Yellowstone offers $49 rooms

Yellowstone National Park Lodges is offering a special rate of $49 for rooms with shared bathrooms in the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel Jan. 4 through March 6 with the exception of Feb. 18-21. Rates are normally $87 per night for single or double occupancy.

Yellowstone’s winter season began Dec. 18, with the opening of Old Faithful Snow Lodge. The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel opens today, Dec. 21. The lodges provide the only wintertime accommodations within the park. Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel will close for the season, March 7, and Old Faithful Snow Lodge will close March 6.

To qualify for the special rate rooms must be reserved before Jan. 14, using the promotional code “WOB49.” Reservations can be made by calling (307) 344-7311 or toll-free (866) 439-7375 or online at www.YellowstoneNationalParkLodges.com using the promo code box. This rate cannot be combined with other specials or packages.

The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel is located five miles inside the park’s northern entrance and is convenient for visitors who want to drive to the Lamar Valley to view wolves, bison, elk and other wildlife. The road from Gardiner, Mont. to Mammoth Village and on to Cooke City, Mont. is the only road plowed all winter. Just outside Mammoth Village are groomed cross country ski trails and access to the park’s interior via snowcoach and snowmobile.

Complete details about accommodations, restaurants and activities in Yellowstone can be made by calling (307) 344-7311 or toll-free 866-GEYSERLAND (866-439-7375), or visiting the Website at www.YellowstoneNationalParkLodges.com.

Banner year forecast

Tourism Minister Gloria Guevara is predicting that 2011 will be the best year ever for Mexican tourism. She is talking about 26 million international visitors coming to Mexico and spending $12.6 billion. The minister outlined a seven-point program to reach these goals. These include consolidating the Mexico brand, emphasizing on-line marketing, strengthening competitive segments, converting the Tourism Board into the “ideal partner” for state tourism offices, improving lift. Tourism this year increased by 15 percent compared to 2009.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Aviation changes

Aeroméxico has announced that it will be investing about $1 billion to expand its fleet with 25 additional jets. Management credited new labor agreements for allowing this. The agreements, while relaxing some restrictions, will lead to the creation of many more jobs. Meanwhile, rapidly expanding Interjet has rented 34 check-in counters previously used by Mexicana. Financially troubled Mexicana still promises to start flying in January, but its services will be greatly reduced. Interjet, which began by flying out of Toluca — near Mexico City — has shifted two-thirds of its area operations to Mexico City, much to the distress of Toluca authorities and business people who had invested there. While the Toluca airport is more convenient for many travelers, it lacks the departure options and connecting flights found at Mexico City International.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Tequila and mariachis

Plaza Garibaldi, where swains in Mexico City seek out mariachi bands to serenade their sweethearts, now has a Tequila and Mezcal Museum, an agave garden (tequila and mezcal are made from agave) and more. This is the newest tourist attraction in the capital. Garibaldi had become a somewhat rough neighborhood. City authorities promise police patrols will keep it safe.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Cancun conference ends

The U.N. Conference on Climate Change has ended in Cancun, leaving the resort destination weary but richer. Delegates from nearly 200 countries attended, along with protestors, filling up almost all available rooms. Early estimates indicate Cancun took in some $85 million from the event.

More was accomplished than had been expected. Last year the conference venue was Copenhagen, where global warming is difficult to comprehend in December. This year, although the beaches beckoned, delegates worked until 4 a.m. the final night before agreeing on the Cancun Accord. The protestors outside complained that too much was left undone. Vegetarians, for example, were disheartened that the delegates did not condemn the eating of meat.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Holiday Season Starts

“Lupe-Reyes” has begun. Yesterday (Sunday) was the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the most important religious holiday of the year. The Winter High Season — when prices at resort destinations rise — begins on Wednesday and Dec. 16 is the night of the First Posada, gatherings — at which drinks are served — recalling the trek to Bethlehem. Office parties also are back in fashion. From Christmas Eve until Jan. 2 many businesses and government offices close. Those who can, take off for the beach. Flights to resort areas are booked solid. Nothing really will get back to normal until Jan. 7, the day following Epiphany, which marks the visit of the Three Wise Men, known in Mexico as the Magician Kings or Reyes Mágicos. Children in Mexico await gifts from the kings, but now they have Santa Claus, too.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Volaris expands fleet

Volaris, one of the new, low-fare airlines, has acquired three Airbus A319s, giving it a total of 26 jets in what it claims to be the most modern fleet in Mexico. Volaris operates an average of 19 flights a day at Mexico City International and another 23 from the Toluca airport, which also serves Mexico City. One of the new planes will be used on a route from Guadalajara to Chicago, which Volaris hopes to inaugurate next week.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Maya theme park planned

