rodolfo Lopez Negrete, the tourism board’s chief operating officer. “Unfortunately, they have projected a somewhat distorted image.”

In the meantime, we have done some of the work for you. The chart above recommends destinations for various comfort levels and travel styles. If you’re totally spooked, there are places that pose no more risk than Disneyland. If you’re open-minded but don’t want to take unnecessary risks, we have places safer than Miami, New Orleans or Washington, D.C. For fearless travelers, these sometimes dicey destinations are worth the extra caution.
Your most important tactic for traveling safe, in Mexico or anywhere else, begins before you even decide where to go. Get familiar with Mexico’s geography; it’s a big country, and your destination might be hundreds or even a thousand miles from violence-prone areas. Keep up on Mexico coverage in major dailies, then do some focused research. Some sources:

— The current State Department travel warning (travel.state.gov) and security updates make a good start.

— The travel agents trade publication Travel Weekly has created a map that puts the latest travel warning in easily digestible graphic form (travelweekly.com/uploadedFiles/MEXICOMAP4.pdf).

— The United Kingdom Foreign Office Travel Advisory for Mexico ( http://www.fco.gov.uk; “Travel advice by country”) provides another perspective.

— Stratfor, a global intelligence company that advises government agencies and international corporations on security issues, is a reliable, up-to-the-minute source. Membership is expensive, but the website ( http://www.stratfor.com) makes some reports available for free.

Assuming you’re not headed for northern border areas, normal safety precautions that apply anywhere in the world will suffice. These are particularly important in Mexico:

— Don’t pack anything you couldn’t bear to part with; leave the bling at home.

— Carry only the money you need for the day in a money belt (not a fanny pack), and leave your passport in your hotel unless you know you will need it.

— Get local advice about areas to avoid.

— Don’t get drunk and stumble around dark, unfamiliar streets. Drunk or sober, don’t walk beaches late at night.

— Stick with taxis dispatched from your hotel or a sitio (taxi stand); if you go out for dinner, ask the restaurant to call a taxi for you.

— Drive during the day; if nighttime driving is unavoidable, use the toll roads.

— Leave a travel itinerary and a copy of your passport with someone at home. If you’ll be traveling in higher-risk areas, notify the nearest U.S. Consulate.

A final note: Don’t get rattled if you see armed soldiers patrolling the beach or manning highway checkpoints. They are young men doing a difficult job. On the road they’ll usually just ask you where you’re coming from and where you’re going; very rarely they will ask to inspect your trunk or your bags. I’ve never encountered one who wasn’t cordial and glad for a smile or a brief conversation.

– Christine Delsol

Christine Delsol is a frequent contributor to Travel and writes the Mexico Mix blog at SFGate.com. E-mail comments to travel@sfchronicle.com.

Despite violence, Mexico tourism remains strong

Hola whoever is out there. This is an article I found in http://www.cnn.com.

I do not know if anyone is following my blog, but I keep publishing these articles in the hope that they will make a difference and let you know that Mexico, despite all our problems, still is a wonderful place to vacation.

I have happily lived in Puerto Aventuras since 1994.

Rosa

By Mariano Castillo, CNN
July 27, 2011

(CNN) — Mexico’s international image may be taking hits because of the violence produced by drug cartels, but it hasn’t hurt its tourism industry, officials say. International tourism to Mexico has increased 2.1% in the first five months of 2011 compared to 2010, and it remains the top destination for Americans traveling abroad.

Statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce show that fewer Americans are traveling abroad, but a bigger percentage of those who do are going to Mexico. Mexico also reported double-digit increases in the percentage of visitors from Russia, Brazil and China, among others.

“The data doesn’t lie,” Mexico’s deputy secretary for tourism, Ricardo Anaya, told CNN. “Tourists keep choosing Mexico.”

The unrelenting battles between rival drug cartels and police and cartels have provided nearly unlimited fodder for those who write off Mexico as a dangerous destination.

The truth, Anaya said, is that the violence is limited to certain geographic areas that can be avoided by tourists.

The border area, for example, where much violence has been recorded, is 1,200 miles from the resort town of Cancun — that’s like avoiding travel to Houston because of problems in New York, he said.

According to surveys by Mexican tourism authorities, 98% of those who do visit Mexico say they will come back, and 99% recommend it to others.

