About The Trip & How It Works
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Destination Summary
On day 1 you will fly to the Manzanillo International Airport. After arriving at the airport and clearing Mexican Customs your host John Sedgwick will greet you and guide you to pre arrainged ground transportation that will take you to your hotel in Melaque, a delightful seaside town located north of the airport in Jalisco state. We will stay in Melaque for two nights. This will give you an opportunity to recover from the rigors of air travel and to get used to Mexico. While you are in Melaque you will use your ATM cards, US dollars, Canadian dollars or American Express traveler's checks to get Mexican pesos. On the second morning following breakfast we will depart by regular first class Mexican bus for Manzanillo and then by second class bus and taxi to Cuyutlan.
After several divine relaxing days in Cuyutlán we will bus it to La Ciudad Colima and the surrounding hill towns of Comala and Suchitlán. Following our high country excursions we will return to Cuyutlán for a full day of relaxation beach side before flying home the following day.
Itinerary & Dates
The following itinerary was selected with many considerations in mind. One of these is that these dates produced the best airfare I could find for a 10 day trip.
If you want to stay longer feel free to do so. You will be responsible for all costs following the last day of the itinerary.
Daily Itinerary
Trip Dates: Winter 2010 Trip Dates TBA in August 2009
Day 1 & 2 - Melaque
Depart Seattle and fly to Manzanillo México - (airport code is ZLO)
Melaque Hotel TBA - Melaque, Jalisco Mexico
two nights: Check in TBA, Check out TBA
Phone number when dialed from the USA: TBA
We will stay in the seaside resort town Melaque on our first and second nights. This will give us an opportunity to get some rest, adjust a bit to Mexico and change dollars for pesos or use our Visa or Master Card branded debit cards to get pesos at the bank. There are no banks or money changing houses in Cuyutlán.
Day 3 - Cuyutlán
After breakfast and changing money we will travel to from Melaque to Cuyutlán about 50 miles away. My plan is to get us there by 2:00 pm so we can check in and relax and enjoy the afternoon beach side.
Hotel Morelos - Cuyutlan, Colima Mexico
Four nights: Check in TBA, Check out TBA
Phone number when dialed from the USA: 011 52 313 326 4013
Day 4 - Cuyutlán
Day 5 - Cuyutlán
Day 6 - Cuyutlán
Day 7 - Travel To la ciudad Colima
We will catch a bus to Colima City which is about an hour and a half from Cuyutlán depending on connections.
Colima Budget Hotel
Hotel La Merced - Colima City, Colima Mexico
Two nights: Check in TBA, Check out TBA
Phone numbers when dialed from the USA:
011 52 312 312 6969
011 52 312 314 2734
Colima Hotel Upgrade Option**
Hotel Ceballos - Colima City, Colima Mexico
Two nights: Check in TBA, Check out TBA
Phone number when dialed from the USA: 011 52 312 312 4444
Day 8 Colima City, Suchitlán and Comala region
Day 9 - Colima City, Suchitlán and Comala region
Wednesday Option - Return to Cuyutlán
Some of you may want to return to Cuyutlán for a full day of rest and relaxation before returning home. If you choose to do this you may be responsible for getting back to Cuyutlán on your own. This is not rocket science it’s bus science. After traveling from Cuyutlán to Colima City you will have a good feel for how the bus system works. All you will have to do is reverse the process. I will provide assistance and hard copy information about how to get back to Cuyutlán from Colima.
Day 10 - Travel Back To Cuyutlán
We will leave Colima City around mid day perhaps a bit later and bus back to Cuyutlán.
Hotel Morelos - Cuyutlan, Colima Mexico
One night OR two nights if you decided to return to Cuyutlan on Wednesday.
Check in March 15 or 16 depending on traveler preferences, Check out March 17
Phone number when dialed from the USA: 011 52 313 326 4013
Day 11 - Cuyutlán Breakfast & one last swim in the ocean
Mid Morning Return Trip to Manzanillo Airport & Fly Home
Travel from Cuyutlán to Manzanillo City and then on to the Airport and fly home. We will leave our hotel in Cuyutlán around 10:00 am and ride the local buses to the main bus terminal in Manzanillo. You will be responsible for your own bus fare from Cuyutlán to the terminal in Manzanillo. From there you will take ground transportation included in your trip cost directly to the airport.
**IMPORTANT NOTE: Travelers on these trips have the option of making changes to their itinerary on the fly in Mexico. The dates and hotels listed above and are the official published itinerary for the trip. If a group member makes a decision to stay a night or two longer or less, they may NOT be at the location or hotel outlined in this itinerary. This is an important detail to pass on to family and emergency contact persons who may want to reach a group member in Mexico.
Individual travelers are responsible for notifying family and other contact persons about changes they decide to make planned or on the fly that deviate from the published trip dates and hotels.
If a group member has selected a hotel upgrade option like the Colima City Hotel Ceballos upgrade listed above it is the responsibility of the group member to inform family and emergency contact persons before they leave on the trip of what hotel they will be staying in.
