Tips on Accommodations

Baja is a generous host offering all kinds of accommodations, from basic and comfortable to lush and luxurious, at all prices, from rock-bottom to sky-high.

Out-of-the-Ordinary Places to Stay -- Mexico lends itself beautifully to the concept of small, private hotels in idyllic settings. They vary in style from grandiose estate to palm-thatched bungalow. Mexico Boutique Hotels (www.MexicoBoutiqueHotels.com) specializes in smaller places to stay with a high level of personal attention and service. Most options have less than 50 rooms, and the accommodations consist of entire villas, casitas, bungalows, or a combination. At press time, Baja's only Mexico Boutique Hotel offering is Casa Natalia in Los Cabos.

Mexico's Hotel Rating System

The hotel rating system in Mexico is called "Stars and Diamonds." Hotels may qualify to earn one to five stars, or five diamonds. Many hotels that have excellent standards are not certified, but all rated hotels adhere to strict standards. The guidelines relate to service, facilities, and hygiene more than to prices.

Five-diamond hotels meet the highest requirements for rating: The beds are comfortable, bathrooms are in excellent working order, all facilities are renovated regularly, infrastructure is top-tier, and services and hygiene meet the highest international standards.

Five-star hotels usually offer similar quality, but with lower levels of service and detail in the rooms. For example, a five-star hotel may have less luxurious linens or room service during limited hours rather than 24 hours.

Four-star hotels are less expensive and more basic, but they still guarantee cleanliness and basic services such as hot water and purified drinking water. Three-, two-, and one-star hotels are at least working to adhere to certain standards: Bathrooms are cleaned and linens are washed daily, and you can expect a minimum standard of service. Two- and one-star hotels generally provide bottled water rather than purified water.

The nonprofit organization Calidad Mexicana Certificada, A.C., known as Calmecac (www.calmecac.com.mx), is responsible for hotel ratings.

Hotel Chains

In addition to the major international chains, you'll run across a number of less-familiar brands as you plan your trip to Mexico. They include:

Mayan Resorts (www.mayanresorts.com.mx). One of Mexico's newest hospitality dynamos is driving some of Mexico's most well done and affordable master-planned resort communities. Mayan Resorts projects usually include a large-scale resort, ownership options ranging from fractional condominiums to full-ownership homes, a commercial center, and one or more championship golf courses. A new Mayan Palace Resort is under construction in San José del Cabo and another property is rumored to be breaking ground on Baja's East Cape.

House-Swapping & Vacation Rentals

House-swapping is becoming a more popular and viable means of travel; you stay in their place, they stay in yours, and you both get a more authentic and personal view of a destination, the opposite of the escapist retreat many hotels offer. Try HomeLink International (www.homelink.org), the oldest home-swapping organization, founded in 1952, with more than 13,000 listings worldwide ($75 yearly membership). HomeExchange.com ($99.95 for over 17,000 listings) and InterVac.com ($68.88 for over 10,000 listings) are also reliable.

To get the house without the swap, try the reputable Vacation Rentals By Owner website www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/mexico. In Los Cabos and the East Cape, look to the reputable Earth, Sea & Sky Vacations (tel. 800/745-2226; www.cabovillas.com) for the widest and best variety of rental accommodations.

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Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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				Frommer's Los Cabos & Baja, 2nd Edition Author: Emily Hughey Quinn Pub Date: October 22, 2007 Price: $17.99				Related Titles: Cancun & the Yucatan For Dummies, 3rd Edition Frommer's Cancun & the Yucatan Day by Day, 1st Edition Frommer's Cancun, Cozumel & the Yucatan 2008

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