Monday, December 27, 2010

Mexico Tourism Sees Increase Despite Drug Violence

Dispite a flair up of crime along boarder cities, tourism to Mexico is on the rise according to this Associated Press article. Costal regions farther south such as the Riviera Maya are still drawing in many visitors from the US and Canada with discounted travel rates and inviting resort communities.

Tourism officials in Mexico and the U.S. say holiday travel to Mexico is up from a year ago as vacationers cash in on low-cost tropical holidays. Tourism revenue is up 7.1 percent in the first 10 months of 2010, compared to the same months of 2009, with visitors spending $9.8 billion, according to the Mexican Tourism Ministry.

To read the entire article, click here.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The Mexico Quandary: Safety or Savings?

By MICHELLE HIGGINS of The New York Times
Published: December 21, 2010

When Alex Trettin and his wife, Jenn, suggested to family and friends that they take a group vacation to Mexico, the reaction was mixed. About half of the group of 29 immediately signed on for the November trip to the Riviera Maya, south of Cancún, where they would visit Maya ruins, fish and lounge by the pool at an upscale resort for the bargain price of $150 a person a night. The other half hesitated, citing concern about Mexico’s continuing drug war.

“My aunt stated she hoped we didn’t have any issues with the drug cartels,” said Mr. Trettin, a Mexico-travel specialist in Tacoma, Wash., who assured everyone that the beach resort they were going to near Playa del Carmen was far from the violent clashes they had seen on television. Ultimately, they all went, but the concerns that some in the group expressed are indicative of the quandary many travelers face when they consider the safety risks versus the convenience and affordability of a vacation in Mexico.

While most of the drug-related violence has been in the northern border region of Mexico, far from the Maya temples of the Yucatán, the regional cuisine of Oaxaca or the beaches of Baja California Sur, violence has erupted in tourist destinations like Acapulco and the state of Michoacán, home to the famous monarch butterfly sanctuaries. Even Cancún’s safety was questioned earlier this year after eight employees of a strip club there were killed when a group of men threw Molotov cocktails into the building in an area not frequented by tourists.

To combat the perception that violence has been widespread, tourism officials in Mexico have invested $30 million in advertising and social media initiatives to spread the word that much of the country is safe for tourists. “Visitors have the right to be well informed,” said Alfonso Sumano, the regional director for the Mexico Tourism Board for the Americas. Many of the affected areas, he said, “are very far from the destinations tourists visit.”

The latest travel warning, issued by the State Department in September, urged American citizens to defer unnecessary travel specifically to Michoacán and areas along the northern border, including Tamaulipas, and parts of Chihuahua, Durango and Coahuila, where tourists generally don’t go. Yet, ever cautious, it stated, “violence has occurred throughout the country, including in areas frequented by American tourists.” Visitors were encouraged to stay on main roads in daylight hours and to remain in well-known tourist areas.

All of this has made travel to Mexico a hard sell lately, but travel agents say the negative publicity has also made Mexico among the best values out there as resorts lower rates or add free incentives to entice travelers. When asked where agents are recommending travelers go to get the most for their dollar this year, 70 percent said Mexico, according to Travel Leaders, a major network of agents.

“A lot of clients will come here and say, ‘I’ll go anywhere except Mexico,’ ” said Kate Rosevear, owner of a Travel Leaders agency in Plymouth, Mich. “Quite often we’ll be able to talk them back around to it based on the value.”

Some of the deals agents and tourism officials point out include Casa Ticul, a boutique hotel in Playa del Carmen, which is offering 20 percent off rates of $171 a night to travelers who book a January stay by the end of December. Villa del Palmar Cancún, a new all-inclusive resort in Playa Mujeres with a Greg Norman-designed golf course, has rates from $186 a person a night during the holidays and a rate of $142 a person a night after that — up to 60 percent off. And St. Regis Punta Mita is offering butler service, a third night free, a $50 resort credit per room and a glass of Champagne with its Welcome to Paradise deal from $580 a night for stays starting Jan. 11.

Mexican Destinations, the Mexico Villa brand of the rental company VacationRoost, has trained its agents to educate clients who call with safety concerns about how far its villas are from reported violence, and is offering specials of 25 to 50 percent off. One deal is Casa del Sol, a four-bedroom, five-bath property on the Pacific Coast in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, where rates have been slashed to $750 a night, from $1,500, in early January.

The pricing strategy seems to be working. The number of international tourists arriving in Mexico by air from January to October was 8.2 million, according to the latest data from the Mexico Tourist Board. That is an increase of 17.8 percent compared with the same period last year, when Mexico endured a down economy, H1N1 scares and drug violence. Visitors are up 6.4 percent over the same period in 2008, which was considered to be one of the best years for travel to Mexico. The number of American travelers increased by 13.4 percent, compared with the same time period in 2009.

Many resorts say safety is at the top of their guests’ minds. “When our reservations manager receives requests, the first question that is asked is if there has been violence in this area,” said Giorgio Brignone, the proprietor of Costa Careyes, a luxury resort two hours south of Puerto Vallarta, which has added free airport transfers to and from Manzanillo. To put jittery travelers at ease, the company has placed ads in magazines promoting “a different Mexico.” In addition, the company’s Web site highlighted the 24-hour security at the resort.

Part of the problem is that many travelers are unclear about where the violence has occurred and how it might affect their vacation, Mr. Brignone said. “People don’t realize that there are many regions and areas in the country that are not affected by the violence and drug wars,” he said. “It’s like saying I will not go to Dallas, or New York, because there are problems or riots in Los Angeles.”

Still, there are some tourist destinations travelers should steer clear of, at least for now. “I would not encourage my family to visit Acapulco right now,” said Josh Miller, who lives in Mexico City and is the general director for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean for Control Risks, a risk management firm. “While a wonderful place to visit,” he said, “violent confrontations have been spilling over from the military effort against the cartels.” Travelers should also hold off on visits to Michoacán, in central Mexico. The state is a stronghold of La Familia, a drug cartel known for bold ambushes.

Popular resort areas, including Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa and Cancún’s resort strip are generally safe for travelers, Mr. Miller said, particularly if visitors stay within the resort’s boundaries. “Mexico is a volatile place,” he said. “You have to have your itinerary planned out quite well, consider transportation and stay abreast of latest developments.”

Some travelers who have been to Mexico before are surprised when friends express safety concerns. “Everybody was like, ‘What? You are going to Mexico?’ ” said Tina Youtsey, a dog groomer from Milan, Mich., who went to the Riviera Maya with her teenage daughter last month. “Seriously,” she said, “the drug lords aren’t hanging out at the resort.” Having visited Mexico two times before, she added, “I wasn’t really worried.”

Monday, December 13, 2010

Is it safe to travel to Mexico? Judging from the numbers, many are saying 'Yes'

By Jayne Clark, USA TODAY

The beach at Tulum, at the southern end of Mexico's Riviera Maya. Visitation to Mexico is up, despite concerns about drug violence. Despite tales of drug violence, visitation to Mexico was up almost 19% over last year, as of September. And with 22.6 million tourists expected by year's end, numbers will about equal the record-breaking totals in 2008. About 80% of visitors are North American.

In fact, slightly more foreigners are vacationing in Mexico now than before the drug wars, which have killed about 30,000 (mostly drug traffickers) in the past four years, The Economist reported in November. Mexico now ranks No. 10 in international arrivals worldwide.

I'm just back from San Miguel de Allende, a gorgeous colonial city in central Mexico (read about it Friday at usatoday.com/travel), where, not surprisingly, more than one conversation during my visit turned toward security concerns.

But not the sort of concerns you might think. The Americans I spoke with there were worried about the bum rap they believe the entire country is getting due to drug violence that , for the most part, is concentrated hundreds of miles away near the U.S. border.

