Flu scare aftermath: Incredible shrinking room rates in Puerto Vallarta

Hotel Mercurio.  Photo by:  Ed Walsh

There have been articles in the mainstream press about the bargains available in Mexico now but beware of the fine print. Many of the mega hotels quote low sale prices but check terms. Often the rates are for one person. If you are a couple, your rate will double.

One of the gay hotels in Puerto Vallarta, Hotel Mercurio, just announced that it is slashing its already bargain rates. Hotel Mercurio is in a perfect location in Puerto Vallarta. It is in the Old Town, or Zona Romantica. You are right in the middle of everything but because the hotel is a half-block from Olas Altas, the main drag in Zona Romantica, you won’t be kept awake with street noise.   I would highly recommend the hotel.  The only possible drawback is that none of the rooms have ocean views, but you can see the ocean as soon as you step out of the front door.  It is just a couple of blocks away.  You can also cool down in its barside pool and waterfall.  And it serves up a free breakfast for guests every day.

The following e-mail was posted recently by Paul Crist, the owner of Hotel Mercurio, in the Yahoo Gay Travel Group:

Hotel Mercurio... we've just slashed our already bargain rates to the bone. Our Single Room, most economical option, (yes, room, not per person...2 can share at the same rate) is now only US$40 + tax for the month of June and MAYBE July, if things don't pick up! That price includes our complete BREAKFAST! And this isn't just a dry roll and a cup of coffee. It's a FULL breakfast buffet that you'd pay US$10 to $12 for at any local restaurant! Not only that, we're offering a FREE MINI-MASSAGE with our superb masseurs at Blue Massage for EVERY GUEST! All the usual services are also available, of course: free wireless internet; free international calling; Mercurio bar open daily with happy hour specials from 3 to 6 PM; A/C in every room, refrigerators, private baths, etc. etc. We also have Double Rooms (US$48 + tax)and King rooms (US$55 + tax).

Mercurio has NEVER slashed prices like this... but PV has never seen a collapse of tourism like we're seeing now. This will not last...word is already getting out that the US media over-hyped the flu scare, and that the much ballyhooed "violence in Mexico" is occurring thousands of miles from PV. So if you've been putting off your vacation, waiting for a super bargain, you won't get a bargain like this again! (heck, we can't charge so little and stay in business for long! but for now, we've got to do something BIG in order to keep our great staff employed!!) So come take advantage of this opportunity! Repeat: these bargain rates won't last long...so act now!

Luxury is also on sale.  For my previous post on the bargain you can get at Casa Cupula, click here.            

The gay-friendly San Franciscan Resort and Gym is another high-end property in Puerto Vallarta.   Its owner remains loyal to his longtime customers and has not increased his old, lower rates.   Be sure to check out  the resort's new comedy club, in season. 

In the middle range, the 47-room Abbey Hotel is having a 40% off sale.  Rooms there start at $56 now.

Rooms at the gay men's hotel, the Vallarta Cora, are a bargain $55.

There have been no confirmed cases of the flu in Puerto Vallarta.   For my latest post on that, click here.

Tourism supporters are using comedy to urge tourists to return.   To check out some great YouTube videos, click here.