Going to Mexico!

[Piney]

I'll be on the Pacific side (Puerto Vallarta) for my honeymoon the first week of June. Luckily Puerto Vallarta is one of the few areas that you can drink the water

But the biggest thing I have heard is to get Pesos! And the best way is through the ATM. Just check with your bank on what fees you might have. I didn't check the paper today but last week I saw it at a 11.80 to 1 exchange rate. If you use dollars the locals use a 10 to 1 rate to make it "easy". So watch out for that.

Of course if you plan on using credit cards call and tell them you will be in Mexico as sometimes they will think it is fraud. Also, if you plan on using your cell phone call your company to find out what you have to do.

 

[scooter1369]

The wife and I, plus another couple, are going to Riviera Miya in June. It is close to Cancun.

Anybody been there? Any suggestions other than to wife swap and not drink the water?

While you're there, start a peaceful protest about singing their anthem in English.

 

[High Lonesome]

Well, a week of my summer this year will involve going to Juarez, Mexico on a church retreat to help build houses for the youth and families of the area. It's not exactly Cancun, but seeing the kids' smiling faces after they've received a house is just as good...

I don't know if I would be heading to any of the boarder towns right about now. There is a huge drug war going on and its not the safest place to be
I don't think that its as bad in Juarez as in Loredo and some other boarder towns, but you should be very careful not to turn the wrong corner

 

[tyrus]

Mexico is fun. You can drink everywhere, the cab drivers are crazy, they sell drugs in their T-shirt stores (so I heard) and the women, well, you are married.

I actually just had this girl convinced I got drunk and married some girl in Mexico for 2 weeks before we had it annulled. She is going to Cancun next month so I was warning her of the dangers. I love making stories up on the fly at a bar.

 

[coxew]

Do NOT spend all of your time sitting on your ass at the hotel. If you are just going to sit around on vacation stay in your back yard!

I've been to Cancun three times and plan on going back in another year or two. As I've gotten older and seen the "sights", I've begun spending more time at the hotel. The pools and the beaches are amazing and with most hotels being all-inclusive, there's no reason for me to really leave. You're almost treated like royalty by the staff. I've stayted at the Cancun Palace on all of my previous trips and will stay at the Moon Palace next time.

Bars are way over priced and the service isn't that great at all. You'll be offered something like free drinks for a $20 cover charge. If you're not female, often the bartendesr won't even look your way without seeing how much of a tip is coming their way. For a single guy, though, it would be very, very fun.

They Mayan ruins are fun but will often consume a full day when you factor in all the driving time. Chichen Itza is a must see. A ride over to Isla Mujeres is fun, the boat ride back is a blast.

 

[ScriptOhio]

I've stayted at the Cancun Palace on all of my previous trips and will stay at the Moon Palace next time.

The mention of the Palace Resorts reminded me of another thing. People will approach you and offer you prizes, discounts, tours, and/vouchers at a business if you are willing to go a short presentation about a resort; and they say it will only last 20 minutes (which is a bigger lie than "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you"), etc. They are trying to sucker you into a timeshare (vacation club, interval ownership, or whatever they call it) presentation. These presentations could easily last a couple hours )or more) and are very "high pressure". When approached to go to any such presentations, my best advice is to - Just say NO!!!

 

[MightbeaBuck]

None of their circulating coinage has a drop of silver in them. The Mexican mint, like ours, does make silver bullion and collector coinage but few people would be crazy enough to spend them at face value, especially at $14+ per ounce!

Since 1991, Mexico has issued silver Libertad coins annually in sizes ranging from 1/20 oz. to 5 oz. pure (999 fine) silver. In 2002, for the first time, Banco de Mexico struck 1 kilogram pure silver Libertads in a limited edition of 1,100 Prooflike Brilliant Uncirculated coins … but these were not offered in the United States.
The Winged Angel design used on Libertads beginning in 1996 is based on the Angel of Independence, an eight ton golden statue atop a tall slender column in Mexico City. The reverse of the kilo Libertad features the official state seal of Mexico surrounded by ten eagle designs that have been used through the centuries, including one depicted in the 16th century Mendocino Codex.