"There is very little crime here, and what there is doesn't affect gringos," said Irina Posner, a retired CBS News employee and one of an estimated 12,000 to 14,000 ex-pats who live full or part-time in San Miguel. " We love this town. We feel safe in this town."

So did I, covering miles of narrow, cobbled walkways solo by day and by night in the 17th-century city. I felt as secure as I do in my own neighborhood, yet some innkeepers say they've had cancellations due to safety concerns.

Americans are notoriously near-sighted when it comes to geographical perspective. It's an issue Mexico's new tourism secretary Gloria Guevara addressed in an on-line seminar sponsored by the trade publication, Travel Weekly, last month. She acknowledged there are places in Mexico that tourists should avoid, specifically Matamoros and Ciudad Juarez on the Texas border. (And frankly, aside from those looking to do a cheap booze run, I'm not sure who would have frequented those border towns even before the drug-cartel bloodbaths).

"But for the rest of the country, you can relax and enjoy yourself," she told the Travel Weekly audience.

Actually, as someone who has traveled all over Mexico, I think I'd also skip Acapulco, which had a spate of nasty drug-related killings in September. But Acapulco many years ago ceased to be an American vacation destination.

Mexico's tourist sweet spot is Cancun, about 1,000 miles from Ciudad Juarez. Aside from an August bar shooting in a working-class neighborhood far removed from the resort zone, there has been no reported drug violence there. Another popular, earthier destination, is the Copper Canyon, which lies more than 200 miles from the border, or about the distance between New York and Baltimore.

"If you were planning a trip to New York, would you cancel it if you heard about challenges in Baltimore?" Guevara asked.

Vacation costs -- mainly hotels -- are down in Mexico. The average tourist spends about 5% less than in 2008, The Economist reports. And a number of forecasters are predicting that discounting in Cancun and south along the Riviera Maya will make that region particularly popular this winter.

The website Travelzoo , for instance, lists a four-night package, with air and all meals and drinks starting at $562 per person, double. It's good for travel Jan. 4-31, but must be booked by Jan. 10.

Another website, Smarter Travel, cites increased air service as likely to boost travel to Mexico. On Dec. 1, Southwest Airlines joined with Mexican carrier Volaris, allowing customers to travel on a single itinerary booked on Southwest. On Dec. 15, Alaska Airlines begins service between San Jose and Guadalajara, and from Sacramento on Dec. 16. On Feb. 10, American Eagle launches daily nonstop service from Dallas to Veracruz and Queretaro. And on Feb. 12, American begins seasonal service between Chicago and Cozumel.

How do you feel about vacationing in Mexico?

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Martha Stewart Visits San Miguel de Allende

Recently Martha Stewart stopped into the beautifully vibrant community of San Miguel de Allende and experienced some of the local flavor. In her three-part blog post she outlines some of her favorite sights. Here is an excerpt:

San Miguel de Allende . . . an exceptionally beautiful colonial city nestled in the central highlands of Mexico. I was so impressed with the magnificent architecture found there and with the wealth of Spanish colonial history. Whenever I travel to new destinations, I like to experience as much of the local flavor, as possible. I try and always make a point of visiting some of the local markets, where you find the true heart and soul of a country.

Read more at:

A Visit to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico (Part One)

Crazy for Tequila in San Miguel de Allende (Part Two)

El Mercado in San Miguel de Allende (Part Three)

Be sure to click through some of the many photos to get a taste of what San Miguel has to offer.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Mexico’s tourism secretary debunks fears and fictions

By: Kenneth Kiesnoski of Travel Weekly
November 22, 2010

Applying generous doses of fact to combat whatever fictions, fears and misperceptions travelers and the trade might entertain about her country, Mexico’s new secretary of tourism, Gloria Guevara, addressed worries about safety and security south of the border in an exclusive Nov. 18 webinar appearance at TravelWeekly.com.

In the hourlong webinar, titled "Mexico: Perception vs. Reality," Guevara assured her host, Travel Weekly Editor in Chief Arnie Weissmann, and thousands of registered webinar participants that Mexico is a safe tourist destination.

Despite a steady stream of negative coverage in the U.S. news media regarding drug-related gang violence along the border and around Acapulco, she said, Mexico remains a popular, safe and, most importantly, value-rich vacation destination.

"All countries or societies have problems to solve," Guevara said, "but Mexico is one of the top 10 tourist destinations in the world."

Moreover, she said, Mexico is a leading luxury vacation destination. "According to a recent survey conducted by Virtuoso, Mexico came up as the No. 2 country … preferred by their members," Guevara noted. "It is also No. 1 in terms of spas in the world, and three out of 10 Americans report return visits within just 12 months."

Guevara admitted, "There are a few places in Mexico to avoid," but she noted, "It’s easy to do." She specifically cited two towns along the Texas border, Matamoros and Ciudad Juarez; the latter alone accounts for 30% of all drug-related conflict in Mexico.

"But for the rest of the country, you can relax and enjoy yourself," she said. "Our major destinations continue to be world-class, and they can be visited anytime."

Mexico’s major tourism destinations are, for the most part, located hundreds, sometimes thousands, of miles from crime hot spots. Cancun, for instance, is almost 1,000 miles south of Ciudad Juarez, about the distance between New York and Birmingham, Ala. And Copper Canyon, popular for its desert railway trips, lies 206 miles from the border, the distance from New York to Baltimore.

"Let me ask you: If you were planning a trip to New York, would you cancel it if you heard about challenges in Baltimore?" Guevara asked. "Of course not. Copper Canyon is very safe and very nice."

A big jump in visitors

The figures Guevara cited seem to bear out her facts: Some 22.6 million tourists, 80% of them North Americans, are expected to have visited Mexico by the end of 2010. As of September, inbound tourism was up 18.8% year over year compared with 2009 and 6% better than 2008. And, despite the much-publicized failure of Mexicana Airlines earlier this year, air arrivals from the U.S. were up 15% compared with 2009.

The growth in visitors from other countries is even greater. Arrivals from Canada are up almost 22% over 2009 and 32% over 2008, with 1 million air arrivals this year. Italy is up 22%; Germany, 18%; and Brazil, 94%.

"And the Japanese, who are very cautious travelers, are up 27%," Guevara added. "We have seen an important increase in travelers from around the world."

International air carriers are also noting the interest. New flights and increased capacity to Mexico have been added or are in the works from Alaska Airlines, US Airways, American, Virgin America, Air Canada, Westjet, British Airways, Iberia and other carriers.

"Every major airline is increasing capacity to Mexico because the demand is there," Guevara said.

According to a 2009 tourism ministry survey cited by Guevara, Mexico enjoys an overall 97% repeat-visit rate and received a customer satisfaction score of 9.2 out of 10 from 26,000 international visitors polled.

"They love [Mexico’s] hospitality," Guevara said. "They like how they’re treated and they like the service. I believe there’s never been a better time to visit Mexico.

"Why is that? Our vast array of hotel offerings and highly competitive rates ensure that every dollar spent in Mexico delivers more incredible experiences to our guests."

Asked about fatalities due to drug-gang activity, Guevara stressed that "not one American tourist, or tourist of any nationality, has been killed as a result of drug-related violence in Acapulco" or any other Mexican tourism destination.

In fact, Tijuana, the renowned California border town once popular with day trippers but then overrun by drug gangs, has been reclaimed by Mexican authorities and is now "absolutely safe," according to Guevara.

"It’s a great example of how we’ve been able to recover the space," she said.

Tijuana will welcome 250,000 visitors in 2009, an increase of 15,000 over 2008, Guevara said.

Discussing other recent tourism developments, the secretary noted that Unesco has officially designated Mexican cuisine a piece of intangible world cultural heritage; that the country has launched an "ambassadors" program, in which Mexican students aid and advise international travelers at airports and tourist destinations as part of their national service commitment; and the ongoing development of a Mexican tourism hotline for visitors who encounter problems while on vacation.

