Mexico is on the rebound

After the one-two punch that Mexico suffered this year (the drug violence and the swine flu scare) their tourism business was really hurting, so it’s nice to see some good news in the media:

The Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau recently reported that hotel occupancy for July was at 81%.

I guess the word is getting out that Mexico is still a great vacation destination, and there are some amazing deals to be had this year as hoteliers try to lure travelers back to Cancun, the Riviera Maya, and west coast destinations like Cabo and Puerto Vallarta.

I know I’ve been seeing rates at less than $1,000 per person (including air) for a one week stay in a nice all-inclusive in the Riviera Maya. How can you not jump at that?

Beachfront Catholic Cermonies

In case you’ve been living under a rock somewhere and missed this trend, destination weddings are huge right now, and Mexico is a very popular location for these events.

In Cancun and the Riviera Maya, it seems that just about every resort now offers wedding ceremonies in beachfront gazebos or right on the beach itself. The problem is that if you’re Catholic, and looking for a consecrated church or chapel, your options are much more limited.

But I have good news!  Real Resorts has opened Cancun’s only Roman Catholic resort chapel on the grounds of the Gran Caribe Real Cancun. The all-glass beachfront chapel, consecrated by the local Bishop,  is available to couples staying at the 477-suite family-oriented property, or at the adjacent adults-only Royal Cancun. The resort offers a broad range of wedding options, from the most simple intimate ceremony to a lavish celebration, and they can even offer weddings on Sundays (when priests are usually not available).

If you’re interested in finding out more, give me a call.

And, if you’re more interested in the Pacific coast of Mexico, fear not! I recently toured a lovely resort in Cabo San Lucas that has a beautiful little on-site chapel.   Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach feels like a Mexican hacienda, and the chapel, while not beachfront, is so authentically Mexican with its carved wood pews and quiet courtyard that I’d get married there in a minute!

You provided excellent guidance for us. I appreciated that you really had us think about what was most important to us when we were selecting the right cruise – and not to totally focus on what other people had to say. THANK YOU for helping to make this a memorable trip for our family! It really was a trip of a lifetime!

Clare and Mark (family cruise to Alaska)

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