Need Recommendations for Cancun???

[browneye]

Hi folks,
Goin' to Cancun next week..
all you world travelers ...I hear the Mayan Ruin hike is cool
any other good tips?
Where to go, what to see, any great food items????:confused:
Love to hear from the global warriors!!!
P.

[SusanL]

didn't want you to have hurt feelings if no one posted. But I would like to hear about Cancun when you return! We went to Ixtapa, which is where the Mexicans vacation and had a great time. Please give us your update and hope that SOMEONE can give you some info, Take care!!

[Mary Ann]

because we mostly hung out on the beach, or rode the bus to downtown, got off the beaten path and walked around, people watching.

But, keeping in mind that it's been 3 yrs. since we've been there, and things come and go quickly down there, we really enjoyed a restaurant called 100% Natural. There's one in the downtown area that's been there at least 10 yrs., and 3 yrs ago there was one in the Hotel Zone,too. They have really good smoothies, green salads (rinsed with purified water, so they're okay to eat), and I really enjoy the Arrozito. It's a brown rice dish with oriental veggies, peanuts and soy sauce. Their quacamole is outstanding. And the fruit salads!!! Pineapple, guava, watermelon,papaya, bananas... We had them top it with granola and honey. Oh, my!!:D

Can you tell I really like this place? There's one in Playa del Carmen which is about an hour south of Cancun, and when we were there in January, we had lunch there every day. Everytime we decided we were going somewhere else, we ended up there!

Sorry to ramble, :o but if you get tired of Mexican food, and decide you need some fresh veggies and fruit, check this place out. And no, I don't work for them!:)

[jrichards]

Paula -

If you're into scuba diving, Cancun is a great place for that. My DH and I took a resort course while we were there (basically an hour of instruction on land, an hour in a pool, and then went to the real water). It was so amazing. We saw beautiful fish, corals, nurse sharks, lobster, octopus, etc. Just unbelievable. We fell in love with the experience and got certified once we returned home through a longer, and more extensive training!

We also enjoyed going to La Islla de Mujeres. I think it's about an hour boat ride, and once you get to the island you either walk, rent a moped, or a golf cart to get around. We got a moped and just cruised the small island, went to a great snorkeling place, and then hung out on their beautiful beach. I guess it depends on your beach in Cancun, but this beach was much better than ours. It also had hammocks, those little tiki bars on the beach with some seats that were like swings, etc.

We rented a car adn drove ourserlves to the ruins at Tulum. Along the way we stopped at Playa del Carmen (great little city, much more Mexican feeling than Cancun), and this large water/resort park place = Shellha maybe?? I know it's not spelled that way, but I think that's how it sounded.

We didn't go, but I have friends who raved about the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico.

The weather and water are beautiful in Cancun. There are also a lot of activities that you can sign up for - - jungle boat tours, waterskiing, parasiling, jet skis, etc. We weren't huge fans of Cancun itself (too Americanized, just row after row of hotel, English speaking places, everyone watned dollars not pesos), but our trip was amazing with the other things we did and the scuba diving!!

Jennifer

[KristaMB]

I was in Cancun 10 years ago, so I can't really remember any particulars. Here are some previous threads on Cancun. Have fun!

http://www.cookinglight.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7174&highlight=cancun

http://www.cookinglight.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12910&highlight=cancun

[browneye]

Thanks everyone, I read the other threads also.

Sounds like we'll be doing trips down south to Tulum and Playa del Carmen.
Also the Isle de Mujeres.

We don't leave until Thursday so I've got time to pack and read advice! :D

Thanks again...

[rinsav]

My DF and I went to Cancun about a year and a half ago and we had such a great time! He had to go for a work conference and I tagged along. He didn't really end up doing much work!:D One thing we did that was fun was to walk up and down the beach and go pool hopping. Most of the hotels have beautiful pools and it's fun to check them all out. We also went jet skiing one day out to a pretty area and did some snorkling. If you're up for some night life, there's a crazy club in the center of town called Coco Bongo (or something like that....I can't remember the exact name). They kind of put on a show (circus acts, funny lip synchers, etc.) to the music that's playing and people are dancing around everywhere. It's really a lot of fun! I know you'll have a great time whatever you do. Have a wonderful trip!

[foodiedelite]

Spent two weeks in the Yucatan/Cancun several years ago. Tulum is nice. Go in the morning as it gets very, very busy in the afternoon.

Check and see if the Club Med Cancun is still doing a local daily rate. The daily rate will entitle you to all their watersports and meals. There was snorkeling off the beach which was pretty good, windsurfing and sailing.

For a fun evening check out Senor Frogs. A little loud, but food was good. It was a younger crowd, but my retired Mother didn't want to leave, she was having such a blast.

Check out the local flea market. However, don't go between noon and around 2:00 because of siestas.

Also we rented a car and drove down to Coba for several days. We also spent a day at Playa del Carmen (small quaint village) and one day, took the ferry from Playa to Cozumel.

There's so much to do in Cancun. It's very Americanized with fast food restaurants that will seem like home, and many chain hotel resorts. We found our favorite times were in Playa del Carmen and when we went south to the Coba Ruin (no phones there and in the jungle)!

Have a great time.

[catharine]

Hope I am in time to help. We were in Cancun last winter.

Restaurants
Maria Bonita is in the Camino Real hotel (in the corner of the 7 across from the Hyatt Regency). The food here was the best!! Service was awesome too. You must go here!

La Destilleria is across from the Omni and Ritz and is a Tequila distillery. The food is really good.

Both restaurants are very popular so I would recommend calling ahead (you can have your hotel concierge make a reservation for you or call yourself – the phone numbers are on the Frommer’s website).

I heartily second Maryann’s recommendation for 100% natural. DH and I went nuts over this place. If I had more money I would open a franchise in the US. Awesome for breakfast and lunch – cheap, fresh and healthful. DH and I didn’t love Cancun, but talk about going back for the great eats

Excursions
Do go to Isla de Mujeres as jrichards recommended. Chichen Itza (sp?) was too far so we went to the ruins that were closer – can’t remember the name but it was okay – nothing special. We did Xel-ha (the Disney-style ecopark), but weren’t impressed with this either. My sister swam with the dolphins and loved it.

We also did a couple of things through Aqua World – while they charged more than if we had done it ourselves, they were well organized and professional. Would definitely use them again. They have a website http://www.aquaworld.com.mx

Have an awesome trip!!

[SweetTooth]

We have been to Cancun two times. The one thing that sticks out in my mind is a restaruant named Langistinos (sp). It is a restaurant that has its own lobster farm. Of course their speciality is lobster.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it. It is not an inexpensive meal, but is great for a special nite in Cancun.

We felt very safe there. The bus system works great and was easy to use.

Have fun, enjoy the water

[Karen M]

Take a day trip to Xcaret!!!! It is really fun. You can swim/snorkel an "underground" river, swim with dolphins, visit the butterfly area (which is HUGE), see the birds and lizards, and when you get tired of that you can lounge on the awesome beaches and lay in a hamock. Hope your weather is great! Have an awesome time.

Cancun is shaped like a 7. The beaches on the long arm of the "7" are way better than on the top of the 7, so make sure you check those out if you are staying on the north side. The beaches are all owned by the Mexicn government, so you can go wherever you want.

Have fun!