Mexican rebirth
01-Jul-06
Every cloud has a silver lining and Mexico is a case in point, because after the battering it received from Hurricanes Emily and Wilma last year, the country has emerged with a better luxury product than ever.
With its exquisite beaches, tropical rainforest, historic sites and growing choice of fabulous accommodation, Mexico was booming before many hotels, largely in the Yucatan, were forced to shut for repairs in October.
Abercrombie & Kent Latin America planning manager, Matilda Granville, says: "Last year, Mexico was flying; obviously it's been slow after the hurricanes, but with things back on track now I think we'll see 30% year-on-year growth again. People took the opportunity to really refurbish, there's fresh vegetation and in places such as Ikal del Mar, the beach is actually better than ever."
Getting the message across that things are back to normal is paramount, say operators. ITC Classics is working on a marketing plan to boost sluggish sales. "Bookings are down largely because perception in the UK is that things aren't great, and we need to tackle this," says Christian Locke, Mexico product manager.
Even Cancun - not usually associated with top-end travel - has a new vitality and luxury appeal, according to the tourist board. Beaches have been restored and widened, and hotel choices include the new all-inclusive Le Blanc Spa & Resort and refurbished Hilton.
But it's the Riviera Maya, with an expanding string of sublime properties, that remains the top luxury hotspot. Mexico City now has some of the world's hippest hotels too. The jet-set can't get enough of Los Cabos in Baja California, while on the Central Pacific coast, properties such as Las Alamandas have A-listers fighting for rooms.
For some operators, including Latin America specialist Journey Latin America, (JLA) clients are diversifying into 'newer' destinations such as Oaxaca, Queretaro, Guanajuato and Chiapas. A series of recent Mexican exhibitions in London, including Frida Kahlo at the Tate Modern, have helped put Mexico on the cultural tourism map, according to JLA marketing manager Tim Murray Walker.
Campeche state too has been earmarked as the 'next big thing' for the luxury market. Spanish property developer Grupo Mall is investing in a huge complex with marina, five-star hotel and 3,000 residential properties on the coast, and others are expected to follow suit.
In response to the booming top-end market, the first trade fair for the luxury travel industry, the Mexico Luxury Travel Expo, is being held in the Riviera Maya from 5-6 October (www.mexicoluxurytravelexpo.com).
"Mexico has the best infrastructure for the luxury market in Latin America," says UK tourist board director Manuel Diaz-Cebrian. "There's so much to be discovered and interest just continues to grow."
WHAT'S NEW TO DO ...
Suggest clients stay at the eco-chic Hotelito Desconocido on the Central Pacific coast between June and January to watch baby sea turtles hatch on the hotel's beach. The hotel is in one of the most important sea turtle and bird reserves in Mexico. Nature- loving guests can explore the Sierra Madre mountains, and may even glimpse a jaguar (www.hotelito.com).
There's a new way of exploring the Sea of Cortez - on board luxurious Turkish sailing ships, the Barcos que Cantan. Clients can hire the vessel, which sleeps up to 12, or book a twin ensuite cabin. The seven-night cruises explore the coast and islands, the food's top-notch and there's time for snorkelling, fishing, diving, water sports and even some whale watching. (www.barcosquecantan.com).
A series of six-day yoga retreats are now available at Orient-Express's Maroma Resort and Spa, based at its luxurious Kinan Spa. The retreats include a health consultation, daily yoga classes, meditation sessions, spa treatments, healthy gourmet cooking class and excursions. Prices start at £1,700 per person. Private retreats for a minimum of four people can also be arranged (www.maromahotel.com).
For clients with a head for heights, ITC Classics suggests an early-morning helicopter trip to Chichen Itza from Paraiso de la Bonito Resort & Spa on the Riviera Maya. It's a great way to get a bird's-eye view of the beautiful coastline and surrounding countryside (www.itcclassics.co.uk).
Foodies staying at La Casa Que Canta shouldn't miss cooking lessons with chef Giles. Guests learn about the cuisines of Mexico and prepare a traditional appetiser and entree prior to enjoying the fruits of their labour. Typical dishes are chilaquiles and shrimp breaded in coconut. Lessons are held each Tuesday and Friday at 11am (www.lacasaquecanta.com).
