Hi Mexico-loving friends! It has been a devastating October for many on the west coast of Mexico as three hurricanes have made landfall in the last few weeks.

Hi Mexico-loving friends! It has been a devastating October for many on the west coast of Mexico as three hurricanes have made landfall in the last few weeks. Puerto Vallarta On October 10th around 6pm, a category 4 hurricane made landfall near Puerto Vallarta. The area experienced winds of around 140 mph (220kph). Most locals reported experiencing very high winds around Puerto Vallarta for about an hour between 7 and 8pm. The storm left 120,000 homes in the state without power, but thankfully nearly 60% of those people got power back after 24 hours. As you can imagine, there were fallen trees, flooded streets, and debris everywhere.  But like always happens in Mexico, the community came together. There were beach cleanup groups, people cleared the sidewalks and homes of neighbors and friends around them. The city government dealt with the larger jobs of trees and flooding. You can visit Puerto Vallarta today, just three weeks after the hurricane, and as a tourist you will likely not see much amiss. Businesses in the Romantic Zone and 5 de Diciembre neighborhoods are back open, beaches haven been returned as much to normal as possible, and the city is ready for snow birds and warm-weather-seeking vacationers to arrive in the coming weeks. You can check out some of the news stories about the cleanup on CBS news, Vallarta Lifestyles, and Banderas News.  Los Cabos On October 21, Hurricane Norma, which was originally a category 4 hurricane, made landfall in Los Cabos and was downgraded to a tropical storm. Despite its weakening winds, the storm left tens of thousands of people without power and caused a fair bit of damage to the beaches of Cabos San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo.  The storm continued inland to Sinaloa and caused more damage there as well which is still being cleaned up.Read more about it here. Acapulco As I was preparing this newsletter, another hurricane arrived on the shores of Mexico's west coast. This time it was in Acapulco on October 25. Hurricane Otis was a record-breaking category 5 hurricane that brought wind speeds of 165 mph (265 kph). 27 people have lost their lives and four people are still missing according to this article on CNN. Over 500,000 people lost power, but CFE has stated that close to 40% of those people have already had their power restored and they are working to get it back for everyone in the coming days. Acapulco has been ravaged by this storm with 80% of hotels being affected by the storm. If you were planning a trip to Acapulco this winter, be sure to check with your hotel and other tours that you had planned to see if you will still be able to go ahead.

Mexico Content from Eternal Expat

I have been doing my best to keep all of my Mexico content as up-to-date as possible and with the help of lots of local writers, I am also constantly adding new Mexico content to destinations I don't know quite as well. New content on Eternal Expat not to miss: Best Time to Visit Cancun Best Time to Visit Los Cabos Best Time to Visit Mexico City 6 Amazing Playa del Carmen Luxury Resorts Best Pueblos Magicos in Quintana Roo  Best Pueblos Magicos in Puebla Best Pueblos Magicos in Chiapas Two posts that I always try to keep up to date at this time of year have had a total overhaul. If you are planning to spend the holidays in Mexico City, check them out! Christmas in Mexico City New Year in Mexico City A few other posts that have been updated this month that you might find helpful for planning your Mexico travels! Things to Do in Tulum Chichen Itza Travel Guide Visiting Teotihuacan Things to Do in Playa del Carmen

Want to Travel Mexico with Me in 2025?

I have been wanting to plan tours around Mexico since 2020. For obvious reasons, I had to put that dream on hold. However, I am finally able to start thinking about, planning, and executing tours to some of my favorite destinations around Mexico. I want to share the beauty, history, culture, people, and food of this amazing country with you. Do you want to join me?  Please take a few seconds to answer the two questions below. Simply choose the option that best answers the question for you. Click submit answer to be brought to the next question. Your feedback will help me immensely so that I know exactly which tours to focus on first!

Would you go on a tour around Mexico planned and hosted by me? There will be several different tours available in 2025 around different parts of Mexico. The itineraries aim to show you a different side than you may have seen before to share in-depth culture, history, and food in that region of Mexico. Yes of course! No, tours aren't for me It depends on the destination It depends on the price Submit Answer Where would you like to go on a tour in Mexico with me? These are just a few of the places that are at the top of my priority list for creating tours. Choose the one you are most likely to book. Baja California Sur Mexico City Oaxaca Copper Canyon Submit

Expats & Locals Around Mexico

As always with Mexico, I highly recommend seeking out people who are currently living in the places that you want to visit. Speak to the locals living in those places and find out how you can better integrate. Ask questions, be curious and kind. For updates about Mexico City, as always I recommend following Ubish Yaren on Instagram. You can also follow Anais of The Curious Mexican for updates on the restaurant and food scene in Mexico City and what is back open. For updates about what's going on in Oaxaca and around Mexico, Susan of Brooklyn Tropicali has been sharing a trip that she is taking around the country, but she also shares off-the-beaten-path Oaxaca content. Trisha of PS I'm On My Way currently lives in Cabo San Lucas and can share some insights into what is happening there with you. Check out her website here. She also has a great Mexico-specific website called Mexico Insider which you can read here. For regular updates about life in Merida and around the Yucatan, check out Mexico Cassie who has also recently written a fantastic guide about Traveling Yucatan with Kids. Shelley of Travel Mexico Solo also shares her experiences in Merida and around the Yucatan. She also has a fantastic blog all about Merida here and all about Oaxaca here.  The Yucatan Times is the local English newspaper in Merida that shares local updates and news reports. To keep up with what's going on in and around Guadalajara, follow Alex of the Backpacking Brunette. Vallarta Daily is the local English news there where you can learn about any changes in the situation in Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding Nayarit beach towns as well. Unfortunately, this has been purchased by Mexico New Daily and all articles now sit behind a paywall, but if you are living in Vallarta, then it may be a subscription you want to consider. Riviera Maya News is the local English newspaper there where you can keep up with changes. I believe this is the region that is changing the most in regards to safety at the minute and if you plan to independently travel here (renting a car and exploring without tours or away from resorts), then I highly recommend speaking to someone who is there right now. As always, a great place to keep up to date with news about what's happening all over Mexico in English is Mexico News Daily. The newspaper is going through some changes, so I'm never 100% sure whether I'll be able to see a bunch of articles or none at all on a given day, but it seems that if you register as a user (for free), you are able to see more articles at the moment.

Visiting Mexico Soon?

If you are planning a trip to Mexico soon, I hope you'll have a browse of the different Mexico guides on my blog or have a search through my YouTube videos to help you plan your trip! I also have FOUR extensive guidebooks available for Baja California Sur, Mexico City (updated February 2023!!), Merida, and Guanajuato! If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to email me by simply hitting reply on this email. Speak soon and safe travels, Laura