Cancun Hotel and Resorts - Paylessresorts

The Hotel Sheraton Maria Isabel in Mexico City set off an international controversy after expelling 16 Cuban officials from its premises in early February. The hotel said it made the decision at the instruction of its parent company, US-based Starwood Hotels. The parent company was following the directive of the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in accordance with the US embargo against Cuba. Under the Helms-Burton Law, US companies are prohibited from supplying services to Cuban individuals or companies.

With its convenient location, luxurious ambiance and the finest in personal service, the JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City is the ideal choice for business travelers. “Our guests include many executives from multinational corporations and business professionals who appreciate the classic elegance of our hotel,” says Kevin Schwab, General Manager.

Opened in 1996, the 312-room JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City is located in the exclusive Polanco district of the city, just minutes from major corporate offices and some of the best restaurants and boutiques of the world-famous Presidente Masaryk Avenue. It is also within walking distance to the seven principal museums of the city and minutes from the Zona Rosa, also well known for its shopping and nightlife.

“Our clientele consists largely of travelers from the United States, as well as from Europe, Canada and other regions of Mexico,” says Clavel Garibay, Sales Director. “Our hotel has extensive meeting facilities and our building is also the home of Club de Industriales, where the most important business people of Mexico come on a regular basis.

The JW Marriott Mexico City is noted for its convenient location to major companies, including Chrysler, Dupont, General Electric, General Motors, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Pepsi and Procter & Gamble.

The JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City–which holds a “Four Diamond” rating from the American Automobile Association (AAA)–was honored recently in annual “World’s Best” lists compiled by two international travel magazines.

Conde Nast Traveler’s 2003 Gold List and Gold List Reserve recognized the JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City and four other JW Marriott Hotels and Resorts. Travel + Leisure’s first annual “T+L 500–The Best Hotels in the World” honored the JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City and four other Marriott properties.

The JW Marriott brand represents the most elegant and luxurious hotels carrying the Marriott name. They cater to discerning upscale travelers seeking a lodging experience of high comfort and prestige, according to Garibay. “JW Marriott Hotels extend the traditional Marriott culture of warm, genuine hospitality and dependability in a more luxurious environment with upgraded amenities and high levels of personal service,” she says.

Last year, the JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City won top honors in the Latin America and Caribbean region in the Ultimate Service Awards, the only global award that recognizes good service in the hotel industry. Travelers in more than 120 countries voted online in this independent initiative involving CNN Partner Hotels, American Express and Taylor Nelson Sofres Hospitality and Leisure. The awards recognize hotels and their employees that make an effort to provide memorable and enjoyable guest stays.

Guests at the 26-story hotel enjoy some of the most spectacular views of the city, including Chapultepec Park and Presidente Masaryk Avenue. On the Executive level, guests enjoy special privileges, such as wireless services, complimentary continental breakfast, afternoon snacks and an honor bar in the lounge.

Business travelers appreciate the many guest room amenities at the JW Marriott Mexico City. A two-line phone, speakerphone, voice mail and data ports make it easy to stay in touch with the office. A television with cable/satellite TV service includes an all-news channel and in-room movies. Newspapers are delivered to the room Monday through Friday.

Full kitchens and wet bars are available in some rooms and all rooms include a minibar stocked with refreshments for convenient access. Personal amenities include hairdryers, bathrobes, iron and ironing boards and in-room safes. “We are freshening the rooms this year with new duvets and tables,” says Garibay. “We are also including a package of luxurious personal amenities in the room.”

The hotel recently renovated its onsite Business Center, which helps travelers work more efficiently and productively. Services include faxing, photocopying, overnight shipping and Internet access.

No visit to the JW Marriott Mexico City would be complete without a relaxing visit to the outdoor pool or the solarium, health club, whirlpool and sauna. The hotel’s health club was recently upgraded to offer an even more luxurious setting for guests.

“Our variety of restaurants and lounges allows travelers and their guests to relax over a fine meal or just a light bite,” says Garibay. The hotel’s JW Italian is an onsite restaurant with an international menu. Other facilities include the Pergamino coffee shop, Lobby bar with complimentary coffee in the lobby and 24-hour room service.

Hotel services include a laundry valet, hair salon/barber, concierge, gift shop/newsstand and child care. Onsite parking is available.

Avis Rental Car reservation is available through concierge desk, making it easy to visit nearby attractions like the Anthropological Museum, Chapultepec Castle, Pyramids-Archeological Site, San Angel Flea Market, Xochilmilco-Floating Gardens and the Zona Rosa (Pink Zone) shopping and entertainment district. Two golf courses, Club de Golf Chapultepec and Club de Golf Churubusco Country Club are also located with in 10 km of the hotel.