Fielded questions from attendees

Webinar attendees flooded TravelWeekly.com with more than 200 questions for Guevara during the session, at one point temporarily freezing the server. Guevara did her best to answer as many as possible within the time allotted.

• On responding to negative media: "For the last couple of years, we as the government made the mistake of leaving a gap of information. When you leave a gap, what happens is that it’s filled with bad information. What we’re doing right now is working with a [public relations] agency to put [these] things in context."

• On the deadly Nov. 14 blast at the Grand Riviera Princess Hotel in Playa del Carmen: "We haven’t received the final report … so we don’t want to draw any conclusion, [but] we’re sure it’s something that’s not going to happen in any other hotels. This was very sad, and of course we’re very concerned and sad for the travelers affected."

• Hotel certification: "We will be standardizing our [hotel] ratings. We will be certifying every single hotel from whatever stars they have to the maximum number of stars, so that you’ll have a seal that will mean the service from that hotel is guaranteed. We’re deciding right now on what standard we should use."

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Under the Spell of San Miguel de Allende

Ever since American Stirling Dickinson arrived there in 1937, the Mexican town has been a magnet for artists and U.S. expatriates

By Jonathan Kandell
Photographs by Ann Summa
Smithsonian magazine, December 2010



In 1937, after several months spent traveling through Mexico, a gangly, 27-year-old Chicago native named Stirling Dickinson, who had been somewhat at loose ends since graduating from Princeton, got off a train in San Miguel de Allende, an arid, down-on-its-luck mountain town 166 miles northwest of Mexico City.

Taken from the ramshackle train station by a horse-drawn cart, he was dropped off at the town's leafy main square, El Jardín. It was dawn, and the trees were erupting with the songs of a thousand birds. At the eastern side of the square stood the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, an outsize, pink-sandstone church with neo-Gothic spires, quite unlike Mexico's traditional domed ecclesiastical buildings. The first rays of the sun glowed over mountain ridges to the east. "There was just enough light for me to see the parish church sticking out of the mist," Dickinson would later recall. "I thought, My God, what a sight! What a place! I said to myself at that moment, I'm going to stay here."

Founded in 1542, the settlement of San Miguel had grown rich from nearby silver mines during centuries of Spanish rule, then fell on hard times as the ore was depleted. By the time Dickinson got there, the War of Independence from Spain (1810-21) and the even bloodier Mexican Revolution (1910-21) had further reduced the town to 7,000 inhabitants—less than a quarter of its population in the mid-1700s. Houses languished in disrepair, with shattered tile roofs and crumbling, faded walls.

Dickinson made his home in a former tannery on San Miguel's higher reaches and soon became a familiar sight, riding around town on a burro. For the next six decades, until his death in 1998, he would lead a renaissance that would transform tiny San Miguel into one of Latin America's most magnetic destinations for artists and expatriates, most of them American, looking for a new venue—or a new life.
"Stirling Dickinson is without doubt the person most responsible for San Miguel de Allende becoming an international art center," says John Virtue, author of Model American Abroad, a biography of Dickinson. Although only an amateur painter himself, Dickinson became co-founder and director of the Escuela Universitaria de Bellas Artes, an art institute that he opened in a former convent only a few months after his arrival.

During World War II, Dickinson served with U.S. Naval Intelligence in Washington and the Office of Strategic Services (forerunner of the CIA) in Italy. Returning to San Miguel after the war, he recruited hundreds of young American veterans to study at Bellas Artes on the G.I. Bill of Rights.

In the postwar years, non-artists and retirees, as well as painters and sculptors, were drawn to the city from its neighbor to the north; today, some 8,000 Americans—one out of ten residents—live there. Eighty percent or so are retirees; the others oversee businesses, from cafés and guesthouses to galleries and clothing stores. Most of these expats—some of whom have Mexican spouses—volunteer at more than 100 nonprofit organizations in San Miguel, including the library and health care clinics.

"This mestizaje—cultural mixing—has profoundly changed and benefited both sides," says Luis Alberto Villarreal, a former mayor of San Miguel who is currently one of two senators from the state of Guanajuato, in which the town is located. "We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Stirling Dickinson for helping this come about and for raising San Miguel's profile in the world." Walking the cobblestone streets flanked by stucco houses painted vivid shades of ocher, paprika and vermilion, one passes lively squares full of street musicians and vendors hawking tacos. In the distance rises the Sierra de Guanajuato. In 2008, San Miguel was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, in large measure because of its intact 17th- and 18th-century center.

While mass murder and kidnapping linked to narcotics gangs have overtaken parts of Mexico, the region around San Miguel has thus far been spared. "The cartels' violence often centers on ports of entry into the U.S. and involves consolidation of contested border areas," says Rusty Payne, spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. "San Miguel does not fit these criteria."

Dorothy Birk—today Dotty Vidargas—was among the first of the young Americans to answer Dickinson's call, in 1947. Six decades later, at age 85, she oversees a real estate agency and furnishings store across from an 18th-century church.

Vidargas grew up in Chicago, a block away from Dickinson. She says he had three passions: art, baseball and orchids. At Bellas Artes, she recalls, he formed a baseball team that won 84 games in a row and captured several regional amateur championships in the 1950s. He traveled throughout Mexico and the world to collect wild orchids, breaking three ribs in a fall during a 1960s expedition to southern Mexico's Chiapas highlands. An orchid he discovered there in 1971 was named after him—Encyclia dickinsoniana.

In 1942, in her sophomore year at Wellesley College, Vidargas left academia to enlist in the war effort, eventually serving as a Navy recruiter and, later, as an air controller for the Army Air Forces outside Detroit. After the war, she enrolled at the American Academy, an art institute in Chicago. But in 1947 she decided to spend her G.I. Bill subsidies in San Miguel. "My mother knew Stirling and figured it would be all right for me to go," she says.

She was one of 55 veterans accepted at Bellas Artes that year. More than 6,000 veterans would apply to the school after the January 1948 issue of Life magazine called it a "G.I. Paradise," where "veterans go...to study art, live cheaply and have a good time."

But Vidargas' first impression was well this side of paradise. Arriving by train in the pre-dawn darkness, she checked into a hotel where electricity and running water were sporadic. Many of the surrounding buildings were near ruins. Burros outnumbered cars; the stench of manure and raw sewage was overpowering. "I was cold, miserable and ready to board the next train home," she recalls. But she soon found more comfortable student lodging and began her Bellas Artes course work. Between school terms, she traveled with fellow students and Dickinson throughout Mexico.

She even joined the local bullfighting circuit as a picador, or horseback-mounted lancer. "It was after a few drinks, on a dare," Vidargas recalls. Soon "la gringa loca" ("the crazy Yank"), as she was becoming known, was spending her weekends at dusty bullrings, where her equestrian prowess made her a minor celebrity.
Meanwhile, some members of the town's conservative upper class were outraged by the American students' carousing. The Rev. José Mercadillo, the parish priest, denounced the hiring of nude models for art classes and warned that the Americans were spreading Protestantism—even godless Communism.

In fact, in 1948, Dickinson recruited the celebrated painter David Alfaro Siqueiros, a Communist Party member, to teach at Bellas Artes. There he lashed out at his critics, far exceeded his modest art-class budget and eventually resigned. Siqueiros left behind an unfinished mural depicting the life of local independence leader Ignacio Allende, whose last name had been appended to San Miguel in 1826 to commemorate his heroism in the war. The mural still graces the premises, which today is occupied by a cultural center.

Apparently convinced that Communists had indeed infested Bellas Artes, Walter Thurston, then the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, blocked the school's efforts to gain the accreditation necessary for its students to qualify for G.I. Bill stipends. Most of the veterans returned home; some were deported. Dickinson himself was expelled from Mexico on August 12, 1950, although he was allowed back a week later. "It was the low point in relations between Americans and the locals," recalls Vidargas. "But my situation was different, because I got married."

