The term “Olympic aversion” describes the phenomenon in which people avoid traveling to an Olympic host city in the weeks and months before the Games actually start, out of a fear that all of the hotels and attractions will be booked to capacity and overcrowded. The trend can create lean times for tourism officials in a host city.

The existence of such a phenomenon is not the best piece of news for those in the tourism industry in the host city for the 2010 Winter Olympics, but it is great for those of us who like to visit Vancouver, British Columbia, as often as we can. From now through the end of January, with the exception of the peak holiday periods, several hotels and inns in downtown Vancouver and Whistler are offering screaming deals. The specials include five-night stays at Whistler resorts with four-day lift tickets, beginning at $389 CAD per person, and attractive discounts at many downtown Vancouver hotels. You can find out more about these deals by contacting a AAA travel agent, Tourism Vancouver or Whistler.

From the expansion of the Sea to Sky Highway to the opening of the athletes’ village along False Creek, the final pieces of Vancouver’s Olympic puzzle are coming together. Visiting Vancouver between now and the end of January is a great way to get a sneak peek at the city’s massive makeover before the crowds really do arrive for the Games, which officially begin on Feb. 12.

For those who take advantage of these deals, the savings are likely to leave you feeling less guilty about splurging in some of the big-name restaurants that have opened in the past year. The highlights include Market by Jean-Georges in the new downtown Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver’s tallest building, and DB Bistro Moderne Vancouver in the Kitsilano neighborhood. The latter serves a version of the famous DB burger that the restaurant’s founder, Daniel Boulud, introduced in Manhattan. The Vancouver restaurant’s $28 “burger” features top sirloin filled with braised short rib and black truffle on a toasted parmesan bun. From what I hear, it’s worth every cent.

On a section of Main Street that is attracting a new wave of trendy boutiques and restaurants, Campagnolo offers a cool, locally grown dining option. The restaurant, opened by the team behind Fuel restaurant in Kitsilano, offers modern takes on the cuisine of Piemonte and Emilia-Romagna in a sleek setting. The signature appetizer is the crispy ceci, a serving of deep-fried chickpeas seasoned with mint, chilies and citrus. Nibbling on these prepare you for a parade of courses that can include more antipasti, cured meats, egg-topped pizzas, pastas and roasted meat entrees. What better way to whet your appetite for the Olympics?

On any given day, I’m the lucky recipient of piles of press releases highlighting all of the great deals going on right now to entice everyone to get out and travel. Some I may choose to write about, but for the most part, we typically don’t cite a specific special or package within the magazine. Mostly for space reasons. So I thought to myself … why not post them here so that our deal-hunting, bargain-loving Journey readers can still benefit?

The most recent one to grace my inbox is The Inn at El Gaucho’s swanky holiday-in-the-city overnight packages. These are ideal for couples, best buds or moms and daughters who’d like to pop into Seattle for some holiday shopping fun. The Winter Wonderland Package includes a junior suite, $50 dining credit in the El Gaucho dining room, a hot toddy or hot chocolate delivered via room service and white flowers to greet you upon your arrival. All this for a mere $325. And for 100 bucks more you can do the Inn”Spa”rational Shopping Package which also includes a junior suite, along with a $50 gift card to an upscale local boutique, an in-room massage, a $50 room-service credit and a bottle of Alexandria Nicole Cellars wine. Can’t go wrong with that one. Packages run through the end of the year. Tip: If you’re with your sweetie, call ahead to request strategically placed mistletoe in your room. It can be added to either package. www.inn.elgaucho.com

Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham has a great mid-week special going on. Stay a minimum of two nights, Sunday–Thursday, for $141 per night. This deal runs through the end of 2009. www.hotelbellwether.com

Lakedale Resort on San Juan Island is offering shoulder season deals. My favorite (since I’m a proud dog owner) is the dog-friendly “Pampered Puppy Pack” with log cabin accommodations for two nights, a Chuck-It ball launcher, foldable water bowl and organic island-made doggie treats. Rates start at $449. For Lakedale’s other specials, visit www.lakedale.com.

