Cowboy Concierge

Author: Don Herman

Mexican Pesos and American Dollars 0

Travel Planning / Travel Tips

Should I Get Pesos Before Traveling to Mexico?

This is one of the most common questions we’re asked when sending clients to our sunny southern neighbors.  And if the answer were simple, it probably wouldn’t be asked so often. The answer is, “It depends.” First – What kind of trip are you taking? If you’re going for a week, and your destination is an all-inclusive resort where you plan on parking your behind on a lounge chair all day, sipping those cold, delicious Mexican cocktails, then you probably don’t need to worry about it.  Take a handful of $1 bills for tips and small things on the way,...

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Nuevo Vallarta

Grand Luxxe Nuevo Vallarta – Confirmed Weeks Available Now!

Enjoy a week’s stay at Vidanta’s flagship Grand Luxxe resort in Nuevo Vallarta in a beautiful, 2 bedroom Grand Luxxe Villa! One confirmed week available now: February 15 – February 22, 2020  This week is reserved and available with confirmation. This beautiful unit features two bedrooms with two king-size beds, two and a half bathrooms with two Jacuzzi tubs, a terrace with a plunge pool, a separate private deck, a gourmet kitchen, two living areas with sleeper sofas, and four TVs. The 3000 square foot unit will accommodate 8, with a sleeper sofa in the private, lock-able sitting room and also in...

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Nuevo Vallarta

Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta – Spa Tower 3 Bedroom

Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta 3 Bedroom Spa Tower available for the high-season week of January 3 – 10, 2020.  If you’re looking for an unforgettable family vacation, check out Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta and this beautiful Spa Tower 3 Bedroom Unit. Located on the grounds of Vidanta’s flagship Nuevo Vallarta resort, the Spa Tower offers tons of space for your family.  This 3,000 sq ft unit sports three bedrooms, two with king-size beds and one with two double-size beds, three bathrooms with two Jacuzzi tubs, a private terrace with a plunge pool, a gourmet kitchen, living room with sleeper sofa, and four...

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Nuevo Vallarta

Grand Luxxe Luxury in a One Bedroom Unit

RENTED.  – One Bedroom Grand Luxxe Unit in Nuevo Vallarta over New Year’s Week December 28, 2019 – January 4, 2020. Imagine spending this New Year’s Eve in the most exclusive resort in Mexico – the Grand Luxxe Nuevo Vallarta.  Warm sun, huge beach, pools, gourmet restaurants, golf, spa, and gorgeous surroundings will make the start of 2020 simply unforgettable. We have it booked and waiting for you – and at a great price! A one-bedroom unit at the Grand Luxxe is known as a “Suite”.  It consists of the main living/dining/kitchen area, plus the master bedroom with full bath:...

Brandenburg gate of Berlin, Germany 0

Berlin

Cowboy Concierge Tour Berlin – May 2020

“Berlin combines the culture of New York, the traffic system of Tokyo, the nature of Seattle, and the historical treasures of, well, Berlin.” —Hiroshi Montomura,U.S. Law professor, 2004 Few cities can be considered truly cosmopolitan in comparison to Berlin.  It’s the crossroads of a dozen worlds, all of which offer their fascinating take on life in this bustling, beautiful city. We love Berlin.  And we want you to experience what we have seen – from the iconic sites of the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag and the Wall, to the lesser-known areas where Berliners just live and enjoy life. I’m Don Herman,...

Huichol Glass Bead Skull 0

Nuevo Vallarta

Mexican Folk Art in Puerto Vallarta

If you’ve traveled near the US/Mexico border, you’ve no doubt seen the beaded artwork in various shops and stalls.  Sometimes you’ll even see someone painstakingly working on an art piece in the shop, tapping tiny, colorful beads into a beeswax-coated wooden carving of an animal, a mask, or perhaps an egg.  We’ve bought our share of those, and have enjoyed giving them as gifts to friends.  But if you think these pieces constitute the entire breadth of Mexican folk art, you are sorely mistaken. Several years ago, while shopping in downtown Puerto Vallarta, we stumbled upon a shop called Peyote...

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Nuevo Vallarta / Travel Planning

Grand Luxxe Nuevo Vallarta – A Private Chef Experience

Recently, Dwaine and I traveled to Nuevo Vallarta with three other couples to stay at The Residence at Vidanta.  This four-bedroom, 6,000 sq. ft. unit is currently the largest unit available at Vidanta (though the Jungle Estates are being constructed as you read this – more on that later). The point of our two-week stay was to reconnect with our friends.  Life gets busy, even being retired.  We travel quite a lot, so making time with people can get difficult, and spending time with all of them together is downright rare!  So we planned this getaway a year ago to...

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Nuevo Vallarta / Travel Tips

Puerto Vallarta Travel Tips

Planning a trip to Puerto Vallarta?  Here are some Puerto Vallarta travel tips to help you as you make your plans. Time Zone: The entire state of Jalisco is on Central Time, as is the southern part of the State of Nayarit, starting from San Blas in the north. Buses: A system of urban buses with different routes can bring you from one end of the bay to the other and all the spots in between.  if you’re going further than San Pancho, head to the main bus terminal to catch a “Pacifico” bus.  Current fare is $10 pesos. Click...

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Travel Tips

How to Call the US from Mexico

If you travel a lot, you know that making a phone call from another country to the US isn’t as simple as dialing the usual phone number. We travel most often to Mexico, so I’ll deal with that first. Calling Cell Phone to Cell Phone or Land Line Within Mexico. This is the easiest – just dial the 10-digit number like you would anywhere.  In Mexico, the saying is “He who calls, pays” (el que llama paga).  Calls to cell phones cost more than calls to regular land line phone numbers. Calling Land Line to Cell Phone Within Mexico Going...

Grand Luxxe Riviera Maya Pool 4

Travel Planning

Vidanta Voucher Opportunity

Vidanta Ambassadors We’ve been Vidanta members for over ten years now.  Through our ownership, we’ve had some truly unforgettable experiences: Gazing out over the Bay of Banderas, seeing whales breaching the surface to land back with a crash of spray, catching red snapper right and left out of a little fishing boat, diving in the crystal waters off the coast of the Riviera Maya, helping baby turtles escape their predators in their first flight to the sea, visiting amazing pre-historic ruins and hearing the stories of the ancient peoples of Mexico. Because we are long-time owners, we are part of...