Insight Vacations will have a new itinerary offered in their 2009 USA & Canada brochure.
This will be their only Mexico offering called "Treasures of Mexico", an 11 day itinerary, starting and ending in Mexico City.
Our specialized fam. was an abreviated 6 day version, excluding just a little of the brochure itinerary.
This trip really caught my eye, as I have always wanted to visit the colonial cities of Mexico, and a organized tour would be my most effective method of covering so much territory. So I eagerly applied for this opportunity.
We travelled with a group of 33 travel agents from all over the U.S.A., which made for an interesting journey, as always making special friendships.
Our flight on Alaska Airlines, nonstop from LAX to Mexico City, was nice, smooth and uneventful. Pleasant service was offered by our flight attendants, with a complimentary snack, and "no charge" for first piece of checked baggage. I would say we made out very well, after talking with other group members upon arrival in Mexico.
Our first night was at JW Marriott Hotel, in the (upscale) Polanco district. Just to give you an idea, there was a cadillac/hummer dealership and a Starbucks across the street. Next door was the "W" Hotel and Planet Hollywood. This area is right next door to the beautiful Chapultepec Park. Needless to say, the JW Marriott was lovely.
We had our first dinner at a local restuarant, "Villa Maria". This was very close to our hotel. The food was fine, but the specialty was the fabulous Mariarchi's. They came by to especially serenade our group -- fun, fun, fun.
Next morning we started our bus ride to Puebla, southeast of Mexico City, after our tour of downtown Mexico City. Puebla is quite a large city and I was impressed. Our hotel stay was something quite different than our first night. We stayed at Camino Real Puebla. This was a 16th century convent, converted into a 4 star hotel in the historical center of the city. Again we dined at a local restaurant within walking distance, Fonda De Santa Clara.
In each city we had excellent guides that knew their history & culture backwards and forwards. Upon our departure from Puebla the next morning, enroute to Morelia, we needed to travel back thru Mexico City. Because of the clear and beautiful day, off to our left, we witnessed the 2nd largest active volcano in Mexico. This was an incredible sight to see so clearly the white clouds coming out of the top of the volcano. This was a highlight for me, the name of this volcano is Popcatepetl.
Our third night was in the lovely city of Morelia. Here we stayed at the Villa Montana Hotel & Spa. This was a favorite hotel of many in our group. It was like a private residence with beautiful views of the city from a hill top. Our dinner was at the hotel's gourmet restaurant.
Next day our bus ride continues to Guanajuato, with a short stop in Patzcuaro. Guanajuato is a univerisity town built on 7 hills, with underground tunnel roads. We stayed at the Camino Real. Our walking tour allowed us to go to a photo exhibit at the University and also the Diego Rivera home with a museum upstairs on the 2nd & 3rd floor showing his works. He was an artist all of his life, from childhood. It was interesting to see so much of his work displayed. This evening we dined at a local restaurant, "La Casa Colorado" that offers a "tequila tasting" before dinner.
Our next day we travelled to Queretero with a short stop at San Miguel de Allende. It was nice to see San Miguel, kind of reminds me of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Abundant with art galleries, boutique shops, neat little restaurants, many of the residents are US and Canadian's. Our overnight was at Hacienda Jurica, another Spanish hacienda from the 16th century. Our local restaurant offered a very European feel, with outdoor patio dining. This is a vibrant city with alot going on. In just the short time we were there we could see so much activity.
What a wonderful experience to see all of these colorful and historic cities. On this itinerary, there were 5 UNESCO, World Heritage sites.
I often hear that clients are reluctant to travel to Mexico due to the travel advisories regarding the illegal drug wars. However, our group did not observe or encounter any negative problems. As always, we were greeted warmly and graciously thru out our trip. I would encourage any interested clients to travel with Insight on this unique itinerary.