And while you’re out there on the island, Friday Harbor House will be knocking 35 percent off the best available guestroom rate for overnight stays during the month of October. The deal is being offered in conjunction with the month long celebration of Savor the San Juans this October. www.fridayharborhouse.com

On another island, bit farther away in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the Four Seasons Resort—Maui at Wailea, which is sporting a brand-new, adult-only serenity pool, is offering rates beginning at $395 per night, through Dec. 17. Considering Four Seasons’ rates usually hover around $600 per night for a standard room, this is a great rate for escaping our infamous dark and dreary Northwest winter. www.fourseasons.com/maui

Just next door a stone’s throw away is the Grand Wailea Resort where you’ll find an awesome “Hawaii Five-for-Five” package. They pay YOU to stay: $500 to use for spa, golf, dining, island activities and retail when you book a five-night stay (Now through Dec. 21) at either Grand Wailea (below) or its luxury villas, Ho’olei at Grand Wailea just across the street. www.grandwailea.com

Those who want to visit the Borrego Ranch Resort & Spa in Southern California this fall are in for a treat: The all-inclusive Borrego Ranch Experience starts at $295 per person, per night (2-night minimum, double occupancy required) and includes: deluxe accommodations, a spa treatment OR a round of Tom Fazio Signature golf, and all meals included. www.borregoranchresort.com

Triple Creek Ranch in Darby, Montana, is celebrating the end of summer with its “fall escape” discount of 15% off rates for Oct. 19 through 31, 2009. www.triplecreekranch.com

This month marks the 10th anniversary of the Spa at the Woodmark. Try out the spa’s “Look Ten Years Younger” spa package (sign me up please), or benefit from a 10% discount on 10 treatments throughout the month along with top age-defying tips from spa staff. My favorite tip is from lead esthetician Mary Conway on how to alleviate puffy morning eyes: “Soak cotton rounds in cold black tea and apply to the eyes for 10 minutes, follow with eye cream or gel.” www.thewoodmark.com.

Keep checking back, as I will be updating this hot-deals list as the press releases roll in!

Dry-aged prime beef and buttery cuts of Japanese Wagyu. Macaroni slathered in a combination of melted cheeses from Seattle’s own Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. Creamed organic spinach with Kurobuta bacon bits.

Just hearing chef John Howie describe the offerings at his newest restaurant, John Howie Steak, is enough to make my mouth water. Yeah, opening a restaurant during an economic downturn is a gamble, but is there ever a bad time to eat steak? Known for bringing international influences together with contemporary flair at his Seastar restaurants in Bellevue and Seattle, Howie is raising the steakhouse concept to a new level. Besides four types of high-quality beef (the selection includes 21-day and 42-day aged USDA prime beef and Japanese and American Wagyu cuts), get ready for seafood and sides featuring seasonal, sustainable ingredients and a swank setting that, much like the food, balances stately grandeur with a modern aesthetic.

Howie’s steakhouse is among restaurants in The Bravern. Bellevue’s new power retail center is also home to Wild Ginger, sister of the perennial Seattle fave of the same name, and related ventures by New York–restaurateur Terrance Brennan: Artisanal Brasserie & Winebar and The Artisanal Table Pizzeria Enoteca. Alongside Washington state’s first Neiman Marcus (which houses its own restaurant, Mariposa), such boutiques as Salvatore Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton and Hermès form a luxury row within the facility. The newest Sur La Table store proves that a locally founded retailer can fit in with the big boys, while the first West Coast location for DavidBartonGym raises the bar on fitness. Offices and condominiums round out the facility, which officially opened on Sept. 12.

While “hip” and “urban” are not the traditional words used to describe Bellevue, The Bravern and other recent ventures are giving the longtime bedroom community’s downtown district a chic, big-city vibe.

At Lincoln Square, local restaurant veterans Bradley Dickinson and Mikel Rogers opened Pearl Bar & Dining nearly a year ago in the massive space that formerly housed Trader Vic’s. Chef Dickinson’s seasonal menu consists of luscious small plates and entrees that seamlessly meld Western and Eastern influences. Recent selections have included sablefish coated in a honey-miso marinade and braised short ribs served over creamy polenta.