Opinion: Why you should go to Mexico

Much of the growth has been fueled by new programs to incentivize tourists from emerging economies, such as the so-called BRIC countries — Brazil, Russia, India and China.

For starters, Mexico began allowing holders of U.S. visas to enter Mexico, opening up the possibility of tourists to the United States extending their trips south of the border.

Also, Brazilians, Russians and Ukrainian visitors can gain travel permission to Mexico on the Internet, with no need for a visa.

Finally, for travelers from other countries, visas to Mexico in many cases can be obtained through a travel agent, erasing the need for trips to embassies.

In 2011 to date, Mexico has seen a 40.9% increase in Brazilian tourists, a 58.1% increase from Russia and 32.8% increase from China, according to Mexico’s tourism ministry.

For U.S. travelers specifically, the Commerce Department’s most recent data — for 2009 — shows that 31.7% of all U.S. international tourists go to Mexico. From 2002 to 2009, while U.S. tourism to Canada fell by more than 27%, tourism to Mexico from the U.S. increased by 5.1%. This happened even though the overall number of Americans traveling abroad decreased, from a peak of 64 million in 2007 to 61.4 million in 2009.

When Kendra Young, a high school teacher in Texas, told her friends that she and her husband’s family were going to Cozumel for a yearly retreat, she was met with skepticism. Are you worried, they would ask? Are you still going?

“I think people see all of Mexico as one entity,” she told CNN.

It was the third straight year that she traveled to the same resort, and security was not a concern for her. Young is pregnant, and she was more worried about food-borne or water-borne illness.

She was aware of several State Department travel warnings to Mexico’s cartel hot spots, but she also knew that the area she was traveling to was not affected. Her group planned to stay on the resort, where they felt safest, but on the advice of resort staff they trusted from the previous trips, they ventured into the city without worries.

“Unfortunately, there are the headline-grabbing things — the drugs, the violence — but I don’t think that’s indicative of what’s happening in the entire country,” Young said.

Anaya pointed out that Americans are not unaware of the violence — 80% of Americans who travel to Mexico go to six places, none of which have had travel alerts. The destinations are Cozumel, Riviera Maya, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta/Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico City and Los Cabos, he said.

Some beach destinations, like Acapulco, have been the scene of some of the drug cartel bloodshed, but still managed to increase its tourism 3% in the first five months of 2011 compared to last year, thanks to national, rather than international, tourism.

But some pitfalls of tourism in Mexico persist.

Tucson, Arizona, resident Denise Hermosillo and a couple of friends made the six-hour trek last week from her home to Bahia de Kino in the state of Sonora, Mexico. This area is not under a travel warning, but is not among the top destinations for American tourists.

“I was scared out of my mind to go there,” Hermosillo said. Friends of hers who are in the military are not allowed to cross the border and urged her not to do the same. But she wanted to go to the beach to write for a book she is working on, and Bahia de Kino is the closest one.

On the first day of her vacation, her group was pulled over by a police officer, who promptly asked for $100 in exchange to letting them go. In the moment she was frightened, all those stories about bloody ends in Mexico rushing to her mind. But she negotiated the bribe down to $20 and her group was allowed to continue on their journey.

“It was pretty pathetic, I thought. What are you going to do with 20 bucks?” she said. Still, she was unable to relax during her vacation.

Would she go back? She doesn’t know.

Would she recommend Mexico to a friend? Maybe, but only if you are traveling with someone who could act as a guide.

Stars head to Mexico for work and pleasure

This is an article that just appeared in the SFGate on June 15th, 2011 written bt Christine Delsol.

On a personal note, if Mexico is safe enough for these celebrities, why it shouldn’t be safe for the rest of us? These people have it all: Money, fame and beauty which in my humble opinion makes them more of a target than the rest of us, just average looking people with a few bucks in our pocket, and maybe our only claim to fame was a wild night in our hometown during our high school years. So please, come and visit Mexico. You can have fun too!

Rosa Saucedo

Back in the day, it took the likes of Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, John Huston, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley to bring Mexico to the notice of the average American tourist. Now that Mexico’s tourist industry is pulling out of a long, well-publicized slump — posting a a 10 percent gain in U.S. travelers in 2010 over 2009 — we can’t help noticing that the uptick parallels an accelerating stream of celebrities visiting the country.

