If you’ve been following my blog posts from Acapulco last week, you may have noticed I didn’t pay much attention to recent reports about drug cartel-related crime here in the state of Guerrero. There’s a reason for my keeping mum. I haven’t been reporting the news; I’ve been reporting my own personal experiences as a…
Tag: tourism
Group Splurge: Villa Sábalo, Acapulco
Last night, I sipped tamarind-infused cocktails and gazed at the sunset from the glamorous hills of an Acapulco neighborhood called Las Brisas. It was a cocktail party hosted by the Los Cabos Convention & Visitors Bureau (during Tianguis Turístico, Mexico’s annual tourism conference), but it was a classic Acapulco experience. The locale is called Villa Sábalo,…
Travel in Chile, After the Earthquake: My Final Summary
Following the major earthquake in Chile, what can you expect as a traveler? Here’s a sample.
My Guatemala feature, in Business Traveler Magazine
Interesting angles at the recently refurbished La Aurora International Airport, in Guatemala City. If you’ve been following my blog since I started it earlier this year, you know that I spent several days in Guatemala back in January, on assignment for multiple media outlets. I posted several stories, photos and videos about Guatemala right here on…
Best Airline Uniform in the Hemisphere: Avianca
The Avianca flight attendant uniform: Winner of the LatinFlyer.com best uniform award. BY MARK CHESNUTIt’s been a long time since walking into an airline terminal meant entering a world of jet-set glamour. But one airline in Latin America has kept a bit of the stylish side of flight: Avianca. And whether you’re in the midst…
7 Interesting Hotels in Uruguay
During my recent visit to Uruguay on a trip with Borello Travel & Tours, I checked out a bunch of noteworthy and interesting small hotels set in various interesting locations — many in and around Punta del Este, the chic, sun-drenched getaway that’s sometimes called the St. Tropez of South America. Here are a few…
VIDEO TOUR: Torture Devices at Cartagena’s Inquisition Museum
Hold still: The heretic’s fork Cartagena’s History Museum houses exhibits about the rich heritage of Colombia’s most popular tourism destination. But the part that seems to get the most attention is the Palacio de la Inquisición, which now houses a museum of the Inquisition. This violent phase of Roman Catholic history tried supposed heretics within…
VIDEO TOUR: Torture Devices at Cartagena’s Inquisition Museum
Hold still: The heretic’s fork Cartagena’s History Museum houses exhibits about the rich heritage of Colombia’s most popular tourism destination. But the part that seems to get the most attention is the Palacio de la Inquisición, which now houses a museum of the Inquisition. This violent phase of Roman Catholic history tried supposed heretics within…
VIDEO TOUR: Torture Devices at Cartagena’s Inquisition Museum
Hold still: The heretic’s fork Cartagena’s History Museum houses exhibits about the rich heritage of Colombia’s most popular tourism destination. But the part that seems to get the most attention is the Palacio de la Inquisición, which now houses a museum of the Inquisition. This violent phase of Roman Catholic history tried supposed heretics within…
Bogota Taps the Social Media Trend with New Site
It’s no secret that Colombia is still undiscovered territory for most leisure travelers — especially outside of the tourist-oriented historic city of Cartagena de Indias. But business travelers who find South America on their itineraries — as well as ahead-of-the-curve vacationers — already know that there is plenty to do in the capital city of Bogota….
The Disaster in Chile
My thoughts and best wishes go out to all the people affected by the massive earthquake that has struck Chile. Tragedies like this are difficult to fathom, especially when new information is still coming in. I’m sticking close to the TV and the computer screen. Santiago’s international airport remains closed for now, and LAN Airlines,…
Machu Picchu Prepares to Reopen, as Deals Continue
All reports are indicating that Machu Picchu will reopen to tourism on April 1, after being closed due to disastrous weather that struck in late January, causing landslides and flooding access routes to the Incan citadel. Tourism officials say the rail route, one of the few ways to reach the Andean ruins (which themselves have…
The Facelift Continues at San Francisco Church in Quito
The oldest church and monastery in Quito, Ecuador, is slowly but surely getting a facelift. Officially reopened in December, the 16th-century San Francisco church will continue to receive much-needed attention for quite some time. According to tourism officials, excavations carried out during renovations have unearthed artifacts from aboriginal to colonial times — including human bones…
LF DEAL ALERT: Acapulco Luxury, with Banyan Tree
Mexico’s first jet-set resort destination, Acapulco, is getting a needed shot in the arm with a spate of new luxury hotel openings. During my last visit, I checked out the pre-opening model of the Banyan Tree Cabo Marques, the newest property in the Americas run by the Asian luxury hotelier. And it’s quite a luxurious…