Also in Lincoln Square, what was once simply known as The Parlor and boasted rows and rows of pool tables has added an ultralounge and comedy club to its mix and now calls itself The Parlor Collection. Each weekend brings a new nationally known comic to the venue, while DJs fill the lounge with pulsating beats throughout the week. Take the escalator up a floor to get to Lucky Strike Lanes, which, depending on your perspective, can be described as either a bowling alley that doubles as a nightclub or a nightclub that doubles as a bowling alley.

Across the street from Lincoln Square, a $185 million expansion at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue not only doubled the hotel’s capacity to 733 rooms, it also brought yet another place to lounge about and look stylish. Stir Martini & Raw Bar, the latest venture from the team that already operates 0/8 Seafood Grill and Twisted Cork Wine Bar in the Hyatt building, serves up inventive cocktails and tasty seafood of the cooked and uncooked variety.

Just around the corner, the recently opened Grand Cru Wine Shop & Bar offers a cozy setting for exploring Old World and New World wines while snacking on cheese, charcuterie and other small bites. In other words, you don’t have to leave Bellevue to get a taste of the big city anymore.

You’ll probably never hear Jack Gibson and Kimberly Knox doubt the power of music and food to bring people together. The two traveled from Moses Lake to Spokane for Pig Out in the Park in 2002 on one of their first dates and have been coming back ever since. That’s why it only seemed logical for the couple to hold their wedding at this year’s presentation of the end-of-summer bash at Riverfront Park, which takes place Sept. 2–7.

Gibson and Knox plan to tie the knot on the City Hall stage on Saturday afternoon. With such acts as Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real (fronted by the son of country music icon Willie Nelson), Cracker, The Tubes and the Austin Lounge Lizards on this year’s bill, Gibson and Knox’s wedding certainly won’t be the only highlight of the food-and-music extravaganza. But it may prove to be the most endearing.

Pig Out’s organizers have their own reason to celebrate. What began as a two-day festival in the late 70s celebrates its 30th anniversary this year with 55 concerts over six days and is expected to draw about 90,000 people.

“It’s wonderful that we’ve figured out how to keep this a free community event,” says Pig Out promoter Bill Burk, who calls the festival a “gift to the city.” Vendors cannot charge more than $8.95 for food, and event proceeds help pay for free live art and art scholarships throughout the region.

Spokane has been tagged with a number of nicknames over the years, and not all of them are flattering. However, as the city’s downtown renaissance continues adding vibrant culture and nightlife to the area’s already great outdoor recreational offerings, I’d like to add two more to the mix:

Spo-dacious:
On one night during my quick jaunt to the resurgent capital of the Inland Northwest (I’m calling it my Spo-cation), I reconnected with my inner flower child by catching Bob Weir and Rat Dog at the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox (the restored art deco movie palace). Just a block away, David Cook, winner on American Idol’s seventh season, entertained throngs of admirers at the Knitting Factory Concert House. Yes, the Knitting Factory Spokane. The venue started out as the Big Easy before the folks who run the more famous Knitting Factory in New York bought the club and renamed it.

Spoka-licous:
On my way back to plush digs at The Davenport Hotel, I stopped by Agave Latin Bistro for a post-concert nosh. The restaurant is a collaboration between local chef Ian Wingate and Sergio De Leon, owner of De Leon’s Downtown Mexican Deli and other food shops. Wingate was the executive chef at the Davenport when it reopened in 2002 before venturing out to open his own restaurant, Moxie, across the street from the hotel. Just a few doors up the street from Moxie, Agave offers refined, modern riffs on Latin favorites through such dishes as sea scallops served with grilled polenta and jicama relish and short ribs braised in a beef stock flavored by tequila, cactus and tomatoes. Wingate’s restaurants, combined with others such as Sante Restaurant & Charcuterie and Wild Sage American Bistro, are bringing a growing reliance on sustainable, local ingredients to the Spokane dining scene. They are also giving diners from near and far more options than ever when it comes to pigging out.

If you haven’t been to Port Angeles lately, you’re in for a nice surprise when you enter the city’s business district this summer. A community-wide beautification effort is on track to restore the luster to more than three-dozen buildings in the city’s downtown core. One of the most impressive things about this municipal facelift is the wide range of people who have come together to make it happen.

