Aeronaves de Mexico: Vintage Travel Posters

I love the nostalgia of vintage airline posters (think 60s-70s Pan Am and TWA), and the aesthetic of 60s-70s design in particular. Airline advertising just isn't as cool as it was back in the day, and as it turns out, Mexico's largest international airline has its own portfolio of ads in the style of the era. 

Before Aeromexico conjured up the image of its Aztec eagle head logo, the airline was Aeronaves de Mexico–established in the early 1930s and partially owned by Pan Am. Its late 60s advertisements for Mexican travel destinations like Baja California and Guadalajara used the psychedelic colors and typography that characterized graphic art of the decade. Each ad is a chic 60s woman with surreal swirls of hair that represent the destination, and they are all classic 60s cool:

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Travel Tuesdays: Valparaíso, Chile

This week's Travel Tuesday destination: Valparaíso, Chile!  A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Valparaíso is the San Francisco of South America.  This offbeat ocean side city is full of steep, winding roads - some so precipitous, they have elevators.

Location

125km Northwest of Santiago, Valparaíso is built on 42 hills nestled along the Pacific Ocean.  A 90-minute bus ride from Santiago is the most convenient way to get into the city. 

Originally a bustling shipping harbor, Valparaíso lost much of its merchant traffic when the Panama Canal opened.  The waterfront is still the heart of the city and the source of most of its income.

The city used to have 30 elevators, or escaleras, to help people get around.  Only a few remain, including the oldest one: the Ascensor Concepción.

Inspiration

In 2011, Lonely Planet named Valparaíso a Top Ten City for Artistic Inspiration.  Pablo Neruda, the famed poet, was a native of Valparaíso.  After dark hike up to La Sebastiana - Neruda watched the New Year's fireworks from his home here every year, so it is a great spot to see the city through his eyes.  

Valparaíso is the muse for many other artists and writers as well.  Isabel Allende's best-selling book Daughter of Fortune is set in this picturesque city.

Street Art   

A must see is the Museo a Cielo Abierto - 20 outdoor murals created by university students between 1969 and 1973.  A quick ride on the Ascensor Espíritu Santo will take you to the start.

The Cerro Polanco is a required stop for all street art fans.  In October 2012, the neighborhood held a street art festival.  There are original works from over 70 artists decorating walls, fences, and sidewalks.

Food

After summiting the peaks of Valparaíso, you will definitely have earned yourself a large meal.  There are countless restaurants and stalls where you can eat fresh seafood caught earlier in the day.  Empanadas and palta (warm, fresh bread smeared with avocado - yum) make easy, portable snacks as you get hungry throughout the day.

For a heartier dinner, try chorrillana.  Chorrillana is a traditional meal of fries topped with steak, onion, and egg - delicious!  

Images Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 

Grupo Habita Hotels: Downtown Mexico

Hotel Downtown Mexico is like many of Grupo Habita’s hotels in Mexico: a beautiful colonial building given a new life as a contemporary hotel. But Downtown Mexico is smack dab in the middle of Mexico City’s Centro Historico, a neighborhood surrounded by colonial buildings originally built atop the Aztec remains of Tenochtitlan.

Hotel Downtown Mexico is located inside the Palacio de Los Condes de Miravalle, one of these historic buildings. A vacation here gives you a front row seat to a World Heritage Site, and the enchanting center of Mexico City.

Hotel Downtown Mexico offers several different rooms and suites, with views of either the street or the hotel courtyard. Rooms are relaxing, and designed for simplicity, however the high ceilings and brick walls remain as a nod to the colonial Palacio.

Each of the hotel’s courtyards are unique, some offering views of the city and other colonial buildings. One in particular actually has an entire wall covered in vines and plants manicured to look like a bike path, and they’ve even stuck a real bicycle on the wall! You’ll get a 360 degree view of Centro Historico as you lounge by the pool and bar on the rooftop too.

The hotel is filled with remnants of the former Palacio, including a mural from the early 1900s in front of the staircase by Mexican artist Manuel Rodriguez Lozano, and a very cool old elevator that appears as though it still works.

Images found here and here.

Grupo Habita Hotels: Endemico

Endemico is a traveler’s chance to immerse themselves in the beauty of Ensenada’s desert landscape and experience it in modern luxury. The hotel and its 19 different cabin-like rooms are scattered on a hill overlooking Ensenada’s Valle de Guadalupe–Baja’s very own wine country. What’s more is that Endemico has its own winery, so winos and desert lovers alike can get a real taste of the beautiful valley before them.

Hotel rooms at Endemico are situated in their own “cabins” with clear views of Valle de Guadalupe. Cabin decks offer a seating area and terra cotta-style fireplace to relax around and enjoy the view–perfect for an evening watching the sunset in the valley!

Each area of Endemico is filled with natural light and offers more stunning views of the valley, so no matter where you choose to enjoy yourself, you’ll feel as though you’re truly a part of the landscape. The hotel as a whole is furnished with contemporary rustic furniture and lighting, and the architecture of the place reflects the simplicity of the surrounding desert hills and valley.

Endemico is translated as “Endemic”, or native to the area, and this is part of Endemico’s design. The hotel offers romantic views of Valle de Guadalupe and the surrounding hills even from the pool and spa areas, so you'll feel as though you're roughing it in the desert even if you're relaxing in the pool or spa, or walking back and forth from the poolside bar.

Images found here and here.