Press Release – For immediate release

Share you experience about mexico

Riviera Maya, by Tina Daenzer

Golfing in Mexico, by Margaret Swaine

Posada, by Laurie Gough

Unexpected experience in Tres Palos Lagoon, by Habeeb Salloum

Montreal, 19th of March 2009

The Mexico Tourism Board would like to share with you some of the many testimonials we have received from tourists who travelled to Mexico in 2008-2009. In this press release, you will find testimonials about several destinations and experiences. From the beautiful beaches of Riviera Maya, the Christmas procession in Posada, the golf courses of Los Cabos or the natural spa in Tres Palos Lagoon, you will discover a wide range of domains where Mexico excels. Travel with Tina, Margaret, Laurie and Habbed to discover true stories in our amazing country.   

Riviera Maya, by Tina Daenzer

Recently I had the opportunity to visit Mexico again for a week of vacation from Feb. 22 – March 1, 2009 to stay at the Grand Sunset Princess on the Riviera Maya.  I had not visited the Riviera Maya since 2006 when Canada AM broadcast for a week from the Gran Bahia Principe.

There have been many changes since that time that I feel will greatly improve the enjoyment of people’s vacations. The airport is no longer under construction and has been set up to make things run much smoother and with great efficiency.  Upon our departure from Mexico our party was checked in so quickly that we all commented on the speed and the efficiency of the airport staff.

Also, now that the highway between Cancun Airport and the Riviera Maya is completed our ride to our destination took much less time than on our previous visit as well as the fact that when we left our resort for any excursions the travel time was cut down immensely.

During our stay we left the resort on three separate occasions, one to visit Chicken Itza, two to visit Xel-ha and three to visit Playa del Carmen.  All three excursions were both fun and interesting.  Chicken Itza being one of the world’s wonders held our interest for the time we were there. We had an excellent guide which we hired outside the gates who was well informed, spoke great English and made our journey through the gate effortless. There were many people selling wares inside the destination but at no time did we ever feel pressured or accosted.

Our visit to Xel-ha was by far the best excursion. The park is beautifully maintained, with friendly and helpful staff. The food on site was fantastic and we even commented on the fact the salad bar was better than the one at our hotel and considering we were staying at a Five star resort this impressed us. At the park we enjoyed many of the features but our favourite was the dolphin trek.  For this we got in the water and interacted with the dolphins, then proceed to put on underwater helmets.

I was an unworldly experience, like walking on the moon but under water with the addition of again interacting with the dolphins. I believe that our entire group felt like it was the most amazing thing they had ever done. The one thing I will comment on is the cost of the photos. Since we were there courtesy of the tourism board the park generously gave us 8 pictures and we bought the video which we were happy to do.  But the fact that they sell 8 pictures for $100. US dollars seemed rather pricey and I think that if they lowered their price somewhat they would certainly sell more.

Our third excursion was into Playa and we all thought the city was lovely, clean and we felt extremely safe.  The variety of shops, restaurants and boutique hotels makes for an interesting stroll down 5th Avenue.  It felt charming and not overly touristy and the vendors were overly aggressive.

I would definitely love to return to Mexico and next time look forward to seeing another area of the country.

Golfing in Mexico, by Margaret Swaine

Margaret Swaine golfing in Los Cabos

Golfing in Los Cabos is truly remarkable. Desert and ocean are side-by-side making for spectacular scenery and challenging shots. If the cactus plants don't get your balls (and believe me many were embedded with them) then the water might claim the honour. Service on the course is up to par with the views - cool towels and cerveza brought out to make the game go easy. However it was the ultra tasty complimentary make-your-own tacos at the turn (that's after the ninth hole for you non-golfer readers) at the Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol that got my juices flowing. Fresh cooked shrimp and fish, guacamole, tomatoes, salads, sauces all laid out like a smorgasbord. It was the extra touches like that which made the game so much more fun in Mexico. If I'd had the nerve I would have sneaked back for seconds. As it was I had my hands full just trying to make par on the tough Jack Nicklaus design that wove through desert to the ocean beach.

Posada, by Laurie Gough

I was out for a walk a few nights before Christmas when I happened to run into a Mexican parade.  I had no choice by to join this procession of people since I literally ran into them as I was coming down one street and they were coming down another and we met at the corner.  About 150 people of all ages were following along behind a small flatbed truck and all of them were singing—some playing instruments—as they walked.  On the flatbed truck were a twelve-year-old girl dressed as Mary and sitting on a donkey, a teenaged boy dressed as Joseph, and a five-year-old girl dressed as an angel. The twelve-year-old Mary never stopped smiling once during the next hour and a half—she was adorable, but the older teenaged Joseph didn’t look as happy.  I was thinking he’d rather be playing video games with his friends than dressed in a grey beard and robe on the back of truck with a twelve-year-old.  I myself loved the whole thing and after a while, started singing the song along with everyone else, which people smiled at me for.  I had no idea what the words meant but I loved how everyone else knew the song by heart.  Some of the women had tears in their eyes. One very old and tiny lady even held my hand for a few minutes. This parade was called the Posada, which means ‘inn’ in Spanish, and symbolizes Mary and Joseph looking for an inn to have their baby and being turned down eight nights in a row, which is how many nights they do this procession, a different route each night.  Even though I didn’t know what most of the words meant, or who any of the people around me were, and even though I’m not religious, I found it all so beautiful and touching that these people had come together to walk and sing with so much love. It made me wish I was back in Canada for the night singing Christmas carols with my neighbours. It made me wish all of us did more of that kind of thing, share a common ritual, sing together, smile at strangers, follow a flatbed truck.

Laurie Gough

Unexpected experience in Tres Palos Lagoon, by Habeeb Salloum

We were sailing at the top shallow waters of the Tres Palos Lagoon when the young female operator of our boat stopped the motor and jumped into the murky waters.  From the bottom of the Lagoon she produced a lump of black mud and rolled it into a ball.  Smiling she called out, "Who wants a mud mask?  It will be better than you will get in any spa!" A brave young woman jumped in the few feet of water saying: "I will try it!"  Soon her face was mud-covered and she was back in the boat drying her mud mask in the sun. The other women, and even one man, began to put on mud masks.  It was like bees taking to honey.  A short time later after they washed off their dried masks most of the women remarked their skin felt tighter and softer.  Were they telling the truth or just romanticizing about being revived in a natural setting!  I could not tell!"

For more information about tourism in Mexico, and to try the new online reservation engine, please visit www.visitmexico.com

ABOUT THE MEXICO TOURISM BOARD

The Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) brings together the resources of federal and state governments, municipalities and private companies to promote Mexico's tourism attractions and destinations nationally and internationally. Created in 1999, the MTB is Mexico’s tourism promotion agency, and its participants include members of both the private and public sectors. The MTB has offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

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