Mexico City + Punta Mita

I took my first trip to Mexico City and I can’t wait to return again – not enough time to explore this giant cultural hub (& business gateway to Latin America). Of course, staying at the beautiful Four Seasons helps make any stay magical, but so does great people & friends, art galleries and FOOD.

One of the largest, most populated cities in the world, Mexico City is a chaotic tangle of complexities. Outsiders are only now beginning to discover what locals and expats who call the capital home have known for ages: despite the terrible traffic, the sprawl that intimidates even the most seasoned taxi driver, and, sadly, a pollution index that’s going back up after a decade of improvement, Mexico City is a metropolis of superlatives (20 million people and counting). It’s the city with the second-highest number of museums in the world (Paris is in the top spot), and many of them are free. It’s the city with the oldest forest in the Americas (Bosque Chapultepec, an urban park that’s double the size of New York City’s Central Park). It has more than 40,000 restaurants, and even its top tables offer exceptional tasting menus that are far more affordable than comparable restaurants around the world. And despite all that traffic, there are so many ways to get around—all of them affordable—that it’s possible to explore the most far-flung reaches of Mexico City, such as the canals of Xochimilco, or the campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM, in Spanish).

Stay

Four Seasons, St Regis, Camino Real, Condesadf, Hotel Habita

Eat

Dulce Patria, Pujol, Biko, Azul Historico, Contramar, Delirio, Nicos

See

Bosque de Chapultepec, Eat Mexico Food Tour, Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli, Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo, Xochimilco, National Museum of Anthropology, Museo del Tiempo Tlalpan, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Chapultepec Castle AND Frida Kahlo’s La Casa Azul located in the Colonia del Carmen neighborhood of Coyoacán

Punta Mita/Puerta Vallarta

Located just a short flight away, my friends who live in Mexico City head out to the ocean often, especially on the great deals you can get with AeroMexico. While Puerto Vallarta is a bit of a tourist trap, there are many gems to be found just a short car ride away, from Punta Mita, to Sayulita a little further on. The Four Seasons Punta Mita offers pretty much the perfect holiday for families, but also keeps separate pool areas for adults. Beach side cabanas? Check. Amazing food options? Check. Golf? I guess, check. Cliff view massages? Check. Why am I even convincing you….book it

**East coasters: Tulum, Mexico is ALWAYS a good idea too. I used to go often…just a cheap flight to Cancun, and drive down the coast. Paradise found