Monterrey

[Mexidan]

Well in the link you provided it clearly states in the last paragraph that it now moves to the Senate for approval. To my understanding from the numerous articles I read it still hasn't been approved by the Senate.

Mexico's legislature doesn't like te USA. There are certain laws that go into effect without senate approval such as the case here.

In Mexico's bicameral Congress, ordinary laws generally need approval from both the Chamber of Deputies (lower house) and the Senate; however, the Chamber of Deputies holds exclusive power over the federal budget and public accounts, and can pass some legislation, like certain legal reforms, with simple majority without Senate involvement.

[Sol12]

Its been in effect for a while now, but a few businesses will charge it to unsuspecting people. I talked with a mesero I know at Porkys the next day who said that the boss tells them to keep charging it and that he won't stop until someone forces him to. However, I was only charged this in Porkys and one taco stand. Other business said they had a service fee, and when I mentioned the law they quickly said "OK, no worries" and did not charge the fee.

https://mexicobusiness.news/finance/...sing-card-fees

Well in the link you provided it clearly states in the last paragraph that it now moves to the Senate for approval. To my understanding from the numerous articles I read it still hasn't been approved by the Senate.

[TomJackin]

Would I return? Yes, absolutely. It's a great alternative to Tijuana.

Great report on one of my favorite cities in Mexico!

Thanks for posting.

[Mexidan]

The new law you mentioned has me confused because I like to use a credit card in Mexico when I buy things especially at restaurants and have never been charged an extra fee so when I was looking for information on line I just found that the law was only passed by Congress in Mexico but has yet to be passed by the Senate. So this might explain why they still charge a fee.

Its been in effect for a while now, but a few businesses will charge it to unsuspecting people. I talked with a mesero I know at Porkys the next day who said that the boss tells them to keep charging it and that he won't stop until someone forces him to. However, I was only charged this in Porkys and one taco stand. Other business said they had a service fee, and when I mentioned the law they quickly said "OK, no worries" and did not charge the fee.

https://mexicobusiness.news/finance/...sing-card-fees

[Mexidan]

I needed a new adventure. Going to the same places, like Tijuana, Havana, Bangkok over and over again got stale. With the help of ISG, I zeroed in to a new locale: Monterrey (Mexico's 3 d biggest city).

Airfare, airport transit, and Airbnb: I bought a one-way ticket on Aeromexico (layover in ATL) for $150. That included a refund of the tourist tax due to being a dual citizen with Mexico (another good reason to apply for those that qualify!) I didn't need a local SIM because AT&T's plan includes calls / data while in Mexico & Canada at no additional cost. I landed and was quickly out the door into the city. I saw a video about taking the bus into the city center from the airport and decided to try my luck. I line up with everyone else for the purple bus across the street from the airport. This would have worked ok but 1. I landed at 5 pm and the buses were packed due to rush hour; and 2. Monterrey is heavily under road and transit construction in preparation for the upcoming World Cup. After 90 minutes of little movement, I got off the bus and took a Didi (rideshare) to my apartment. The apartment was walking distance to Porky's, Central Bus Terminal, and Cuauhtemoc rail stop. My airbnb was $30/ night, seemed clean and very secure with no security guard at the doorway.

Cleops. Wow, such a great place! A massage shop with 20+ girls working. Girls set their own prices. The girls line up together and give a thorough explanation of services while mounting you so you can feel the goods front and back before choosing. I generally paid 1000 p-1200 p for 40 minutes. Every service included GFE, BBBJ and CFS. No tips were ever requested by any of the girls; they just ask that you ring the bell in the lobby if you received good service. There is a whatsapp group to see their lineup, and a QR code in the lobby adds you to their contact list where you receive a few messages with lineup, specials, etc. Also, after service, you are offered the opportunity to purchase credit toward future service at a 10% discount. Tip: No change will be given if you do not use the whole total, so I suggest buying 1000 p for 900 p. Then you just pay the difference during the next session. Keep the receipt copies! The white gets turned in for the next session. The yellow copies accumulate: When you have 10.000 p worth of receipts, you get a free session. Their Frequent Fucker Program! Also, I chose a different girl every visit and none of the girls ever acted jealous in front of me for not repeating. I LOVE THIS PLACE!

Porkys & Mautehaula (main location). These two clubs are right across the street from each other. Beers were 40 p. Girls usually wait for you to signal them over. Lady drinks were 150 p or so. Porkys has a telegram group that is very active and sends multiple messages a day. In Mautehaula, all prices are listed on the wall in the club. There is something for everyone in these clubs. I did not see another foreigner the whole time I was in either club. In Mautehaula, I did a 20 min session for 1200 p with a MILF I adored, however, choosing a basement stall vs a room was less than ideal; I couldn't see the girl but felt everything. The stall is charged by the song and felt rushed because the attendant kept calling out when a new song started and the girl always screamed back to acknowledge. It was so dark also that I could hardly see the girl but everything felt great, really GFE. As for Porky's, one downside is that the staff start extra hustles late night, charging 50 p for beer, and when you asked anyone else what the price was, the common response was that the employees didn't know and to ask your waiter. They also charged me 10% extra for using my credit card when Mexican law does not allow this. I called my credit card the next day and the charge was reversed which was very nice. Mautehaula's second location on Cuauhtemoc (as all of the bars in that area) looked rougher and I didn't see anything worth selecting but had fun in each for a one beer and exit barhop.