They used silver coins until 1978, then stopped until 1991 and started using them again.

What you're going to run into isn't the proof coins obviously...and the ones I did mean are only
.999 fine (which is still sweet!)

 

[TSKCoug]

Silver Libertads

Mightbeabuck,

So in your travels in Mexico you have actually received a silver Libertad in change? I would be amazed. If so, how did you find someone that dumb? I am looking through my coin books and the Libertads have no Peso monetary value. They are just marked 1/10 onza, 1/4 onza, 1/2 onza, 1 onza up to 5 onzas. So what did they say "senor, plata is $14 US so that Libertad is 140 pesos"? At least with the US Silver Eagle it has a nominal US Dollar amount of $1.00 but someone would have to be several cards short of a deck to spend it for a buck. Just curious, as your assertion that these coins are spent in circulation seems incredible to me.

 

[coxew]

The mention of the Palace Resorts reminded me of another thing. People will approach you and offer you prizes, discounts, tours, and/vouchers at a business if you are willing to go a short presentation about a resort; and they say it will only last 20 minutes (which is a bigger lie than "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you"), etc. They are trying to sucker you into a timeshare (vacation club, interval ownership, or whatever they call it) presentation. These presentations could easily last a couple hours )or more) and are very "high pressure". When approached to go to any such presentations, my best advice is to - Just say NO!!!

I've never experienced this there in any of my trips.

 

[Tlangs]

I was there last year. it was great. It is about a 30 minute drive from Cancun and a 20 minute drive from Playa del Carmen. I forget the name of the place I stayed but it had a Jack Nicklaus par 3 course. It is a more low key atmosphere. It was nice since we went with our 2 year old and the inlaws. Now if it was just myself and the wife, I would rather stay closer to the action up in Cancun.

 

[MightbeaBuck]

I was just trying to give some of what I thought was good advice. *sigh*

Mightbeabuck,
So in your travels in Mexico you have actually received a silver Libertad in change? I would be amazed. If so, how did you find someone that dumb? I am looking through my coin books and the Libertads have no Peso monetary value. They are just marked 1/10 onza, 1/4 onza, 1/2 onza, 1 onza up to 5 onzas. So what did they say "senor, plata is $14 US so that Libertad is 140 pesos"? At least with the US Silver Eagle it has a nominal US Dollar amount of $1.00 but someone would have to be several cards short of a deck to spend it for a buck. Just curious, as your assertion that these coins are spent in circulation seems incredible to me.

Everything you say is pretty much true. Maybe I wasn't clear in my original post. Let me rephrase it.

Buy... large denomination Mexican coins, ...

...Mexican coins are made of pure silver, unlike our copper or zinc filled dimes, quarters, and halves. If you hit the beaches, a bunch of folks will try to get you to buy various and sundry items. Go for the coins, but make sure they are real. Even if you aren't into the silver aspect, they look and sound pretty cool. By sound, I mean they *ching* like our money used to.

Naw, don't need to rephrase. Now I can see where I said someone gave me a Libertad as change...wait, no I can't see that in my post. Maybe I misspoke by asserting these are spent in circulation...wait no, I didn't say that either.

What I did say though was, "folks will try to get you to buy various and sundry items. Go for the coins,..." In other words, if someone tries to sell you a real silver coin, and you can get it at less than market value, definitely go for it. And it can and does happen by the shysters working the tourists. And on the other side of the coin (heh heh) Even if it is slightly over the market value, it it still fun to buy: to own / show off / brag about, whatever.

Between Cancun, Progresso, and Cozumel, I've picked up several of these. In Cancun I bought six of the halves for $5 American each. (in February 2005).

The point here is to give advice as to what to do while touristing about. The coins are only a small possibility.