For the past two months, about 200 people from across the community have participated. Interested property owners can consult with with architectural and design experts on ways to improve the appearance of their buildings. After developing work plans, the building owners are bringing on workers and volunteers to perform such tasks as pressure washing facades and repainting the interiors and exteriors of their buildings. Suppliers are donating equipment and paint, and service organizations ranging from church youth groups to senior centers are providing volunteer laborers. The local food bank and restaurants are getting into the act by preparing food for the workers.

“This is small-town America at its best,” says Kathy Charlton, the owner of Olympic Cellars winery and a key organizer of the project, dubbed “Our Community at Work.” Charlton is among the 10 or so area business owners who developed the municipal renewal plan earlier this year. They obtained the City Council’s blessing in early spring and launched their project on May 1 to coincide with the closure of the Hood Canal Bridge. The project was originally scheduled to last for six weeks. However, Charlton says the overwhelming amount of community participation is now expected to have building owners and volunteers working on sprucing up their community through the end of summer.

Project organizers are hosting a celebration on July 11 to recognize the efforts of the volunteers and showcase their city’s emerging new look. The festivities include a ribbon-cutting ceremony and public reception on Front Street, beginning at 1 p.m., and these will coincide with a number of other related celebrations taking place in downtown Port Angeles throughout the day.

The Hood Canal Bridge has been open again for more than a month now, and people throughout the northern Olympic Peninsula seem to be in celebratory moods.

Six wineries between Port Townsend and Port Angeles are hosting the Lavender Wine Tour between July 11 and July 19. For $25, visitors get to try special wines and foods, including some with lavender themes, at each of the participating wineries. Port Townsend’s Sorensen Cellars, for instance, is serving its newly released 2008 pinot gris with vanilla lavender shortbread from Outrageous Offerings.

These tastings partially coincide with the Sequim Lavender Festival, which takes place July 17-19. The annual celebration fills the streets of Sequim with cheer and encourages visitors to make side trips to the area’s lavender farms.

It seems obligatory to make it least one reference to the Twilight series of teen-romance/vampire novels when writing about the Olympic Peninsula these days, and this posting is no exception. Charlton’s winery is pouring its Sparkling Twilight, a sparkling wine made with syrah grapes, in its tasting room this summer. Olympic Cellars, which produces the popular Working Girl series among its wine labels, also hosts concerts on its outdoor stage on the afternoons of July 11 and 12 and a Saturday-night concert series that begins on Aug. 1.

Time seemed to slow down as our raft reached the top of our first rapid on the Nooksack River. Sarah, the 20-something college student in our group, and I were practically lying on our stomachs, side by side, in the front section of the inflatable boat. Our feet were securely anchored under the thwart, while our heads and shoulders extended over the bow. The two of us, and the four others sitting upright in the middle and rear of the raft, were following the instructions of our guide, Brad Falletta of River Riders, Inc., to paddle forward. As we cleared a set of rocks at the top of the foamy Class III chute, the bow plunged forward. I extended my arms as far as I could, dug the paddle deep into the water and started to pull back. After a short burst of velocity, the nose of the raft smashed into a standing wave, sending up a chilly spray that slapped us all in the face. So went my introduction to the bow-crasher, or “animal,” position.

For the next two hours, Falletta directed Sarah and I to “animalize” every time we approached a set of rapids, sending us onto our stomachs with our paddles over the bow. By the time we finished the roughly 10-mile run between Glacier and Maple Falls, I knew that rafting would never again be the same for me. Playing the part of an animal made me a new man. A better man.