José Vidargas, a local businessman, who today is 95, had met his future bride at a bowling alley, one of many postwar fads to invade Mexico from the United States. Some of his relatives wondered about his plans to marry a gringa. "Suddenly, I had to become a very proper Mexican wife to be accepted by the good society families," recalls Dorothy. The couple had five children in seven years, and Dorothy still found time to open the first store in San Miguel to sell pasteurized milk; the real estate agency came later. Today, three sons live in San Miguel; a daughter lives in nearby León; one child died in infancy.

By 1951, the various controversies had closed down Bellas Artes, and Dickinson became director of a new art school, the Instituto Allende, which soon became accredited and began granting Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees. Today, the nonprofit school, attended by several hundred students annually, encompasses a fine-arts degree program, a Spanish-language institute and traditional handicraft workshops.

In 1960, Jack Kerouac, the novelist who had catapulted to fame three years earlier with the publication of On the Road, went to San Miguel with pals Allen Ginsburg and Neal Cassady. Ginsburg read his poetry at the Instituto Allende, while Kerouac and Cassady spent most of their time downing tequilas at La Cucaracha, a traditional Mexican cantina that remains popular to this day. The trio remained only a few days, but in 1968, Cassady returned to San Miguel, where he died at age 41 from the effects of alcohol, drugs and exposure.

The plaintive recordings of Pedro Infante, still Mexico's most popular country singer more than a half century after his death, can be heard most mornings at San Miguel's largest traditional food market, the Mercado Ignacio Ramírez. Vendors display varieties of chile, red and green prickly pears, black and green avocados, orange and yellow melons, tropical fruits including mamey, with its pumpkin-hued flesh, and guayaba, whose texture resembles a white peach. Nopales (cactus leaves shorn of spines) are stacked alongside Mexican herbs, including epazote, used to flavor black beans, and dark red achiote seeds, an ingredient in pork and chicken marinades.

"I love the presentation of the food stands," says Donnie Masterton, 41, chef and co-owner of the Restaurant, arguably San Miguel's top culinary establishment. He is shopping at the market for that evening's eclectic menu: a chilled cauliflower soup with lemon grass and shrimp; duck with mole negro (a complex sauce based on chiles and herbs) and handmade tortillas; churros (a pencil-length fried-dough pastry) with dark Mexican chocolate pot-de-crème (a creamy custard). More than half the diners will be residents—Mexican, American and Canadian; the rest will be foreign or Mexican visitors. "It definitely won't be the same food they will get back in New York or Los Angeles," Masterton promises.

A Los Angeles native, Masterton settled in San Miguel six years ago, drawn by its beauty and the opportunity to own his own restaurant. The Restaurant occupies an inner courtyard under a retractable glass roof. "I wanted a seasonal menu with as many locally grown ingredients as possible," says Masterton. To meet his own standards, he purchased a quarter acre inside an organic farm outside San Miguel, where farmers harvest produce grown from seed: Swiss chard, bok choy, mache and arugula. His biggest complaint is the lack of fresh fish. "The quality is inconsistent," says Masterton. "I'm exploring the idea of phoning a fishing boat off the Pacific coast to order the fresh catch of the day."

Cheryl Finnegan came to San Miguel in 2000 from San Francisco, where she had spent 14 years in the marketing department of Levi Strauss, the jeans and casual wear manufacturer. "One day I woke up and asked—Where is my passion? I had no passion," she recalls. "So I just dropped everything—my marriage, job, home, box seats at the opera—and moved down here."

A chance occurrence launched her new career. A decade ago, she was vacationing in the Mexican village of Sayulita, some 35 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific coast, during the annual December 12 celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe. (The festival commemorates the day in 1531 when the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared on the outskirts of Mexico City.) As Finnegan strolled the town's central square, a fragment of fireworks hit her in the throat. A local doctor told her she would be permanently scarred. "The wound was shaped in the silhouette of [Our Lady of] Guadalupe, and when I walked around Sayulita, the villagers said it was a sign that I was her chosen one," says Finnegan. "Two weeks later, the wound disappeared without a scar—the doctor couldn't believe it!"

What remained was an obsession with the Virgin of Guadalupe. Finnegan began designing key chains, cameos, rings and belt buckles with the Virgin Mother's image, coated in resin and decorated with crystals. In 2004, paparazzi in the United States photographed pop singer Britney Spears wearing one of Finnegan's belts. "It put me on the map," says Finnegan. Other singers—Tim McGraw and Shakira—have sported Finnegan buckles.

Today she employs ten women to help run her jewelry and clothing accessories firm, housed in a restored 18th-century residence near the town center. Her designs, bearing tags with New Age slogans—"Everybody needs a miracle once in a while"—are sold throughout the United States, Europe and Asia under the name Virgins, Saints & Angels.

Jorge Almada, 37, is the grandson of Plutarco Elías Calles, a revolutionary general who served as president of Mexico in the 1920s. Almada and his French-American wife, Anne-Marie Midy, 38, met in New York City. After traveling across Mexico in search of artisan-made furnishings, the couple settled in San Miguel in 200o and began designing furniture to export to the United States and Europe under the Casamidy brand. "There is great artistry throughout Mexico," says Almada. "But we found San Miguel artisans to be the most open-minded and receptive to designer suggestions."

Refugio Rico García, 64, an ironsmith, is among the artisans employed by the couple. He lives and works in the same house in which he was born. The residence, a warren of rooms and tiny patios verdant with potted plants, scales a steep hillside. Photographs of his grandparents, faded to sepia, greet visitors in the foyer. "My grandfather was a potter—[he produced] pots and also sewage pipes, which used to be made of clay," says García. "He was the one who got me interested in becoming an artisan." (García's sons reject the life of an artisan as too lonely and demanding. The elder boy is a migrant worker in Arizona; the younger is a student.)

García labors up to 14 hours a day. The walls and ceiling of his workshop are blackened from the charcoal fires that fuel his forge. Near the furnace stands a heavy wooden table fitted with an iron plate; here he hammers half-molten metal into various shapes. García produces headboards for beds, chandeliers, and chairs and tables fitted with glass tops for Almada and Midy.

The Hotel Oasis, a restored 18th-century house with four guest rooms, features Casamidy tables and chairs in an interior designed by Hong Kong-born Leslie Tung, a San Miguel decorator, and hotel owner Nancy Hooper. A native New Yorker and former Texas resident, Hooper acquired the property in 2006.

Widowed in the 1990s, Hooper decided to spend a summer in San Miguel with her teenage daughter, Tessa. "I wanted her to feel that life goes on and to give her a sense of new adventure," she says. In 2000, Hooper moved to San Miguel from Texas. She was intrigued by an abandoned house and a spacious room she could see through a window as she walked by. "It just wouldn't leave me alone—I knew I wanted to turn it into a hotel," says Hooper, who had no experience as an innkeeper. "From the beginning, I envisioned an oasis—a place where visitors to San Miguel could get away from the bustling outside."

By the early 1980s, Dickinson had begun to distance himself from the growing number of Americans. "Stirling must have shuddered the day he saw the first tourist bus arrive in San Miguel and disgorge tourists wearing shorts," wrote biographer Virtue. "These were exactly the type of people he railed against in his own travels abroad." In 1983, Dickinson resigned as director of the Instituto Allende, where, during his 32-year tenure, some 40,000 students, mainly Americans, had matriculated. Increasingly involved with the Mexican community, he oversaw a rural library program that donated volumes from San Miguel residents to village schools. He also began to support financially the Patronato Pro Niños—the Pro-Children Foundation—an organization providing free medical service and shoes for impoverished rural youngsters.

