Mexico — open for US travelers

Four Seasons Punta Mita — reopens July 1 (c) 2020 by David Ourisman, all right reserved

Yes, you can fly to Mexico! There has been confusion about the border closure between the US and Mexico; it applies to the land border only. While you cannot DRIVE to Mexico today, you can definitely FLY! Here are the facts:

• U.S. travelers can fly to Mexico without any issues.
• Cabo and the Riviera Maya are open, and airlines are adding flights.
• Visitors do not need to quarantine.

Take a look at this handy website from Classic Vacations for information about popular domestic and international vacation destinations. What's open? What's still closed? When will your favorite resort reopen? What travel restrictions exist, if any?

Some highlighted openings... Each resort listed below is open today and offers Virtuoso amenities: free breakfasts, resort credits, and more. As an added value, Classic Vacations offers cancel-for-any-reason insurance at no extra cost, giving you the flexibility to cancel for a full refund up to 8 days before arrival.

Mexico - Riviera Maya
   Andaz Mayakoba
   Banyan Tree Mayakoba
   Grand Velas Riviera Maya - all inclusive
   Hotel Esencia
   Rosewood Mayakoba

Mexico - Los Cabos
   Montage Los Cabos
   Chileno Bay
   Esperanza
   Grand Velas Los Cabos - all inclusive

United States
   Andaz Scottsdale
   Calistoga Ranch, Napa Valley
   Farmhouse Inn, Sonoma County
   Park Hyatt Beaver Creek
   Solage, Napa County

copyright (c) 2020 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

beach vacation in Mexico

sunset at Casa Majani (c) 2016 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Punta Mita is an exclusive Mexican beach resort area just 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. An easy non-stop flight from many US airports including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta, Punta Mita has beautiful white sand beaches and five star resorts, including the Four Seasons Punta Mita and the St. Regis Punta Mita.

Want something even more exclusive for a multi-generational family vacation (or even couples traveling together)? Consider a beachfront villa rental. On a Brownell Travel educational trip, we spent our first two nights at Palmasola, a 9 bedroom private estate directly on the beach. The beach was wide, sandy,  and completely empty, yet only a 10 minute walk in the sand to the Four Seasons's "quiet beach." We literally had our own private luxury resort for our stay — beautiful rooms, exceptional meals, and attentive service.

We can provide you with private beachfront villas all over Mexico ranging in size from 3 - 11 bedrooms. Casa Majani (pictured above) is a five bedroom villa (with a small sixth bedroom suitable for a nanny) just down from the St. Regis. The sunset view was incredible.

Whether you'd rather stay in a world-class resort or your own personal retreat, we can help you find the perfect spot for a beach vacation in Mexico — whether on the Riviera Maya, Punta Mita, Los Cabos, or elsewhere.

#1887ClubPuntaMita

copyright  (c)  2016 by David Ourisman LLC.  All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

luxury beach resort for the New Year?

Ocean View Junior Suite at Las Ventanas al Paraiso

Festive Season space is extremely difficult to find at the best beach resorts, but if you're looking for a short getaway to one of the top resorts in Los Cabos, here's a three night possibility at Las Ventanas al Paraiso.

An Ocean View Rooftop Terrace Junior Suite (see the picture above to get an idea of the views) just became available. The check-in date is January 1st with a January 4th check-out... and you can extend your stay beyond this date. The room rate is $2280 per night plus 34% tax and service for the three night period.

You'll receive extra value just by booking through your Virtuoso travel consultant:

• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
• Continental breakfast daily, for up to two in room guests served in restaurant
• $100 USD Equivalent Spa Services credit, to be utilized during stay (not combinable, no cash value if not redeemed in full)
• Early check-in/late check-out subject to availability

copyright (c) 2015 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Virtuoso Week | Virtuoso resorts in Los Cabos?

For the next ten posts, I'll be sharing highlights from my week at Virtuoso Travel Week. After over 300 appointments, as well as countless information social encounters with hoteliers and other travel professionals, these are the top things I learned at Travel Week.

#1 on my top ten list… 

There are four Virtuoso resorts in Los Cabos. Each is great in its own way, but how do you choose the right one for a particular client? Asking the hotels to help differentiate is somewhat helpful, but their feedback is understandably something less than objective! So I asked the rep from Terramar Los Cabos, the Virtuoso onsite in Los Cabos, for her opinion. Here's how she describes the four.

One and Only Palmilla — Hot and sexy with a swimmable beach. One and Only is smaller resort but at a distance from nightlife outside the resort. A place where guests go to be seen.  Has re-opened ... see this video of the reopening!

Las Ventanas Al Paraiso — A smaller resort with over the top luxury and a feeling of seclusion. Guests come here not to be seen; no paparazzi allowed on the resort.  will re-open 4JUN, 2015.

The Resort at Pedregal — Very high end resort with great service. The resort's tunnel through the mountain makes it easy to walk into Los Cabos for shopping and nightlife. (Update: no longer part of Capella)... reopening 31JAN, 2015.

Esperanza — More casual, great for families. The service is more relaxed and not as uptight as of the others.

NOTE:  Hurricane Odile hit the west coast of Baja California on September 15, 2014 leaving behind unprecedented damage. Many of our favorite resorts will remain closed for the rest of the year while they make repairs. We are confident that they will return to business as usual in 2015 and will be better than ever with new facilities and a renewed determination to provide the best luxury experiences to our clients! Our thoughts are with all of our friends in Los Cabos while they begin to rebuild their beautiful communities. If you are interested in planning a vacation to Los Cabos, please contact us and we will provide you detailed information about renovations and re-opening dates for each resort. 

copyright (c) 2014 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.