Having once been an Aztec city, Cuernavaca was taken by the Spanish prior to the conquest of Tenochtitlan, or modern-day Mexico City. Also known as the City of Eternal Spring, Cuernavaca has long been a favorite getaway destination, due to its splendid weather and proximity to the nation's capital. Recently, Cuernavaca has experienced a surge in the business tourism sector, becoming a spot where many Mexican and international companies hold off-site meetings, team-building exercises and medium-sized conferences. It is a relaxing and culturally engaging city, Cuernavaca meeting venues comprise luxury spas and world-class golf, while the area contains vestiges of pre-Colonial civilizations.
Located in the state of Morelos, Cuernavaca is 53 miles south of Mexico City on highway 95. The city's airport, the General Mariano Matamoros Airport (CVJ), has national flights to and from Tijuana and Oaxaca. One and a half hours from the destination however, the Mexico City International Airport services 85 destinations in 17 countries. Bus companies servicing Cuernavaca from Mexico City (such as Pullman de Morelos and Estrella Roja) leave frequently from the southern bus station Taxquena, as well as from the airport.
Cuernavaca meeting venues include a convention center, a diverse arrangement of unique event venues, 61 meeting hotels and 2,009 rooms and suites. The WTC Morelos Convention Center has 63,000 square feet of event space, which is divisible into 12 separate sections that can be used for meetings, conventions, expositions, conferences, trade shows and seminars. The venue's biggest space can host up to 2,142 people auditorium-style, and up to 3,000 guests in a banquet.
The Holliday Inn Cuernavaca is also an ideal environment in which to hold meetings and corporate events. The hotel's charming gardens, well-equipped business center, restaurant, pool and bars are a great complement to its meeting facilities, which include around 38,000 square feet of event space with room for up to 1,720 participants.
Notable things to visit in Cuernavaca include the city center's two famous plazas, which feature mariachis, excellent dining options and the Cuauhnahuac Museum, a major cultural attraction featuring including works from Diego Riviera. Other Colonial attractions include the San Jose Chapel, the Assumption Convent and the Palace of Cortes, perhaps the oldest remaining Viceregal building on the continent. The destination also features several nearby eco-tourism options, including visits to a forested National Park with a lagoon. The nearby archaeological site of Xochicalco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing pre-Hispanic ruins.
Photo by Wikimedia Commons user : Paliano
