When we go to Mexico, we love to explore as much as we possibly can. That means renting a car is for us, a necessity. Some people worry about all the things that can go wrong, but you can read horror stories about a trip to the Peoria, Illinois on the internet.
Two common problems that really do occur:
• They don’t want to honor the rate you found on the internet. We always take a printout of the price with us. Internet prices often don’t include insurance. So see insurance info below.
• They don’t have the car you ordered. We get this about 50% of the time. Just don’t take something you really don’t want. (one time they tried to give us a minivan instead of the compact we reserved. We held out for a Jeep Liberty). You should get the same price if the car is better. Negotiate a lower price if the car is smaller.
However, the real challenge is figuring out the darn Mexican car insurance.
WARNING: The information following is gleaned from forum postings and from our own experience. We think it is all correct, but we cannot guarantee the accuracy 100%.
A lot of this information comes from a very thorough post in the tripadvisor Cabo San Lucas forums the link is http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g152515-i84-k204282-o210-Mexico_Insurance_and_Credit_Card_Coverages_REVISED-Cabo_San_Lucas_Los_Cabos_Baja_California.html
In Mexico, there generally 4 kinds of insurance. (see below) We will also explain credit card free rental car insurance, which you may be able to use in place of #3 and #4 below.
There are four types of insurance (sometimes the terminology varies)
(1) Personal Liability, which covers 3rd party damages, including medical costs or other claims/lawsuits against you
As far as I can tell, this is absolutely required and is included with all rentals. However, it is often not included in the dirt cheap prices you see on some car rental websites or consolidators like Hotwire.
Note: Personal Liability is NOT COVERED by any credit card insurance. You must purchase this. According to the post in tripadvisor: “This is also important because this proves to the police that you can pay for someone else’s damages. If you don’t have this coverage, they may detain you until you can prove you are not responsible or you can pay for the damages.”
(2) Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) which covers medical costs for the renter and passengers, but not 3rd parties (since that is covered under Liability below) . You may want to check with your helath insurance as to what they will cover in Mexico. We personally don’t buy it.

(3) “Partial” Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) otherwise known as Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), which includes damages and theft to the rental unit, less a deductible of 10% or 20% Some companies will put a hold on your card for the amount of the deductible of your insurance (This will count against your credit limit until it is removed at the end of your trip) A buddy of mine with only a debit card ended up very short of cash due to having to put a deposit of $2000 down.