Could this be more than a coincidence? We’re just asking. Here’s a small sampling of the many luminaries who have headed to Mexico for both work and R&R.

Mixing business with pleasure
•Lady Gaga promoted her latest album, the Latin-flavored “Born This Way,” in Guadalajara and Mexico City in May. She performed on Cinco de Mayo with her Mexican producer, Fernando Garibay (also noted as a DJ and songwriter), in the capital, his hometown.
•Jennifer Lopez cozied up to a shirtless William Levy (the Cuban-born actor dubbed the “Brad Pitt of Mexico”) on Turtle Beach near Tulum in April for her new music video, “I’m into You.” She also appeared in a low-cut snakeskin print dress and turban at Chichén Itzá, which gave her unprecedented access for the filming.
•Paris Hilton blew kisses and signed autographs in Mexico City in March to promote her new shoe line, the latest product in her lucrative empire. At the news conference, she said she would like to launch a chain of hotels, restaurants and nightclubs. For this gig, she showed off an array of super high heels in solid colors and leopard prints.
•Nelly and Kelly Rowland romped on Cancún’s beaches and steamed up its poolside lounges to film their video “Gone” in Cancun. The video, released in March, is a followup to their huge 2000 hit video, “Dilemma.”
•Angelina Jolie launched her movie “Salt,” a thriller in which she plays a CIA agent accused of being a Russian spy, in Cancún last July. She brought along four-sixths of her brood, who later blew off steam at the Wet ‘n’ Wild water park and then relaxed at the Ritz-Carlton.
•Jolie’s appearance was part of Cancún’s two-week Summer of Sony festival promoting new Sony Pictures releases. It opened with a “Burlesque” Party featuring Christina Aguilera — a veteran of Cancún’s white-hot Coco Bongo club — who was starring in her first feature film. Other stars flying in for the festival included Julia Roberts (“Eat, Pray, Love”); Salma Hayek, Adam Sandler and David Spade (“Grown Ups”): Mark Wahlberg and Eva Mendez (“The Other Guys” ); and Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith (“The Karate Kid”).
All play, no work
•”Superman Returns” star and Calvin Klein Jeans model Kate Bosworth had lips flapping and paparazzi snapping when she doffed her bikini stop for a frolic on the beach in Cancún in April. She was on a girlfriend getaway to unwind after wrapping shooting on “Straw Dogs.”
•Kourtney Kardashian welcomed in the new year in Miami, then popped up the next day with boyfriend Scott Disick and son Mason at a private property just outside of Cancún. The couple spent their relaxing vacation sipping cocktails by the pool, soaking up some rays and playing with the baby.
•Revered Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have stores in Cancún, but when they vacationed there in April 2010, food, not fashion was on their minds. Tucking into the menu at Mi Casa Restaurant, in a converted house in a swank residential enclave, they declared the huitlacoche (a mushroom-like corn fungus) and pork ravioli, tuna kivi and clam scallops their favorites.
•Jennifer Aniston, who spends so much time in Cabo that she’s become an “honorary citizen,” celebrated her 41st birthday there at the One & Only Palmilla in February 2010. She flew in 50 of her closest friends, including Courteney Cox, Sheryl Crow, Kathy Najimy and Gerard Butler (who she may or may not have been dating), for a fiesta with a mariachi band and margaritas.

•U2 frontman Bono, in Mexico City during the Irish rock band’s 360 World Tour, met with President Felipe Calderón in May to discuss drug violence and poverty in Mexico, global warming and Mexico’s opportunities as the host of next year’s G-20 summit. Calderón was in the audience at the next concert when Bono told the audience, “Mexico, you are not defined by the violence, you are defined by your humanity and humility.”

