Mexico travel advice / recommendations?

Dangers of Mexico are way overstated by Americans. Wonderful country, very jealous.

Fond memories of the Hooters in Cozumel

Heard Cancun and Cabo are nice spots.

What will you be doing there? Work?

My favorite places are San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato. They are both really close to each other so you can make a trip out of it where you see both. I think ~15-20% of the people who live in San Miguel are expatriates and it's a really historic and walk-able city. Guanajauato (the city) is an awesome city with tunnels that are used for roads. Also very historic.

I lived there a few years back. Pregame on mojitos and cubans at La Bodeguita del Medio then head over to Chapultepec Ave. So many bars over there. I'm not huge into clubbing, but if that's your thing I was told La Santa is the place to go. There is a Cuban nightclub that does live music somewhere in the Chapultepec area but I forget its name...all I remember is my friend's gf introducing me to some smoke who didn't speak a lick of english (my atrocious espanol later proved to be problematic) and taught me how to salsa after splitting a bottle of tequila...try to find that place...and get an interpreter if your spanish isn't up to par. The women in GDL are unreal (Jalisco province in general is known for this), the food is incredible, and the nightlife runs on tequila. Enjoy it you sick bastard.

Security-wise, just be aware of the situation in the provinces around you. The drug war in Mexico is no joke and while Jalisco is in decent shape (esp GDL), Michoacan and Colima just south of you and Nayarit and Guerrero to the north, have struggled to contain drug violence. Definitely avoid those provinces. I'd even be cautious about areas south of Lago de Chapala - one guy I was training lived in a pueblo in that area and confirmed, like most small towns in Mexico, cartels have a major presence (they have Federales personnel on patrol but they're bought off). Ajijit (town on north side of Chapala) has a big expat community and it has been that way for many years - check it out. I have heard good things about Guanajuato from people I met living/working in GDL (reiterated by ppl on this thread). Puerto Vallarta is close by, but I was advised not to drive there alone, and definitely not at night. But once you're there you know what to do.

also do the Casa Herradura tequila tour

I heard GLD is quite urbane, you should have a good time.

Closest big beach towns/cities are Puerto Vallarta, which is fun if not overly touristy but plenty to do. If you want to go a little further distance wise(not direction), head south to Zihuatenejo.

Otherwise Cabo is pretty much my favorite big vacation spot from the fishing and eating perspective. If you are there go to San Jose del Cabo and eat at Guacamayas. Best tacos ever. Also Rosy's in Cabo has amazing fish tacos.

*Note during your travels do carry cash on you for bribing federales. I'm not joking. Better to have something of value to give up than the next highest thing of value...your life.

All the best OP, but make sure to return before that GREAT big wall gets built.

Cabo, Cancun, and Playa del Carmen are where I've visited during Spring Breaks, all very fun times and worth checking out. While in Cabo and Playa I stayed in the hotel resorts, but in Cancun my group booked an airbnb, which I would recommend, just search: Cancun Hotel Zone Best Kept Secret

We also visited Chichen Itza while in Cancun as we had to have something cultural to tell the family about, and it exceeded my expectations. About a 2-3 hour bus ride away but I can say I've seen at least one of the 7 Wonders of the World now.

Also, to echo Shervin, you are going to want to have cash on you to bribe the local police. They will stop you for no apparent reason and it is not worth the hassle of going to jail so just bribe your way out of it. Lastly, avoid drinking the water, Montezuma's revenge is no joke.

Nice

Highly recommend a long weekend (or four) in DF while you're in the country. I spent five days there in February and had a wonderful time. Lots of beautiful neighborhoods to stroll through, world class restaurants, parks, incredible colonial architecture, etc. Agree that the security concerns are overblown, if you have ever been to New Orleans, you will feel significantly safer in Ciudad de Mexico.