For pampering with a difference, suggest clients try the Hammock Massage in the new Jungle Spa Suite at Ikal del Mar. Different colour hammocks are chosen for different effects (blue, lavender and green are relaxing, red, orange and fuchsia revitalising) and avocado oil and cacao are used to massage the body. A waterfall feeds the suite's private outdoor shower, adding to the soothing experience (www.ikaldelmar.com).
HOTELS
Esencia, the former home of the Duchess of Ferrari on the Riviera Maya, opened as a boutique hotel in December. A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World and sister to Ikal del Mar, the 29-room hotel was inspired by nature, say its creators ProHotel International. Aroma spa uses homegrown herbs for body treatments. Great for couples, and it's very family-friendly. (www.hotelesencia.com).
The 426-room Hilton Cancun Golf & Spa Resort reopened in June following a £21m renovation after Hurricane Wilma. The restored beach is now 50 metres deeper, there's a brand new fitness centre, new lobby, and the meeting facilities, five restaurants and three bars have been upgraded (www.hilton.com).
Fairmont Mayakoba opened in May with 401 rooms, including 34 suites. The 16,000sq ft Willow Stream spa has a couple's suite in the treetops and there's a championship golf course (www.fairmont.com). The Grupo Habita's trendy Basico opened recently near Playa del Carmen, attracting a hip, young crowd (www.condesadf.com).
Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso, a 312-room, five-star property on Playa Paraiso opens in winter 2006 (www.iberostar.com). Rosewood Hotels is opening Rosewood Mayakoba on the Riviera Maya in 2007. The 120 suites and 38 villas nestle in a landscape of jungle and lagoons. There will be a spa on its own island and a Greg Norman-designed championship golf course (www.rosewoodhotels.com). Early 2007 will also see the opening of Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya. Set in 36 acres of tropical jungle, with mangrove reserves and lagoons, there will be 128 villas (www.mandarinoriental.com).
St Regis Hotels & Resorts is making its Mexican debut in Mexico in 2007, with two properties in Mexico City and Punta Mita (www.starwoodhotels.com).
BUYER'S COMMENT - Cathy Matos, owner, Cathy Matos Mexican Tours
Mexico has amazing standards of luxury properties, from the private 17th century haciendas to the Rosewood Las Ventanas, the Fairmont Mayakoba and the Orient-Express Maroma.
A recent visit to the Goldsmith's Hacienda San Antonio left me speechless. I adore the old Flamingo in Acapulco, once owned by a consortium of hell raisers. The Coco Loco cocktail was invented here.
There's so much to do - we offer private car and guided tours of the Mayan sites. Clients can rent polo ponies in various places, particularly Careyes; they can have cookery classes, or fly in a small plane up to the whale breeding areas in the Sea of Cortez. The Monarch Butterflies in Moreila are a joy to behold from October to March. There's fishing of all kinds - we can place clients in fishing lodges so exclusive no one knows about them. We can organise birdwatching tours with expert guides - Holbox and the Yucatan Peninsula are favourite spots. My favourite place for scuba diving is Cozumel. You can visit the Copper Canyon and stay at a ranch en route.
As for restaurants, Mi Cocina in Casa Natalia, Los Cabos, has to be one of the best restaurants in the world. www.cathymatosmexico.com
BEST ROOM IN THE HOUSE
ROSA'S SUITE
Esencia, Riviera Maya
Client fit: Fans of elegant opulence.
Why: The favourite room of Rosa, the Italian Duchess who once lived here, it has a domed Catalan ceiling, vast balcony and spectacular views.
Price: From £490 per night. (www.hotelescencia.com).
PRIVATE OCEANFRONT CASITA
Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya
Client fit: Clients wanting the very best.
Why: On the beach, with butler to cater for every whim, it's full of light and very spacious with private landscaped terrace or huge balcony.
Price: From £1,000 per night. (www.fairmont.com).
LA CASA DE LA MARQUESA
Queretaro
Client fit: Romantics and history lovers
Why: It's exquisite with carved wooden shutters and stuffed with antiques - an architectural jewel of colonial Mexico, carefully restored to its former glory.