The Yucatan government hopes to interest investors in a project to build a Maya-oriented theme park at Chichen Itza, near one of the best-known archaeological sites in Mexico. If all goes well, work will begin on Dec. 21, the date of the winter solstice. The last date on the Maya calendar comes three days later. Some people believe this implies the end of the world. If so, little investment money will be lost. If not, work will continue on the Palace of Maya Civilization. The Xcaret Group is said to be putting up $12 million just to get things started. No date for the completion of the park has been announced.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Good news and bad

During the first three-quarters of this year, Mexico earned a record $7.5 billion from tourism. As a dollar-earner, however, the hospitality industry slipped behind the export of manufactured goods, petroleum sales and remittances from Mexicans working abroad. Opinions about all this are many and varied.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Flight schedules increased

Aeroméxico is increasing service to cities it serves in the United States. It now is operating four flights daily from New York and Miami, five from Los Angeles, three from Chicago and two from Las Vegas. Volaris plans to open a route between Chicago and Guadalajara. It also is looking at Phoenix and Las Vegas as well as cities in Florida. Several of these routes previously were covered by bankrupt Mexicana, which may — or, may not — start flying again in January. Changes in FAA regulations now allow airlines from Mexico to add routes to the USA.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Toll House Inn takes on new look

My wife and I spent a wonderful night at the newly renovated Toll House Inn in Boonville, CA.

The inn is an historic Boonville landmark built in 1912. It’s a two-hour drive from San Francisco and about eight hours and more than 560 miles from my home in Southern California.

It was a rustic, comfortable place under its old ownership when I last stayed at the Toll House in 1998.

Toll House sits on 650 acres, five miles outside of town on the Boonville-Ukiah road with easy access to wineries, parks and more in Anderson Valley.

We stayed in the lovely porch room, a ground-floor suite with private screened porch, full private bath with clawfoot tub, an incredibly comfortable king bed and a single daybed.

More on Toll House Inn later. For more information or reservations go to www.tollhouseinn.com or call (707) 895-2572.

FAA rating restored

The US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has restored Mexico to Category 1, four months after it knocked the country down to Category 2. The demotion, reflecting poor safety procedures, meant that Mexican airlines could not inaugurate any new service to the United States, although routes in operation could continue. The move hit hard, coming as it did when Mexicana Airlines suspended all flights as it sought bankruptcy protection. Mexico spent an estimated $50 million to meet the FAA requirement, hiring 80 inspectors and 40 pilots in the process.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Bargain prices

Why do tourists keep coming to Mexico in spite of the violence? During the past few years, the narcotics wars have taken an estimated 30,000 lives. Taking a look at the situation, the British magazine “Economist” explained that the cost of a Mexican holiday is 5 percent lower than it was two years ago and the risks from being killed by a stray bullet are virtually nil. Mexican hoteliers, for their part, are ready to increase rates during the next few months.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Investment down

Investment in new tourism-related projects along Mexico’s shores is in decline. From Los Cabos in Baja California to the Riviera Maya along the Caribbean, work on several projects has stopped. Most observers blame this on worldwide economic conditions. On top of that, according to Alejandro Zozaya, president of AM Resorts, as quoted in one newspaper, Mexico is losing its allure for investors. “Taxes are up, incentives down, there are fewer seats in airplanes and the peso stronger against the dollar,” Zozaya is said to have said.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Cheery numbers

About 22.6 million tourists, 80 percent of them from the United States and Canada, are expected to have visited Mexico by the end of 2010. As of September, inbound tourism was up 18.8 percent compared with 2009 (the worst year on record) and 6 percent better than 2008. Arrivals from Canada are up almost 22 percent over 2009 and 32 percent over 2008, with 1 million air arrivals this year. And, despite the much-publicized bankruptcy of Mexicana Airlines earlier this year, air arrivals from the U.S. were up 15 percent compared with 2009. The growth in visitors from other countries is even greater. Italy is up 22 percent; Germany, 18 percent and Brazil, 94 percent.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

More hospitals needed

Although some 40,000 Americans underwent surgical procedures in Mexico last year, the country needs more certified hospitals if the potential for medical tourism is to be developed, experts say. Only 74 of the 3,700 private hospitals in the country have been certified so that insurance companies in the United States can benefit from the lower fees available in Mexico. “Hospitals have not been certified because they do not know how to go about it,” explained Jaime Carter, president of Health Diagnostic Systems.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Busy week for Cancun

This may be a good time to postpone plans for a Cancun holiday until the middle of next month. The United Nations Conference of Climate Change opens Nov. 29. It is expected to attract 20,000 delegates, official representatives and press. Among these may be as many as 150 heads of government. More than 200 countries have been invited. Protestors (those opposed to climate change) are being told to stay away.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Earnings up from tourism

