By: Lisa Coleman
Acapulco, GUERRERO (April 26, 2010) – A little background: Last year, we at Mexico Premiere created an award to honor our friend and colleague, Nick Gallo. Nick, a lover of Mexico and past Pluma de Plata winner (Silver Pen award – the highest honor given to a journalist by the Mexican government) unexpectedly passed away while on assignment in 2007. This award recognizes excellence in freelance journalism specifically connected with Mexico. We were proud to announce our winner, Michael Koehn, at the 2010 Tianguis Turistico convention in Acapulco at beautiful breakfast presentation ceremony hosted by our good friends at the Mazatlan Tourism Board.
After reviewing a large numbers of submissions, Mr. Koehn was selected for his article, “Daytrips from Cabo: Playa Los Cerritos & El Pescadero,” published in Cabo Living magazine. Mr. Koehn is also a contributor The Catalog of Cool (Warner Books) and Too Cool (St. Martin’s Press), as well as Warner Bros. Records, Billboard and the Los Angeles Times.
Though Michael could not join us in Acapulco to accept the award, Lydia, David and I made sure the very large audience knew he was grateful.
Once again this year, we were supported by our fantastic sponsors, Mexico Boutique Hotels and AeroMexico. They have been incredibly generous and supportive of our efforts to create and promote the Nick Gallo Award.
Our winner, Michael Koehn, along with his wife will enjoy three nights at Mexico Boutique Hotels member Hacienda de los Santos (Alamos) in a luxurious Hacienda Master Suite; with daily full menu breakfast at the Agave Café (no puny Continental Breakfast here); two massages; two fine dinners and the pièce de resistance: a one-hour aerial tour of the Sierra Madre with pilot and owner, Jim Swickard. Our airline partner, Aeromexico, will fly the couple into Ciudad Obregón, just about an hour away from the hotel.
Congratulations, Michael!
We invite published freelance writers in the U.S. and Canada who love Mexico as much as we do to send their 2010 articles to
editor@mexicopremiere.com to be considered for next year’s award.About Nick Gallo
Nick Gallo, two-time winner of the Mexico Tourism Board’s prestigious Pluma de Plata award, regular contributor to such prestigious titles as Travel & Leisure, Alaska Airlines Magazine, United Airlines Hemispheres, Private Clubs, Northwest Airlines World Traveler, father, husband and matchless colleague, passed away in October 2007 while on assignment in Greece. A touching in memoriam written by fellow writers can be found at www.mexicopremiere.com/?p=256.
About Mexico Boutique Hotels:
Established in 1999, MBH is a collection of upscale, independent member properties (located in 25 destinations throughout Mexico) handpicked for their intimacy, high level of service and outstanding attributes. Some are housed in exquisitely restored buildings, others are paeans to Mexican cuisine, still others showcase the sleekly modern–but they each encourage guests to savor the many fascinating traditions of this vast country, and all offer guests a unique travel experience. Typically less than 30 rooms in size, they are often destinations unto themselves. Based in Puerto Vallarta, MBH is staffed by an experienced team of multicultural—and multilingual—travel and hospitality professionals who both live and work in Mexico.
Book any of Mexico Boutique Hotels’ stylish properties by calling 1-800-728-9098 (US and Canada) or visiting www.mexicoboutiquehotels.com.
About AeroMexico:
AeroMexico and its subsidiary, AeroMexico Connect, currently operate more than 600 daily flights through the airline’s new Terminal 2 at its Mexico City International Airport hub to 40 destinations in Mexico, 16 U.S. locations in 11 states as well as major cities that include Tokyo, Paris and Buenos Aires in 12 other countries in Latin America, Europe and Asia. U.S. cities served are Los Angeles, Ontario (Ca.), San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle-Tacoma, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Denver, San Antonio, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, Orlando and Miami. Service will be added to Toronto, Canada, on March 3, and Montreal on April 2. AeroMexico Vacations provides customized vacation travel packages throughout this network. The airline also offers connecting service to other international destinations through its Sky Team global airline alliance with 11 full member carriers and three associate carriers. AeroMexico has been recognized for its award-winning style of personalized in-flight service, one of the world’s best on-time flight records, the highest safety and quality standards ratings, outstanding reliability and baggage handling performance, and exceptional value based on its competitive fares and superior service. Additional information is available at 1-800-237-6639. www.aeromexico.com
About MexicoPremiere.com
Founded by freelance travel writers David Simmonds, Lisa Coleman and Lydia Gregory—and now home to a cadre of even more award-winning talent—MexicoPremiere.com has become a meeting place for those looking to read and write about every aspect of everything Mexico. From tourism and gastronomy to bullfighting and politics (not necessarily in the same sentence), visitors to this one-of-a-kind blog will find unvarnished commentary and differing points of view. In the spirit of tooting their own horn, the folks at MP would like you to know that travel king Arthur Frommer himself gave us kudos http://www.frommers.com/community/forum.cfm/arthur-frommers-blog/arthur-frommers-blog/mexicophile-youll-want-consult-blog-meant-just