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I was just in Puerto Vallarta this past October. Where are you staying? The resorts themselves seem super safe. Ours (Dreams Puerto Vallarta) was gated with guards and a private beach. I would feel comfortable going back there, although I might not venture out into town like we did.
Whoops. We're going to Cancun next Saturday for vacation. Not for "spring break" necessarily....
A coworker of mine went a few weeks ago and said there were lots of guards and they DID see a drug bust/bomb threat thing go down while they were heading to the airport.
We don't plan on leaving the hotel, personally.
Can you link me the article?
We went back in September, but all the way down to Zihuatanejo and it was safer. If we were getting married this summer or fall, we wouldnt pick Mexico because of the news. Its getting bad, and its starting to mvoe inland away from the border towns and to more resort-y areas.
I dont want to discourage you, its just my take. But myself, I wouldnt go.
This is seriously the exact reason why the FI refused to go to Mexico for our honeymoon. I tried telling him that resorts are safe, but he refused to even consider it. And because he had lived in Hawaii before we ended up booking for Jamaica instead. Which is funny because it is not like it is without its crime problems.
We're still going to Mexico. Well, we've already booked, so there's not a lot of choice there. We're staying at a resort in Xpu-Ha, so we're not at all concerned. I wouldn't worry about Puerto Vallarta, either, especially if you're staying at a resort and pretty much just stay at the resort.
Also, the travel advisory is for northern Mexico.
We went to Puerto Vallarta over New Years and it seems safe. It's pretty far down the coast so I think you're alright, I didn't hear of any drug violence there.
NO! I am not avoiding Mexico at all. FI and I are savy travelers, and realize both that Mexico is a big country and we are not good targets. We are getting great deals on our trip, though. I look at it like, would you not visit Orlando because of drug killings in DC?
Oh! Didn't hear about this. I'm going to cancun next month. (Secrets Silversands)
I'll try to stay on resort and try to be extra careful when I leave the resort.
I plan to keep an eye on travel advisories, but I think the key thing is border towns. Call your resort to see what safety precautions they have in place. If you want to be extra safe, check the travel.state.gov site for updates about your specific area.
My parents went there about a month ago and had no problems whatsoever! It's scary, though!
To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't step foot in Juarez right now. Further South it should be safe and I imagine the resorts have a vested interest in making sure you stay that way. It's important to remember to be aware of your surroundings, but that holds true no matter where you are.
We're not going to Mexico because the news is bad. FI grew up on the Mexico border and these are the worst stories his family's ever heard. We even went to Juarez ten years ago while in college, but not any time soon. We're going to the DR instead.
I am thinking about booking our honeymoon in Mexico (but at a resort in the Rivera not at the border) and my dad is paranoid and tell us not too. Oh the media hype! Soooo funny!
last year around this time, with swine flu and similar news a couple I knew rebooked their entire honeymoon - and I was shocked. Frankly, having been three times to Mexico in three years I don't see one, border town related issue as something that would make me change my mind if I were set on Mexico.
I'm more worried for my best frien who is about to move to El Paso, Texas.
Oh we are still going too! Booked it and we are not canceling and losing money. We are staying at Riu Vallarta which has excellent reviews, I looked everything up extensively before we booked and I am sure its safe where we are going. I just think that the phone is going to start ringing any minute with our families saying "DONT GO!" lol.
The border towns, I guess, ahve always been sort of a hot spot, with people trying to get in and out illegally or with illegal things. I wouldn't want to be along the border myself anyway, for a vacation. Maybe a day trip...but not right now.
And yes, it is vital to be aware of your surroundings wherever you are! Even in my town there are places where I would not want to walk alone at night, but I feel perfectly safe on my street.....and when you think about it it is VERY far away from where the trouble is happening. Just wanted the Hives' opinion :-)
border towns have always been (and probably will always be) shady. i lived in tucson, az when i was much younger and i returned to go to college. all my friends would go down to nogales every couple of months to drink (since we werent 21). i wouldn't go because i never want to travel someplace that them men need to outnumber the women and you are advised to carry cash incase you get into some trouble. i would be fine going during the day but never at night.
that being said, i wouldn't worry about going further into mexico. as monitajb said, mexico is a big country! bad things happen in different areas all the time but just because something bad happens in NY doesn't mean I wouldn't go visit michigan, you know?
