gkbiiii

Wow, your homes value went down $400,000 over the past three years, which is nearly a third of its value is gone! San Miguel de Allende was a place I was also interested in moving to. I have kept up with the happenings, through "Civil SanMigueldeAllende yahoo group", there has been much talk about the violence which came out of nowhere.

This town, used to be the Disney of Mexico, now the drug cartels are even going after people & business here. The advice from the group was to rent and never buy homes, now I understand why, from your experience.

gkbiiii

I was able to book the Princess "semi-all Inclusive package" for a golf view JR pyramid suite, all in for $1,650 for five nights. That was only around $ 340 a night for two people. I got an amazing deal on United; $570 for First/Business class MIA-MEX (through IAH & booked on united.com). So so just $1,140 for the airfare and less than $200 for the "Executive Class bus" from Mexico City to Acapulco. Add on two nights at the airport Holiday Inn for two nights at $135 total. After returning from Acapulco I have another two nights at the Maria Isabel Sheraton, on the Executive floor at $380 total.

So my ten night trip from Miami for two, cost just over $3,850 which is less than my $4,000 budget. True, I will be spending some cash as well when I am there. Based on the length of the trip, I could not fine anything that I could get (at the same quality level and premium airfare) elsewhere in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, or Columbia/Peru, for the same price. Best of all, I even get lounge access for the Mexico City flights, as well United has a club in MEX.

If your willing to take the risk with the cartels, the former Fairmont Acapulco Princess is the place to go. The videos show this is truly a destination resort, so no reason to leave it, other than tours. I booked the Acapulco Princess Mundo Imperial direct, which also gave me one comped ride on the "Xtsea zip line," which is $60 for one ride. Lastly, if you want to book the semi inclusive, it has to be done directly on the hotels website, with the "hotel only" tab. The option will be the last option offered, on a pull down tab.

david55

There have been 7 murders in 9 days since the 1st of the year in SMA. ( One less than Chicago!).

Here is a video of an armed carjacking right outside the biggest department store in San Miguel on Wednesday. Notice how nonchalant it all goes down. The perpetrators have no fear of being caught.

JDiver

That is so sad!

There are many places in my birth country I’ve been that I’d not visit under current conditions. And unfortunately, law enforcement has in too many instances been totally co-opted by the cartels.

david55

That says it all. NOT a risk many of us are willing to take.

You will probably be the only gringo at the resort. Which might be a good thing.

gkbiiii

Wow, the car jacking is amazing on its "normalcy," as I have never seen anything like this before.
Well the Princes Mundo Imperial, is a massive resort, so I think I will mainly stay within the resort, other than the comped zip-line ride, seeing the cliff divers, and visiting Las Brisas & Acapulco Plaza hotel.

gkbiiii

[QUOTE=david55;31933609]Living near San Antonio in 1995, for my college graduation gift, I chose a vacation to Mexico City. Most people thought I was crazy: it was just after the devaluation, many kidnappings, including from the airport, etc. So pre-booked round trip limo transfers, took many escorted tours, stayed in a premium Mexican hotel chain (Krystal Rosa, Executive floor & the Gran Hotel overlooking the National Palace) and did not venture out of the hotels without a guide. I booked a ten night custom package, through Armadillo Tours of Austin. This included Mexico City, Curnivaca, and Tasco. I avoided taxis that were not from the hotel, I was picked up at hotels from the tour company, and I ate most meals on tour or at the hotels.

I used the same diligence, during my trips to El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama City, and Brazil. Of all the places I have traveled, I STRONGLY recommend following this advice for Brazil!

Security is not a luxury, rather it is an insurance policy: it is what you make of it!

RFNJ

Sounds like a good deal all around. That business fare is incredible. I thought I had done well booking Aeromexico-JFK-ACA business for $835, but you blew me out of the water! I have done the zipline - its a lot of buildup for a short trip, but its a fun ride and you get some incredible views. The Princess is by all accounts an excellent resort. But I would say get out a little more than just the zip line and the Cliff Divers, if you can. Mario Canario and Patiti del Mar both do lunch, are near you and are excellent. And the beaches along the bay will have calmer water. Caleta and Caletilla in the traditional area are the calmest (though they get extremely crowded on the weekends with locals).

