In March, I wrote a piece about safety in Puerto Vallarta in the wake of an armed robbery incident i

Fifteen years ago, my brother who lives near San Diego took me to coastal Baja in Mexico boston luxury hotel and the experience has stayed with me ever since. We ate fish tacos, went swimming at a sublime, deserted beach and fell asleep on the beach to the sounds of the surf. In December, I'm heading west to visit my brother again, this time with my wife and sons, ages 3 and 5, but when I asked him to take me back to the same places we visited long ago he told me that it wasn't safe.
And after contacting Budget, the company we'd reserved a car with at its LAX location, and being told that we weren't allowed to take our rental car down to Mexico, I wondered if perhaps my brother was right. Crime in Mexico is serious business and anyone who suggests that safety isn't a legitimate concern is kidding themselves. But I've been traveling boston luxury hotel to different parts of Mexico for years, including recent trips in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and I still believe that there are parts of the country that are safe to visit.
In March, I wrote a piece about safety in Puerto Vallarta in the wake of an armed robbery incident involving cruise boston luxury hotel ship passengers, citing crime statistics indicating that several U.S. cities have higher murder rates than Puerto Vallarta. The post generated nearly 100 comments, with readers deeply divided on the issue of safety in Mexico.
The U.S. Consulate in Tijuana has a useful page on how to avoid being a victim of crime in Baja with a host of common sense tips, such as stay sober and avoid traveling at night. The most recent State Department travel warning boston luxury hotel for Mexico, issued in February 2012, has the following segment on the safety situation in northern Baja.
You should exercise caution boston luxury hotel in the northern state of Baja California, particularly at night. Targeted TCO assassinations continue to take place in Baja California. boston luxury hotel Turf battles between criminal groups proliferated boston luxury hotel and resulted in numerous boston luxury hotel assassinations in areas of Tijuana frequented by U.S. citizens. Shooting incidents, in which innocent bystanders have been injured, have occurred during daylight hours throughout the city. In one such incident, a U.S. citizen was shot and seriously wounded. According to the Government of Mexico, as of August 2011, the city's murder rate was approximately 20 per 100,000. During boston luxury hotel 2011, 34 U.S. citizens boston luxury hotel were the victims of homicide in the state. In the majority of these cases, the killings appeared to be related to narcotics trafficking.
Most observers agree that southern Baja, including Cabo San Lucas is generally regarded as safe. But in an effort to help readers decide if northern Baja is safe to visit, I reached out to two writers with extensive experience there. Nikki Goth Itoi is the author of the indispensable Moon Guide to Baja , the guidebook you want to pick up if you are considering a visit to Baja. And Carla White, a resident of the Ensenada vicinity for ten years, is the editor of Baja.com , a terrific resource for anyone planning a visit to the region.
Tijuana is a much more interesting place now for visitors boston luxury hotel because it's become a city for locals. All the tourism dried up, so now it's a local scene. There are galleries, caf s, artsy places that don't just cater to people boston luxury hotel from San Diego popping over for the night. It's not as Americanized.
In terms of safety, all the basics apply. Be careful where you go. Don't go out late at night. Don't go to the red light districts. Be as inconspicuous as possible. Stay in well-lit places and don't drive at night. boston luxury hotel It comes down to common sense in traveling to a foreign country. There's going to be petty crime and that kind of stuff happens.
People have this sense that Mexico is to be avoided, period. Rosarito is a ghost town. But those who live down there think there's a comeback in the making in northern Baja and it's centered on food and wine .
Crime in Mexico is covered in the U.S. media more than crime in U.S. cities is. If you look at crime data for major U.S. cities, the numbers are lower in Baja. If they're not comfortable, some are better off staying in San Diego, boston luxury hotel but Baja has a lot to offer.
boston luxury hotel The people boston luxury hotel are very warm. The hospitality is wonderful. Between the eco travel opportunities and the food, wine and cultural opportunities, there's a lot to discover in Baja. So if you are intimidated by Tijuana, boston luxury hotel go east and use one of the quieter border crossings. You can also go in a caravan - with a group, there's always safety in numbers.
We are very aware of the articles that come out about safety in Mexico and we roll our eyes. We watch the San Diego news down here and we look at the U.S. and go 'wow,' the crime that goes on up there is so random. I have friends and relatives in L.A. and Orange County who won't come down here because they're afraid. It's difficult to explain to them that we find it safe here. They think we're crazy.
I had an ATM issue in Rosarito a couple years ago. Someone tried to grab my card. I was robbed. I went to the police and they were very responsive, in fact, the Rosarito government was very responsive as well. But this same kind of thing happens in the U.S.