On the night of October 27, 1998, the 87-year-old Dickinson was killed in a freak accident. As he prepared to drive away from a Patronato Pro Niños meeting held at a hillside house, he accidentally stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake. His vehicle plunged down a steep embankment; Dickinson died instantly. More than 400 mourners, including foreigners and Mexicans from the countryside, attended his funeral. He was buried in the foreigners' section of Our Lady of Guadalupe Cemetery, just west of San Miguel's center. Today, a bronze bust of Dickinson stands on a street bearing his name.

The Guadalupe Cemetery attracts huge throngs on November 2, the Day of the Dead, when families of the deceased carry food and other gifts to their relatives' graves. "One brings what the dead liked best in life—liquor, cigarettes, especially a favorite food," says Dehmian Barrales, a local anthropologist. "It's a bit like a birthday party, and the family is saying to the dead: 'Here are your presents; we are here to keep you company.' The idea is to leave the food long enough for its essence to be consumed by the dead; its material form can be eaten by the living."
On a sunny November morning at the Guadalupe Cemetery, crowds shuffled through the white-walled entrance. Graves were festooned with orange cempasúchil blossoms, cut only on the Day of the Dead. Photographs of loved ones were propped against headstones. At one grave, a priest hired by relatives led prayers and psalms. At another, a mariachi band belted out the deceased's favorite Pedro Infante ballads, while relatives feasted on barbecued pork tacos and glasses of tequila that the dead had "left over."

The foreigners' section of the cemetery was empty of visitors, except for a small contingent of Mexicans and elderly Americans who clustered around a memorial fountain dedicated to Dickinson. The fountain, near his burial site, commands a view of the other graves. "He is watching over them," said Jorge Antonio Ramírez, 80, a retired Bellas Artes employee and former Dickinson baseball player, who had brought a cempasúchil bouquet to commemorate his friend. "Just like he always did in life."

Jonathan Kandell lives in New York City. Photographer Ann Summa is based in San Miguel de Allende and Los Angeles.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

On a Dark Desert Highway...

Ever wonder what inspired the Eagles for their famous hit song Hotel California? Most people think they are singing about a hotel somewhere in California, right? Well they are if you mean Baja California, in Mexico's famous Baja Peninsula. Recently I rented a lovely villa in Baja, just outside Cabo San Lucas and retraced the steps (and at least some of the activities) The Eagles sing about in their song.

Only fifteen minutes from the airport, we arrive at our beautiful villa, Casa Bella. We are stunned by the gorgeous views right from the living room. We push the sliding glass doors into the walls and our living room gracefully extends right into the pool area, complete with a built in Jacuzzi, negative edge pool and a fire pit in the middle of a circular seating area—all of this on a cliff overlooking the beautiful Sea of Cortez. We sit back to take in the view, and are thrilled to see several whales breaching and blowing spouts of water into the air. (The Sea of Cortez and Baja are also big winter vacation spots for whales—who knew!)


Our villa comes equipped with a terrific chef and concierge who cater to our every need. We haven't even unpacked our bags when we are offered the first round of margaritas and fresh chips, salsa and guacamole. This isn't store-bought salsa and guacamole by the way. This is the kind that was sitting on the counter as fresh tomatoes, onions, avocados and jalapenos 30 minutes ago! You can taste the difference. We later enjoy a terrific dinner prepared with equally fresh ingredients.

The next day, our concierge arranged a Surf-Safari to the small town of Todos Santos and neighboring beach of Cerritos. We are picked up at the villa by three enthusiastic guides and surf instructors who tell us all about Baja and the sights as we drive to the beach. At Cerritos, we find an expansive white beach several miles wide with beautiful peeling surf rolling right to left. Just as importantly for us beginners, the beach has no rocks or reefs, just soft sand, waste deep water and a smooth rolling wave break that is perfect for learning. Our guides give us a lesson on the beach and then it’s out into the surf. We quickly catch some small waves and make spectacles of ourselves falling all over the place. An hour later we are starting to get it and our guides seem as excited as we are with the progress.


After surfing, we take the ten minute ride into the small town of Todos Santos. A spring-fed oasis in the middle of a desert—this was the "shimmering light" Don Henley sings about at the end of the "dark desert highway." We pull into the sleepy town and, as if on cue, hear the famous "mission bell" and there she is, The Hotel California! A small hotel with only 11 rooms, it is clearly famous for the experiences The Eagles must have had inside. We pile into the hotel's quaint courtyard and enjoy a tasty lunch. A few hours and several potent margaritas later we are starting to understand the lyrics, "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave"—who would want to?


Fortunately, our trusty surf guides rescue us before round five and return us to our villa. It was a terrific day in a beautiful part of the world.

If you are looking for a different type of vacation try renting a catered villa in Mexico! Having the staff allows you to enjoy the luxuries of a beautiful home in an exotic location without the need to cook or clean. They also know the area well and can arrange the perfect set of excursions and activities to make your vacation a memorable one. To plan your perfect villa vacation, visit VacationRoost.com, or call 1-888-33ROOST.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Enjoying your Golden Years in Puerto Vallarta

Simply Puerto Vallarta has issued a second video in their grassroots effort to publicize the charms of this sanctuary south of the border. They speak with Polly and Hubert Vicars about their choice to retire to this colorful seaside village. The Vicars discuss the perks and challenges they encountered, and what ultimately led them to choose to spend their retirement in Puerto Vallarta.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Locals and Small-Business Owners Tout Puerto Vallarta’s Charms

Simply Puerto Vallarta is a grassroots multimedia campaign started to give prospective visitors a look into Puerto Vallarta’s magnetic charm. “Mexico's reputation seems to run to the extremes,” says Laura Gelezunas, creator and videographer for Simply Puerto Vallarta. “The good news keeps coming but it is not making the splash it should.” Gelezunas hopes to give tourists and those looking to relocate a clearer picture of what the destination has to offer. These videos will feature testimonials from shop owners, restaurateurs and locals. See the first installment below.


Saturday, August 28, 2010

Mexico 200th Anniversary Video Tribute

In celebration of Mexico's 200 Year Anniversary, enjoy this montage highlighting all that makes Mexico a one of a kind and magical destination.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsuVXWWN8q0

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

San Miguel de Allende - Paradise Mexican Style!

San Miguel de Allende - Paradise Mexican Style!
By Sandi Durell

The historical City in the State of Guanajuato, Mexico, San Miguel de Allende, (www.internetsanmiguel.com/gethere.html ) is a small colorful town sitting in the mountains at an altitude of 6400 feet. The quaint little City of culture was founded in 1542 by a Spanish Franciscan missionary, Fray Juan de San Miguel. It is referred to, by many, as a ‘magical place.’

It was in the 18th Century that the heroes of the independence movement were born. Ignacio de Allende y Unzaga, a revolutionary, born on January 21, 1769, joined forces with Father Don Miguel Hidalgo leading the famous Cry of Independence speech in September 1810 and the resulting insurgency. But Spain was too strong and the patriots were defeated. Both Hidalgo and Allende, along with others, were executed, their heads hung in cages outside a Guanajuato granary. On March 8, 1826, in recognition of Allende’s heroism, the state government changed the name of the town to San Miguel de Allende.

In 1926 SMA was declared a National Monument, preserving the historical aspects of the town which is why the town is free of traffic lights today. With the opening of the Instituto Allende Art School in the late 1930’s, the foreign population began to grow and today retired Americans and Canadians make up much of the expat community, numbering between 2000-4000, depending upon season. I couldn’t wait to experience the magic and spent an extended period of stay during the winter months where the weather is spring-like most of the time.

