GOGO
WORLDWIDE VACATIONS last week launched its annual Mexico
Extravaganza promotion, featuring discounts on more than 115
resorts booked by May 8. Gogo said this years promotion features
greater savings for bread-and-butter destinations like Cancun,
Cozumel, the Riviera Maya, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta. Prices
are especially competitive in Cancun, which Gogo said has made an
almost complete recovery from Hurricane Wilma. Seven-night,
air-inclusive packages start at $555 per person, double, at the
Blue Bay Club Cancun. The promotion includes three- to five-star
resorts throughout the country and is in effect for travel through
Dec. 20. New this year is a number of culturally significant cities
such as Mexico City, Oaxaca, Merida and Guadalajara. Several
packages feature bonuses such as spa credits and free nights as
well as options where kids stay and eat free. To book or for
promotion details, call Gogo at (800) 229-4999 or visit www.gogowwv.com.
THE CEIBA
DEL MAR SPA RESORT on the Riviera Maya will reopen Aug. 1
following a major renovation to repair damages caused by Hurricane
Wilma. The resort will reopen with fewer rooms, 88 in all, but
larger master suites and penthouses. Sales and marketing will be
handled by Miami-based Villa del Sol Marketing, the company that
also markets the Hotel Villa del Sol in Zihuatanejo, We now offer
two totally distinct resorts located on opposite coasts of Mexico:
the Caribbean and the Pacific, said Michael Cojocea, director of
sales and marketing for both properties. What they have in common,
however, is supreme luxury on the beach, Cojocea said. The resort
will feature a new tour desk for booking excursions and arranging
private airport transfers. Opening rates will range from $370 a
night for a regular room to $1,250 for a penthouse suite. MAP meal
plans will be available. For information or reservations, call
(877) 545-6221 or visit www.ceibadelmar.com.
PUNTA
MITA, the upscale, 1,500-acre resort and residential
community just north of Puerto Vallarta, will open a 27-unit
complex called Las Terrazas Golf Villas in June. The new property
will be surrounded by the developments Jack Nicklaus-designed golf
course. Each unit will feature upscale amenities and two master
bedrooms. To promote the opening, Las Terrazas is offering a
three-night Tee It Up golf package for $4,075 for up to four
guests, including two rounds of golf for two guests, a spa
treatment per person and VIP transfers to and from Puerto Vallarta
Airport. Condominium rentals will run from $650 to $1,200 a night
for an oceanview or golf-courseview room to $775 to $1,400 for a
penthouse. For information or reservations, call (888) 647-0979 or
visit www.punta-mitaproperties.com.
MEXICO
BOUTIQUE HOTELS, the association of small, independent
properties throughout Mexico, added 12 properties, for a total of
45, including six in new cities: Playa del Carmen, Campeche,
Mineral de Pozos, Valle de Bravo, Monte Gordo and Colima. New
members include Azucar in Monte Gordo, Veracruz; Basico and Deseo,
both in Playa del Carmen; Casa Catrina, owned by artist Maestro
Rolando Rojas, in Oaxaca; and Condesa and Habita, both in Mexico
City. A unique feature of Mexico Boutique Hotels is a Circuit Tours
program, which enables customers to create self-guided itineraries
that include several member properties and destinations. Mexico
Boutique Hotels reservations specialists handle the planning of
accommodations, transfers and other requirements. For information
or reservations, call (800) 728-9098 or visit www.mexicoboutiquehotels.com.
GRANDLUXE
RAIL JOURNEYS, which formerly operated as American Orient
Express, is promoting what it describes as the first luxury rail
journeys through Mexico. GrandLuxe Mexico weekly departures are
scheduled beginning Oct. 29 and continue through April. Eight-night
trips aboard a refurbished, vintage Pullman train begin in El Paso,
Texas, and end in Mexico City. In between, the train traverses the
famed Copper Canyon and visits San Miguel de Allende, Mazatlan,
Guadalajara and Teotihuacan. Prices start at $4,190 per person,
double. Based in Downers Grove, Ill., GrandLuxe Rail Journeys
adopted its new name last month in order to better describe the
product and distinguish itself from U.K.-based
Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express. For information or reservations,
call (800) 320-4206 or visit www.grandluxerail.com.
Mexico
E-Letter Editor:
Jorge
Sidron
Phone: (973) 898-0011
[email protected]
For promotional
opportunities in the E-letters, contact [email protected].