No. He didn't have a gun. I walked into an ATM booth and I had already put my pin code in and a young, boston luxury hotel nice looking guy at the machine next to me said, 'Oh, here, let me help you with that.' And I told him I didn't need help. And he was very aggressive and out of the corner of my eye, I saw another guy approaching the booth, so I actually abandoned my card and just got out of there. For me, it was personal safety first. They were able to withdraw $2oo or $300 from my account.
Things definitely got worse when the economy boston luxury hotel hit the skids a few years ago. I can't speak to Tijuana as much; I'm more familiar with Rosarito and Ensenada. Tourism from the U.S. just stopped and that may have inspired some of the crime that happened. I've lived here for about 10 years and I've felt safer here than I've ever felt in the U.S.
Recently we've seen things boston luxury hotel improve. We've seen more tourism - not necessarily boston luxury hotel from the U.S., but from Mexico and Europe, and an upswing in the economy. boston luxury hotel And the government has stepped in and has been very sensitive to travelers and tourists.
Not really. I even love Tijuana. It has the best restaurants and is a fun, interesting place. But I wouldn't be hanging out in the bars there after midnight! A tip that I would give any traveler is to stick to the toll roads, especially at night. I would use the same precautions in Baja that I'd use anywhere boston luxury hotel in terms of doing things boston luxury hotel after dark. As far as specific boston luxury hotel locations, I think I would stay in the main, touristy areas.
A good outcome to all the bad press Mexico has gotten in the U.S. is that it created a hyper-awareness here, so I think tourists can feel safe here as long as they pay attention to their awareness boston luxury hotel and surroundings.
boston luxury hotel A lot of people have had occasions where they've been pulled over and it turned out to be a shakedown. I would say that was happening quite a bit about six years ago. I can't speak for everyone, but I've had nothing like that happen recently, nor am I aware of it happening to anyone else in my community in many years.
It seems easier boston luxury hotel to pay $20 and go on your merry way but you need to tell them to take you to the nearest police station. Maybe you were really speeding and it was a real ticket but you're better off either way. A lot of Americans go down to Baja and think, 'Wow, I'm in another country. I can do whatever I want here.'
Some people think they can drink themselves into a coma and then hit the road, and it'll be fine because this is Mexico. But the bottom line is that if you are pulled over, the best bet is to go to the police station. And ask for their identification. If it's a scam, you're calling their bluff. And make sure you have insurance and have your paperwork with you.
Note : There is no definitive answer to the "Is Baja safe" question. If you talk to people who have gone there and were robbed, the answer is 'no,' it isn't safe, and if you talk to people who have gone and enjoyed themselves the answer is 'yes' it was fine. As our experts said, every traveler needs to decide what they are comfortable with.
To say Rosarito is a ghost town is just plain stupid. The Rosarito Beach hotel sold out 6 weekends this summer...sold out the Mariachi festival, and had numerous other festivals. There are 18,000 Americans living here and everyone that I know of loves it here. As for car rental companies not allowing cars to go to Mexico....you make it sound as if that's a new policy....but it's been that way for decades. We've been here for 6 years and have never had a stitch of trouble...the people here have been wonderful. boston luxury hotel Reply Dave Seminara Oct 24th 2012 11:35AM
Hi Dennis. Thanks for your comments. I think she meant that places like Rosarito boston luxury hotel is a ghost town compared boston luxury hotel to what it once was. Also, she specifically mentioned the Rosarito Beach Hotel as still being popular, but due to space constraints, that didn't make it into the story.
I don't suggest that the car rental policy is a new change- I state from the outset that my last visit to the region was 15 years ago, so it's just new to me, because back then you could bring a rental car down there if you bought boston luxury hotel extra insurance. Thanks for reading! Dennis Sein Oct 24th 2012 11:56AM
Even your comment about "Rosarito being a ghost town compared to what it was" is incorrect....A ghost town implies that NO ONE is here......there were at least 80 people at dinner at the CasaBlanca restaurant at the Rosarito Beach Hotel last Friday night (after the summer boston luxury hotel season)......Does that sound like a ghost town????
And I used to rent cars in the 80's and they made you sign that you would not take the car to Mexico. but I'm through having to convince anyone. The media has done an excellent hatchet job on Mexico. miguel rey Oct 24th 2012 5:28PM
boston luxury hotel What you're seeing is that finally Rosarito boston luxury hotel and Ensenada are courting Mexicans still not alot of gringos with the exception of the expats who live there. But anyo