Imagine climbing a pine-tree covered mountain or birdwatching on a deserted island. Now imagine doing all that without having to spend the night in a tent, or even outside at all. Sounds like your cup of tea? It is for guests at Hoteles Mision, Mexico’s third-largest hotel chain. Traditionally a luxury-chain operator, Hoteles Mision spent US$224 million in 2004 building 28 hotels large and small across the country for those looking to enjoy a little nature without giving up the comforts of city life.

The new hotels, a project known as Mision Motor Inn, are on the outskirts of places like Laredo, Tabasco, Chetumal, Oaxaca and Nogales. Each complex has a pool, restaurant, bar, gas station and 160 rooms with daily rates at $60 per person. Construction on all the new hotels will end in 2006.

That’s great news to Veronica Maza, who has spent seven years putting up with an uncomfortable tent. “I love ecotourism, but in Mexico the comfortable hotels are generally far away from places where you can do sports such as canoeing or skiing,” Maza says. “When you have to battle up and down mountains, at the end of the day all you want is a nice, hot bath and to sleep in a bed.”

Hoteles Mision’s expansion plan is not just for ecotourists like Maza but will serve other niches as well. The 26-year-old company will spend an additional $60 million on two luxury, beachfront hotels in the cities of Guayamas and Puerto Penasco, in Sonora state, not far from the U.S. border near Arizona. That investment also covers the construction of a third hotel at the port in Manzanillo, 1,000 kilometers west of Mexico City. The company hopes these investments draw tourists from the nearby United States.

Although tourism along Mexico’s border grew a healthy 11.5% to 4.3 million people during the first half of 2004, the government projects that figure could double in just two years. A study by the Colegio de la Frontera Norte university in Baja California finds that more than half of the people living in San Diego, California, have never been to Mexico, which is right in their back yard.

In addition, two-and-a-half-hours away from the border in the U.S. states of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona live between 20 million and 30 million potential tourists, says Francisco Madrid, Mexico’s undersecretary of tourism. The secret, Madrid says, lies in “creating an attractive package that is just around the comer, one with a different culture, and one that can help us improve [economic] conditions along the border.”

Hoteles Mision expects that, like in the United States, the Mexican industry won’t stay dependent on five-star offerings alone. Instead, the tourism industry is attacking different niches, says Martin Lara, a hospitality industry analyst at the U.S. risk-ratings agency Moody’s.

Only ninety minutes by highway from landlocked Arizona, Puerto Penasco in Mexico is that U.S. state’s closest beach. It’s also where most of the U.S. tourism money is flowing, says Roberto Zapata Gil, chairman of the Hoteles Mision. Tourists are tending to travel more by car than by air, he says, which makes northern Mexico an attractive destination. Tourists on the highway also spend more in Mexico than their airborne counterparts.

‘Air traffic brings us passengers that stay in the country for seven days,” says Zapata. “Tourists who come by highway stay in the country around 15 days and spend twice as much while shopping.” Of all foreign travelers coming into Mexico, 75% do so by airline and 25% on the ground, according to the government.

The number of foreign visitors in 2004 was small compared with those in countries like France or Spain, which welcome 65 million visitors a year, says Zapata. And Mexico’s growth in international tourism in 2004 has come from piggybacking on global growth and post-Sept. 11 security concerns, not necessarily Mexico’s tourism policy. “The European market for the Middle East looked for new destinations because of the lack of security. It wasn’t the result of some campaign from within the country,” says Zapata, who is also the vice president of Mexico’s Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce and Tourism.

High interest. Mexico is, nevertheless, the eighth-most-visited country in the world. During the first half of 2004, the tourism sector took in $5.56 billion, a 14% increase over the same period a year earlier, according to the Central Bank The number of international tourists during that period reached 10.2 million, 11% more than in 2003.

For tourism to generate real economic benefits for Mexico, more public officials must get involved in creating long-term plans and credit incentives for the sector, industry leaders say. Banks have begun to consider the sector’s potential, and they have created financial services specific to the business. Nafinsa, a state-owned development bank, and Banorte, one of the larger private banks in the country, have $35 million in credit lines available for tourism companies. Many domestic companies in the industry have listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange, too, for project financing.

With its convenient location, luxurious ambiance and the finest in personal service, the JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City is the ideal choice for business travelers. “Our guests include many executives from multinational corporations and business professionals who appreciate the classic elegance of our hotel,” says Kevin Schwab, General Manager.