Some highlights: Polanco: * Eno (casual spot in Polanco, good for coffee/lunch) * Maiz (fantastic dinner, excellent service) * Bosque Chapultepec (basically Mexican Central Park, really pretty to walk through, closed Mondays)

Roma (this is my favorite neighborhood in CMDX by far): * Licoreria Limantour (cool cocktail bar, good atmosphere) * Rosetta (excellent food, ambience, and service) * La Docena (amazing seafood, walking distance to fun bars and immediately across the street from Churreria El Moro)

Condesa: * Bar Baltra * Parque Mexico / surrounding streets are nice to walk through

El Centro (the historic dowtown, but no longer the CBD): * Breakfast at El Cardenal (el Centro location, will blow your mind) * Zocalo (giant public plaza, kind of touristy, but definitely worth seeing) * Palacio Belles Artes (now a museum) * Barrio Alameda (one of my favorites, 1920s courtyard apartment building turned into a bunch of cool shops, hammocks on the roof)

San Angel: * El Bazar Sabado (high end market only on Saturdays, the lower-end stuff is outside, the nice handmade jewelry, clothing, etc. is inside) * San Angel Inn (best margaritas on God’s green earth, where Bill Buckley used to stay) * Surrounding neighborhood of San Angel is a beautiful walk

There should be a Cancun to Chichen Itza bus (its a day trip) that you could look into.

Huge fan of Merida & Valladolid as far as the Yucatan goes. Valladolid is a fairly small city, but definitely worth a few nights. Great history. Large town square with something going on every night. Good restaurants. Very safe.

IMO skip PDC/Cancun and hit up Holbox if you want a beach.

Born and raised in Guadalajara.

Guadalajara is great for food (well, Mexico broadly speaking), so a few food recommendations within the city:

Restaurants in Guadalajara

I Latina / Anita Li: great fusion cuisine (mainly Asian-Mexican).

Pig’s Pearls: Best burgers in Guadalajara by far. Pretty gourmet combinations. Not your typical burger.

Allium: top international food in Guadalajara. On par with great restaurants in top cities for a fraction of the cost.

Pachuco: Innovative Mexican food. Also pretty cheap.

Pal Real: great coffee/Mexican breakfast.

Tikuun Comedor Local: little restaurant offering gourmet Mexican food.

La Docena: Cool oyster bar. Mexican seafood and some cajun dishes.

Bars

Romea: small, intimate wine bar in Colonia Americana.

El Grillo: Hipster bar in Chapultepec with good selection of beers.

Fat Charlie: Good cocktail bar.

Best Street Food in Guadalajara

Tacos Juan (Santa Tere): Best Barbacoa tacos in Guadalajara. Probably one of the best in Mexico.

Taco Fish La Paz: Best seafood tacos in Guadalajara (originally from Baja).

La Choza: gourmet street food/tacos. Pretty different/special tacos that you won’t find anywhere else.

Lechon al Horno de Doroteo: Suckling pig “tortas ahogadas”.

Tacos Luis: Great street tacos after a night out in Chapultepec.

Cenaduria Guille: Great pozole if you are around this area.

Tacos Providencia: well, not really street food, the fancy (quality) taco in Guadalajara.

Hope this helps.

I loved San Miguel De Allende and Guanajuato. Visited the Corralejo distillery too. Tequila ftw.

Don't want to hijack this thread but I'm thinking about lateralling to a high level front office analyst job for a big time American bank/investment firm in Mexico City. Trying to take advantage of growing up in Latin America and my fluency in Spanish to differentiate myself. The current competition in New York is a lot so this position's requirement would eliminate all the brilliant white Americans and other races who aren't fluent in Spanish. Goal would be to then move back to the States as an associate.

Question is how much is the discount in pay without taking account COL. As a kid with $90,000 in student loans who has to pay $1,000 a month for them on top of credit card debt, this is a legitimate concern for me. If the equal position were to pay $110-120k in NYC what would it pay in Mexico City?

Thanks for your help fellas.