Summer is officially here, and, as I learned during my recent visit to Whatcom County, there are plenty of places to play between Bellingham and Mount Baker. On one of the mornings of my visit, I tested my mountain biking skills at Galbraith Mountain. Galbraith consists of more than 3,000-acres of forested foothills east of Fairhaven. The property is owned by the Trillium Corporation, which gives hikers, horseback riders and mountain bike riders free access to the property. Trillium also struck a deal that allows the Whatcom County–based WHIMPS Mountain Bike Coalition to build and maintain trails on the land. Gravelly logging roads with gradual ascents lead to the ridgelines that stretch across the mountain and provide access to a network of single-track trails, about 40 miles in all. Over the years, the WHIMPS have installed numerous ramps, bridges and other trail enhancements throughout the park. These give serious riders a chance to expand and refine their skills, while turnout lanes give less-gifted riders—such as myself—face-saving ways to get around the obstacles—and make it down the mountain intact. As I stopped to catch my breath off to the side of one of the trails, my riding companion, Jadyn Welch, who works at Fanatik Bike Co. in Bellingham, showed me the proper technique for taking a jump. He gathered enough speed down a slope to propel himself off a ramp and stick the landing about 15 feet down the hill before casually pedaling onward.

Later in the day, I found myself paddling a kayak on Chuckanut Bay with Moondance Sea Kayak Adventures. Needless to say, an itinerary such as this did wonders for my appetite, and I was happy to dig in at the area’s hearty, down-to-earth eateries. At The North Fork Brewery in Deming, my dining companions and I feasted on pizzas with airy, flatbread-style crusts. On subsequent nights, I dug into chicken enchiladas at the revered Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro in downtown Bellingham and then indulged on prime rib at Dirty Dan Harris’ steak and seafood house. It seemed inevitable that I would pig out on this trip. What else would you expect from someone who was feeling like an animal?

Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?

Besides getting to spend a few hours on the water or the links, visitors to Lake Chelan can also sample wines in an area that is quickly establishing its viticultural identity. After zipping around on a WaveRunner for a few hours, there is something rewarding about sitting on a sunny deck with a cold viognier and a panoramic view of the valley below.

The region’s status as Washington’s 11th American Viticultural Area (AVA) became effective in late May. From a technical point of view, the area’s elevation and the cooling effects of the lake itself are among the key factors that distinguish Lake Chelan’s wine grapes from those grown in other portions of the Columbia Valley. Though grapes have been grown in the region for more than a century, the area’s 15 modern wineries have all opened within the past decade. So far, the area’s winemakers are discovering success with such cool climate varietals as gewürztraminer, riesling, viognier and pinot noir. Chardonnay is also plentiful, and the leathery finish of the just-bottled malbec that I tried at Nefarious Cellars suggests that this varietal, a relatively new planting for the region, may turn out to be the most popular of the bunch.

From a visitor’s point of view, an already existing tourism infrastructure adds convenience to Lake Chelan’s appeal as a wine destination. Five wineries are located within minutes of each other on the lake’s south shore, while six others dot the landscape surrounding Manson on the north shore. In other words, quality tasting rooms are just minutes away from most of the area’s resorts (designate a driver or hire a car service), and quality dining options also abound.

At Karma Vineyards, you’ll find a crisp sparkling wine, one of the few produced in Washington, while the rieslings at Tsillan (pronounced Chelan) Cellars offer all of the delicacy one desires in this varietal without the overbearing sweetness that less adept producers leave behind. Tsillan’s tasting room resembles an Italian villa, and its restaurant, Sorrento’s, maintains the theme while offering ample al fresco dining on a patio and an expansive lawn that doubles as a concert venue. The garden bistro at Vin du Lac is the very definition of pleasant.

In downtown Chelan, the Veranda Bistro & Bar at Campbell’s Resort proves that the best tastings don’t always take place at a winery. Selections from just about all of Washington’s AVAs are represented on a reasonably priced wine list. As I dined on grilled halibut topped with spicy papaya chutney, I knew I had to save some room. There was the matter of the metaphorical cake, after all, that I knew I would be eating.

As Wenatchee’s Ohme Gardens celebrates its 80th anniversary, it’s hard to decide what is more remarkable about the nine-acre patch of foliage that forms a green oasis overlooking the Columbia River from an otherwise barren bluff.

Is it the fact that Herman and Ruth Ohme pieced the garden together during the Great Depression with native plants and trees almost entirely by hand? Or is it the knowledge that, before they installed their irrigation system, the Ohmes sustained the garden by hauling water from the river up the side of a hill in 5-gallon buckets? What about the awe-inspiring views it offers of the entire valley? Or the large number of area residents who were either married at the gardens, have parents who tied the knot at the facility, or both?