(4) Complete” LDW/CDW which simply eliminates the deductible from the partial LDW/CDW. and of course adds dramatically to the price.
<h2>Credit Card Free Car Rental Insurance </h2>
We have always opted to use our credit card rental insurance coverage instead of LDW/CDW. However, there are some important issues. This coverage is available on the Visa Standard Credit, Visa Rewards Credit, and Visa Premium Rewards cards. It was also available on our Visa Signature card. Here are the advantages and important rules.
1. There is no deductible and it is free! As compared to $70 to $100 /week and a large deductible.
2. You must completely pay for the rental with your rental card.
3. We recommend taking a printed copy of your coverage with you. We have never needed it, but we have heard occasionally rental agents want to see it http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/benefits/bft_dmg_waiver_personal.html
4. You must clearly refuse LDW or CDW on the rental agreement Purchase of any LDW/CDW insurance eliminates all benefits from the program!!!
#4 is is tricky part!! Many car rental agencies mandatorily include LDW/CDW in their rates. You cannot use your credit card free insurance with these agencies. Avis is one that we found that separates out Liability from the Collision.
So, to summarize, you have two options:
Worry Free / Hassle Free / Expensive: Just take all the Collision insurance and pay up.
Minor hassles / Cheap: Find a rental agency that you can purchase only liability insurance and use your credit card free, no deductible insurance. I would rather spend the extra $100 or $150 or more on something fun
The information for specific agencies below are abbreviated from the tripadvisor post.
National Car
Personal Liability cannot be purchased separately – you must purchase “partial” LDW/CDW coverage at $11 a day, The deductible ranges from $1,500 to $4,000, based on vehicle cost. That means there is no way to use your credit card coverage with National, since the liability coverage also includes LDW/CDW, which voids your credit card coverage! Although it is definitely a drag that they don’t offer liability insurance alone, their total coverage of $22 is fairly reasonable.
AVIS
Avis is one of the only companies that “includes” 3rd party liability insurance, which is relatively small – up to MXN 350,000 (approximately $33,000 USD). Unfortunately their rental rates are also typically higher. In this case, most credit cards will cover 100% of all other damages “to the vehicle” (including theft). Note that 3rd party health costs are covered in the liability insurance. If you want additional liability insurance up to MXN 5,000,000 (approximately $470,000 USD), it will cost you an additional $11 a day. Partial LDW/CDW ranges from $14 to $21 a day with a deductible ranging from $1,000 to $3,000, depending on the car. Complete LDW/CDW will run between $20 and $27 a day, depending on the vehicle.
Thrifty
Third party liability is offered for $11 a day and includes coverage up to MXN 950,000 (about $90k USD). Partial LDW/CDW is offered at $24 a day with a 10% deductible (on vehicle value) for accidents and a 20% deductible on total loss or theft. Personal accident insurance (PAI) is $4 a day and covers up to MXN 200,000 per event (about $19,000). Complete LDW/CDW costs $30 a day. Evidently Thrifty requires you to purchase 3rd party liability if you do not purchase the partial or complete LDW/CDW, which leads me to believe their LDW/CDW may include 3rd party liability, but I cannot confirm that.
Advantage
I could not determine the cost of 3rd party liability – I have to call the Mexico office and cannot get through with their (624)146-0700 office number. Partial LDW/CDW is $11 a day and covers the costs of theft and accident, less a deductible ranging from $1,500 to $4,000. Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) is $4 a day and covers medical costs to the renter and passengers only – up to $9,000 (per event?). Complete LDW/CDW does not eliminate the deductible for theft and costs an extra $7 a day ($18 total). So CDW + PAI + EPC is $22 a day, but you would still have to pay a deductible in the event of theft. Also, this does not cover the most important thing – 3rd party liability.
Payless
Could also not determine if Payless offered any coverage for 3rd party liability since I cannot dial internationally. Their office number is 011 52 624 1465290, if anyone can help here. This may also only be offered at the counter in Mexico. They do offer partial LDW/CDW at $14 a day with a deductible of 10% of vehicle’s value. For complete CDW/LDW, it will cost you $23 a day. PAI is an additional $3 a day. At Payless, if you cannot provide proof of insurance coverage, you must pay for the partial CDW.
Dollar
For most Dollar insurance coverage, you need to inquire at the counter. The only stated coverage is Partial LDW/CDW, which ranges from $14 a day to $17 a day, depending on vehicle type. It has a 10% deductible on damage on 20% deductible on theft.
I didn’t look at some of the other renters, such as Hertz, because they were way more expensive at the time of my quotes. If anyone else has something to contribute based on personal experiences, please let me know! Also, if you can find out the liability coverage costs for Advantage, Payless, or Dollar, please report it.
Thanks!

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In the never ending quest to up the ante in luxury accommodations,  Mayan Resorts have recently introduced the Luxxe and Bliss options.  Completion date for any of these would be mere speculation, so we won’t guess. Here is what we know so far:

Bliss: All of these new types of units will be in a separate area close to the ocean.  Mayan Bliss appears to be halfway between Mayan Palace and Grand Mayan with more modern style amenities.  I don’t believe there are any real advantages to Mayan Bliss ownership before the units are built, except possibly 8 month advance booking instead of 6.   Grand Bliss is a small step up from Grand Mayan units.  With the Grand Bliss you can get a package of 6 free rounds of golf and 2 spa classes I believe.  The maintenance fee is higher.

Luxxe:  This is the new top of the line unit.  There are two sizes,  the Villa and the Condo.  These are absolutely beautiful units with large flat panel TV’s, free in room wireless internet,  teak decks,  heated mini-pool on the balcony, etc.    Each four units has their own outdoor covered lounge area with ocean view and private butler/concierge service.  Again, it is difficult to know when they will be completed, so in the mean time you can get a 2 BR Grand Mayan and a one bedroom Grand mayan for each Villa and a Two Bedroom plus a studio for the condo.   The 2 bedroom half comes with 16 rounds of free golf, two free spa classes and free wireless internet.

We are still working out how to best market these new units.

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Ah, the mysterious water park in Riviera Maya.  First, we all thought it was going to be in the Grand Mayan area.  Then I heard the Grand Mayan was just going to have a nice intimate pool area with no lazy river etc. In fact that is true and that area is finished and is VERY nice.

The latest word is that they are buiding a Nuevo style water park on the north side of the Mayan Palace buildings close to the beach.  We were not able to get into the construction area to get a visual confirmation of this.  No idea when it might actually be finished.  If anyone has heard anything from anyone other than a salesman, please post a comment to this entry.