San Miguel is a physical daily exercise in itself with its hilly cobble-stoned streets, narrow sidewalks and winding side streets. Every turn is a discovery of interesting little shops, boutiques, jewelers and artisans¸ art galleries and restaurants. The streets are very clean as the morning routine for shop-keepers is to sweep and wash the stone pavements. It is rare to see a piece of paper strewn on the streets. Crossing the street is unique, unlike New York City where I live, as traffic comes to a halt to allow pedestrians the right of way. There are no traffic lights in SMA. All the near traffic misses as automobiles pull up to corners, sometimes with only inches to spare as they turn and move about, does quicken the heartbeat.

Walking down and around the winding streets, one wonders what could be behind some of the large old wooden Hacienda doors and I was afforded the opportunity to find out on several occasions. Each time my surprise was broadened by the spectacular gardens, fountains and beautiful homes within; many with three living levels, high 14 foot ceilings, skylights and roof top gardens. True architectural wonders. The town is alive with the creativity of artists, writers, theatre people and musicians and includes a large population of Gringo public service groups who work tirelessly to benefit many Mexican charities. The weekly “Bible,” the newspaper Atencion (written in Spanish and English), lists every conceivable activity and happening. One would need an excessive number of hours or a clone in order to participate in everything. The central focus of all cultural activities is the Biblioteca, where concerts, movies, lectures and theatre abound and where the intelligencia usually hang out engaged in serious discussions on all topics.

Depending on one’s lifestyle, choices are innumerable when it comes to accommodations: hotels, B &B’s, apartments, villas, condos, and private homes….all available for rent. To be in the heart of it all, one would probably prefer the area known as “El Centro” where most everything is within walking distance. And if it’s not, then a taxi ride can be had for 25 pesos (a little more than $2.00) to any location within the main city of San Miguel. There’s also a bus available for 5 pesos.

“The Jardin” is the central meeting place in town, around which are many restaurants, stores and local street hawkers. At the Jardin in the Plaza Principal stands the beautiful 18th Century Parroquia (Church), constructed of rose colored quarry stone. The Church bells ring each morning beginning at 6:30 a.m. and if per chance you didn’t hear them, a repeat performance follows at 7:00 a.m.

The Jardin is the place where everyone congregates (especially on weekends) to exchange information about who’s doing what, where, when and with whom, and anything new and happening. It’s also a place to sit, read, make new friends and people watch. It’s Peyton Place Mexican style! On any weekend evening there are three or four different kinds of musical groups playing and singing, people dancing in the streets, lovers holding hands and embracing while swaying to the romantic sounds of the Mariachi bands.

If you crave lots of activities, you can brush up on your Spanish at one of the many Spanish schools; play Bridge at the San Miguel Bridge Club at the Hotel Real d’Minas.( www.hotelesrealdeminas.com.mx/ ) attend gallery art show openings that include cocktails and meeting new friends.

Aside from art classes offered at Bellas Artes (www.experience-san-miguel-de-allende.com/bellas-artes-el-nigromante.html ) and the Instituto de Allende,(www.instituto-allende.edu.mx/ ) many of the galleries hold classes in drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry making. I decided it was time to explore my inner artist (if I had one) and this was my golden opportunity. I signed on for Expressionist Life Drawing. My teacher was artist, Henry Vermillion, who has a gallery in town and is also an actor, director and set designer. The norm in SMA is the wearing of multi-creative hats! Guess what? I discovered I actually had a little talent.

Lest I forget, there are also cooking schools, yoga classes, zumba classes…you name it and it probably is happening in San Miguel. Even Arthur Murray has opened a studio with classes in Latin and Ballroom instruction!

My other activity of choice was tennis, which I’ve played for many years. Lo and behold, there were several tennis facilities available and I wound up at Weber’s red clay tennis courts where I hooked up with some other players and we enjoyed games and each other’s company several times a week. Playing at 6400 ft. above sea level with pressurized tennis balls surely added a new spin to the game, creating interesting challenges.

A plethora of restaurants fill the tiny streets. Aside from the obvious Mexican cuisine, ethnic foods prevail at every turn featuring Italian, Asian, French, American with outdoor dining in magical gardens of flowers, plants and fountains while the sounds of guitar or piano and romantic songs in Espanol and English enhance the flavors. And, needless to say, there’s also a Starbucks.

There’s good jazz and occasionally Doc Severinsen comes to town. There are several hot spots for music and dancing.

As for theatre, three Brits called “The Literary Cabaret”, have been stopping in SMA for the past 16 years offering up their brand of satirical humor of clever skits, poetry and songs featuring anything from Shakespeare to naughty Noel Coward and rock n’ roll.

The Teatro Santa Ana at the Biblioteca serves as a movie hall and also has a full season of theatrical productions with a roster of local talent from the SMA theatre community. St. Paul’s Church is a place for concert music with its ProMusica Series, bringing wonderful classical concerts to San Miguel. There is also opera¸ folk and flamenco.

The Play Readers are part of the theatre scene performing at St. Paul’s Church where rotating directors choose plays that are read on book by a cast of actors, accessorized with some scenery and costuming. I spent a highlight evening at the Biblioteca watching an award winning documentary “In a Dream.” The story is about Philadelphia mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar and his wife Julia. In the bohemian South Philly neighborhood, 50,000 square feet of concrete have been covered with tile and mirrors, all created by Zagar who shares his torture, torment and unusual lifestyle and family with audiences around the world. Their younger son filmed Isaiah and Julia’s day to day love story, subsequent betrayals, an older son’s drug problems, all captured and documented for the thousands who have viewed this remarkable film. The story can cause great discomfort at times, but that’s what makes great art. Isn’t it? The realities were enhanced when Isaiah and Julia appeared on stage post film showing, submitting themselves to audience questions and participating in a cocktail reception afterwards. It is a not-to-be missed film should one have the opportunity.

Speaking of films, there is a place called The Market Café where, approximately 15 years ago, a Frenchman named Daniel Sirdey cleverly started showing foreign and classic films. It happens in a small room that seats around 22 people who watch the films on a large screen, seated in large comfortable chairs. The price of 60 pesos also included a drink of choice (wine, beer, margaritas) and a bag of popcorn. What a deal!

I had a one time experience attending the small bullring in SMA where a famous Portugese rejoneadore (a bullfighter on horseback) namely, Pablo Hermosa de Mendoza, renowned for his skill, grace, genius and beautiful horses, was appearing. I was told he appears once every 3 years and I knew I had to have the experience. Rejoneo means using a lance and is the oldest form of bullfighting, an activity for the nobility - the Arabs in North Africa and later the Moorish in Spain. Matadors, using capes and swords, became prominent in the early 19th century.

A general admission ticket entitled me to a seat above the first four rows of reserved seats on a concrete slab. As the ring filled and excitement mounted, so did the cigarette and cigar smoke along with the cries of hawkers selling chips and hot sauce, beer, tequila and margaritas. People were jammed together, some on cushions others on the hard concrete. Three ladies sitting nearby shared some tequila, cap by cap, brought in a vitamin bottle passed between then.

Bullfighting is a gory business and not for the faint of heart. The poor bull doesn’t have a chance. But it is traditional pomp and circumstance and part of a cultural harmony. After seeing three animals slaughtered, I’d had enough while the crowd continued to yell “oh lay.”
SMA is the kind of town where total strangers stop and talk on the streets as everyone is anxious to get to know others, especially if you’re a newcomer.
In case you haven’t heard, SMA attracts many ladies from the States seeking beauty ala plastic surgery and such, at a third of the cost or less. There are a few fine surgeons (trained in the best USA hospitals) but do your research and get recommendations.

Don’t miss a visit to the historic Fabrica Aurora, an old cotton mill, (www.fabricalaaurora.com/welcome.html ) on the outskirts of town turned into gallery and studio space, where home furnishings, jewelry and antiques are plentiful. There are multi shops and spaces to visit, along with two delightful cafes when you get hungry.
Day trips and overnights are plentiful. I spent a wonderful day in the City of Guanajuato (it means the mountain place of frogs), a charming European style City and the capital of the State. It is a multi-colored, twisting cobblestoned wonder with a subterranean through which to drive and where visits to the Diego Rivera Museum and the Museum of Mummies can be highly enlightening. It houses the prestigious University of Guanajuato, considered Mexico’s finest school for music and theater. A ride on the finicular to the very top (about 6600 ft.) is a must for 360 degree views of this beautiful and colorful City which, in 1988, was declared a World Heritage Zone by UNESCO.