Opened in 1996, the 312-room JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City is located in the exclusive Polanco district of the city, just minutes from major corporate offices and some of the best restaurants and boutiques of the world-famous Presidente Masaryk Avenue. It is also within walking distance to the seven principal museums of the city and minutes from the Zona Rosa, also well known for its shopping and nightlife.

“Our clientele consists largely of travelers from the United States, as well as from Europe, Canada and other regions of Mexico,” says Clavel Garibay, Sales Director. “Our hotel has extensive meeting facilities and our building is also the home of Club de Industriales, where the most important business people of Mexico come on a regular basis.

The JW Marriott Mexico City is noted for its convenient location to major companies, including Chrysler, Dupont, General Electric, General Motors, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Pepsi and Procter & Gamble.

The JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City–which holds a “Four Diamond” rating from the American Automobile Association (AAA)–was honored recently in annual “World’s Best” lists compiled by two international travel magazines.

Naked Boys Singing, the Cats of gay theater, is celebrating its 400th year off-Broadway. I’m proud to have had a hand in the show, although a hand was really not what I had hoped to put in. NBS, as the director is fond of calling it (this makes it sound more like an all-news network than an all-nude musical), was an act of desperation, put together by the leadership of a gay Hollywood theater company who found that audiences wouldn’t go to see a gay show unless they knew there would be some gay or straight or alive and breathing flesh to look at. Serious multiethnic cries for understanding just didn’t draw without a really big hanging garden of forbidden fruit.

So the show’s creator and director, Robert Schrock, said, Let’s meet the enemy head on, and I mean that literally. Naked Boys Singing–the title said it all. And the audiences fought each other to get in. Many years later naked boys are still unveiling themselves nightly on stages in cities around the world.

Among the many strange phenomena that have followed is the acceptance of NBS as a girls’-night-out, Chippendales sort of thing, although none of that kind of business occurs in the show. It’s a bunch of gay guys in mostly gay situations, including a love affair and, in its first production at least, a song about endless testing in a hospital. The fact that NBS is basically a gay show hasn’t seemed to hurt it with a straight audience.

WHAT’S BEHIND THE ESCALATING TREND?

AS we head into the new millennium, marrying mitt dating across cultural lines seem to be increasing at record rates.

Almost anywhere you go these days, you will encounter mixed-race couples: at the grocery store, the mall, the theater, at a company function, at: a concert, even at church. And while for years the Black man-White woman couple was more prevalent, today many social observers say that the pairing of Black women and White men is just as common.

That certainly seems to be the case in cities such as St. Paul-Minneapolis, where interracial couples long have thrived. But the social trend also is quite evident in other large cities such as Chicago and New York, Atlanta and Detroit, where there is a noticeable and striking increase in the number of mixed-race couples, especially Black women with White mates.

In movies, on television and even on Broadway, the theme of interracial love has become en vogue. Wesley Snipes has starred in a number of movies in which his love interest was not Black: jungle Fever, One Night Stand and U.S. Marshal. The popular sitcom Ally McBeal has the lead character bemoaning a lost love, a Black doctor. Last year, Whitney Houston’s production of Cinderella starred Brandy in the title role but the prince was not Black. And a new Broadway musical, Marie Christine, revolves around a relationship in the 1800s between a Black woman (Audra McDonald) and a White sea captain.

I haven’t posted my column in a while. I have been working on some manuscripts—books—that are finally ready to send to publishers. So I thought and thought, “what should I write for my column” and I have come up with this:

My honeymoon has finally ended with Mexico. Now, do not get me wrong. I do not dislike living in Mexico. My wife and I are convinced that leaving America and moving here was the right decision for us. It is just that my infatuation with Mexico has come to an end. Reality has set in.

I liken this to marriage. If ever there was a fitting metaphor, this is it. It is like when you wake up one morning and finally realize the slob (and I mean men…men = slobs) snoring like a beast next you is full of faults and you now know them all. This is what it like in a new culture It took me three years to realize that Mexico is full of faults.

Are these faults deal breakers, like those in a marriage resulting in a divorce? Hardly! It is just that I have come to the point of realizing that I either cope or it is off to another culture in a new country.

I am sitting here waiting for someone to deliver a DSL modem and software to my apartment. The reason I am switching to DSL after dial-up is a story that illustrates well why my honeymoon with Mexico has ended.

We were tooling along on the Internet all hunky-dory when suddenly it stopped working. I called the company only to be told that it is the phone company’s fault and that they are working on it. It never got better. I called again only to be told that it is my computer’s fault and that I would have to engage in a two-hour marathon (actually my wife suffered this because I swooned to the bed cussing like a crazed sailor) of setting changes on my computer.

Nothing at all improved. There was still no using the dial-up connection!

