Monday, June 3, 2024

En Breve Travel: Friendliest cities, Diego Luna’s favorite CDMX spots, new hotel at AIFA

Diego Luna’s Mexico City

In an interview for Condé Nast, Mexico City-born actor Diego Luna shared the reasons why he loves the city that raised him. “There is something about Mexico City,” the actor said. “It feels alive.”

During Diego’s childhood, it was difficult to find things in Mexico City from other countries, he admitted. Now, from one of the widest theater offerings in the world to concerts by international superstars and award-winning culinary experiences,, “everything’s there,” the actor said.

Talking about food, Rosetta is one of his favorite restaurants because the food there reminds him of home, he said. He also likes Nico’s, a place he encouraged readers to go. However, his favorite part about Mexico City’s culinary scene is the fact that a 15-minute meal standing on your feet or a two-hour dinner at a restaurant can both be memorable experiences.

An old stone building surrounded by a fountain and lush gardens.
The historic chapel of the Centro Cultural Helénico. (María Ruiz Cervera CC BY-SA 3.0)

When asked about his favorite theater in Mexico, he said he loves the theaters at the National University and often attends the Centro Cultural Helénico (Hellenic Cultural Center) in San Ángel. “San Ángel is a nice neighborhood, it’s chill,” he said of the  neighborhood where he currently lives, adding that it is reminiscent of a traditional Mexican town.

Condé Nast’s friendliest global cities list includes 2 in Mexico

Two Mexican Cities made it to the Top 10 list of Condé Nast 2022 Readers’ Choice Awards: Mexico City ranked fifth and San Miguel de Allende topped the list as the friendliest city on Earth.

Also ranked as the world’s best small city, San Miguel de Allende has repeatedly appeared in prestigious travel and tourism industry rankings. Earlier this month, the small city also made it into Condé Nast’s “32 best places to spend Christmas around the world.”

As for Mexico City, it is rapidly becoming a popular destination for travelers from the United States and abroad. As National Geographic puts it, the oldest city in the Americas “is having a moment” by staying at the “forefront of cultural relevance.”

Holiday Inn opens at AIFA

A shiny rectangular building
The Holiday Inn at AIFA. (Facebook)

After several months of delay, the Holiday Inn & Suites México hotel at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) opened its doors last week.

Connected with the AIFA through a skywalk, it has 220 rooms and is the first hotel within the area of the airport. It also has two restaurants, terraces, a spa, a co-working space, a gym, a business center, meeting rooms, a travel agency and two parking basements.

The Holiday Inn was built by the Mexican military and is owned by them, with Holiday Inn only being the hotel operator.

Delays at Cancún and CDMX airports

Amidst the busiest travel season of the year, the Cancún and CDMX airports have reported delays of up to six hours.

According to sources from the Mexico City International Airport (AICM), the influx of passengers increases up to 20% during the December holidays —the reason behind the delays. Among the flights delayed this week were those bound to Puerto Escondido, Monterrey, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Cancún, Dallas, Los Cabos, Mérida, Yucatán, Houston, Ciudad Juárez, Washington, Tampico, Cozumel, Guadalajara, Huatulco, Lima, Toronto and Reynosa.

Two photos. One shows a long line of cars and the other shows people walking between another long line of cars with suitcases.
Lines of travelers walked, sometimes for kilometers, with their suitcases to get over the bridge that was closed to traffic, and the resulting the traffic jam. (Twitter @movimientoTOUR)

Farther south, 40 national and international flights were delayed at the Cancún airport on Dec. 21, owing to construction on the bridge leading into the airport.

With the bridge closed, a traffic jam that lasted six hours affected 10,000 people who were trying to make it on time to catch their flight. Videos shared on social media showed people walking through the traffic with their luggage in hand.

The Association of Federal Tourist Carriers shared on Twitter that the cause of the traffic jam was the lack of alternate routes to get to the airport.

With reports from Condé Nast, Proceso, Infobae and La Jornada Maya

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