San Miguel is a favorite with retirees on fixed incomes as it provides a wonderful lifestyle at approximately one-half or less the cost of living in the States. It’s not for everyone as walking and getting around can be challenging to many. Most of the locals speak English which is a plus for those who know little to no Spanish. The bottom line, however, is that if one is active, somewhat rugged with a sense of adventure and loves a cultured, artistic environment….this is the place for you.

Here’s a quote I’ve heard repeated many times: “people go to Florida to die, but they come to San Miguel to live.” And, yes, I’m going back. Hasta luego amigos!

Monday, July 26, 2010

AARP The Magazine Travels the Globe to Reveal the Top 5 Best Places to Retire Abroad

AARP The Magazine Travels the Globe to Reveal the Top 5 Best Places to Retire Abroad

WASHINGTON (July 26, 2010) – Experts in celebrating the next chapter in life, AARP The Magazine traveled the globe to discover the ultimate retirement destinations abroad. Factoring climate, expat community, cost of living, housing, health care, access to the U.S. and culture and leisure, AARP The Magazine reveals the top five locales in its September/October issue (www.aarp.org/magazine), available in homes and online today. See what regions in Mexico, France, Panama, Portugal and Italy have to offer—castles, palm trees, rain forests, grilled lobster—in their unique and unparalleled retirement experiences.

1. MEXICO—Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is the undisputed number one destination for American retirees. With its rich Indian and Spanish culture, lavish beaches and affordable real-estate, Puerto Vallarta offers the low-cost, laid back lifestyle retirees seek to find in a community.
Some Reasons we love it:
* Climate: Winters—sunny, pleasantly warm; summers—rainy, humid hot
* Expat Community: Estimated at 50,000 American retirees
* Access to the U.S.: Excellent

2. FRANCE—Languedoc-Roussillon
Once remote, the Languedoc-Roussillon region is now just three hours from the bright lights and bustling energy of Paris via high-speed train. The area is steeped in history and art. Languedoc-Roussillon is also a destination for the outdoor crowd with picturesque hills and beach along its Mediterranean seashore.
Some Reasons we love it:
* Climate: Mediterranean—hot and dry summers; cool winters
* Cost of Living: Not cheap, but a comfortably frugal life can be had for $30,000 a year
* Heath Care: Excellent. French health care has been named the best in the world by the World Health Organization

3. PANAMA—Boquete
Panama is a smart choice for retirees who want it all. Not only does it feature attractive retiree destinations, Panama also offers an unbeatable package of retiree benefits and discounts. Boquete has a unique range of back-home amenities, from a golf course to high-end gated communities.
Some Reasons we love it:
* Expat Community: An estimated several thousand
* Housing Costs: A small house goes for $175,000; in a gated community, $250,000 and up. Rentals: about $600 a month for a two bedroom house
* Culture and Leisure: Rainforest hiking, river rafting, bird watching and coffee plantation tours keep Panama a bustling location for leisure

4. PORTUGAL—Cascais
Many wonder why Portugal has long been overlooked by American retirees. A plentitude of golf, beaches, resorts and trendy café life makes Portugal one of Europe’s most pleasant surprises for retirees.
Some Reasons we love it:
* Cost of Living: A comfortable life can be had on $25,000 a year
* Health Care: Good. Nearby hospitals include the well-regarded British Hospital in Lisbon
* Access to the U.S.: Excellent. Direct flights to-and-from the U.S. fly out of Lisbon

5. ITALY—Le Marche
Le Marche, bordering the Adriatic, is beautiful region with vineyards, snow-capped mountains and beaches a plenty. It also prides itself on the best fish dishes in the country and is trendy enough to have snagged Dustin Hoffman as a tourism spokesperson!
Some Reasons we love it:
* Climate: Mostly sunny
* Expat Community: Relatively few; an international mix
* Culture and Leisure: An incomparable mix of open-air opera festivals, Renaissance painting and architecture, wine tasting and nature reserves

AARP The Magazine Travels the Globe to Reveal the Top 5 Best Places to Retire Abroad

AARP The Magazine Travels the Globe to Reveal the Top 5 Best Places to Retire Abroad

WASHINGTON (July 26, 2010) – Experts in celebrating the next chapter in life, AARP The Magazine traveled the globe to discover the ultimate retirement destinations abroad. Factoring climate, expat community, cost of living, housing, health care, access to the U.S. and culture and leisure, AARP The Magazine reveals the top five locales in its September/October issue (www.aarp.org/magazine), available in homes and online today. See what regions in Mexico, France, Panama, Portugal and Italy have to offer—castles, palm trees, rain forests, grilled lobster—in their unique and unparalleled retirement experiences.

1. MEXICO—Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is the undisputed number one destination for American retirees. With its rich Indian and Spanish culture, lavish beaches and affordable real-estate, Puerto Vallarta offers the low-cost, laid back lifestyle retirees seek to find in a community.
Some Reasons we love it:
* Climate: Winters—sunny, pleasantly warm; summers—rainy, humid hot
* Expat Community: Estimated at 50,000 American retirees
* Access to the U.S.: Excellent

2. FRANCE—Languedoc-Roussillon
Once remote, the Languedoc-Roussillon region is now just three hours from the bright lights and bustling energy of Paris via high-speed train. The area is steeped in history and art. Languedoc-Roussillon is also a destination for the outdoor crowd with picturesque hills and beach along its Mediterranean seashore.
Some Reasons we love it:
* Climate: Mediterranean—hot and dry summers; cool winters
* Cost of Living: Not cheap, but a comfortably frugal life can be had for $30,000 a year
* Heath Care: Excellent. French health care has been named the best in the world by the World Health Organization

3. PANAMA—Boquete
Panama is a smart choice for retirees who want it all. Not only does it feature attractive retiree destinations, Panama also offers an unbeatable package of retiree benefits and discounts. Boquete has a unique range of back-home amenities, from a golf course to high-end gated communities.
Some Reasons we love it:
* Expat Community: An estimated several thousand
* Housing Costs: A small house goes for $175,000; in a gated community, $250,000 and up. Rentals: about $600 a month for a two bedroom house
* Culture and Leisure: Rainforest hiking, river rafting, bird watching and coffee plantation tours keep Panama a bustling location for leisure

4. PORTUGAL—Cascais
Many wonder why Portugal has long been overlooked by American retirees. A plentitude of golf, beaches, resorts and trendy café life makes Portugal one of Europe’s most pleasant surprises for retirees.
Some Reasons we love it:
* Cost of Living: A comfortable life can be had on $25,000 a year
* Health Care: Good. Nearby hospitals include the well-regarded British Hospital in Lisbon
* Access to the U.S.: Excellent. Direct flights to-and-from the U.S. fly out of Lisbon

5. ITALY—Le Marche
Le Marche, bordering the Adriatic, is beautiful region with vineyards, snow-capped mountains and beaches a plenty. It also prides itself on the best fish dishes in the country and is trendy enough to have snagged Dustin Hoffman as a tourism spokesperson!
Some Reasons we love it:
* Climate: Mostly sunny
* Expat Community: Relatively few; an international mix
* Culture and Leisure: An incomparable mix of open-air opera festivals, Renaissance painting and architecture, wine tasting and nature reserves

Sunday, January 3, 2010

36 Hours in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

New York Times - December 27, 2009
36 Hours in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
By ROCKY CASALE
Published: December 27, 2009

With its breezy blue skies and baroque architecture, San Miguel de Allende has been a tropical haven for expatriates and retirees since the 1930s. The recent housing boom drew an even larger flock of snowbirds (mostly American) to this city in central Mexico, and with it came a new perch for post-hippie boutiques, vegan organic cafes and uneven art galleries. Old-timers started grousing about its Disneyfication. Luckily, the colonial town — which dates back to the 16th century and still bears traces of Spanish, Creole and Native American cultures — was designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 2008. While San Miguel doesn’t need any more attention, the designation helps ensure that the town’s candy-colored haciendas, romantic cobblestone lanes and rose-tinted turrets are around to survive another housing bubble.