And this is how it goes in Mexico. You will be told by the left hand something the right hand has no clue about! Apparently in Mexico, the right hand NEVER knows what the left hand knows or is doing.

I live in constant fear of something complicated happening that requires someone, somewhere, who somehow knows something definitive! Because if something arises in your life, like your internet not working, no one will know the right answer. This applies to everything in this country. And I am not making this up—EVERYTHING!

Believe it or not I actually make money as a writer! When I get a royalty check and take it to my bank it is usually made out to my professional title, Doug Bower. On my Mexican account I am, Douglas W. Bower. It takes nothing short of an act of The Almighty to get them to believe that Doug Bower and Douglas W. Bower is the same person. I mean I show them my passport, visa, my expired Kansas driver’s license, and my credit cards. And it does not a bit of good!

And speaking of banks, when I first tried depositing a royalty check from America I was told that it would take two weeks to clear. Well, as one can expect in Mexico, two weeks pass and it hasn’t cleared. We talked with another bank official, in Spanish, and were told it takes three weeks. We told him the fellow “over there” told us two weeks. He just smiles and nods his head. And this happens all the time about everything you can imagine under the sun!

I would not have the column space to tell you the different things that have happened to us that more clearly illustrate this. The fact that I am waiting for my DSL goodies to arrive fills me with fear and trembling.

A Mexican delivery guy (and they are always guys!) is just liable to leave it on the sidewalk, down the street, or throw it through the gate. I have gotten royalty checks, books from Amazon.com, and you name it left on the porch outside my house! Or, once, the landlady’s dog had the mail, all bundled in a rubber band, walking around with it in his slobbery mouth!

Granted that we Americans are too anal when it comes to efficiency. We expect that when something is going to be delivered the guy will knock on the door, hand it to us, we sign for it, and off he goes. Not on your life, ever in a million years, will this happen in Mexico!

So, what do I do? I sit, I contemplate, I moan and groan, utter vile profanities, and hope I can catch the DSL deliverer before some dog makes off with my package.

Doug Bower is a freelance writer and book author. His most recent writing credits include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Houston Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Associated Content, Transitions Abroad, International Living, Escape Artist, and The Front Porch Syndicate.

For many singles vacations are a little bit awkward. You want to see new places, but it would be more fun to see new places with someone else. There are a number of vacation spots that are very popular for singles, or those who just want to make a few new friends.

Winter Park, Colorado

This is a skier’s paradise. After a day on the slopes the people who visit this location often head into the sybaritic hot tub to relax and socialize. In addition the evenings are filled with social events that encourage mingling with good food, catered by a gourmet chef, and a very friendly atmosphere.

Island of Crete, Greece

It’s single travelers only at this family owned and operated hotel. Since you know everyone else there is single too, it’s a great location to meet new people, and enjoy breathtaking views of the sea, countryside, and mountains. Spend time on the beach, or wander through the local area enjoying local cuisine and nightlife.

British Virgin Islands

A trip to the islands is an automatic set up for a fabulous social environment. Once you are in the British Virgin Islands there are a number of luxury yachts that offer trips for singles that want to enjoy the island life above and below water. On some of the yachts you will travel island to island over night with endless scuba, snorkeling or shore activities every day.

Miami, Florida

Nothing says single like the nightlife on South Beach in Miami. This art filled community has a leisurely pace during the day of visiting museums and shops and really comes to life with a number of hot clubs and bars at night. If you stay at the So Nesta Hotel and Suites Coconut Grove your days can be spent sipping a cocktail or two at the Sailboat Bay Café while you watch the world move by..

Jamaica

For a real taste of the Caribbean, head to Jamaica. Montego bay is a bustling area with many convenient accommodations including The Half Moon which has 419 rooms and villas, as well as easy access to water sports and land sports such as golf.

Hawaii

If you want a one-stop place to enjoy many aspects of the planet, Hawaii is it. If you stay at the Hilo Seaside Hotel it is a short trip to the Volcano National Park. The hotel is in the midst of Japanese and Hawaiian gardens including a Japanese Rock Garden and Hawaiian Tropical Garden. Taking advantage of the many water sports is a simple trip to the shore.

Mexico.

Lounge or party in Mexico where you can choose beach, rain forest, or mountain destinations. You can also enjoy great food and drink while learning about a new culture.

Cancun

There are singles-only events at the Golden Crown Paradise Spa resort. Experience white beaches by day and a party atmosphere at night.

New York

An upstate New York Trip may include wine tasting, a picnic lunch and horseback riding in the rolling hills. The Millbrook Vineyards and Winery offers the complete experience of lunch picnic with a wine glass keepsake.

