La Concha, A Renaissance Resort in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a great place to mix business with pleasure.
By Mark Chesnut
The weather is getting cooler in much of the United States, and many people are already thinking about that next winter vacation. But there’s no reason to wait until then—not when you can head to hotels like these, where rejuvenating activities, beautiful meeting space and high-tech amenities can refresh any tired business traveler. (more…)
Coasting it: the Sunscape Dorado Pacifico Ixtapa resort.
By Mark Chesnut
The 37th annual Tianguis Turistico, Mexico’s annual tourism conference that took place last month in Puerto Vallarta, provided lots of opportunities for companies and destinations to share the latest business travel and Mexico vacation news — including a slew of new hotels that offer lots of amenities and services for both business travelers and vacationers. (more…)
Promenade: The waterfront Malecon walkway has been expanded in Puerto Vallarta. Photo: LatinFlyer.com
By Mark Chesnut
It’s already one of the top-selling Mexico vacation destinations, but the Pacific Coast resort town of Puerto Vallarta also showed its stuff as a hotspot for meetings and conventions in March, when more than 7,000 people landed here for the Tianguis Turístico, Mexico’s annual tourism conference. (more…)
Meeting place: the Puerto Vallarta International Convention Center will host Mexico's tourism conference this year.
By Mark Chesnut
For nearly four decades, Mexico’s top tourism officials, hoteliers and tour operators descended on the city of Acapulco once a year to network and share news about Mexico hotels, leisure and business travel and how to boost sales. The event is called Tianguis Turistico, which translates roughly as ” tourism marketplace.” But this year, for the first time in the event’s 37-year history, it will take place in Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit. (more…)
Pyramid scheme: The Grand Oasis Cancun is one of the most recognized Cancun hotels. Photo: LatinFlyer.com
By Mark Chesnut
More than ever before, Cancun is known as a hot spot for all inclusive resorts that make planning a Mexico vacation easy. But at Oasis Hotels & Resorts, “all inclusive” can also be perfectly tailored to fit business meetings and special events. (more…)
Yucatan rejuvenation: All-inclusive vacations get spiritual with the ancient Maya ritual of temazcal.
By Blane Bachelor
Just a few weeks into 2012, the travel industry is abuzz with packages and deals to celebrate the much-hyped end of the Maya Long Count calendar. One resort offering that promises authenticity – and, as a complimentary amenity, affordability too – is a version of the traditional Mayan ritual of temazcal.
This spiritual, cleansing ceremony is offered complimentary to guests at two AMResorts, whose properties have set the standard for all-inclusive vacations with their spot-on amenities. (more…)
Proper tipping etiquette, in Montego Bay and beyond, leaves everyone smiling. Credit: Katy Warner.
By Blane Bachelor
Now the standard for many beachfront resorts, the all-inclusive concept was pioneered in Jamaica the mid-1970s, and now there are more than two dozen properties on the island – including the über-luxe Iberostar Grand Rose Hall and the eternally popular Sandals Montego Bay — that operate on such a system. Convenient and appealing as they are, though, “all-inclusives” can involve all shades of meaning: For example, is tipping ever appropriate? How much, and for whom? And what exactly is included, anyway? Before your book your Montego Bay vacation – or anywhere else where all-inclusives are the norm – read up on all-inclusive tipping etiquette.
The all-inclusive Paradisus Palma Real Golf & Spa Resort: grand, gorgeous, gay-friendly.
By Amy Drew Thompson
The glee-filled moments leading up to an all-inclusive vacation are universal. Who doesn’t get giddy at the thought of hopping multiple restaurants, indulging in spa treatments and lazing — in your bikini — at a sumptuous swim-up bar? Adonis Tulum Riviera Maya Gay Resort fulfills the fantasy on all counts — and even one more: It’s gay-friendly.
Meet and greet: the Riu Plaza Guadalajara opened this year in Mexico's second-largest city.
By Mark Chesnut
As colder weather descends upon much of the United States and Canada, many business and leisure travelers look south for an escape. Whether you’re planning a Mexico vacation or an all-important business meeting or incentive trip, here are five destinations that should be on your wish list. (more…)
Fright night: Experience Rose Hall Great House tours by candelight in Montego Bay. Credit: Loren Sztajer.
By Blane Bachelor
Montego Bay, Jamaica, or MoBay, as it’s known by locals, is one of the most popular beaches in the Caribbean, with a bevy of all-inclusive resorts and plenty of places to grab a rum punch while soaking in the sunset and reggae. But when you’ve had your fill of sand and sun, there are plenty of things to do in Montego Bay. Check out our recommendations — plus a few great Montego Bay hotels — all of which are guaranteed to stoke that unforgettable “irie” feeling. (more…)
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