Friday
4 p.m.1) MOSS AND MARIACHI
Get a sense of San Miguel’s understated colonial grandeur with a stroll along the palm-lined paths of Parque Juárez, a sun-dappled garden with pocked stone pillars and archways and fountains tarnished with mildew or overrun with moss. Hushed streets and lush trees occupy this part of town — as well as artists and writers, like Michael Cristofer, the playwright and filmmaker, who owns a Spanish colonial home insulated by beautiful gardens. If you return to the park after dark, there’s a good chance you’ll catch an impromptu concert of one-man banjo bands and mariachi singers.

7 p.m.2) DINE AND DANCE
The city’s food scene is less riveting than one would expect from a melting pot of Mexican and expat cultures, but one exception is Tio Lucas Restaurant & Bar (Calle Mesones 103; 52-415-152-4996). The steakhouse extends to a crowded patio for outside dining under strings of warmly lighted star-shaped lanterns. Toothsome steaks, strong margaritas and warmed beet root and goat cheese salads mixed tableside by the chef are what attract return customers. Dinner for two with drinks is about 600 pesos, or about $48 at 12.45 pesos to the dollar. The restaurant is decorated with Mexican crafts and stenciled cutouts of dancing skeletons. Tio Lucas doubles as a jazz joint, with nightly performances at 9 p.m.

10 p.m.3) MITTE IN MEXICO
Night life in San Miguel tends to fall along two lines: you either scream over piercing club tracks or you don’t. On Calle Umaran, girls in flouncy skirts stand outside seedy sports bars teasing tousled-haired boys. Steps away, Mexican women sit in the bosky El Jardín with grandchildren on their laps listening to mariachi bands or watching fireworks bloom overhead. The mellow alternative nearby is Berlin Bar and Cafe (Calle Umaran 19; 52-415-154-9432). Run by expatriates from Germany, this chill and trendy bar draws a silver fox set who stop by for its strong drinks and artsy crowd. Couples chat and listen to jazz in candlelit nooks near a bar decorated with huge paintings of artists and intellectuals from Weimar Berlin and other periods in Germany’s history.

Saturday
9 a.m.4) DESAYUNO TO GO
People stand in line for coffee at La Ventana Café Orgánico de Chiapas (Diez de Sollano y Dávalos 11; 52-415 154-7728) for a good reason. It’s not just because the organic coffee is dark and rich and the pastries fresh and flaky, but because you can’t actually go inside: La Ventana is a takeout window on the side of a faded yellow hacienda. Order an espresso and a warm croissant for 59 pesos. Take your breakfast two blocks down the road to El Jardín and sit on a bench beneath the lollypop-shaped laurel trees, where you’ll have a moment without the crowds to appreciate streaks of early-morning sunlight on La Parroquia church.

11:30 a.m.5) FEW GOOD FINDS
Souvenir shops selling Day of the Dead skeleton dolls are everywhere, which means shopping here can quickly become dull. For quirkier finds, walk east away from the center of town to Mixta (Calle Pila Seca 16A, Centro; 52-415-152-7343), a new shop that sells fine silver bangles and earrings, homemade cards and aprons stitched by local women. Farther north is Fábrica La Aurora (Calzada de la Aurora, Colonia Aurora; 52-415-152-1012; www.fabricalaaurora.com), a former turn-of-the-century textile mill turned into a design and art center. One highlight is Galería Manuel Chacon, which carries contemporary art.

1:30 p.m.6) BURRITOVILLE
When Rodrigo Pak Sautto wasn’t in upstate New York selling burritos out of an aluminum camper outside Bard College, he was building his business in San Miguel making yogurt smoothies and granola at his now popular Café Media Naranja (Calle Hidalgo 83). Housed in a tiny shoebox of a cafe, it attracts crunchy Anglos and earthy vegans who stop in for organic coffees and a quick lunch of vegetarian burritos and curried lentil soup (37 to 90 pesos) and to surf its free Wi-Fi.

4 p.m.7) CRAFTY CURIOSITIES
Down a narrow alley behind the city’s main fruit and vegetable market is the Mercado de Artesanias (between Calle Colegio and Calle Loreto), a vibrant mash of artists’ stalls where you’ll find everything from flossy fringed piñatas and punched-tin lanterns dangling overhead to baskets of cobalt blue glass beads and silver necklaces. Its offerings are more authentic than the trinkets and curios sold in the historic district, and possibly half the price.

8 p.m.8) WORLD SPICES
Follow the well-heeled expats to the flagstone courtyard at The Restaurant (Sollano 16, Centro; 52-415-154-7862; www.therestaurantsanmiguel.com), an elegant and candlelit restaurant that serves international comfort dishes using organic ingredients from local ranchers, growers and dairy farmers. Donnie Masterton, the chef, changes the menu frequently. Recent dishes included a miso-marinated and broiled Pacific salmon with soy, ginger green beans, and grilled pork chops with white bean and cherry tomato ragout (each 200 pesos).

10:30 p.m.9) LUCKY GAUCHOS
For a festive nightcap, make your way to Limrick (Calle Umaran 2), a busy bar in a soaring hacienda that takes its design cue from an Irish pub. Mexicans and Americans of every ilk, from the landed elite to the louche locals, chat in cozy booths, throw darts and watch soccer on the television. If the night still feels young, head to La Cucaracha (Calle Zacateros 22; 52-415-152-0196), an after-hours bar decorated with faded pinup posters and yellowing maps of the area. The crowd might include D-list actors in hiding and old gauchos parked permanently at the bar.

Sunday
10 a.m.10) HOT BATH
Near the outskirts of San Miguel, underground hot springs percolate to the surface and form pools. A five-minute cab ride out of town takes you to La Gruta (six miles outside San Miguel), a slightly shabby water park and picnic spot favored by locals. Two small mineral hot springs and a grotto are bordered by stone retaining walls, palm trees, wildflowers and sprays of bougainvillea.

1 p.m.11) CACTOPHILE’S PARADISE
Bird-watchers, outdoorsmen and city slickers will all appreciate the brambly valleys of El Charco del Ingenio Botanical Garden (El Charco del Ingenio; 52-415-154-8838; www.elcharco.org.mx), a 167-acre ecological reserve spanning cactus-lined canyons and spring-fed pools. A 40-peso fee gives you access to easy hiking trails festooned with giant agaves and nopal cactus where egrets and swallows roost and peck at spiny fruits. The greenhouse, which resembles a small airplane hangar, shelters hundreds of rare and endangered plants. It’s the kind of place locals come to take in the natural surrounding beauty, perhaps when things feel a little too Disney.

THE BASICS
The nearest commercial airports are Querétaro (about 45 miles away) and León-Guanajuato (about 70 miles). A recent Web search found a Continental Airlines flight from Newark to Querétaro, with a stopover in Houston, starting at about $550 for travel next month. The sometimes cheaper alternative is to fly into Mexico City, which offers more flights, and make the four-hour drive.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: January 10, 2010 The 36 Hours column on Dec. 27, about San Miguel de Allende, misspelled the surname of a playwright and filmmaker and referred incorrectly to his house near Parque Juárez. He is Michael Cristofer, not Cristopher, and he owns the house in that neighborhood, he does not rent it.