Mexico Vacations
Vacation Ideas

My husband and I first traveled to this area five years ago. We found it to be an incredibly beautiful, friendly and safe vacation place in Mexico.

We have to say that the scenery took our breath away and took us by surprise. We did not expect the Sonoran Desert to be so full of life and to be so green.

The many small towns along the route are unspoiled by tourists and touristy attractions. No Wal-Mart’s or Home Depots here. You experience the authentic old Mexico here.

In Banamichi, one of the small pueblos on the route, Hotel Los Arcos de Sonora, American owned and operated, offers guests a comfortable and relaxing stay. They have ten modern, elegantly decorated rooms with private baths, lots of hot running water, air conditioning/heat, ceiling fans, extremely comfortable beds.

All the rooms face an intimate interior courtyard with a unique waterfall feature. Coffee is served all day, there is a gift shop selling souvenirs and Mexican art, private parking, laundry service, Wi-Fi, and a free gourmet breakfast. The hotel also offers transportation to and from Tucson and Bisbee, Arizona.

Surprisingly there are many vacation activities here. Warm and hot springs are nearby, horseback riding and just experiencing the local culture. The locals are happy to show you how to make tortillas and other favorite dishes.

Motorcycle tours, jeeping, hiking, camping, mountain climbing, mountain biking, repelling, cooking classes, visiting historic missions will keep you busy for days. There are also several interesting local artisans who make furniture, paint, and create their own special crafts. We highly recommend the Rio Sonora River area neat Banamichi, Sonora for your Mexico vacations travel ideas.

The Ruta Rio Sonora begins in Cananea in northern Sonora and runs the length of the Rio Sonora about 200 miles through many small towns founded in the 1600's to Ures, Sonora. The scenic drive takes you through the Cananea grasslands, up over the Sierras and down a beautiful, cultivated river valley filled with fields of alfalfa and nut trees.

Hotel Los Arcos offers ten individually decorated rooms, Wi-Fi, private parking, an intimate interior courtyard with lush gardens and fountains, free coffee for guests, gift shop featuring unique gifts from Mexico and around the world, private dining room and cafeteria. Breakfast is served in the private dining room or outside on the patio. The hotel offers special packages that include shuttle service from the border and Tucson.

In Mexico City there is a large array of colonial and baroque architecture. Everywhere you look you can see huge shiny cathedrals and elegant stone houses which, by the way, are well kept and mostly house museums and expositions nowadays. You can also find several archeological sites where ancient cultures such as the Mayans and the Aztecs built their cities thousands of years ago. Although most of them are just outside the city, some can be found right in the middle of the city.

From entire pyramids to lengthy collections of sculptures and idols, the archeological sites and museums hold records of some of the most important civilizations in the world.Needless to say you can go up and into some of the pyramids and learn so much about pre-Hispanic cultures.

Different from other vacation destinations, here you can find something to do for the whole family and for every interest. You can take the classic bus tours around the city, visit the museums of modern art, and even a couple of castles, or have a picnic on a bout as it floats through the canals of the most beautiful jungles, also on the edge of the big city.

If you get there in time for the national holidays, you can witness the parades and street attractions celebrating the independence and other important holidays. Mexico City is a very modern city, so you can also find some of the best international restaurants and very good hotels to stay.

On a cruise, everything is provided for you and all in one place. They feed you with great food (might have been my favorite part) at any time you want, they entertain you, they take you to several destinations, and you never have to unpack because it is all contained in one place. You do not even have to consider costs because it is all inclusive when you purchase your ticket. There’s no thinking or planning required!

We just relaxed and enjoyed the trip. A variety of excursions are provided at each destination, too; so you do not have to research what you will visit. It is already done for you. In Ensenada, Mexico we chose to golf at a course that is right on the ocean. The views were amazing! And I shot one of my best rounds, which made it even better.

As with anything on a cruise, it was all inclusive, so transportation was arranged by the cruise company and we were even provided a bucket of balls to warm-up with at the range. They make it so easy to go have fun.

Then at Catalina Island we went snorkeling. This was an experience for my husband who avoids nature at all costs. He could be content with a computer and television and never step outside. But I got him to try it and it was pretty funny. At first the fish scared him so he would kick and stir-up the water when they would come near, totally defeating the purpose of the excursion. When he realized this only caused him to swallow water he calmed down and found out that it was beautiful under the water. (And that the fish did not want to nibble him.) It felt like being in another world. When the excursions ended there was still all the great food waiting for us back at the ship.

If you are looking for a great Mexico vacation experience with the least amount of work, a cruise is the best option. You are catered to in everything and I believe it is impossible to have a dull moment.

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