Travelers from abroad spent an estimated $9 billion in Mexico during the first three quarters of the year, according to the Tourism Ministry. This was 7.7 percent more than was spent during the same period in 2009. Biggest increase came from cruise ship passengers, who spent $393 million, 28 percent more than the previous year. Nonetheless, according to the U.N. World Tourism Organization, concern about violence is keeping many potential visitors home. Airline executives interviewed for a newspaper article agreed that concern over violence is hurting ticket sales. The number of foreign visitors arriving in Mexico by air between January and August increased by 19.2 percent, according to the Tourism Ministry. The total was 7,104,038.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Recognition for Mexican fare

Mexican cuisine (pardon my French) has won recognition from UNESCO as part of the “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” Also included was the Parachicos Festival held annually in Chapa del Corzo, Chiapas, and traditional songs of the Purépecha (Tarascans) of Michoacán. UNESCO added many more items to the list, including French cuisine.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Monarch butterflies

Federal and state authorities are investing several million dollars to improve the winter habitat of Monarch butterflies. The insects migrate from Canada to Mexico annually, something that requires several generations. When the winter home of the bugs was discovered north or Mexico City a few decades ago, it became a tourist attraction. Better roads into the area, however, also encouraged illegal lumbering. Efforts now are being made to protect the Monarch habitat, something of a triumph for tourists and the hospitality industry.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Explosion worries Riviera Hoteliers

A gas explosion, which killed several guests and injured several more at the luxurious Princess Riviera Maya, has the hospitality industry worried. There is a fear that the disaster will scare away potential customers. The Canadian Consulate in Cancun is accusing the hotel with the negligent homicide of the five Canadian tourists who were among the dead. The hotel association is asking federal tourism officials and Mexican consulate abroad to explain that the explosion was an accident and not the result of a terrorist attack.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

Another long weekend

Banks, schools, government offices and more will be closed on Monday in observance of the Centennial of the Outbreak of the Mexican Revolution. The actual date is Nov. 20, but that is on a Saturday. In any event, the Revolution did not really begin on Nov. 20, although it was supposed to. Once it did, Porfirio Diaz resigned as president after some three decades in office. He was replaced by Francisco Madero, who was later assassinated by Victorian Huerta, who died in prison after he was ousted by Venustiano Carranza, murdered supposedly by Alvaro Obregon, assassinated before he could become president for a second term. After that, re-election was prohibited and things became somewhat more peaceful. Somewhat.

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Jimm Budd

Reporting from Mexico City

Member of the Society of American Travel Writers

National Park lodges gear up for winter season

The country’s largest national park operator, Xanterra Parks & Resorts, is preparing for the fast-approaching winter season with numerous winter-only activities and packages.

In most national parks — including Zion, Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Parks — the number of visitors drops along with the temperatures, making the winter season especially appealing to visitors who seek a quieter, slower paced park experience. California’s Death Valley National Park is an exception. There, when the temperature drops visitors flock to the remote desert park.

“The winter-season experience is typically quite different from the summer season in visitation as well as scenic splendor,” said Dave Hartvigsen, vice president of sales and marketing for Xanterra Parks & Resorts. “There is a special beauty of a quiet national park on a frosty day and many repeat visitors tell us they feel like they are visiting an entirely different park when they travel during the winter.”

Despite the colder temperatures, visitors can still find a wide array of adventures. For example, winter can be a great time of the year to spot wolves in action on the Northern Range of Yellowstone National Park. And many of the park’s hiking trails are groomed for cross-country skiers. Hiking the popular Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon National Park is popular year-round, and since temperatures increase as hikers make the descent into the Canyon, hikers are often treated to mild and comfortable conditions for their winter-season hikes.

Examples of lodges with special packages and pricing during the winter months are listed below. Unless otherwise noted, rates are based on double occupancy and do not include gratuities or taxes. Some blackout dates apply.

The “Zion in Winter” package includes an overnight stay and features breakfast for two each morning. From Dec. 1, through March 31, this package rate for a Sunday-through-Thursday stay is $89 for a standard room, $99 for a western cabin and $119 for a suite. On Fridays and Saturdays, the rate is $99 for a standard room, $109 for a western cabin and $129 for a suite. The rates are $10 higher than weekend rates during the holiday periods of Dec. 23-30 and Feb. 11-13 and Feb. 19-21. Each additional person in the room is $10 with breakfast available for purchase separately. Zion Lodge also offers a two-night New Year’s Eve package for guests arriving on Dec. 31. The “Zion in Winter” package is based on double occupancy, does not include taxes or gratuities and is not available on Dec. 31 or Feb. 19-20. Guests should mention the promotion code “WNTR” when making reservations. Guests should use the promotion code “WNTR” when making reservations online at www.zionlodge or by calling 888-29-PARKS (888-297-2757).