Cielo. Another awesome bar where I had a great experience. All drink prices and lady drink prices listed on the wall. No hustle, you signal the girl you want over to you. Here, I had a girl scream my name when she recognized me from Hong Kong in Tijuana. We spent a few hours together, and after the bar closed, she took me to an underground bar / party where you had to knock to enter and be let in by security. At 9 am, I called it a day and headed home but the party was still going strong!

Massage houses or Casas. There were so many in centro that it is impossible to mention them all. They charged 500 p-600 p for 20 minutes. When I sessioned at these, the girls did try to upsell for GFE, taking off clothes, etc. , but after a couple minutes of charm and chat, all the girls ended up doing right for me for small tip (usually 50 p-100 p) I got GFE, BBBJ and all clothes off and wasn't chased out when time was up. The general way to tell what was a casa was a colored light string above the door and sometimes a security guard outside of the door inviting you in. The available girls were sitting on the sofas in the foyer with a mamasan welcoming you as well.

Pasarela. One of the best looking clubs in town. Under new management. Clean and an active Instagram page. Here, you should pay for drinks on a rolling basis. One waiter was caught multiple times in one night padding bills. After pointing it out that he did the same to me, he gave me back 200 p quickly and asked me not to complain. It sucks because I really did have fun but just don't like the thought of having my bill padded.

Obsession was, far and away, my favorite club. Enter before 6 pm and get a 4 course "executive platter. " The club looked great. The staff was very professional. Signs everywhere saying that any tip is voluntary and that, should you be asked for a tip to report it via staff or a phone number listed. Beers 50 p. Lady drinks were 300 p for a pitcher of drink choice of the girl. Later at night, the second floor is available for karaoke. On my birthday, the cover charge 100 p was waived and the girls sang Las Mananitas (Happy Birthday) to me. I got plenty of phone numbers here for takeout but ran out of time before actually doing it.

Getting around town. Uber and Didi function well here. Didi was usually cheaper. However, the metro system works great here and was very easy to use. 10 p for a metro ride, 15 p for a bus ride. 20 p fare card that can be reloaded at any stop. I used the app MOOVIT to track how to get around. I literally moved around the entire city with public transport, to include getting from my apartment to the airport for 25 p on my final day. Google maps got me around for walking the city.

Touristy things. I visited the great Parque Fundadora, Mexico baseball hall of fame, 8 different museums, did a boat tour along the trail, watched an IMAX movie, and saw semi-final playoff games for Rayados and Tigeres. I visited multiple churches to include the Cathedral and also the Basilica de la Virgen de Guadalupe in the mountainside. I ate at many food stalls throughout the city and bought many juice drinks as well. For Christmas, I saw Luztopia and MacroNavidad festivals. I took over 1000 pictures and movies of my comings and goings. I always felt safe, even when walking around alone at night. Again, I'm a big mexican guy that speaks fluent spanish.

Next trip. I ran out of time to do the following:

1. Safari. During the week you use your own car. On weekends, you can ride on the safari bus.

2. Going to regular clubs, rooftop bars, and hanging out with locals. I had a great time, but I definitely feel that I could accomplish more with a wingman or a local.

3. Baseball game. Baseball was out of season, so my next trip will be during the baseball season.

4.

Exit. Using public transportation, the 1 hour ride to the airport was only 25 p. $175 flight nonstop on United got me home. The united agent filled out my exit form for me and told me to keep it in my Mexico passport. A short flight home later, I passed through quickly with Global Entry and was soon home.

Would I return? Yes, absolutely. It's a great alternative to Tijuana.

Would I recommend Monterrey to others? For people with excellent command of Spanish, yes. For people who struggle speaking Spanish, definitely no.

[Sol12]

2. Porkys: 2 am. Local beers are 40 p. I've been here multiple times and know the price. However, this waiter charged me 50p for a 5 beer bucket. 250p payable upon closing out. I later asked the cashier for the price of a beer. She said "I don't know" meaning that waiters make up prices at late night. Ok. End of night, I go to cash out and pay via credit card. They charge me 10% card fee. Under a recently passed Mexican law, card fees are illegal and merchants are not allowed to charge such fees. The cashier said she doesn't care and the waiter told me "fuck Mexican law asshole" at which point I said "Que Gey, no eres mexicano, no te importa sus leyes hijo de su puta madre. " I then offered to take things outside at which point two managers said "you paid, time to exit. " I then left.

