Mexico - East Coast

[debrcoleman]

Need suggestions for East Coast (Gulf of Mexico). We are coming from New York. We've stayed in Punta Mita at the Four Seasons, which offers the luxury that we enjoy. Wonderful accomodations, but a touch isolated -- we never left to venture anywhere. All suggestions welcome. Tough to figure out what is really good. Trying to avoid all-inclusives. Not a fan

[omegaet]

If you are looking for coastal locations (beach, etc.) in Mexico, then this suggestion should be disregarded. However, LL offers a great package to colonial Mexico in Puebla. We bought the six night package at Meson Sacristia da Capuchinas. The package included cooking classes each morning conducted by the chef of their restaurant (english translator provided, if needed) and afternoons free to enjoy the historic charm of Puebla and the surrounding areas.

[lhbrown]

Hi Omegaet,
How was that package. I have been looking at that one also. I believe you can choose between cooking classes, art classes or language classes. Was there enough to do and what was the comfort level of the accommodations? Interested in your experience!

[omegaet]

lhb...the two properties are historic buildings which have been renovated and converted into small hotels. Some travelers enjoy the charm of the renovated historic structures and some do not. We enjoyed the accommodations and the staff was very attentive.







The chef even rewrote several of the recipes to accommodate us (we are vegetarians). The cooking classes were fun and informative. We spoke with another couple who took the Talavera pottery classes and seemed to have fun. Puebla is a Colonial Mexican city and has many museums and nice restaurants. There are a number of day tours outside of the city to visithistoric ruins. As I said, we enjoyed the trip, however, I suggest any potential visitor to conduct their own independent research on the internet before heading off to Puebla for holiday!








Message Edited by omegaet on 08-31-2007 06:50 PM

Message Edited by omegaet on 08-31-2007 06:50 PM

[disneygal]

Hi debrcoleman. There is a new area on the Maya Riviera, between Cancun and Playa del Carmen called Mayacoba with very upscale, not all-inclusive, properties that might fit the bill. So far the Fairmont Mayakoba is open, with positive reviews. http://www.mayakoba.com/For something more established, you might want to check out Maroma. http://www.maromahotel.com/There's a lot to choose from in this area - have fun exploring the options!

[lhbrown]

Hi Omegaet,
Thanks for your informative post. I was thinking of that resort in terms of Spanish language classes. Of course, I will do further research before actually embarking on such a learning venture. I know there are other language centers available, like for instance, San Miguel Allende. For now, we are just too busy with other travel. Thanks again.

[debrac214]

thank you for the post. wonderful suggestion. we tried maroma at your suggestion. sold out, but it's on the list. i have heard nothing but good things, after doing further reading. so thank you again

[sgralla]

For something unique, try going inland from Veracruz to the Coffee Capital of Mexico, Coatepec. It is about an hour and a half inland and uphill at an elevation of about 4500 ft. Very nice town with friendly residents. Americans have not discovered this place yet. Stay at the Posada Coatepec, a restored in-town hacienda owned by the original family. It is a 23 suite full service hotel with a very good restaurant and an exceptional staff. Coatepec is about 15 minutes from Xalapa, the capitol of the state of Veracruz, which has an incredible symphony orchestra and anthropological museum. Also near by is the small town of Xico, where every July they have the "running of the bulls", similar to that in Spain. This is part of the festival of Mary Magdalena which lasts about a week and is a "not to miss" celebration. We have fallen in love with this area and try to visit it at least once or twice a year.

[llfoster]

Hello,

This past Fall, we stayed at Maroma and enjoyed it very much. We were picked up at the airport and taken directly to the hotel. The access to the hotel is very well protected/secure. The resort is relatively small and has a lovely beachfront - staff memberspainstakingly rake the beach each and every day. We stayed in 2 types of accommodations - a Sian Nah Suite and an Oceanview. We spent 3 nights in the Suite (beachfront0which is fabulous - spacious sitting room, nice bedroom, large bath area, private exercise room- both and indoor and outdoor shower (plus a tub), plunge pool (not heated)overlooking the ocean,moderate sizeoutdoor sitting area with a hammock and the a palapa for spa treatments on the roof. Then we moved to the Oceanview room (because Sian Nah was previously booked). Our ocean view room was beachfront and I believe all are ocean front from what the resort advised us. The room and the bathroom were both atad small; however, there was a nice outdoor sitting area with a hammock and the view (again) was fantastic. Our room was in the main building at the top of the stairs. Since our trip we have spokenwith other friends who had stayed at this resort in an Oceanview room - from their description it seems as though their Oceanview room was more spacious - so perhaps there is a variation depending upon in which building you are located???? The staff - from the front desk to the wait staff to the bar tenders to the spa people - was very accomodating. Also, the food was quite good. The resort felt quite secluded and you could take a very long walk on the beach. The snorkeling was adaquate but nothng to write home about - my understanding is that the resort is contemplating locating/utilizing a few new snorkel sites. Also, Maroma prohibits childrenof a certain age. I believe that children under 16 are not allowed except during certain periods (summer/fall months??) and then during those Summer/Fall periods, and it only allows children over 12 ( or 12 and over??). During our stay this past October, I do not recall seeing a single child at the resort. Also,the resort does have 3 pools and an expansive beach area - it never felt crowded at all. The beach service (for lunch and drinks, etc) was quite respectable. The beach area is exceedingly comfortable and offers a variety of beach lounge alternatives - from chairs to loungers to hugh cushions (the size of king beds) with large pillows. All in all a very nice vacation which was a fairly quite trip - travel time-wise(from the Boston area through Atlanta). I do believe that LL list this property at various times. If booking outside of LL, I would strongly suggest looking at the resorts various "deals" - the rack rates are a bit steep - at times Maroma offers incentives for even its Suites. Hope this helps.