The place certainly has a rich history and a lot to offer, and there may be no better time to visit Wenatchee’s newest octogenarian than this summer. The Ohme Gardens Friends Society has put together an event series to usher the facility into its ninth decade. The fun includes a night of stargazing on May 17, a guided bird walk on May 30 and a wine gala on July 11. A weekly concert series takes place on Thursday evenings from July through August, and the facility also hosts art workshops on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, also in July and August.

Besides letting the public know that the gardens are available for more than just weddings, the non-profit Friends group, which formed last year, hopes these events will generate funds to reinvigorate the facility, now owned by Chelan County. The group’s project list includes upgrading the facility’s irrigation system, improving wheelchair access and installing new water features and plants.

If you haven’t been to the Wenatchee Valley lately, you might be surprised by the growing number of opportunities to explore the epicurean arts throughout the region. One of the area’s hottest restaurants seems to be La Bonne Terre at Château Faire Le Pont Winery, thanks to its new owners Richard and Ashley Kitos. She hails from the Wenatchee area and met him when she lived in Los Angeles. He hails from Kansas and spent some time in Europe before moving to Los Angeles to work in restaurants and, eventually, run a successful catering company. They decided to bring their family up to apple country last fall when the opportunity to take over the winery’s restaurant proved to be the proverbial offer they couldn’t refuse.

In addition to a contemporary menu featuring dishes made with produce from local farms, Northwest cheeses and house-baked breads, Richard Kitos also leads cooking classes that might just be the best shows in town. The two-hour sessions take place on Tuesday evenings and are promoted with such titles as “My Big Fat Greek Cooking Class” and “Appetizers Once Again, but Different This Time.” Since Cinco de Mayo fell on a Tuesday this year, Kitos turned his May 5 class into a Mexican fiesta. The half-dozen attendees, myself included, sat in the kitchen and watched and learned as the chef prepared such items as salsa, ceviche, chili rellenos, a jicama and orange salad, carne asada, flan and a few others, all from scratch. Our primary duties included tasting each dish after it was prepared and sipping selections from the winery. In addition to offering infectiously enthusiastic cooking tips, Kitos also serves up tales about his past experiences in restaurants and playing pickup basketball as well as funny stories about his family. In these respects, the classes seem to be a little like having dinner in the kitchen of your most charismatic friend—assuming your most charismatic friend is also an accomplished professional chef.

The restaurant is open for lunch on Tuesdays through Saturdays and serves dinner on Wednesdays through Saturdays. You’re bound to have a good time whenever you attend, and, if you can’t get enough, spend a night at the Ivy Wild Inn. The bed and breakfast is also owned by the Kitoses, which means that you are all but guaranteed to start your day with a great meal.

As a follow-up to the post on my recent trip to Puerto Vallarta, I just received an update from the destination’s tourism commission in response to the swine flu outbreak in Mexico City. To date, there have been no confirmed cases of swine flu in the city Puerto Vallarta or the state of Jalisco, and the city has implemented the following preventive measures:

• Closure of all bars and nightclubs until May 4
• Closure of all schools until May 6
• Limited service in restaurants until midnight and a total ban on alcohol consumption in restaurants
• All cultural events in Puerto Vallarta have been suspended until May 9
• The airport authority operating Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport is screening and testing passengers that present flu-like symptoms and has set up special areas to provide them with necessary assistance
• All cruise lines have temporarily suspended their Mexican port calls until further notice

Similar measures are in place in other regions throughout Mexico. We will continue to monitor the situation.

On a personal note, my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Puerto Vallarta and all of Mexico during this time of hardship. The Mexican people have been kind and generous hosts and friends to me for as long as I can remember. I can’t wait to venture back and see my friends again soon.

“Soy guerrero,” we each yelled as loudly as we could. “Soy guerrero!”

I was with a half-dozen journalists touring Mexico’s Puerto Vallarta, and we were using the Spanish phrase, “I am a warrior,” to declare ourselves “spiritual warriors.”