You are totally fine. The border cities are almost a country away from places like Cancun, Cabo, etc. Plus those places live off of tourism, so you better believe teh local police are on high alert.
Actually it says that acapulco and cancun are becoming more involved in the disputes...which make me REALLY glad I din't go for acapulco like I was looking into!
We're still going to Playa Del Carmen for our honeymoon. People at work literally threw this story at me as soon as I walked in the door today! They think I'm asking for trouble by going there, but I'm just not concerned anymore. Like everyone has previously stated, these incidents are happening in the border states of Mexico. Some violence may be felt elsewhere in MX too, but violence happens everywhere. You just have to be careful, even if you're vacationing somewhere in the US.
I was just in Cancun and Tulum and felt extremely safe. There were a fair amount of Federales around and Felipe Caldarone is making a huge push to decrease cocaine trafficking through Mexico. I wouldn't let it stop you from going places and doing things. (I'd go crazy if I had to stay at the resort the whole time I was in a given country!)
But it is smart to be alert and attentive wherever you go. Obviously, because I was pregnant we weren't going to nightclubs or anything, but I'd just avoid shady places where drug activity might go down.
I think we humans have a weird perception of risk. In other words, if something happens to one tourist, then the risk is much higher to me... and I don't think that's necessarily true. We felt nothing but protected and helped while we were there!
There were the same alerts this time last year when we took our honeymoon. We visited the Riviera Maya area, which is similar to Puerto Vallarta. Very touristy & Americanized.
As long as you stay away from the high-threat areas, you should be just as safe as if you were traveling in the states. Just use common sense.
DG - I totally agree that we do have a weird perception of risk. I think that if something happens to someone else, then there is LESS of a chance that it will happen to me.
Also, I'm always looking for a bargain. And whenever travel seems dangerous, that's when prices fall, and that's when I swoop in and purchase. I booked a flight to Paris just a few days after 9/11 when people were terrified to fly. I got a round trip fare for $300!
And I tried to plan a super-cheap trip to Hong Kong back during the SARS scare, but I couldn't get the time off of work. :(
@Blueshoes2: Playa Del Carmen is a safe area - I'm confident you'll have a blast and be just fine. =) It has the same feel as a southern Florida beach town.
@danadelphia- i'm with you. we booked our mexico trip during the swine flu scare and got a steal!!
to be honest gals i wouldnt get too upest...mostly the resorts are in good areas and the crime happens outside the towns of the resorts...but i would still be on your guard
One of FI's friends is getting married in northern Mexico this summer, and safety is a big consideration in us going. If it was a resort or more southern area, it would not be a factor, but it's close to the border in a smallish town without much tourism. It's also on the state department's list of places not to go. If the situation doesn't improve by June, I don't think we'll go.
On the other hand, someone I know has a B&B in Baja California, in a very safe area, and I'd love to go!
Not with the recent news, but I heard awhile ago that as long as you're going to a tourist area and not a border city, it's safe to travel. I have been hesitating to book our honeymoon though since I know we'll be going to Mexico.
nope, we are still going! puerto vallarta! cant wait, we are staying on the resort the whole time tho.
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So FI and I were watching the news last night and they were talking about how drug violence has escalated in border cities and college students are advised not to travel to those border cities for spring break....
WE JUST BOOKED MEXICO. Puerto Vallarta, which is not listed on any travel advisory, it is a well known tourist town, reputable resort, and far far away from the US border where most of the trouble is taking place. But we looked at eachother said, "How much do you wanna bet your mom saw that?"
So who is avoiding Mexico?