The trip ends on 2008 date TBA. Please note that some group members will be staying longer than the last official day of the trip. It is the responsibility of all group members to inform family or other emergency contact persons of their unique itinerary.
What’s Included
Included in the cost below are all hotel rooms and transportation from the Manzanillo airport to Melaque City on day 1 and from Manzanillo City to the Manzanillo airport on Day 11. On day 11 you will share transportation costs from Cuyutlán to Manzanillo City.
My Services
Included are my services as the trip organizer and facilitator. My job is to get you to a cool place, make you aware of the possibilities and assist you with doing what you want to do when there including language assistance. You are basically on your own and may be as private or as social as you want to be. You can do whatever you want and go where ever you want to at any time. There are no scheduled group activities.
I will fly to México a few days in advance of the trip to firm up travel arrangements. I will meet you at the Manzanillo airport and I will have transportation ready to go from the airport to our hotel in Melaque. You will arrive late in the afternoon after a long day and you will have to clear Mexican customs. I expect we will get to our hotel in Melaque around 6:00 - 6:30 pm.
Trip Cost
- Cost per person single occupancy: (one person in one room)
Cost TBA
- Cost per person double occupancy: (two people in one room)
Cost TBA
Accommodations
We will stay in nice, clean and safe budget hotels. Rooms are Spartan when compared to USA hotel rooms. These are rooms in typical Mexican budget to moderate hotels that service Mexican travelers. All rooms will have ceiling fans, private baths and hot water. In Manzanillo we will stay at the Hotel Colonial. In Cuyutlán we will stay in the historic Hotel Morelos a beautiful little hotel built in 1896. In Colima we will stay in either the Hotel La Merced or the Hotel Colonial. Both are budget to moderate hotels in downtown Colima City.
Accommodation Upgrades
If you wish to upgrade to a 5 star first class hotel in Colima City we can work that out. This will be the historic Hotel Ceballos a beautiful colonial era hotel right on the main plaza.
Cuyutlán Upgrade
In Cuyutlán you may elect to upgrade to a breezy airy room at the modern beach side hotel Maria Victoria. There are plenty of rooms with a balcony and a view of the ocean which is right in front of you.
- six nights single occupancy - Cost TBA (one person in one room)
- six nights per person double occupancy -Cost TBA (two people in one room)
Colima Upgrade
Treat yourself to two nights at the five star historic Hotel Ceballos located right on the main plaza. All rooms have air conditioning. There are also complimentary Internet connected computers with scanners that guests may use to access their web mail or surf the web.
- 2 nights single occupancy - Cost TBA (one person in one room)
- 2 nights per person double occupancy -Cost TBA per person (two people in one room)
Other Costs & Items You Will Be Responsible For
You will cover all your meals. My estimated food cost is $10 - $25 a day per person depending on what and how much you eat and drink. I got by rather well on about $18.00 a day average and I ate very well.
Estimated out of pocket transportation costs for bus fare and cabs will be $60 - $80 per person for the whole trip. This estimate does not include renting a guide and a panga to go bird watching or renting a cab to go 50 miles.
You will be responsible for all costs not indicated as covered in the trip cost
Documentation
Please review our documentation page for detailed documentation including what to do if the name on your birth certificate is NOT the same name as is on your driver's license. You will also find information about Mexican visas and customs and documentation required if you will be traveling with minor children.
When traveling to Mexico by airplane ONLY ONE type of documentation** is acceptable for entry into México and re-entry into the United States.
- A valid US or Canadian Passport. NO EXCEPTIONS If you do not have a valid passport you will not be allowed to get on the plane in the US.
- If you will be traveling from another country please check with the Mexican Embassy in your country to learn about visa and other entry requirements. .
** NOTE: Due to the current heightened international security environment beginning January 1 2007 US Citizens must have a valid Passport to leave and re enter the United States. A driver's licence and Birth Certificate will no longer be accepted for International travel including to Canada and México.
Essential Items
Be sure to bring all prescription medications and other essential health and personal care items including sun screen, a sun hat and to protect your arms & legs a lightweight long sleeve shirt and pair of protective pants. Please review our travel tips page for more details about traveling in México.
Air Travel
- You will book and pay for your own air fare
- Depart Seattle or your airport of origin on Departure date TBA
- Return from Manzanillo to your home destination on Return date TBA
- All group members are encouraged to book on the SAME flight from Los Angeles International (LAX) to Manzanillo (ZLO). This will be easy because there is only one flight a day on Alaska Airlines from LAX to Manzanillo. There are several Alaska Airlines flights from Seattle in the early morning that will connect with the same single flight a day from LAX to Manzanillo.
- You may opt to arrive via another gateway like Houston on Continental Airlines. Continental has a flight that arrives in Manzanillo mid afternoon. If you book this flight you will have to wait for the rest of the group to arrive at 4:30 pm on the Alaska Airlines flight from LAX.
- You may elect to stay longer and fly back at a later date. If you do this you will be responsible for all your costs including hotel and transportation after the last official day of the trip
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