Cancun! Any tips, advice, experiences?

[cminmd]

Our church had our annual fundraiser this Saturday and my husband went crazy and bought a trip at the live auction. A week at the Mayan Palace Riviera in Cancun, Mexico. We have never been to Mexico so we were wondering if anyone had any advice or tips?
We went on trip advisor and the resort had mixed reviews. Cons- only the rooms are airconditioned- not the lobby/ hallways. That is no biggie to us- that is a very popular style in Hawaii. Also when we go the last week in October it shouldnt be that hot- right? Pool is only 3 1/2 feet deep- even though it his HUGE! I don't know why you would make it that way, but we have little kids who won't mind that one bit. Other complaint- the beach near the resort is too shallow for swimming due to a coral reef so many people suggested renting a car so you could drive to other beaches. How is the driving in Mexico? I know it is the same side of the road and everything, but will getting around be about the same as any other city you don't know? What nearby sites are their to see?
I am so excited- this summer I brought the kids on a road trip up to Montreal and Toronto Canada now this unexpected trip to Mexico! This is really turning into the year of North American Travel!

[catharine]

Here is a list of threads that discussed the same kind of question. http://community.cookinglight.com/search.php?searchid=64243

Congrats on winning the trip! Have fun!

[2HUNGRY!]

Hello,
I stayed at one of the palace resorts for my honeymoon (La Aventura Spa Palace). They have a bus that goes between all of the palace resorts so even if your beach isn't the greatest you can go to another resort for the day. I think you have to be 18+ to go to La Aventura but Xpu Ha is an eco resort that was a lot of fun and had a great beach. They also had animals for the kids to look at. For what its worth, our resort didn't have a great beach either but we had fun at the pools and liked the shallow beach because it allowed us to learn to snorkel with out having rough waves crashing all around.

We also took the free trips to Isla Muertes and Tulum. They were a lot of fun and I reccomend them. We also took a trip that we had to pay for to a place called Chikin Ha. This was our favorite trip- we biked through the jungle and past Mayan villages and then snorkeled in an underground river. We also did the zip lines which were fun and scary.

The food isn't the best at the palace resorts but we had a lot of fun anyway. We went the first week of October last year and it was still plenty hot, hotter that I've ever felt.

Beware when you get to the airport someone may try to get you to tour a time share at the Moon Palace. This is a scam and will result in you missing your free transportation from the airport.

[jking323]

Hi, I might be of some help. My wife and I went to Mexico in October of '03. The first thing you'll want to know about the weather then--it's beautiful if there isn't a hurricane on the way. We luckily got there about a week and a half after Isabella tore up the Yucatan, but there wasn't much damage where we stayed. Other than that it's sunny and breezy and about 80 F all day, then it usually rains a bit at night. You can set your watch by it.

We actually stayed in Playa del Carmen, down the coast aways, so I don't have a lot of info on staying in Cancun proper, though of course we flew into there. The airport is a little chaotic, with the army of guys wanting to carry your bags "my friend," and offering you a ride to your resort. This isn't a scam, but if your vacation package already includes transport from the airport, just stick to your guns and look for the company that your package has already paid for. It's a little intimidating at first, though.

We didn't drive anywhere (we were there to sip all-inclusive drinks on the beach, and eat), but it seemed to be the same laws as the US. Certainly more aggressive, though, so use caution.

[cminmd]

Thanks for the replies they really help to give us ideas. Our resort is actually just outside Playa Del Carmen so it is nice to know that others have stayed there. We were wondering if people thought the package tours were worth while? We were considering the Diving with Dolphins or the horseback riding and of course the Mayan Ruins. We have two kids- 8 and 7 so we are not sure if the packages are welcoming or oriented toward kids. We have a car so we won't need transportation. Can you just drive to these places by yourself?
For some reason the link does not lead me anywhere.

[Varaile]

We were at the Mayan Palace Rivara - Canucun in March! We actually stayed over in Cozumel, but went up there for a day (yes...we got suckered in the timeshare presentation :rolleyes: ) but honestly - it was the BEST breakfast we had the whole week! They have an Italian restaurant on site, and they were building two more resturants while we were there but I don't know if they got them done what with the hurricane that hit the Yucatan earlier this year.

I thought it was a lovely facility - they had kiddie activites (I don't have kids so I didn't look into those), the pool was beautiful, the beach was beautiful, the rooms were nice. Does yours have a kitchenette? There is a small grocery on site, but if you pick up a few things before you head out of Cancun you can make breakfasts or have snacks in the room to help with costs.

You are about 20 minutes south of Cancun and 25 minutes north of Playa de Carmen kinda in the middle of nowhere so a car is going to be handy.