Price: From £130 per night. (www.slh.com).
EL ENSUENO
La Case que Canta
Client fit: Ideal for families or groups of friends.
Why: Opened in November, it's a four-suite private residence, with own beach club. Each suite has a plunge pool and all expected luxuries.
Price: From £320 for one suite to £1,720 for whole place per night. (www.lacasaquecanta.com).
SIAN NAH SUITE
Maroma Resort, Riviera Maya
Client fit: Spa lovers and fitness fanatics.
Why: These eight new suites have their own in-room spa area, their own mini gym, outdoor terrace with plunge pool and stunning views of the ocean.
Price: From £800 per night. (www.maromahotel.com).
WHERE TO EAT & DRINK
SAL Y FUEGO
Esencia, Riviera Maya
Setting: Magical - it overlooks a cenote, an underground freshwater pool that's lit up at night.
Cuisine: Chef Alejandro Rojas serves traditional Meso-American cuisine, with fresh seafood or meat wrapped in banana leaves and cooked deep in the earth. Best table: Anywhere near the cenote.
Contact: +52 984 873 4830
IZOTE
Mexico City
Setting: In the trendy Polanco district, but its well-heeled clientele don't come for the simple, Aztec-influenced decor - the food's the draw.
Cuisine: Celebrity chef Patricia Quintana plays with pre-Hispanic flavours - cerviche and lamb shank wrapped in banana and maguey leaf are favourites.
Best table: Any. This place gets booked up quickly.
Contact: +52 55 5280 1671
C
One&Only Palmilla, Los Cabos
Setting: Chic blue glass affair with cylindrical aquariums and modern art.
Why: Created by the legendary Charlie Trotter. Mexican chef de cuisine Guillermo Tellez creates modern Mexican fare.
Best table: The chef's table, if invited.
Contact: +52 624 146 7000
HACIENDA LOS LAURELES
Oaxaca
Setting: Converted, colonial hacienda.
Why: Traditional Oaxacan and Mexican cuisine is prepared using ingredients from local markets.
Best table: On the terrace, overlooking the garden.
Contact: +52 951 501 5300
THE RESTAURANT, ESPERANZA
Cabo San Lucas
Setting: Stone terraces overlook the Sea of Cortez
Why: Good Mediterranean-influenced cuisine using local produce and regional flavours.
Best table: As close to the ocean as you can.
Contact: +52 624 145 6400
BUYER'S COMMENT - Tim Murray-Walker, marketing manager, Journey Latin America
With diverse landscapes, activities and attractions and such efficient infrastructure, Mexico is a seriously hot destination, combining city chic, culture and adventure with beautiful beaches and idyllic hideaways. The country's image as a tourist destination is changing, with the UK's ever more discerning audience recognising the great cultural appeal.
In my opinion, a near-perfect holiday would include the bizarre Day of the Dead festivities in colonial Oaxaca (2 November ), shopping for silver in Taxco, a few days exploring the highland villages and rainforest ruins of Chiapas, and some snorkelling or diving off Isla Holbox, off the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. When it's possible to watch rays or whales from your kayak in Baja California, marvel at Mayan and Aztec temples, take the train through the spectacular Copper Canyon, surf the Pacific rollers, haggle for bargains at indigenous markets and lie back on the powdery sand of the Caribbean coastline - all in one holiday - then you really do have something for everyone.
Our hotels range from super-stylish urban chic in Mexico City (W Hotel) to elegantly converted colonial haciendas in the Yucatan (Uayamon, Temozon, San Jose, Santa Rosa), or impossibly romantic bijoux properties on the Pacific coast (Hotelito Desconocido and Los Careyes). Surely the most unique of all is the Quinta Real in Zacatecas. A really special place to stay, the hotel is situated in a converted bull ring in one of northern Mexico's most delightful colonial towns. The forthcoming film Bandidas, starring Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek was filmed in this part of Mexico.
It's hard to choose the best restaurants, but in Mexico City, Cafe Tacuba is a real institution with great traditional food and a good atmosphere (with mariachis) and Bar La Opera, open since 1870, is packed with character - including bullet holes in the ceiling allegedly left by revolutionary hero Pancho Villa. www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk.
