I agree with all that people have said about Cd. Victoria and Tampico. You can add Tuxpan to that list as well. IMO it is a dirty pathetic little city, and worthless as a stopover. You will enjoy Veracruz/Boca del Rio and points north and south. Anton Lizardo is not much of a town but the restaurants along the beach serve good food and it is very entertaining. Much cooler too, especially in the Summer months. To the north there is Antigua where Hernan Cortez is said to have landed, and Cempoala, an Aztec ruin. WOW....I just re-read your post and saw you were coming from BOSTON???? FORGET IT! The Gulf coast border states are far too dangerous now. Relative safety can be had in Estado Veracruz. I have made that trip from Florida, 2-3 times a year for almost 6 years now, and on my last return, I went to McAllen Texas, and crossed at Reynosa. Follow the signs to (Rte 40) to Monterrey and then to Saltillo, where you will take Mexico 57 south, through Matahual, San Luis Potosi, and then Queretero. South of Queretero, you will see a sign for Puebla...take that exit, as it is 150-D, and ends in Boca del Rio/Veracruz. (On maps this may be designated as "Arco norte") But it does a great job of cutting off the corner that you would have if you went all the way to DF (mexico City) and picked up 150-D from there. Anyway, this route is MUCH safer, probably due to its expense....about 1400 pesos or $111 usd. Compare that to the 178 pesos it costs to drive from Matamoros to Veracruz (city). but well worth it, if you ask me. Once you get to Cancun, there are several day/weekend trips close by: Xcalak, Bacalar, Holbox,.....even Isla Blanca is a great place to "get away" from Cancun for an overnight. You'd be surprised at how many people who actually live in Cancun, don't even know about Isla....but that won't last long.
OK - I'm thinking that this trip is also do-able. It would add 6 hours/400 miles to my trip - which means that it not only adds just unter $100US in tolls, it adds $200US in gas and an extra day....so it would have to be worth $300 - and I would still plan on stopping to sleep twice, possibly three times before veracruz. Is there anything that seems like a view on this trip? Any ideas of cool places to stay or go along this part of the journey? My biggest issue is I have to find places to stay with the dog. Also - I want to take my time and only drive about 400 miles a day tops and exploring a bit (houston to veracruz along the gulf is about 950miles, this trip would be 1350 miles.
IMO, you're better off, staying overnight a little east of Houston, like Beaumont or Orange Tx.....or even the last exit off I-10 in Louisiana, and then plan on spending the next night near the border. I stayed in Pharr, Texas, right on 281, the Pharr Plaza Hotel. It was a pretty good hotel for just $45, but if internet is important to you, verify that it is working, before you pay. Then I would hit the border very early in the morning, bite the bullet and try to make it all the way to Veracruz, that day. From the border, the drive is 2 hours longer, depending on your speed, but the roads are excellent and 80 mph will creep up on you without you knowing it. The towns I mentioned on this "route," as well as many towns and cities in Mexico, all have drug related violence in them. But this is all for the most part, between the rival gangs, government, law enforcement, and no one else. People are shot every day and to get caught in the middle of this is not fun, even though you are not necessarily a target. Problem is that most of us do not know the areas to be avoided in these places. So if you go looking for hotels, you might not know where you are going, while trying to get there. The problem with Tamaulipas and the route we normally take, is that the cartels are now carjacking people, taking their vehicles and all their belongings. They leave them on the side of the road with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They have guns but they normally do not shoot anyone, so these are deemed "non violent" crimes and do not make the news. Indeed, it is speculated that most incidences do not even get reported. So no one really knows what the chances are, of being stopped. But if you drive a late model SUV, pick-up or van, it is said the chances are very good. Having non-Mexican plates is also not a good thing. The cartels have spotters all throughout Matamoros and probably along at least Hwy. 101 to Cd. Victoria and they call ahead to their buddies. I have even speculated that one of the Aduana officers is on the cartel payroll. Every southbound vehicle has to pass by there, and maybe someone from there is who notifies the cartels. They say the chances are worse in the southbound direction. Good news for you is that you are not planning on coming until December and a lot can happen in 7 months. Maybe the coastal route will be deemed safer by then. I know that the government and the military are working on it. So you might want to tune in later.....maybe all this will be for naught.
Well, I'm coming mid-July - you're thinking of Hammie - who is moving from Jersey in December. I have friends in Pueblo that I may be able to stay with, so going the route you posted would be OK for that reason. They recommended Matahual and Queretero as good places to stay. I'm a little confused that you're saying it adds only 2 hours to the trip to go this direction when it adds 400 miles. I can drive fast, but not *that* fast HOWEVER - I can't drive to Veracruz in one shot. It's just not do-able. I can do 600 miles MAX per day - and doing 600 miles a day two days in a row is damn near impossible. I just can't concentrate on the road that long (blame ADD and my unwillingness to go back on those evil ADD meds). More opinions/ideas?
Oh - and I'll be driving a 12 year old Jeep cherokee. I think it looks beat up, so hopefully it doesn't look yummy to people who want to steal vehicles. Lord knows it drives like shit half the time, and once they turn it off, they won't be able to turn it back on without me there.
If you have friends in Puebla, you are good as gold. I passed through there long before dark, so even going somewhat slower, you should too. I don't know, but I checked my watch when I was finally on my way (had passed through the border crossing) and it was 7:30 AM. It takes me 13 1/2 hours to drive the Matamoros/coastal route to my house, south of Veracruz. So normally I should be rolling in at about 9 PM if I went that way. Going the way we are now talking about, I was home at 11:10 PM that night.....so 2 hours more than the coastal route. Maybe part of the difference you're talking about, is in getting to the border from Houston. Maybe a little further to McAllen than going to Matamoros?
Hi Roxie - Check you PM's. Sent you some information about our drive down to Cancun with our dogs. Good luck!
Hello Wind Knot, Im plannig on spending a summer in Puerto Aventuras and will be driving from Daytona to PA, Hopefully you can assist me on this. I have no problem driving 15 hours a day.... It will be in a Ford Expedition..... I heard its smart to bring some cartons of ciggs and some Pecos..... I would appreciate your advice. Mike
I didn't end up going - I had a work thing in Chicago, so I did Canada, the US, and then back through the US again. :-/
