bringing mom to mexico
To all of the experienced travelers out there - can you recommend a good place to take a 51 year old mom on vacation? she wants to stay in a beach area with shops, restaurants, stuff to do and i want to find a non "resorty", non americanized area where we can be close to waterfalls, volcanoes, surfing, cultural activities, snorkeling. language barrier is not an issue, thanks for the suggestions!1
If you are looking for a place to do all the things you list and closeto each other I suggest you take mom to Hawaii ...
3
What your mom wants and what you want appear to be totally irreconcilable. What your mom wants fits many, many beautiful beach areas in México, but what you want really doesn't exist ANYWHERE, neither in México, Hawaii nor, as far as I know, anywhere in the world, at least not to the extent that you stress.Wishing for a "non-resorty" beach with all those wonderful tourist attractions just doesn't compute!
Edited by: mazgringo
4
Everything on your list can be done in Mexico, but as others have pointed out, some of the locations are distant from one another. For example, the better snorkeling places are located on the Caribbean side of the country while the surfing is on the Pacific. And, famed surfing beaches sometimes pose dangers for casual swimmers. Volcanoes (except for Colima) tend to be located far inland, away from beaches. Mexico's Caribbean coast is easily accessible from Cancun's airport but the area is flat, lacking mountains.How many weeks or months will you devote to this trip? Each activity on your list, and also your mother's' list, will require considerable expenditure of time and energy. If you'll face time constraints, as many travelers do, consider narrowing your activity list somewhat.
Your mom wants to spend time at a tourist beach but you want to avoid "Americanized" settings. Perhaps you could compromise by going to a beach resort area that primarily serves Mexican tourists rather than foreign ones.
5
Here's a possibility worth considering, assuming that snorkeling is not a priority and that you can appreciate mountain scenery that happens not to consist of volcanoes.Fly to the city of Oaxaca. (You may need to change planes in Mexico City to get there.) After spending at least several days in (and near) Oaxaca, fly to Puerto Escondido (PE), a beach resort city known for its surfing. Before flying home from the Oaxacan coast, consider additionally visiting one or more additional beach areas, south of PE. Limited snorkeling opportunities are sometimes available near Puerto Angel.
6
I think you and your mom are far too distant in interests to make such a plan work. While I can see you putting up with her interests for a bit, how is she going to put up with your adventuring?Hawaii would be good and perhaps Banff, Alberta which is made for all interests from shopping to hiking the trails at the gorgeous Lake Louise.
In Mexico I can only think of time in Puerto Vallarta for your mom and then time in Colima with its two volcanoes and biosfera park for you.
9
Colima Mexico...has lots going on...has a volcano overlooking town. Beach is a day trip away. We have just been here for a month and maybe saw 2 possible americans a week.. very few tourists. Safe, clean, cheap, Lots of culture, museums and interesting stuff. Highly recommended for mom!!!10
Oh and there are waterfalls and nice water attractions ourside of Colima....lots of museums including the Rangel Museum in Noguras near Comala outside of town...not to be missed...also the ruins of El Chanel (best) and La Campana in town....fly into Manzanillo...go to Melaque for the beach or La Manzanilla for swimming...not too much snorking in this area, we don't bring our gear but there is lots of other things to do....Tampumache is an interesting day trip with lots of archeological artifacts and a nice swimming pool...You can also fly into Guadelajara and get there.11
You have sold Colima to me Paxton, never been and will go soon, thxHow can a place be nonAmericanized and you have no language barrier? maybe sign language? its easy to shop and sleep in the sun in any tongue.
