Mexico resorts drugging tourists??

I went to the Iberostar Grand Playa Paraiso a few years ago. I lived. I've had friends go recently. They lived.

my Dad sent me this article and said his friend just cancelled his trip down there.


A bit extreme if you ask me

I haven't been to Cozumel in 10 years. I have a friend that goes every year and stays at the Iberostar in Cozumel. He dives, does the all you can drink package, etc. He's fine.

I will say, however, that Mexico is Mexico. The tourist areas seem safe, but there is a dangerous underculture everywhere in Mexico. They have no rule of law. It's all about bribes and who is protecting whom.

Just watch your arse and you will probably be fine.

Read this on my lunch today. Sounds like isolated cases, but makes you think nonetheless. Have our honeymoon scheduled at the Paradisus in September. Didn't see them particularly mentioned in the article, but it is an all-inclusive just like Iberostar. If anything it's really good information to know heading there. Definitely won't be canceling my trip over it. And definitely won't keep me from consuming alcohol every day either. Lol. Big publication like that will also most likely make them tighten up over the next few months, if for nothing else than possibly losing a lot of American dollars.

I wanted to go to Mexico with our kids this summer and my husband would not allow it because of shite Iike this.

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i wanted to go to Mexico with our kids this summer and my husband would not allow it because of shite Iike this.

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You can come with me, I'll protect you.

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Big publication like that will also most likely make them tighten up over the next few months, if for nothing else than possibly losing a lot of American dollars.

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I am thinking this will happen. Iberostar and other big hotels have a lot to lose with stories like this. Mexico has lots of tourism to lose with stories like this in big Amercian newspapers and facebook.

I think if shenanigans have been going on, the resorts will be stamping it out right away.

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I will say, however, that Mexico is Mexico. The tourist areas seem safe, but there is a dangerous underculture everywhere in Mexico. They have no rule of law. It's all about bribes and who is protecting whom.

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Exactly

It's a shithole that's caters to the all you can eat/drink heathens. So many better options

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So many better options

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The draw on my trip is the Cozumel diving and snorkelling. We havent dove here before and feel like its on our personal dive site checklist.

We are a decent sized group and picked this resort because our dive shop, Dessel Divers, has a dock on the resort property.

We have a couple non drinkers going so at least if someone gets roofied we will have someone sober.

I agree with this.

We live 2.5 hours from the border, and I'll admit that my perception of Mexico is jaded. However, 15 years ago my former boss and I were going to drive to Tampico and see some customers and work our way north. I've also always wanted to drive to Monterrey and spend a long weekend. I've heard it's a really (or was) nice city.

The cartels changed the paradigm. They set up roadblocks and hold up cars on the autopista, they control the police (if there is any) and they extort all the business in their territory. The Mexican government has absolutely no control over Tamaulipas, Most of Nuevo León or Chihuahua. The cartels control these areas. The cartels also control the press so it's really difficult to know what is really happening in any particular city. There was a guy in Reynosa that was publishing a blog to let folks' relatives in the US know if someone was safe or not. They found his head but not his body.

The days of driving to San Miguel or Guadalajara are gone, much less Monterrey. And the border towns are war zones and have no police. They are run by the cartel's para military, many of whom are children.

Mexico is much worse than any of you can fathom.

So with this reality, I have a very hard time going to Cozumel to go diving. How do I know who's really running Cozumel? What happens if I have an accident? Then this entire Iberostar thing falls right in line with my jaded perception.

I'd love to visit the interior of Mexico before I am dead, but something has to change before I do so. And I worry that Cozumel really isn't that different- we just don't know any better.

For now I will stick with Belize, the Caymans, Bonaire, Roatan or the eastern leeward islands.