You won't be the only Gringo at the resort. I was down a few weeks ago and for the first time in a long time, my flight MEX-ACA was mainly gringos, and I am guessing a lot of them are going to the Princess or Dreams (on the bay). Some even managed to make it out on the Costera (main drag along the bay) one night when I was out. Was nice to see.

gkbiiii

Traveler Details GEORGE
eTicket number:
Seats: MIA-IAD 02B
IAD-MEX 02B
MEX-IAD 02F
IAD-MIA 02F

DALE
eTicket number:
Seats: MIA-IAD 02A
IAD-MEX 02A
MEX-IAD 02E
IAD-MIA 02E
Purchase Summary Method of payment: Visa ending in 9702
Date of purchase: Wed, Jan 08, 2020
Airfare: 394.00 USD
U.S. Transportation Tax: 37.80 USD
September 11th Security Fee: 11.20 USD
Mexico Tourism Tax: 30.00 USD
U.S. Immigration User Fee: 7.00 USD
U.S. Customs User Fee: 5.89 USD
U.S. APHIS User Fee: 3.96 USD
Mexico Departure Tax: 57.52 USD
U.S. Passenger Facility Charge: 13.50 USD
Total Per Passenger: 560.87 USD
Total: 1121.74 USD


Origin and destination for checked baggage 1st bag charge 2nd bag charge 1st bag weight and dimensions 2nd bag weight and dimensions
Sat, Feb 01, 2020
Miami, FL, US (MIA) to Mexico City, MX (MEX)
0 USD 0 USD 70lbs(32kg) - 62in(157cm) 70lbs(32kg) - 62in(157cm)

Mon, Feb 10, 2020
Mexico City, MX (MEX) to Miami, FL, US (MIA)
0 USD 0 USD 70lbs(32kg) - 62in(157cm) 70lbs(32kg) - 62in(157cm)
Fare Rules Additional charges may apply for changes in addition to any fare rules listed.
NONREF/0VALUAFTDPT/CHGFEE
Cancel reservations before the scheduled departure time or TICKET HAS NO VALUE. Baggage allowance and charges for this itinerary
The service charges for standard first and second checked bags (within specified size and weight limits) have been waived based on the fare purchased. Changes to the fare type purchased could result in increased baggage service charges.

gkbiiii

Any experience visiting Las Brisas for lunch or drinks?

RFNJ

No, but I am sure it is quite good. For drinks, honestly any of the restaurants on the escenica (the highway along the mountain) are going to give you great views of the city. For a fancy dinner, I am would suggest Origen, then Becco al Mar. A lot of people like Tony's Asian Bistro. The view is spectacular, but the food and service was not to the level of the other two. For more moderately priced, and still quite good is Linda Vista. Si Senor (just down the hill in front of Linda Vista) is also good. A 4th upscale option, Zibu, is excellent, and the closest to you, but as it faces Puerto Marquez it lacks the iconic Acapulco bay view.

JDiver

Was just forwarded a video bit from Morelos24 by a friend that shows the house I used to live in in Cuernavaca’s outskirts, “safe” suburban neighborhood. The video shows a burnt out car outside on the street that was set afire, apparently with an accelerant, and the front gate shot up with bullet holes. Wow!

Section 107

I guess all those unpaid parking tickets almost finally caught up to you.

When I was in Cuernavaca this past December I noticed my Mexican in-laws doing some interesting security practices at the house we rented:
- chair tilted against the kitchen door with cans and bottles on the seat
- dining room table pushed up against the sliding patio doors in the dining room
- car parked right up next to the driveway gate and door so they couldn't be opened (opens in from the road).

Now, this was in a gated enclave within a gated community in Lomas, one of the better neighborhoods. I suspect it was overkill but this is not a neighborhood my family was familiar with; quite interesting nonetheless.

JDiver

Darn! Busted!

Funny. Before we lived in Cuernavaca in Lomas de Atzingo, where this house is, we lived in Lomas de Chapultepec in CDMX (on Montes Cárpatos).

Im pretty sure the shooting up the front gate and setting fire to the car are a message, a warning. CDMX, the states of Mexico and Morelos are the battleground between several cartels that want to take over. Among these is the Guerreros Unidos, which is a spinoff of the Beltrán Leyva cartel.

Mexico’s regional cartels and gangs. Areas cross-hatched are conflict zones between cartels seeking to exert dominance.Stratfor.

bitterproffit

I had a business trip in the 00's to Cuernavaca. We stayed at the Camino Real that took over the Mary Worth estate. It was an amazing property with an authentic Japanese tea house in the middle of a lake. The grounds were beautiful. I remember sitting with the clients at the outdoor Japanese tea house having cocktails while a slight rain fell. The air smelled amazing with flowers in bloom and it was about 72 degrees, in August.

I loved Cuernavaca and it really is a shame that this unrest is reaching all sorts of places that I used to enjoy to visit for work without a second thought.