Dressed in our bathing suits, we stood in a circle around a small cauldron of smoldering coals with our shaman, a kind septuagenarian who bore remote resemblance to the Dalai Lama. He picked up the cauldron and walked around the circle, stopping in front of us, one by one, to let us place tobacco leaves onto the coals. After completing the circle, he directed us to pronounce our spiritual quest.

So went our introduction to the temazcal, the cleansing ritual practiced by indigenous cultures across the Americas for centuries before the arrival of Europeans. Ours was an abbreviated version of the ancient ceremony at Spa Mayahuel, which recently opened on the grounds of El Eden in Mismaloya. El Eden is a theme-park-like destination in the densely foliaged foothills about 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta’s historic central district. Signs placed throughout the property remind visitors that El Eden was the setting for the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick Predator. The facility also houses a popular zip-line tour operation and shaded dining areas. The spa consists of a cabana and secluded outdoor spaces on a quiet edge of the facility.

Our spiritual guide, who spoke in a combination of Spanish and English, explained that the temazcal was designed to relieve stress and bring a person into balance with nature’s four elements—earth, air, fire and water. Each portion of the ceremony focused on a specific element.

On a flat pad of sand, for instance, the shaman directed us to cover ourselves—and each other—from head to toe with silty orange mud that filled an urn. Duly slathered, we then lay on our backs, eyes closed, under unobstructed afternoon sun. As the baking clay stiffened into a second skin over our own skin, it was hard to not feel at one with the earth. After rinsing ourselves with cool water pumped directly from the nearby river, we proceeded to the sweat hut, a round, roughly 4-foot-tall domed structure with eucalyptus leaves burning in the fire in the center of the dirt floor. The building, we were told, represented the earth’s womb.

Inside, the shaman led us in an exercise designed to get us to breathe in the therapeutic smoke as deeply as possible as we sat cross-legged on mats. Another exercise required us to yell in rhythm as he pounded on a drum. Having successfully worked us into a smoke-breathing, drum-chanting frenzy, he then told us to assume the fetal position, close our eyes and enjoy the serenity of our womb du jour (my words, not his), where we remained in silence for about 15 minutes. Our version of the temazcal concluded with a soothing, 30-minute back massage. Clearly, this spiritual warrior business has its perks.

There seem to be two great misconceptions about traveling to Mexico these days, and I’m not sure which one bothers me more. One is the fear that the surge in violent crime along Mexico’s border with the U.S. makes it dangerous for Americans to visit any Mexican destination. True, you need to exercise caution and common sense when you travel to Mexico, and the U.S. State Department provides useful information in its travel alerts. However, most Mexican tourist destinations are far away from the areas where the violence is taking place. Based on accounts from other travel media sources and my own experiences, the resort areas are as safe as ever, which is to say pretty safe, as long as you follow the same types of precautions you would follow when you travel anywhere. Remaining aware of your surroundings, traveling with a buddy or two, avoiding traveling through remote areas after dark and refraining from wearing fancy jewelry are among the steps you can take to help protect yourself.

The other great misconception is the widely held belief that tequila needs to be consumed quickly in large quantities. In Puerto Vallarta, I was particularly impressed by the opportunities to learn about tequila in a manner similar to wine tasting. For example, the CasaMagna Marriott employs a “tequila sommelier” and even produces its own line of tequila. As the sommelier led our group through a tasting, she explained the differences in the distillation and aging processes that produce the three types of pure agave tequila—blanco, reposado and añejo. Mellowed by five years of aging in oak barrels, CasaMagna’s añejo, or aged, tequila possesses the type of flavors and body that make it a worthy alternative to dessert wines and single-malt Scotch.

Tequila tasting is particularly popular in Jalisco, because the province is home to the town of Tequila, recognized as the birthplace of Mexico’s national spirit (Puerto Vallarta is also in Jalisco). Word has it that tourism officials are getting ready to open La Ruta del Tequila, or the Tequila Route, in the heart of agave country. The goal of this initiative is to develop a network of inns and other tourism amenities that make Tequila’s distilleries more accessible to visitors. This sounds exactly like the type of thing that may lure away those otherwise inclined to visit Walla Walla or Bordeaux to rural Jalisco. I say just one thing about such a possibility: Make sure you designate a driver when you go.