Cancun

Remember the days when the only reason you needed to go to a spa was that you felt like it? Yeah, so do I, but it looks like they're behind us for a while. A tight economy makes even luxury decisions tough to execute, resulting in a similar tightness in necks and backs. When you need that deep-tissue rub most, it seems, it's hardest to reach. So, I'm pretty excited to see spas make it easier to pry open your wallet for a bit of bliss.

Spa AQUA is making it pretty easy for you to enjoy Cancun. The latest deal cuts 50 percent from the nightly room rate and lops dining and spa service by 25 percent. If you're looking for excuses to dust off your passport, this is about as good as it gets. Need to be seduced? Consider the adobe clay sauna and mandarin and rose aromatherapy pool. Yep, that's where I was hooked, too.

This destination bills itself as a "modern lifestyle resort," with a "sensory stay" philosophy. Call it what you want, but I'm drawn to anything that clears the tension from my mind, back and shoulders. Integrating Asian techniques into its spa therapies, you can enjoy rice wraps and a variety of massage treatments, including Shiatsu, Samuprai and (my favorite) Shinodarah. Western touches include milk wraps and diamond facials. Manicures, pedicures, fitness centers and the other spa stables are also offered.

The resort, of course, is just the beginning. Once you're in Cancun, walk along the beach, grab a filling meal and sip more than your share of tequila. Forget about home for a few days: you've earned it.

Just how much damage has been done to Mexican tourism from the outbreak of the H1N1 virus? There are a variety of reports that indicate the flu has had a deep impact on Mexico's hotel industry. Data from STR shows that occupancy dropped more than 50 percent at the end of April and beginning of May. Tourism in Mexico was already on the wane due to threats from gang- and drug-related violence and from an overall downturn in resort travel because of the economy. The AFP reports that since the outbreak of swine flu 25 hotels in the Cancun area have closed down and that the tourism drop may cost Mexico around $2.3 billion in lost income.

As a response to this type of bad publicity, some of the hotels in the resort areas along Mexico's Caribbean coast have announced free vacations for three years to any tourist who catches swine flu while on vacationing in the region. So far over 5,000 hotel rooms are involved in the promotion which is hoped to bring a little life back to Mexico's beach resorts. Mexico's Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova has said that Mexican beach resorts, including Cozumel and Puerto Vallarta have not reported any cases of the virus.

The 2009 Tobacconists' Association of America (TAA) Convention kicks off on Sunday, March 8. Tobacconists and manufacturers from around the world will converge on the CasaMagna Marriott for four days of reconnecting, deal-making and of course plenty of cigar smoking. I'm currently at this Cancun resort and am happy to give the attendees – and jealous onlookers – a few insights into the event's host.

Surprisingly, smoking bans have crossed the border, forcing the CasaMagna to be smoke-free. The lobby, restaurants, bars and guestrooms, for the most part, are off-limits for puffing. Fortunately, poolside smoking is fine, and you can light up in the bar that sits alongside the beach.

Igniting your cigar may be a challenge. With airlines frustrating efforts to carry torches, matches may be your only available option (unless you bleed your lighter and find someone to refill it for you in Cancun. The wind off the Caribbean is strong, so look for sheltered corners to use when firing up (there are a handful of them almost everywhere on the property).

A loophole in Mexico's smoking laws allows CasaMagna to welcome TAA's smokers into the Sa Si Thai restaurant, as it is a covered outdoor space. So, you'll be able to enjoy your favorite Avo, Fuente or Davidoff (or anything else) unmolested. The hotel has extended this restaurant's hours of operation to accommodate late-night indulging. After last call, you can retreat to your room's balcony to tie off the night with your preferred stick.

Developments in Mexico continue to get more tempting. La Amada is a new development on the Yucatan Peninsula located four miles north of Cancun. La Amada is centered around the marina of Playa Mujeres, a planned community that will be home to a boutique hotel, residences, two Greg Norman golf courses, yacht and beach club and a marina. La Amada will have 550 one, two and three bedroom residences, a 100-room boutique hotel and a spa. The marina village will be home to restaurants, bars and shops. La Amada will have both beachfront homes and marina residences. The property also has a private helipad for residents. Prices have not yet been released.