In Yellowstone National Park, where only the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel are open during the winter, the focus is on combining accommodations and specific winter activities. Most of the park is closed to wheeled vehicles in the winter, and transportation is provided by over-snow vehicles — snowcoaches and snowmobiles. Many visitors prefer the convenience of Xanterra’s “Winter Getaway” and interpretation-based “Adventure” and “Lodging & Learning” packages.

Winter provides a scenic backdrop for spotting wolves in the wild and the “Trail of the Wolf” package focuses on educating guests about this famous predator as well as the park’s abundant natural features. The package includes guided snowmobiling in the interior of the park and wildlife watching by van in the park’s Northern Range. This package includes three nights of lodging split between Old Faithful and Mammoth, a round-trip guided snowmobile tour between Old Faithful and Mammoth, a “Wake up to Wildlife” tour of the Lamar Valley, two breakfasts per person, welcome gift, a one-hour hot tub rental, unlimited ice skating and skates and a Snow Card good for 10 percent off meals, activities and more. Rates start at $419 per person for double occupancy for two nights at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and one night at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Rates start at $549 per person for double occupancy for two nights at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and one night at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.

Yellowstone may be booked by phone by calling (307) 344-7311 or toll-free (866) GEYSERLAND (866-439-7375). Complete tour details also are available on the Web site at www.YellowstoneNationalParkLodges.com.

The South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park offers the El Tovar Romance Package at the elegant El Tovar, a national historic landmark and the park’s most sought-after lodge. The package includes one night in a standard queen room, a bottle of California sparkling wine and fruit basket in the room and dinner for two with a bottle of Grand Canyon label wine in the El Tovar Dining Room. The base package cost is $375 plus tax subject to availability. Guests may upgrade to a deluxe room or suite, based upon availability, for an additional charge. The Romance Package is available Nov. 28 through Feb. 14, excluding Dec. 11 and Dec. 24 through Jan. 1, and Jan. 12. For reservations, visitwww.grandcanyonlodges.com or call 888-29-PARKS (888-297-2757). Guests should use the promo code “ROMANCE.”

Also at the Grand Canyon, Maswik and Yavapai lodges offer the Winter Value Rate, representing a significant savings over summer-season rates. The Winter Value Rate is $85 per night plus tax at Maswik South and Yavapai West, and $110 per night plus tax at Maswik North and Yavapai East. The Winter Value Rate is available from through March 10, excluding Nov. 24 through Nov. 27, Dec. 24 through Jan. 1 and Feb. 19 through Feb. 21. The rates are good for single or double occupancy. The cost for each additional person in the room is $9. Children 16 and under stay at no extra charge. Lodge and room type are subject to availability and seasonal closures. For reservations, visit www.grandcanyonlodges.com or call 888-29-PARKS (888-297-2757).

Grand Canyon Railway rates drop twice during the winter season — on Nov. 12 and again on Jan. 1. The rates for packages — which include train travel, accommodations and more — drop as much as 36 percent during the historic train’s winter season. The Railway Getaway Plus features roundtrip coach-class train travel, two nights of lodging at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel and two breakfasts and two dinners per person. The rate is $262 per person beginning Nov. 12 through Dec. 31 and $202 per person Jan. 1 through March 14. The Grand Canyon Railway also offers packages featuring overnight accommodations inside the park at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Travelers can book packages online at www.thetrain.com or by calling 800-THE-TRAIN (800-843-8724).

Unlike most Western national parks, California’s Death Valley National Park is visited by far more travelers in the winter than in the summer. For golfers, Furnace Creek Resort offers the Stay & Play package, which includes overnight accommodations at either the Inn at Furnace Creek or the Ranch at Furnace Creek, unlimited golf for one day, 18-hole golf cart rental and club storage. Rates start at $211 at the Ranch and $387 at the Inn through Dec. 16. Rates for a Sunday through Thursday stay Jan. 1 through Feb. 28 start at $207 at the Ranch and $345 at the Inn from Nov. 28 through Dec. 16. Rates for a Sunday through Thursday stay Jan. 1 through Feb. 28 start at $207 at the Ranch and $341 at the Inn. Rates for a Friday or Saturday stay during that period are $221 at the Ranch and $351 at the Inn. Rates are for two people based on double occupancy and do not include taxes. Rates may be higher on weekends and some blackout dates apply. For reservations online, visit www.furnacecreekresort.com and use the promo code “GOLF.”