How to Find Luxury Hotels in Guadalajara, Mexico

Considered the number two city in Mexico, cosmopolitan Guadalajara is quickly becoming a tourist hot spot. Believed by some to be the most authentic Mexican city in the country, Guadalajara boasts impressive architecture, fine dining and fascinating culture.

Things You'll Need

• Passport
• Map of Guadalajara, Mexico
• Computer with Internet access

Instructions

Explore Guadalajara, Mexico

1. Catch a soccer game in Guadalajara. With three major soccer clubs (Chivas, Atlas and Tecos), there's sure to be plenty of excitement during the soccer season.

2. Walk around the city for exercise and enjoyment. In addition to the famed Guadalajara cathedral, there are numerous plazas packed with interesting architecture and food vendors.

3. Learn about the city at the Regional Museum of Guadalajara. You can spend hours going through the various exhibits on prehistoric Mesoamerica and diverse paintings spanning the seventeenth to twenty-first centuries.

4. Get ready to shop! With four different shopping malls and numerous flea markets, Guadalajara is a terrific place to buy authentic Mexican souvenirs, modern electronics, fashionable clothes and accessories.

Stay in Luxury Accommodations in Guadalajara, Mexico

1. Choose a central location to trim sightseeing travel times. There are numerous luxury accommodations in the heart of Guadalajara. Depending on whether you want an intimate environment or a spacious, world-renowned hotel, you can expect to pay between $80 and $150 per night. To book accommodations, contact Ayuntamiento de Guadalajara at (800) 44 MEXICO or visit their Web site (see Resources, below).

2. Get a taste for luxury living by staying in an authentic Mexican home. A room in a beautiful colonial-style house in central Guadalajara will cost between $95 and $200 per night. Depending on how upscale a home you choose, you may have on-site laundry facilities or maid service.

3. Splurge on luxury villa accommodations. You can rent an entire villa in Guadalajara for as little as $1,500 per week. Extremely upscale homes, complete with maid and chauffeur services, cost more than $3,000 per week.

Tips & Warnings

• Guadalajara is generally warm and sunny year-round. Summers can be torrid, however, so pack sunscreen and bottled water for sightseeing excursions.

• Exchange your dollars for pesos, the official currency of Mexico. Some tourist areas will accept American dollars. Signs indicating that U.S. dollars are accepted are usually placed in the windows of shops and restaurants.

• Public restrooms in Guadalajara charge fees for toilet paper and water, so keep extra pesos on you at all times for bathroom emergencies.