Swine flu.  The mere name sounds vaguely Dickensian for some reason.  It’s not something I want to have any dealings with whatsoever, especially when I consider that I and my two children just got over a nasty stomach virus that had its fair share of aches and pains along with the requisite other stuff one has to deal with when stomach bugs hit.

Oddly enough, the Westin Lagunamar in Cancun just called to say that they magically have an opening and would like to know if I’d like to come!

Well, when I look at the villas, sure, I’d love to!  But not in 2 weeks, thanks.  I can do my due dilgence with hand washing and all that, but I can’t know that the staff is doing the same.  And while the same can be said for any restaurant or store I visit right in my own neighborhood, the difference is that I haven’t used up precious vacation time and flown several hours for the privilege.

So, dear Mexico, I think you and I shall have to meet some other time.  Were it just hubby and I we might brave it, but I won’t put 2 kids under 6 who need to regain the weight they lost, at that kind of risk.  Maybe next year?

Complimentary daily breakfast, “Nanny-On-Call” service and children’s cooking classes highlight the five-night “Family Fun in the Sun” package offered at the exclusive, 29-suite Esencia estate in the Riviera Maya. The package, available through Oct. 31, features five nights’ complimentary accommodations for up to two children under the age of 12 in the same suite as parents, breakfast each morning, two hours of “Nanny-on-Call” service each day while parents enjoy a treatment at Aroma Spa or dinner at Sal y Fuego, and a two-hour children’s cooking class for each child. Roundtrip transportation to and from Cancun International Airport is also included in the package. Rates start at $1,999 for accommodations in a Garden Room. Taxes and service fee is additional. For reservations, please call 877-528-3490 or visit www.hotelesencia.com.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico (June 16, 2008) – In celebration of schools being out for the summer, families heading to Cabo San Lucas save 40% on suite accommodations at Casa Dorada Los Cabos, Resort & Spa, with the “Verano in Medano” (Summer in Medano) Package. Kids 12 and under stay and dine free, the Casa Kidz club, activities at the resort, and daily buffet breakfast at Maydan beachfront restaurant are also included. At the newest resort in Cabo San Lucas’ Medano Beach, families can share luxurious ocean-view accommodations in a 2,000 sq-ft two-bedroom suite complete with separate living and dining areas, kitchen, grand terrace, marble bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub. Families looking to spend quality time together enjoy a myriad of Los Cabos’ activities including zip-lining, swimming with the dolphins, golf, and spa treatments. Available through September 30, 2008, the package starts at $2,580 USD for four days/three nights for up to two adults and two children. All taxes and service fee are included. For reservations, please call 1-(866) 448-0151 or visit www.casadorada.com. (more…)