DEL-Moon Handbooks Pacific Mexico: Including Puerta Vallarta, Acapulco, Mazatlan, Guadalajara, and Oaxaca

From the Tropic of Cancer all the way to Oaxaca's palmy southern shore, the Pacific coast of Mexico offers numerous opportunities for adventure and discovery. The sixth edition of Moon Handbooks Pacific Mexico, by acclaimed Mexican travel specialist Bruce Whipperman, provides all the essentials for discovering this dynamic region. Looking for more than the standard itinerary? Take a jungle river trip to Tovara Spring in San Blas; go for a swim in a crystal spring-fed pool in Agua Fria; or enjoy the Guelaguetza folk dance festival in Oaxaca. Completely updated and revised, Moon Handbooks Pacific Mexico covers not only Acalpulco, Puerto Vallarta, Oaxaca, Guadalajara, and Mazatlan but also interesting, out-of-the way destinations, such as the Nayarit coastal towns of Bucerias, Punta Mita and Sayulita. Packed with the most current information on sights, recreational activities, accommodations, and regional cuisine, as well as custom maps, color photographs, fascinating sidebars, and a complete coverage of the region's political and cultural history, Moon Handbooks Pacific Mexico is an essential guide for the traveler's next trip to Mexico.

It is the age of specialization, which is a good thing if you're traveling to Pacific Mexico. Let's say you're heading off to Mazatlán or Guadalajara, Oaxaca or Acapulco, you no longer need to lug along every detail on every town, city, and hotel in Mexico. Just the pertinent particulars will do, and that's what Bruce Whipperman delivers in his Lowell Thomas Award-winning Pacific Mexico Handbook.

Stretching over 1,000 miles along the Pacific coast from Mazatlán in Sinaloa down to Bahias de Huatulco in Oaxaca, the choices of tropical, palm-lined lagoons and soft sandy beaches seem without end yet easily accessible, thanks to Mexico's Highway 200 on the Pacific coast and a plethora of airplane access. Yet not each beach resort town is the same in character and opportunities. One of the great services rendered by Whipperman's handbook, before you ever set foot on Mexican soil, is the concise yet evocative description of the distinguishing personalities of the many towns and cities along the water. Especially useful if you're venturing south for the first time, Whipperman's introductions help you plan your itinerary to suit your mood and style. Of course he backs his narrative up with all the facts one might need, the hotels and restaurants, means of transportation and nightlife, shopping, sports, sights, and beaches. But he fleshes these guidebook details out with his sensitive and scholarly attention to the people, history and culture, the land and sea, the vegetation and the animals to be seen and experienced. All the options are spelled out, from the hedonistic immersion in resort relaxation to a glossary of helpful Spanish if you choose to explore further afield. --Stephanie Gold