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Traveling to Cuernavaca, Mexico
We recently returned from a non-rev adventure to Cuernavaca, Mexico. I had not heard of this city, but my husband had been there in the past through a program through his work, and he suggested we visit it together. We flew non-rev on United Airlines from RSW to IAH, and from IAH to MEX (each of these two flights were about 2 hours). Once in MEX we took a bus for 1 1/2 hours to Cuernavaca. The bus that you will take to Cuernavaca from MEX airport is called the Pullman, and do not be scared of taking this bus, as it was quite upscale, safe, and it even had free wifi. It leaves (frequently) from terminal 1 (which is probably where you will be), and it also leaves from terminal 2. To find the bus in terminal 1, go to the ground floor, facing the international vehicular ramp, which is also the area of the food court. Follow the signs for the bus. Once there you can buy a ticket at the counter to Cuernavaca. It cost approximately $16 USD to ride the bus to Cuernavaca. We were able to complete the task of purchasing bus tickets, going through bus security, and getting on the bus with about 4 out of 10 difficulty in regards to not speaking Spanish. So in other words, it can certainly be done, but we will admit our language barrier did make it a bit tricky, naturally. When you arrive at Cuernavaca, you will be at “Bus station Cuernavaca Casino de la selva”, and we saw many taxis waiting there for customers. We showed a computer print out of our hotel address and name, and they were able to easily take us there for 60 pesos, which is about $3. You will defiantly not want to walk to a hotel because the sidewalks are very narrow and cobbled, or non-existent.
Cuernavaca is not going to be your party destination city, or even geared for tourists, rather a lovely historic, peaceful location with authenticity. I learned that Cuernavaca is the capital city of the state of Morales, and it is known for a steady tropical warm climate. It is a popular city for expatriates to retire to, as it is a place your US dollar goes further. I felt our 3 day trip there was sufficient in length to enjoy what the area had to offer, including excellent Mexican food, stunning colonial architecture in vibrant colors, and some enjoyable shopping . In other words, it was a delightful journey of value to me, however it has a fair amount of dilapidation around the beautiful parts of the city, which is why a short stay was enough. Would I pay full price air fare? No I would not. But having said that, I still recommend a visit here to my non-reving friends due to the low air fare cost it entails to non-rev, the cultural learning, and because of the following recommendations which were the gems that made this trip so much fun.
Where to Stay in Cuernavaca
My first suggestion for an enjoyable visit to Cuernavaca, is to stay at the Holiday Inn Cuernavaca on Boulevard Diaz Ordas. The hotel ran $85 total a night, that is including taxes and fees. While inside the grounds of the hotel, I felt like I was in a charming resort. There were two different swimming pool on the grounds (one of which contains a semi-hot tub), a tiki hut poolside bar, a salon, a lovely dining area and very beautiful landscaping and gardens. There were many koi fish swimming in man-made ponds, as well as turtles. This is a wedding venue as well, and they strive to keep it luscious.
We recommend the daily breakfast buffet served in the semi outdoor dining room area. The buffet, which costs extra, was extensive to choose from of different Mexican breakfast foods, as well as croissants, and fruit. You might be aware that a traveler to Mexico needs to be careful in drinking the water. I made coffee in the room from bottled water and brought it with me, however my husband drank coffee there and he was fine and did not get sick from hot coffee. The staff here were very kind and accommodating in helping us despite our language barrier. We kept saying we are so glad we chose to stay there as it was clean, it was safe (there is an armed guard who stands outside the premise), and it was lovely. We felt safe enough in daylight walking to a nearby restaurant for dinner, El Rey de la Arrachera, however do not get the impression that the neighborhoods around the hotel complex are especially nice, as they were actually quite run down. As long as you are in the hotel grounds you feel like you are on a tropical vacation.
Spending One full Quality Day in Quernavaca- Where we Went
After leisurely enjoying the delicious hotel breakfast buffet until late morning, we took a taxi (60 pesos/ $3) to the city center. We asked to be driven to Plaza de la Constitucion, mainly because it is in the “heart and soul” center of the city, and a good place to stroll if you do not have any particular plans. We wandered the narrow streets around there for hours, fascinated with all of the shopping, people watching, and scenes to take in of buildings and culture. We enjoyed splitting a piece of cake and drinking Americanos at Lord Cafe.
Shopping
Much of the shopping was not anything of interest; think “Rue 21-quality” clothing and shoes in mass (!), inflatable toys, gazillions of masks and bejeweled cell phone covers, etc. It is an overwhelming amount. However I found my top shopping recommendation of Cuernavaca when we eventually stumbled upon just the type of store I was hoping to find of high quality clothing with traditional bright Mexican floral embroidery. I bought this pretty cream/white embroidered sundress show below, and I just love it! If I hadn’t bought this one, I saw many others I liked just as much. There were also many men’s shirts of high quality and style, as well as accessories. The store has been around since 1962, and it is called Artesanias Carbajal, located at Hidalgo #1 Col. Centro ( on facebook it has a page called GuayaberasCarbajal).
One Night in Cuernavaca? Here is where you should dine!
My favorite thing we did in Cuernavaca, was dining on a second story balcony for two at Casa Hildago. The ambiance at this restaurant is warm, inviting, and elegant with quiet Spanish guitar music playing in the background. On the balcony you overlook a beautiful green space/ town square, and the famous Palacio de Cortes (castle) which is the oldest conserved colonial-era civil structure in the continental Americas. We chose to split a stuffed pepper, which was not your average stuffed pepper. It has cream sauce, pomegranates on top, and it was stuffed with sweet tasting beef which might have had figs in it? It was hard to know what it was exactly, but it was delicious! We also had a dessert of Americanos and strawberry jubilee, which was prepared table side with brandy, sugar, and flames, accompanied by vanilla ice cream.
After dinner we took another 60 peso ($3) taxi back to the hotel. We had saved a business card from the hotel so we would be able to communicate about where we needed to go. The hotel front desk arranged a taxi pick up for us in the morning, to take us to the bus station ( Cuernavaca Casino de la selva ) once again. We purchased tickets once again to terminal 1. This time for some reason, the tickets were more expensive, maybe about $20 (USD) a person. Once again, it took 1 1/2 hours to arrive at MEX airport. We took United from MEX to IAH, then IAH to RSW, arriving home late at night.
I would recommend this non-rev trip to any traveler who is of a mature, open minded, adventuresome spirit. As mentioned before, this is not going to be attractive to those looking for a highly energized, party central type vacation. Not that you couldn’t make your own party along the way, but the point I would like to get across is that this is going to be an “off-the-beaten- path”, exploration of an old Mexican town with both depressing dilapidation and beautiful inspiring gems.
One last tip concerning covid and travel. You do not need a vaccine or covid test to travel to Mexico, but you need a covid test prior to your return to the USA. It must be a special kind (look that up on United’s international travel guide), and it must have been taken within 3 days of your first departure time. We took our test for free at CVS very late in the afternoon, the day prior to departure, and the results came back to us online the evening of our arrival. We did this so that we would not have to deal with it in Mexico, and I am so glad we did. A man we met at the airport got his covid nasal swab test done in Mexico, and not only did he have to pay for it, he said they stuck it almost up to his brain and did it for a count of 10 rotations in each nostril. Do yourself a favor, and avoid that if you can!
CuernavacaMexicoNon Rev travel