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If you don’t like shrimp, this is definitely not your place.  they specialize in ….. shrimp !!  you can get 3 different sizes of shrimp prepared in a variety of creative ways.   The largest version is ,  you guessed it,  the blue shrimp.  The blue shrimp is only available in season.  I should also note that as the size increases, you get fewer number of shrimp and a higher price.  We settled on the “medium” sized shrimp  as the most cost effective.  They were huge and delicious.

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This is one of the many upper level restaurants above 5^th avenue. Ask for a table with a view of the street. They do a nice job with upscale dishes here. I had the Filet Mignon wrapped in bacon and my wife had shrimp in tamarind sauce. Both were excellent. The sides aren’t mentioned on the menu, but both came with a baked potato. You can get grilled vegetables for an extra 50 pesos ($4) and they make a fabulous addition to an already good meal. Located on 5^th avenue and the Calle 14.

Click here for their website

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If you are staying in the Nuevo Vallarta Mayan Resort head left when you get back to the main road.(away from Puerto Vallarta). In about 10 minutes you will be in the middle of the small resort town of Bucerias. Turn left and a couple of blocks down you’ll find the street that runs in front of the beach resorts. There are some interesting shops and some great restaurants. Mark’s is very nice as well as a couple of others that frequently have live music. If you want to make a day of it,head farther up the coast first to Sayulita, a little surfing town. Watch for the split where the road goes left to Punta Mita and right to a short cut across the tip of the Punta Mita peninsula directly to Salyulita. You should confirm this, but they often have an open market day with art work and just about anything else you can think of on Sundays.We have an oil  painting in our family room that we purchased at the market.   You could stop in Bucerias on the way home for dinner.
It is also a short cab ride from the Neuvo Vallarta Mayan Resort to Bucerias for a little shopping and a little dinner.

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An upscale Mexican restaurant with the usual dishes, very nicely done. The chicken enchilada’s had the best mole sauce we found in the Puerto Vallarta area. I mentioned this in a forum a couple of years ago and a reader commented they had terrible service and poor food at Cilantro’s. I would appreciate anyone else’s comment. You can find it At 169 Calle Abasolo in Central Vallarta, just a block from the Malecon.

Click here for their website

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There are actually 2 unrelated restaurants with the name Café Luna. The one on 5^th avenue between 8^th and 10^th is called also called Media Luna doesn’t seem to show up several of the guidebooks. Other books call it “the place to eat in Playa”. We discovered it years ago. It was the place I first tasted one of my favorite drinks. A Kahlua Colada. The menu has a variety of funky, yuppie fare that is very well prepared and presented. They have great vegetarian dishes, fresh fish, wonderful pastas and huge delicious salads Last time we were there, the Kahlua colada wasn’t even on the menu any more, but we asked and they made one anyway. Still one of my favorites!

Café Luna is a reasonably priced, tasty alternative when you tire of the Mexican and Italian standard options.

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Remember that the cruise ships drop people off near Jaurez on 5^th avenue. That means that closer you get to Juarez, the higher the density of the t shirt and trinket shops. As you walk north on 5^th avenue, the scenery gets better, the restaurants get more interesting and the shopping goes from trinkets to silver. So actually, men you might be have a smaller credit card bill if you stay down with the droves of cruisers.

I have read that you can’t negotiate in the nicer shops in Mexico, but I have not found that to be the case. We seem strangely drawn (well, my wife is drawn and she draws me) to a silver shop just where the tiny Calle Corazon (alleyway) goes off 5^th ave. My wife circles 3 times , finds what she wants and then calls me in as “the closer”.

There are also some very interesting art shops, clothing shops etc in this same area. This is not the Miami Beach style shops of Cancun, but that is a good thing in my mind.

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It is a little bit pricey, but the Yaxche restaurant in Playa del Carmen is worth a few extra pesos.  Expecially now that you can 14 for a dollar instead of 10.5.   This is a restaurant that specializes in Mayan cuisine.  This is similar to Mexican food, but with flavors and spices you have never before tasted.    Finding an orange slice, complete with rind in your tomato based sauce will seem weird.  But it is delicious.  So, get off the darn reservation and try something that you cannot experience very many places in the world.  It is in a beautiful decor and features the ubiquitous friendly service style of Playa.

You can find the restaurant on Calle 8 just west (away from the beach) from 5th Avenue.

Click here for the website

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