Xalapa Enriquez, Mexico Meeting Planning Overview
More commonly known as Xalapa (or Jalapa), Veracruz's state capital is nestled in the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains. Dubbed the "City of Flowers" by German explorer Alexander Von Humbolt, Xalapa is a colorful city that offers much in the way of art, culture and architecture. A bustling college town, the city contains several beautiful parks and has been recognized by the Federal Government as an Area of Historical and Artistic Monuments. Xalapa meeting venues offer an ideal environment in which to hold cultural and artistic events.
Xalapa is located 200 miles east of Mexico City and 65 miles northwest of the Port of Veracruz. The city's airport, Aeropuerto Nacional El Lencero, has national flights to and from Mexico City, while the Veracruz International Airport has direct flights to and from Dallas and Houston. The ADO bus company services Mexico City and the Veracruz port daily.
Hotel venues in Xalapa accounts for 2,300 rooms in 25 properties. These include the 5 Star, 121-room Crowne Plaza Xalapa, which can accommodate conferences of up to 500; the hotel's restaurant can cater for up to 98 people and it has 5,111 square feet of space available for cocktails of up to 800. The city's second-largest meeting property is the 4 Star, 130-room Howard Johnson Plaza de las Convenciones. The hotel's convention center offers 15 multi-purpose rooms tat total 7,735 square feet of event space and 4,885 square feet of exhibition space. The hotels facilities can host events of up to 650 people and its two restaurants can cater dinners of up to 80 people.
For events in special venues, there are the Xalapa Interactive Museu, a contemporary art gallery; and the Firefighter Museum.
Located 15 minutes south of Xalapa is the Pueblo Magico (Magic Town) of Coatepec, a quaint Colonial town, considered to be the coffee-growing capital of Mexico. It is perfect for pre- and post-event activities. The town offers charming boutique hotels, delicious local sweets and a former sugar plantation hacienda, now converted into a museum. Other group activities in and around Xalapa include golfing, symphonic orchestra concerts, folkloric ballet performances, city tours on bicycle, historical "trolley" tours, birdwatching and rafting excursions.