•Legendary NBA Hall-of-Famer Rick Barry hosted a basketball camp in Cancún last summer, leading local kids to participate in activities at the Pioneers Club of Quintana Roo and inviting their parents to take part in camp events.
•Three months after his inauguration, President Obama visited Calderón in Mexico City to discuss drug violence, climate change and trade issues. His April 2009 trip was the first presidential visit to Mexico’s capital since Bill Clinton’s 1997 trip. The last U.S. president to set foot anywhere in Mexico before that was Jimmy Carter in 1979.
Good sports
•Spanish soccer star and World Cup winner Iker Casillas Fernández, goalkeeper for the Real Madrid Club and captain of the Spanish national team, was in Cancún just last weekend. He met with Quintana Roo Gov. Roberto Borge, who tweeted that Iker Casillas had recorded a promotional video for Quintana Roo. The soccer great was traveling with journalist girlfriend Sara Carbornero, so presumably some fun in the sun was involved as well.
•Last fall, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team took the plunge — into the dolphin pool — at Delphinus at Dreams Cancún. The women, who are among the favorites to win the Women’s World Cup in Germany later this month, swam, played, kissed and got pushed around (via the controlled “foot push” routine) by the cute cetaceans.
•Golfing phenom Nancy Lopez stayed at the Riviera Maya’s Tres Rios resort in September 2010, partaking of the all-inclusive resort’s Tres Rios Nature Park and its SenseAdventure tour. She also managed to squeeze in a tour of many of the area’s multitude of golf courses.
•New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning married his college sweetheart in a sunset ceremony on the shore of the Sea of Cortez in April 2008. The couple recited their vows to the boom of waves crashing against rocks at the posh One & Only Palmilla resort near San Jose del Cabo. The football star began his wedding weekend with a sweaty round of golf with his brother and pals in Cabo San Lucas.
Love and marriage
•After getting hitched in Texas — both shod in cowboy boots — country singers Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton snuck away in May for a secret honeymoon south of the border. Seems fellow star Reba McEntire’s gift to the happy couple was the keys to her luxury vacation home outside of Cancun.
•Country singer LeAnn Rimes and actor Eddie Cibrian, who married in April but didn’t have time for an immediate honeymoon, had their belated honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas last month. They walked hand-in-hand on the beach, made an appearance at the Pink Kitty Club and sunbathed at the Esperanza resort, renowned for protecting its guests’ privacy.
•Britney Spears, fresh off a scandal ignited by apparently fabricated reports that talent agent boyfriend Jason Trawick had beat her up, repaired with Trawick to a private oceanfront villa in Conchas Chinas for a romatic interlude to celebrate her 29th birthday last December. The villa, near Puerto Vallarta, came with a private chef, so the couple ate in.
•”CSI Miami” actress Eva LaRue married businessman boyfriend Joe Cappuccio on the beach at The Tides Oceanside resort in Zihuatanejo in June 2010. The couple flew in the Gipsy Kings to play for the reception under a night ski filled with fireworks.
Former Chronicle travel editor Christine Delsol is the author of “Pauline Frommer’s Cancún & the Yucatán” and contributor to “Frommer’s Mexico 2011” and “Frommer’s Cancún & the Yucatán 2011.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/06/15/celebrities_mexico_travel.DTL#ixzz1PRTjX6EW

We loved our stay at Del Mar II in Puerto Aventuras. The condo we stayed in was absolutely wonderful, it was positioned on the beach with a perfect view of the pool and ocean. We enjoyed the breeze and sunshine during the day and the breeze and stars at night. One of our favorite parts of the condo was the outdoor hot tub that faced the pool and ocean, it made for a very relaxing time. Although there were only two of us, there would have been plenty of room for many more! The bedrooms, bathrooms, den and kitchen were so spacious! We loved the quiteness of Del Mar II, we felt like we were away in a secluded area. We were able to relax by the pool or on the beach front with a book or nap! The snokeling right in front of the condo was excellent, my husband spent hours out there searching for shells and fish!

We also really enjoyed the area of Puerto Aventuras, it is filled with wonderful places to eat, infact, every place we ate was delicious! Everyone in the community was so very nice and helpful! One of our favorite things to do was to sit and watch the dolphins swim while we enjoyed lunch or dinner! It is a great place to walk around and enjoy the shopping and eating. Del Mar II is within walking distance to all the main establishments in Puerto Aventuras, which was very convient. We worked with Blue Caribean Realty while we were there and they were so very kind and helpful! They were very accommodating when we arrived late from our flight and were very nice to help answers questions we had about the area and the condo. They had the condo perfectly clean and ready for us to arrive.

We would recommend using Blue Caribbean and renting from the Del Mar II in Puerto Aventuras to all of our friends and family. It was most definitely a trip of a lifetime and we treasure every memory we made there!”

Resting in His Sovereignty,

Amy Pellegra