Domenic and Nancy Ianiero were murdered at the Barcelo Maya Beach Resort, an hour south of Cancun in Mexico while attending the marriage of their daughter. That would be a be a story unto itself. But vacation murders are never simple it seems like these days.

Domenic Ianiero, 59, and his wife, Annunziata, 55, were beginning a two-week vacation and attending the marriage of one of their two daughters in an exotic tropical ceremony along with 16 friends and family.

They arrived Saturday at the Barcelo Maya Beach Resort, a sprawling, all-inclusive resort about an hour’s drive south of Cancun along a stretch of white sand beaches that draws tens of thousands of Canadians each year.

Within 36 hours, they were lying in a pool of their own blood, their throats expertly slit from ear to ear, police said.

It was a killing performed by someone who was sure of hand and purpose, the gashes identically deep and clean. (Toronto Star, February 23rd)

There are strong indications that the couple were murdered by three female guests staying on the same floor of the hotel and murdered hours before these guests left to return to Canada. There were footprints that had blood on them that lead from the Ianieros room to the room down the hall that had residue of blood on them.

(more…)

If you are planning your Spring Break travel this year, you may want to reconsider Cancun, or at least be very selective in the  hotel you chose. Even though the prices are presently discounted in Cancun as it recovers from the Hurricane damage from last fall, they are not rolling out the welcome mat for College Spring Break visitors.

Several resort owners said Cancun should not make the same mistake that it did in 1988, when Hurricane Gilberto struck and hotels lowered rates to bring the tourists back. The bargain prices, combined with the drinking age of 18, combined to make Cancun the spring-break capital of North America.

Most resorts are offering deals as they come back on-line, but the welcome mat may not be out for spring breakers at the new, improved Cancun.

“I must admit, we don’t take spring breakers in our hotels,” Schmid said of Riu. “The spring breakers don’t match with our normal clients.”

Rodriguez, of Lomas Travel, said travel agents and big tour operators such as Funjet, Worry-Free and Apple Vacations know which hotels will accept spring-break groups. Traditionally, that had been the Oasis hotels, the Flamingo Cancun and the Barcelo Tucancun, among others.

But the past antics of kids-gone-crazy during spring break may cause some of the renovated hotels to rethink their open-door policy, Rodriguez said.

“I picked one group of 28 up at the airport at 10:30 in the morning, and they already had tequila bottles in their hands,” he recalled. “The hotel called me at 1 p.m. and said, `Come get these guys. We’re going to call the police.’ They were puking in the pool, some older guys were fighting, and one had fallen off the balcony.”

Mention spring break to Francisco Cordova and he rolls his eyes and says, “Oh my god - please!” via the Times Leader

The Economist Intelligence Unit, a division of the Economist Magazine,  has released it’s annual survey that ranks the top 130 cities in the world by cost of living, and for 2005 Oslo was the most expensive and surprise, surprise, Tehran was the least expensive city to do business in. New York City was the most expensive city in the United States coming in at 27th position.

Latin America saw inflation hit their currencies and moved up the list while the United States saw a modest increase and most of it’s cities moved down the charts.

The 10 Most Expensive Cities in the World

1 Oslo, Norway
2 Tokyo, Japan
3 Reykjavik, Iceland
4 Osaka Kobe, Japan
4 Paris, France 
6 Copenhagen, Denmark
7 London, UK
8 Zurich, Switzerland
9 Geneva, Switzerland
10 Helsinki, Finland

The Economist  goes on further to explain how the cost of living is determined:

There are two major reasons why a city’s cost of living index will change over time: exchange rate movement and price movement. Since a common currency is required in making a comparative calculation all local prices are converted into dollars, which emphasises the role of currency movement. If, for example, a currency strengthens or inflation pushes the price of goods up, so the relative cost of living in that country will also rise.

 

An interesting report from Cancun featured at the Sun Sentinel which reaffirms what I am hearing from other places. Cancun Hotels are doing everything they can to reopen their properties after Wilma for the peak travel season, but the properties are not quite ready. The benefit for the brave traveler is that you can stay at a top rate property for a very reasonable rate. As long as you are willing to overlook issues that normally would not be there.

My Cancun hotel, the five-star Gran Costa Real, was listed as “open” by the Cancun tourism people, and it was. But the elevator wasn’t working (my room was on the fifth floor), the restaurants weren’t fully operational and the hammering was still going strong at 4 a.m.

The pool at Casa Mexicana, my Cozumel hotel listed as “open,” was empty. The escalator leading from the street to the lobby wasn’t working; the noise from ongoing midday repairs was ear-shattering. Only a marvelous staff, and an $80 price on a very nice room, saved it.

It will be months before everything in Wilma-tized Cancun and Cozumel (and the few hard-hit bits of the Riviera Maya) approaches normalcy. Airlines resumed flights quickly (service to Cozumel began three days after the storm, with planes landing visually while the control tower was out of commission), but schedules to both Cancun and Cozumel are reduced now and are likely to remain less than they were through the winter season.

If You Go: Cancun: South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

If you are wanting to track down Demi, Ashton, Paris, Nicole, Lidsay, Mary J. Lay-Z, Uma, and even stars that are on the wane such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Beyonce, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, Kevin Costner, and Jack Nicholson, we have the scoop for you with the help of Entertainment Tonight.

“Some of the A-list hotspots this year are Anguilla, Cabo San Lucas, Aspen, Miami,” ONDINE COHANE, senior editor of Conde Nast Traveler magazine, tells ET. “These are where people are going for the hot getaway and also for the winter traditional Christmas.”