I follow Poorkys on X and they seem pretty upfront with the prices. I've seen them post drink prices before so would think the prices are posted at the establishment as well. I've also seen some banner on the outside promoting the price of buckets but maybe they changed. I think that's why guys like TomJackin prefer to pay as he goes and not deal with the surprise bill at the end that often has extra charges on it.

The new law you mentioned has me confused because I like to use a credit card in Mexico when I buy things especially at restaurants and have never been charged an extra fee so when I was looking for information on line I just found that the law was only passed by Congress in Mexico but has yet to be passed by the Senate. So this might explain why they still charge a fee.

[The Cane]

Lesson to learn: don't let people anywhere take advantage of you. I collected my receipt and called my credit card company, who then credited me the entire bill.

That's what they get (nothing) for trying to cheat you. I did the same thing after a taxi driver in Germany tried to rip me off. Looking forward to your report as I have a trip planned to Monterrey for next year.

[Mexidan]

I am having an awesome time overall in Monterrey and will write a trip report soon. That said, I had two issues arise today involving overcharging.

1. Pasarela: Despite a poster hanging on the wall in the bar detailing girl drink charges, the waiter told me those prices are happy hour charges ending at 2300 hours. After paying him, I inquired to the cashier near the exit as to whether the drink prices listed were all day or happy hour prices. She said it was all day / night. I was overcharged 100p which then the waiter, seeing me at the cashier counter, readily handed me back 100p without me asking. I was probably overcharged more than that for my drinks too! I talked to him for about 2-3 minutes about how, American foreigner customers, are willing to pay a good tip for good service so long as they think they were treated fairly. He apologized quickly and said he would do better next time. I'll see as I am here for one more week and this bar is a really nice looking bar.

2. Porkys: 2 am. Local beers are 40 p. I've been here multiple times and know the price. However, this waiter charged me 50p for a 5 beer bucket. 250p payable upon closing out. I later asked the cashier for the price of a beer. She said "I don't know" meaning that waiters make up prices at late night. Ok. End of night, I go to cash out and pay via credit card. They charge me 10% card fee. Under a recently passed Mexican law, card fees are illegal and merchants are not allowed to charge such fees. The cashier said she doesn't care and the waiter told me "fuck Mexican law asshole" at which point I said "Que Gey, no eres mexicano, no te importa sus leyes hijo de su puta madre. " I then offered to take things outside at which point two managers said "you paid, time to exit. " I then left.

Lesson to learn: don't let people anywhere take advantage of you. I collected my receipt and called my credit card company, who then credited me the entire bill.

Knowledge is power. Also, I wasn't drunk because I slow drank the night (knowing I'm going to Tigres game later today). I am a Mexican citizen so Im not scared as much when challenged here.

[Mexidan]

A good review & in depth interview of the scene in Monterrey. It's about 90 minutes.

https://youtu.be/_y8d2jX0-hQ?si=aLCO2HZyUQOOeF5s

[Cocr Brotheler]

Flight booked. Celebrating my birthday by going to MTY! I didn't see a roll call or trip announcemsnt section to post this.

If anyone would like to meet up or share some ad ice, please message me!.

Missed by a few weeks other wise I would meet up. I saw your post on CRT also. Have fun!

My next trip is Jan 10th back to Costa Rica!

This time I will be there 2 weeks and going to try to not stay in gulch and try social media for "dates".

[Mexidan]

Flight booked. Celebrating my birthday by going to MTY! I didn't see a roll call or trip announcemsnt section to post this.

If anyone would like to meet up or share some ad ice, please message me!

Dan.

[June Fly]

Thank you June Fly. I sent some PMs.

I prefer to fly from SAT on Viva Aerobus or Volaris only 46 minutes but the recent USA Govt. Shutdown with air traffic controllers not being paid I may rent a car, drive to El Paso and stay there then visit the several MPs just south of the border from Zaragoza bridge. I just don't like a lot of time in a plane or bus close to others.

I've crossed into Ciudad Juarez from El Paso through the Bridge of the Americas, it was pretty trashy but didn't feel unsafe. I've never been through the Zaragoza Bridge side though, hope it's better and fun.

[June Fly]

Guadalajara is better than Both.

GDL has a much richer cultural vibe compared to MTY which has more industrial vibe, however I felt the GDL girls are version of plus size, whereas the MTY girls are slimmer and are more open to GFE / DFK.

[DramaFree11]

Why do you say this?

GDL is nice, but no way better than Tijuana. MTY is very expensive now, so I can not really recommend it anymore. Lots of hot chicks in San Pedro, but most are not available to foreigners. Tijuana there are more options for fun, and way better looking girls then GDL.

Food and service is very hit miss in MTY. Food is great in both Tijuana and GDL.

[The Cane]

Guadalajara is better than Both.

Why do you say this?