French Canada

This area has the romance of France and England intertwined. During the day history and culture, at night it comes alive with a fast nightlife.

You have just arrived at the Playacar Palace Resort and couldn’t resist climbing up the steps in front of you to see what awaits. You are totally blown away by the beauty that confronts you, especially if you are a first time visitor to Cancun Mexico.

Now that you have experienced one of the most gorgeous panoramic views of your lifetime and it is embedded in your mind, you will want to return to the lobby of the paylessresorts Cancun Mexico as soon as possible to check in so you can not only see, but reach out and touch what you have just seen. Check in time is around 3 PM and it is adhered to very strictly during the busy seasons in Mexico. However, if the resort is not full, you may be able to check in even earlier.

Once you have taken care of the check in details, you will accompany your smiling Mexican bell hop to your room. When the door to your room is opened, you will smile as you are greeted with whites, cream colors, decorative lighting and a gorgeous view of the Caribbean ocean from your sliding glass door overlooking the balcony. You may need to part the sheers covering the doors. You will most likely just drop your luggage on the floor and head over to open the balcony door, open it and drink in the sights and sounds that surround you. Perhaps you will just take a seat on one of the two chairs on the balcony to take a short rest. Somehow you will know that this is going to be one of the best vacations of your life. You breathe deeply once again and can not even believe that you are experiencing this amazing vacation.

As you come back to reality, you return inside to see that right in front of you, you have your own private double jacuzzi adorned with towels that are formed in the paylessressorts Cancun Mexico famed towel art. You may have towels shaped in a heart with two swans kissing, or a single swan by itself. The maids are trained and skilled in doing this towel art and you can expect to see it displayed throughout your weekly stay. You may want to consider leaving an extra few dollars at the end of the week and designate the money specifically for the maids who work very hard to make your stay a perfect one.

As you re-enter your room you will switch on the lights and will see soft lights being emitted even from the tops of your dressers giving the room a relaxing glow. The cream colored spreads on beds will be without a wrinkle. You will be amazed at the cleanliness that surrounds you and the relaxing colors that adorn the modern looking room. You will notice the new flat screen tv on the wall in the newer rooms and the tv on the dresser in the older rooms. The refrigerator will be stocked with all kinds of soft drinks, beer, champagne or wine and at your request, will never be empty. The phone will be beside your king sized bed or in between the two double beds depending on which accommodations you have chosen. In your large closet you will find your room safe and typically, two sets of lush payltessresots Cancun Mexico terry cloth robes and slippers.

Just to the right or left of the door when you enter you can’t miss the very large, immaculately clean bathroom. You will notice first a sizeable changing area with two raised white sinks, the marble vanity area and all of the Farouk brand, top of the line toiletries that you will need. You will have a good supply of towels that can be replaced by a simple phone call to request them. In front of you will be the toilet and to the left, the large enough for two, glass surround shower. The floors will be marble throughout your room so watch your step when you get wet.

There is plenty of dresser space so make use of it and tuck your luggage away in the closet or under the bed. You will want to get started enjoying your vacation right away so unpack later and go take a tour of this marvelous resort. It isn’t large, boasting about 200 rooms or so, but it is intimate with sights and sounds to give you pleasure every moment of the day.

It seems like everybody wants to visit Cancun, Mexico at some point or another. Whether it’s when you’re in high school, on college spring break, or finally getting around to that second honeymoon, Mexico can sound quite appealing. What is it about this Latino country that draws in spectators and tourists from around the globe? Is it the warm climate, the lack of grass, the all-night fiestas, the beautiful waters, or the lack of age-limit on drinking? Oh yeah, that last one is pretty much it. I can’t even imagine how many youths visit Cancun for this very luxury. Where are your teenagers heading for spring break or summer vacation?

Cancun is the ultimate hotspot! Between this tourist attraction and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico must pull in a great deal of cash. These are the spots taken advantage of by so many Americans and foreign travelers alike. There must be some appeal to that warm sun, sandy beaches, and endless margaritas. I can certainly attest to that! I’ve been to Mexico four times, while visiting Cancun twice, and I loved every minute of it.

When planning your visit, research the area you intend to stay prior to your trip. Definitely find out which spots are the most recommended and which are typically avoided before you visit Mexico. It’s up to you to keep your loved ones and yourself safe at all times. Of course you want to have a blast and take in the new and amazing sites, but don’t let your guard down. It’s imperative to remember that you’re not a native. So plan that ideal trip; visit Cancun, Mexico and have the time of your life, but remember to steer clear of shady areas and eerie individuals you don’t know.

Of all the places that you’ve visited in your lifetime or plan to visit, Cancun will definitely rate as one of the most memorable.