Stars spotted at the One & Only Palmilla in Cabo have included DEMI MOORE and ASHTON KUTCHER, who went after their wedding for their honeymoon. GWYNETH PALTROW and CHRIS MARTIN went to Cabo for their honeymoon, and JENNIFER ANISTON has also been escaping down there, away from the paparazzi glare.

The tiny island of St. Bart’s in the French West Indies is one of the more popular celebrity destinations, known for its European flair, great restaurants and wonderful hotels. UMA THURMAN, MARY J. BLIGE and especially BEYONCÉ and JAY-Z love to spend their vacation time down there.

“There’s a real concentration of power tycoon and hip-hop impresarios,” says Cohane. “It’s a real concentration over Christmas and New Year’s of all those types of people, so it’s an interesting mix. The highlight of the whole season, of course, is the New Year’s Eve parties, where people like DIDDY have these yacht parties, and celebrities jump from one boat to another.”

Another hot spot is Miami, which is big for the photo op, guaranteed amazing weather and beautiful beaches — and just a few hours’ flight from New York. “Miami is the ‘it’ place for the young Hollywood glamour scene,” says Cohane. “This year alone, LINDSAY LOHAN is having a party at Opium Garden, NICOLE RICHIE is having a party at Mansion and PARIS is having her premiere of her new Club Paris in Miami.”

Stars looking for a white Christmas can fly their private jet into Aspen, which is always a Hollywood hotbed of activity over the holidays. Many stars own homes in the area, including KURT RUSSELL and GOLDIE HAWN and KEVIN COSTNER, and JACK NICHOLSON is a perennial Aspenite. via ET

So chase the stars, live your dreams, and you may be next to your favorite star on the beach sipping a Margarita.

The optimism of Cancun is alive and well. After a very difficult and destructive Hurricane Season, Can is moving forward with the construction of a new terminal and a second runway to double capacity at the airport.

Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR) is beginning the construction of Terminal 3 and has initiated the necessary studies for the construction of the second runway at Cancun International Airport.

These two projects represent a total investment in excess of US$150 million. …

ASUR believes that Terminal 3 will be Mexico’s most modern, efficient, and technologically-advanced airport terminal, and the company estimates that it will require an investment of approximately US$100 million. via Breaking Travel News

The after effects of the hurricane season has hurt the 2005 cruise season tremendously. First the damage in the US Gulf region closed the cruise ports of New Orleans, Mobile, and Gulfport. Now Hurricane Wilma has hurt the Western Caribbean and Mexico, closing many of the ports of call.

 Hurricane Wilma has wreaked new havoc for cruise ships sailing from Texas ports, and passengers are likely to feel the effect for some time to come.

For a week, ships dodged Wilma’s wrath as it churned across Mexico’s Yucatan region and raked South Florida, dealing unexpected blows to the two busiest U.S. home ports: Miami and Port Everglades at Fort Lauderdale. More than 20 ships were affected.

Key West, a popular port of call that’s on some itineraries from Texas, was closed to tourists for nearly two weeks. It’s now open, and ships are returning. Royal Caribbean International’s Rhapsody of the Seas, sailing from Galveston, is again calling at Key West .

The worst and longer-lasting devastation was in Mexico’s popular Maya Riviera. Cruise lines now are dealing day by day with the aftermath. The popular resort of Cancun was severely damaged, but the destruction at the nearby island of Cozumel is a greater impact to cruises. Cozumel is the most popular port in the Caribbean, with an estimated 50 ships calling there regularly. During the winter season, as many as a dozen ships with 30,000 passengers might call at Cozumel in one day.

via The Dallas Morning News

Holland America adds a third ship to allow a better selection for their Mexico sailings, Cruises will specialize in providing trips to the Mexican Riviera and the Sea of Cortez. The Holland America Line ships include the Oosterdam, Zaandam, and Ryndam as vessels that will provide service to Mexico.

In 2007 Holland America Line will continue to be the only major cruise
line sailing the pristine Sea of Cortez on 10-day, roundtrip San Diego
cruises. The Ryndam will feature 11 such departures in winter/spring and fall,
providing a wide range of dates. The Oosterdam continues to sail the popular
seven-day Mexican Riviera itinerary, offering 28 cruises. The Zaandam will add
two 10-day Mexican Riviera cruises — and the Ryndam will sail one — in the
fall for guests who have more time to explore as far south as Acapulco.

 ”From vibrant Mexican Riviera ports to amazing wildlife in the Sea of
Cortez, and with several hundreds of exciting shore activities to choose from,
Holland America Line continues to offer more diverse premium cruise choices
for Mexico travelers,” said Richard D, Meadows, CTC, senior vice president,
marketing and sales.  “In addition, Holland America Line’s Mexico cruises
offer the convenience of sailing from San Diego’s cruise port, just minutes
from the city’s airport, and a popular city for pre- and post-cruise options.”

Looking to get out of Chicago before the snow starts falling to making the ground look like Kate Moss’s mirror?

There is a great deal on United via Frommers:

United (tel. 800/241-6522; www.united.com) is also having a sale to Los Cabos with fares that are definitely lower than the competition.

For example, Chicago to San Jose Cabo (aka Los Cabos) is $271 round-trip during this sale; it’s about $400 round-trip on every other airline; New York to Los Cabos is $276 round-trip versus about $100 more on other carriers. This is not a system-wide sale sorry Detroit, Peoria and Minneapolis, to name a few cities left out) and the savings aren’t that dramatic from certain other cities that are included (such as Boston at $319 round-trip; other airlines are charging just $7 more). But if your city is listed in the samples on United’s site then you’re good to go. Just a short travel window here: October 15 to November 13 with no minimum stay required, travel any day of the week.