Do you or your wife speak Spanish? How blonde are you?
I’ve never had trouble Mexico but I’ve stuck with Cozumel the last several years .

South Tucson is as close to Mexico as I ever want to visit, and I can LEGALLY carry a firearm.

We enjoyed Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan peninsula.

Be smart, have fun, and exercise common sense. Statistically you'll be fine.

My wife and I have spent time there in each of the last two years. It is a wonderful little town on the Pacific that is a sorta hippy, surfer town. I think it is one of the neatest little town that we visited. Lots of expats live there and the lack of Spanish won’t be a big problem.

I wouldn’t go further north but you have good access to Puerto Vallarta about 20 miles to the South. We were just there last week and the weather is always wonderful.

We feel perfectly safe during the day in 90% of Mexico but would not walk the dark, back roads at night.

Mike

I know nothing of that area. I have spent some time on the other coast. Mostly Akumal and Tulum but some other area as well. We had a local car we used to get around without any real issues but we were very aware of what was going on around us.

Bring some American money but keep most of it hidden away. Just some small bills in your pockets and wallet.

Things have changed in the area's where we used to travel.

Mexico can be a great place and I have had some great adventures there but always remember it is Mexico.

You sir, are a brave man. I was in the Leon area last month, and the security measures we took were ridiculous, and expensive. On the flip side, the locals are some of the nicest, hardest working people I have ever met. It was a terrifyingly pleasant experience.

As someone who spends time there.... NO.. You absolutely DO NOT want the "authentic" Mexico!

Even the resorts aren't as safe anymore as they used to be. But seriously, forget the knife. It won't help you anyway and could get you in trouble. Keep some cash separate in another pocket or your sock or something in case you need to bribe cops, which I have had to do and co-workers have done many times. You don't want all your money together because if they see it they will take it all.

My opinion is seriously find somewhere else to go. Fuck Mexico.

I have been to Mexico 4 times in the last 2 years. 3 times in the border and once to Mexico City. Including one time alone.

I would not spend the night in the border, but I felt fine in Mexico City. There are places I would not go and it is more risky than going to North Dakota.

I am gringo and speak decent Spanish. If I had no Spanish skills, then I would be nervous.

I once did a Google map street view of random spots in various cities in Mexico. I couldn't find a single place down there that I'd like to live. Every place I saw looked like a dump.

Surely there must be some nice neighborhoods, but I didn't find any.

In the course of two months in 2010 I found downtown Queretaro to be a lot less sketchy at night than downtown Spokane.
That's smack fucking dab in the middle of the country and (I was told) a city of over 800k at the time.

Don't know if that helps your decision or not, just my story.

You'd have to be out of your rabid ass mind to go there. Cozumel ok, Cancun maybe. But I wouldn't touch ANYWHERE else in Mexico and I surely would pick about 2 dozen other places to go to before Mexico.

Maybe Patagonia instead?

Several years ago we visited northern Mexico. The place was beyond filthy! Constant barrages of beggars wanting money.

We were 2 couples. My wife, her best friend and her husband and me. We didn't spend much time there after we came across the first few piles of human feces in various public places.

Took us nearly 4 hours to get back through US Customs to get back into the states.

Before departing for the greatest paradise ever, please make sure that relatives have a copy of your dental records.

My wife would really love to visit Mexico someday. I said she could, as long as she increases her life insurance policy 500% and goes without me or my son.

She hasn't started planning it yet. But she is from Brazil and all kinds of crazy.

Tony.

I can tell you this, I've been to the Yucatán the last 2 years, (around Tulum area), not at a resort, pretty "local" and this year (February) it as much more "militarized" than the year before, lots of Feds and Mx Marines in open pick ups, even drove into, by accident, a big take down in Playa. Local Mx papers reporting beheadings (I can read a bit of Spanish), and the concern is that the Riviera Maya is turning into the west coast. The government is very concerned about this since about 15% of the Mx economy comes from that little bit of coast line.

That said, we were treated great, people were super friendly and we were way off the beaten path most of the time. But there were a few occasions that we knew we were being "watched". Of course, it was me and my 2 buddies driving in a filthy white van, so we did not look that "touristy".

Now, to put this into perspective, you will be on the west coast, one of the owners of the dive shop we dive from (they have been there for years) had just got back from a week in Puerto Vallarta and said it was like a militarized zone, he was shocked. Amazed at how few tourists were there for February and the number of Feds and Mx Marines walking and driving around, his words.

Don't go out after dark or be back to the room soon there after. No romantic walks on the beach at night. Not to shit on your trip, but honestly, I would not travel to Mexico with my wife or family. It aint the USA. Remember, situational awareness.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Before departing for the greatest paradise ever, please make sure that relatives have a copy of your dental records.

That's assuming one isn't planning on having some of the outstanding low cost dental work performed while down there.

quote:

Originally posted by cmr076:
My wonderful wife finally booked our honeymoon. She's the type that wants the "authentic" experience AKA no resorts. She found us a "quaint" little villa in a town called Sayulita. Any experience with that area? Obviously I can't bring a gun, or likely a knife.. I was thinking of getting a cheap "disposable" pocket knife from a vendor there to carry then just throw it away when we leave.

The place we're staying:

https://villaamor.com/

It looks good, but I know that the general rule is "DON'T LEAVE THE RESORT"... except we aren't at a resort.

That sure looks like a resort to me, a nice one at that. It looks like you’ll fly into PV and take a short ride north to your facility. I assume the travel to and from the airport will be arranged by the resort. Excursions, should you choose to go on one, will more than likely be arranged through the resort. Nothing sounds very scary to me. Your going to a location that is lousy with tourists. Thousands of Canadian pensioners head to PV every month. You’re probably going to be safer there than at home.

I read a article about several folks who got poisoned in Mexico by drinking counterfeit liquor. That would really screw up a vacation. Be careful.

I spent, in total, about a year in Mexico and central America. In Sayulita you should be safe, but as others said do not go out at night and do not flash cash.

You used to be able to carry a pocket knife, and probably still can without any problem. If the hotel is decent you should be safe once inside.

Many years ago I spent 4.5 months hitchhiking across Mexico without any problem. It was definitely safer than in the US.