Anyone been to Cancun?

thunderbrick · « **on:** 27 Oct 2012, 07:18 pm »

We're headed to Cancun in late January where I'll be doing a LOT of spectating, so I hope the question is OK in this thread.

The wife has a three-day meeting in Cancun, and we plan to spend two days on our own. What is there to do? What to avoid? Best value? Best excursions? Any used LP stores ?

We love photography, the ocean, and other cultures, not too much on dance clubs, but if there are little places to eat with good music, that'd be great!

All suggestions appreciated!

'brick

bummrush · « **Reply #1 on:** 27 Oct 2012, 07:42 pm »

This ill get banned so it goes. Hope you have safe trip what with the debates when they don't dare talk about drugs wars etc In. Mexico and going on 70,000 dead I wouldn't step a foot into that place

wisnon · « **Reply #2 on:** 27 Oct 2012, 07:59 pm »

Cancun is faaaar away from the drug hot spots...indeed its more America than Mexico.

Lots of places to visit, like water based snorkeling parks, downtown Cancun, Senor Frogs bar, Tulum and Chchen Itza.

Nice place.

fredgarvin · « **Reply #3 on:** 27 Oct 2012, 08:07 pm »

We go there every Jan. or Feb. for two to three weeks. It's a great vacation spot. Three days? Take the bus tour to Chichen Itza and see the Mayan Ruins. That will use up one long day and night. It's a great trip, they go through the old colonial city of Valladolid to see the 16th century cathedral, go past the Mayan houses, stop at the big cenote Ik Kil to go for a swim and photos,

a buffet and then to Chichen Itza.

Day 2 you can get a tourist scuba certificate for $80 and an hour in the pool, go out to the reef for a one tank dive. Very nice!

Day on the white sand beach swimming in the torquise 82 degree ocean.

We stay at Playa de Carmen which is about 35 minutes south of Cancun. I recommend a trip to the waterfront there too.

django11 · « **Reply #4 on:** 27 Oct 2012, 08:26 pm »

There is a little Hotel/Bar/Grill right on the beach just off of 5 th avenue in Playa del Carmen called Fusion. I have a great memory of sitting on some low chairs with my feet in the sand listening to the waves and a Reggae band as the sun went down. We started out just for drinks but had supper. The food was good and the atmosphere very laid back. They had torches for lighting, the owners dog went around and politely begged for food, kids on the dance "floor" with adults. I didn't catch their other shows. http://fusionhotelmexico.com/2010/10/live-music-and-fire-show/ http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g150812-d1050339-r134923732-Fusion_Bar_Restaurant-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

I struck up a conversation with some guys who were on the PGA tour and they told me that of all the places they went with the tour Playa was their favorite...

django11 · « **Reply #5 on:** 27 Oct 2012, 08:41 pm »

Quote from: bummrush on 27 Oct 2012, 07:42 pm

drugs wars etc In. Mexico and going on 70,000 dead I wouldn't step a foot into that place

5,700,000 Americans visited Mexico in 2011 for 120 murders, according to the State department. That gives a murder rate of 2.1 per 100,000 which is a lower murder rate than if they stayed at home in the US where the national rate is 4.8 per 100,000... So it is arguably safer for US citizens in Mexico...

jqp · « **Reply #6 on:** 28 Oct 2012, 05:02 am »

I have been to the Yucatan peninsula about 7 or 8 times in the last 8 years. It is a cheap non-stop flight from Charlotte to Cancun's dedicated international terminal.

I usually stay in Playa Del Carmen in a gated resort area adjacent to the little city. I have stayed in Cancun itself 2 times, once at a Riu resort and once at the Moon Palace.

Cancun is a planned tourism city about 40 years old. It has rapidly grown to over a million people from all over Mexico who seek a better income than where they used to live. Having been to Mexico city a few times, it looks a lot like a miniature Mexico City. You can take a bus from the hotel zones to other parts of the city including Wal-Mart or a car dealership. You can buy cheap souvenirs all over Cancun, may as well get them at Wal-mart. They are all the same everywhere, they all come from China with a few exceptions.

Other than some aggravating day trips to the nearby Mayan sites there are 2 things I would recommend.

First, take a $15-20 ferry to the Isla Mujeres in the morning, with your back pack and camera. On the Isla, rent a golf cart for about $40 for the day. It will take you anywhere on the 8 mile long island. Drive to the end of the Island where you will see a small Mayan ruin and then turn around and go back the other way. You will see resident life on the little island, as well as ex-patriot homes that look like they are part of a post-hippie artist community. You will see a little Mexican Naval installation. You will see turquoise water and little school girls walking home. You will see shanty towns of construction workers and their families. You will see a mini-Cancun, complete with the same tourist souvenir shops. You can buy a coconut on the beach to drink and eat. Then take the ferry back in the afternoon, having seen the whole island.

You can also take a ferry to Cozumel from Cancun or Playa Del Carmen.

The other thing I would do is arrange to take a van to one of the Riu resorts in the gated community in Playa Del Carmen - it takes about 45 minutes to get there from the Airport, you can probably just call on of the Riu resorts to arrange it, saying you want to see the resort for an hour since you are interested in coming back. Or you could just take a Hertz taxi. Once at one of the resorts you can walk around to the other 5 resorts there to see them, the beach, etc. There is a little shopping area with a drugstore and a Starbucks. Even in Playa there is a Wal-Mart.

One warning is that tourist day trips often look good on paper but involve a lot of waiting and very expensive refreshments. Most business in the Cancun area is designed to milk tourists of as much money as they can. The resorts work with companies that provide day trips, special reservation meals, daytime activities at the pool, and shuttle van services.

If you go to a resort such as a Riu (nice and family oriented), make sure you have an all-inclusive plan at a top of the line resort, not neccesarily the most expensive but a top-tier. Otherwise you will be disappointed. The Riu Palace Riviera Maya in Playa is one of the best values. The food and drinks are better, the service is better, the rooms are better, the pool is better than the lower tier Riu hotels.

jonbee · « **Reply #7 on:** 28 Oct 2012, 05:33 am »

I go to Yucatan every year. The post on violence is total BS. The Yucatan is as safe as most areas of the US. The drug trade violence doesn't happen there to a significant degree, as it is not on the major drug routes.
I avoid Cancun, except to fly in. Fred mentioned some of my faves as well- Vallodolid, Chichen Itza, and the Ik Kil cenote are things you will never forget, and the Mayan people make great hosts. These things are in close proximity, and fairly easy to get to from Cancun. My home base is Cozumel, but with your limited time I would concentrate on those. The beach at Playa Del Carmen is lovely, as many are there.