South of Playa del Carmen are a couple of water parks and the Tulum ruins. I've heard mixed things about the ruins. We missed going to one of the water parks (sorry, I forgot it's name, but it's the one without all the animals and entertainment shows.) but a co-worker and his family had a good time there.

A trip over to Cozumel could be fun - they have several ruins to visit and there is the Punta La Sur lighthouse at the bottom of the island. Plus going across the channel is kinda fun and you get to see a plethora of cruise ships.

I second the avoid the stuff at the airport and head right out the door!!! I wish someone had told us that!!

And, if you can, get lots of small denomination pesos - it was hard to cash the the larger sized bills and the small coins were needed for just about everything.

Hope this helps!

[jking323]

We did take a package day trip which went to the ruins at Tulum in the morning (the most popular site behind Chichen Itza, which is about 2 hours inland or so--too far for us) and then spent the rest of the day at an "ecopark" called Xel Ha. They have a large lagoon that you have free reign to snorkel (you rent the equipment pretty cheap). It's fenced off from the open sea, but in accordance with common Mexican views of liability, you can swim on the open side if you want. There are sharks and barracuda out there, so I didn't. All in all it was a good time, and we managed to meet several new people both from our resort and from others. Cost was around $120 (dollars, not pesos) each if I remember right, but that included admission to the park and ruins, and lunch.

You can, of course go anywhere you want if you rent a car, but you have to think if you do that. I don't like to think on vacation. I do that enough at work...

[Beth]

Well, I was going to suggest not going May through November (hurrican season starts in June, but the possibility of getting an early one seems greater than getting one after Nov. 30th). If your dates are already in place, keep an eye on the gulf. After 2 biggies in a row and three biggies in a row last summer, we're a little gun shy around here. Seriously, you should be fine in late October, but I won't feel better until they stop finding "disturbances" to watch in the Gulf or the Atlantic.

[cminmd]

Varaile- From Duluth to Cancun in March. Wow that is a shock to the system. I used to live in Minneapolis and even I wasn't brave enough to venture to Duluth for anything but Grandmas Marathon with my friend the nutty runner.
I heard it had minimal damage from the hurricanes in August- mostly that it blew down some of the pool cabanans so people did complain that their was not much shade by the pool. I think everything should be fixed by now. I'm hoping that at the end of October the hurricanes will have fizzeled out.
Yes, our room has a kitchenette so I want to pick up snacks and breakfast so we don't have to go to restaurants all the time. With kids that gets expensive and tedious. They always wake up starving and having to wait until the adults are ready, walk to a restaurant, order and wait for food to arrive is their idea of torture. I was told that I should shop out in Playa del Carmen because the prices at the stores at the resort will be double, but I'm not sure how you find a grocery store in Mexico? Do they have the big store, or is it lots of little shops one for fruit one for meat ect?
Tulum looks very appealing. Yes, I agree that Chichen Itza looks fantastic, but might be too far. I wish I could find out if their is stuff along the way. Xel Ha seems exciting, but is it ok for kids? Was 120 USD for the two of you? Wow, they are agressive on their pricing!
I am getting very excited.

[jking323]

Xel Ha seems exciting, but is it ok for kids? Was 120 USD for the two of you? Wow, they are agressive on their pricing!

It was $120 each, so it's not exactly cheap, but it was nice to get out of the resort for a day. It was actually on our last full day (of 5), so we were getting cabin fever. Xel Ha is OK for kids, and I think they had kids play areas and things. I wouldn't take an infant, but I'd say 4 or 5 and up would have fun, especially if they enjoy the water. Honestly, I can't be very reliable on this point, since we didn't have kids when we went. Sorry.

[EmilyK]

Xel Ha is OK for kids, and I think they had kids play areas and things. I wouldn't take an infant, but I'd say 4 or 5 and up would have fun, especially if they enjoy the water. Honestly, I can't be very reliable on this point, since we didn't have kids when we went. Sorry.

I remember there were a LOT of kids at the park; I think a 7 and 8 year old would have a blast! Swimming with the dophins cost an extra $90 or so per person, so we didn't do that option.

Comfortable shoes are a MUST if you go to any of the parks, so you can all enjoy walking around and exploring.

[cminmd]

120 EACH! Yikes, that is a lot of money to go snorkeling! An to think, in Hawaii all we had to do was walk into the water!

[EmilyK]

120 each was for the entire day - travel to and from Tulum and Xel Ha and admission to both places. Personally, I think it was 100% worth it and was the most fun we had during the entire trip. You could probably shop around with different places to find a better deal. We just signed up with the company sitting in the lobby of our resort.

Here's a nice site to find information: http://www.playa.info/