Is Playa Viva Safe for Travel?
We usually get this question after you book your reservation with us. What we find is that you will go out to dinner with friends or family and when you tell them of your upcoming vacation to Mexico…and inevitably you get the following response, “Are you crazy! Don’t you know how dangerous it is in Mexico?” Then you call us and ask? “Is it safe?”
The short answer to the question is yes. You are just as safe at Playa Viva as you are at home or going on vacation to a small town nearby to where you live.
The long answer (and we appreciate your need for more information, as well as we take this question very seriously as it significantly impacts our business) is as follows
See both the US State Department Travel Advisory for Mexico for up to date information as well as the Canadian State Department Travel Advisory for Mexico which more specifically addresses the safety of Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa areas over the rest of the State of Guerrero.
The US Travel Advisory is very specific with its advice. Basically it states that millions of Americans travel safely to and from Mexico every year for tourism with “no evidence that organized criminal groups have targeted U.S. visitors.”
Further stating, “Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year for study, tourism, and business, including more than 150,000 who cross the border every day. The Mexican government dedicates substantial resources to protect visitors to major tourist destinations, and there is no evidence that organized criminal groups have targeted U.S. visitors or residents based on their nationality. Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the levels of drug-related violence and crime that are reported in the border region or in areas along major trafficking routes.”
That said, we take security very seriously at Playa Viva. As further stated in the US Travel Advisory: “U.S. citizens are encouraged to lower their personal profiles and to avoid displaying indicators of wealth such as expensive or expensive-looking jewelry, watches, or cameras. U.S. citizens are encouraged to maintain awareness of their surroundings and avoid situations in which they may be isolated or stand out as potential victims.”
Playa Viva takes the following safety measures:
- Travel is secured only in bonded taxis or via agencies with known drivers.
- Travel in our vehicles with Playa Viva staff.
- Travel restricted to the major highways during nighttime or on local roads frequented and well known by our team.
- 24×7 security guards on site.
- Random, regular visits by Federal, State, Local and Tourism police
- Safes in all rooms to guard valuables.
- Recommend leaving all jewelry and wearable valuables at home.
- Laptop, cell phones, cameras ok, as with travel anywhere, keep a close eye and use normal precautions.
- We accept credit card for payment for all items including tips to limit your need to carry cash.
As the Travel Advisory further states: “Of particular safety concern are casinos, sports books, or other gambling establishments and adult entertainment establishments. U.S. government personnel are specifically prohibited from patronizing these establishments in the states of Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Jalisco, Colima and Nayarit.”
Wherever we go, we can potentially be the subjects of random violence. So while the crime statistics may be high in certain areas and random violent crime might alarm us, the reality is that places like Playa Viva and the locations for local excursions are all safe, as safe as any other similar location in the world you might travel.
One quote recently heard on the subject of violence in Mexico, “the violence is isolated, it is bad people doing bad things to other bad people for having done bad things to them.” In our work (and daily activities), we stay away from bad people and the places they frequent.
We hope this addresses your concerns. This is probably too much on the topic, but as you can see, it angers us that alarmists take the easy route, making sweeping generalizations and echo the media hype without taking into consideration the facts and real information from people on the ground living in those communities.
Finally, if you look at our Google and TripAdvisor reviews, these are unedited reviews by guests, not one single review mentions any concern about security. On the contrary, they mention how safe and secure they felt. If you have additional concerns, please let us know.
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