Cancun Question.....

Hi A.,

Sorry I don't really have any advice but just a word to the wise, be careful and never go anywhere by yourself.
I went on a girls trip a couple years ago to Playa del Carmen. We flew in and out of Cancun. Anyway the resort was very nice but once we'd walk "in town" we had a pact that at least 2 of our group of 14 had to be together at all times, preferably 3 of us. The last day one of the women from our group decided she just wanted to get one more thing and went by herself. Luckily she realized that she potentially was in danger before anything happened. She explained to a "local" what she was looking for and he had the perfect thing and it was so special he didn't have it in the store so he was taking her to where it was. After they walked through several halls and alleys she got a creepy feeling and turned and ran.

I don't want to scare you or be an alarmist. I know, speaking for myself, I think I'm pretty naive and probably overly cautious. But I don't have a problem walking alone around NYC/Time Square. And another woman in our group, literally travels the world and she was one of the ones that insisted on the rule.

Also a just few years ago when my husband was traveling on business, he had to leave a lock of hair in the corporate vault for possible DNA purposes. They traveled with "handlers" and had code words for if they were in trouble. Granted this was in Mexico City where it is well known that American Businessmen are targets for abduction and kidnapping and NOT Cancun but still something to be aware of.

Now having said all that, sorry, we did have a great time and you are right the best part is just getting away from it all. I think I read 3-4 books in one week and discovered mojito's!

Have a great time, but just be aware.

Lori K

My daughter & I went to Cancun just a month ago & had a wonderful time. We were at an all inclusive, so didn't do a lot of leaving the site. But we did go to Tulum to see the Mayan ruins...wonderful place & well worth going there. I would recommend taking a tour bus to go though. We rented a car & since have realized we probably should not have. It just was the only way it worked for us to go. But it is a fun place to go. Have a great time!!!

Hi A., my sister just got back from a week long vacation to Cancun and I think she loved every minute of it. They went snorkeling, horseback riding and went to some great fancy places to eat. She took tons of pictures of the hotel, beach and even some of the things they had to eat. It all looked fantastic! I will try to see if there are any places to recommend and mail you back. Have fun on your trip!!
M. B.

When I went there, which was almsot 6 years ago, we weren't allowed in the actual city of Cancun due to a major summit going on there with political heads from all over the globe, but we were able to do site seeing in Riviera Maya. We went to Xcarat Park, which was fantastic, they have an underground river that you can snorkle through, but the water was very cold in September, I can only imagine how cold it would be in Feb/Mar, but the park itself was very neat. We also went to see Tulum which is an ancient Mayan city complete with look out towers of the ocean and a good view of the second largest coral reef on Earth. If you go to Tulum, take bug spray or something for mosquitos, they can get back in certain areas. Another friend of mine has been to Chichen-Itza and I think that you can take a tour through the jungle there as well. She really enjoyed it there, but again, remember the bug spray. Just a side note, if you are a blood donor, you cannot give blood for over a year after you have been to Tulum or Chichen-Itza because of the risk of having malaria in your blood stream. I was told that you can carry the malaria and you wouldn't get sick from it, but if the person to get your blood had a weakened immune system, it could be detrimental to them. Not to scare you, just want you to be forewarned. I am a regular blood donor and was shocked the first time I went to give blood after I got back from Cancun. I hope you and your girlfriends have a great time!

Hi A., My husband and I have been to Cancun several times... actually we stay in Playa Del Car which is
45 minutes from Cancun. It is a resort area and have
many hotels to choose from that are all inclusive. That
is the only way we travel! We have stayed at the Riu Palace
Royal Hideay, and the Allegro! The Riu has many different
hotels at different prices and it is realy nice. Each
hotel has several restaurants to eat in and they also
have a grill and homemade pizzas daily. We don't like
Cancun because it is so touristy and that seems to be where
all the young singles hang out. We have walked the beach
to go to Play Del Carmen to shop and really enjoy it!
Like someone else said never do anything off your resort
alone! We mostly stay at our resort, they have all kinds of
intertainment and things going on. We usually go just to
eat and drink and relax! Enjoy! L. Nana of 6!

I hope you take the time to go to downtown Cancun. It's so different from the strip. A couple of absolutely wonderful restaurants are Perico's and La Parilla. The shopping there is fun and interesting, too. Very safe, very affordable, and a change of scenery from the typical tourist/party Cancun. Enjoy your trip!

I second Xcaret or Xel Ha eco parks. They are amazing places to snorkel and see the natural beauty of the area without having to go out in the middle of the sea which makes me a little paranoid. At Xel Ha, you can snorkel right at the mouth of a river where it lets into the sea and see an amazing assortment of sea life while still being able to get out of the water easily and lay out for a while. There are also hikes and places you can tube down the river and see some amazing cenotes (underground rivers). Its gorgeous. They have bars and restaurants as well. You can also pay extra and swim with dolphins. At Xcaret, you can snorkel in the cool river which is fed from the cenotes. Its really cool water because they are virtually underground springs. They also have mayan ruins there to explore.

As for shopping and nightlife, I loved the town of Playa Del Carmen. Its more quaint and less commercialized than Cancun and has more of the feel of a European town than a big high-rise infested shopping mall feel. There were some really amazing restaurants and fantastic local shops there as well. There are some fantastic resorts in that area (Riviera Maya) if you haven't already booked yours and I'd recommend staying in that area if you're looking for a less crowded less touristy vacation. The beaches there are some of the best in Mexico. Have fun! I love it there!

We went last February (about this exact time) and took all three kids. We had a blast. The kids loved playing on the beach and in the pool, and that took up most of our time. We also did a boat trip to Isla Mujeres, which was very cool. The trip was sold as a snorkeling outing, but the water was too choppy for us to feel comfortable with any of our kids snorkeling...the adults said they even had trouble. But there was a cool little beach area where the kids could play and we rented a golf cart to cruise around the island. We saw the sights and went to a little aquatics museum and a lighthouse. In the afternoon the boat took us to the touristy shopping side of the island. It was fun. There was quite a bit of drinking on the boat, but there were some families there, too, and we kind of stuck together.
Another thing my kids liked was the bus trip to Chi Chen Itza (I'm sure I misspelled that). Even my son, who was 18 months old and not feeling great that day, enjoyed seeing the ruins and the crafts that the locals were selling.

I must is the "market" for shopping. Hitch a ride on the blue shuttle bus and have the driver take you to the markets. This is where you will find all kinds of bargains, especially jewelery. Never pay the asking price, ALWAYS bargain! If the asking price is $20, you offer $5.00, don't let them talk you up. This will take one whole afternoon, just make sure you are out of the markets before dark! This was the best part of me and my husbands trip.

It has been a while since we have been as well...pre family. However, if they still have the Pirate/Dinner cruise, it is really cool. It is at night (obviously...dinner) and you go out in this pirate ship and it is either a steak dinner or lobster and there are two ships and after dinner they battle each other out in the ocean. We really enjoyed it, like I said it has been a while. We also like the jungle tour in the two man speed boats. Have a great time...I'm jealous.

Hi A.,

Have a terrific time!

You didn't say if you are going all-inclusive or not?

My hubby and I have been to Cancun 5 times and I have been with my grown children a couple more.

The girls all love Carlos and Charlies, Sr. Frogs and the Rain forest Cafe.

The hubby and I are a little more adventurous and find ourselves visiting some of the smaller "hole in the wall" restaurants that are run by the locals. We are always cautious not to drink the tap water even when they say they have water filters. We have had some pretty interesting food at these places - nothing bad, just a taste of "real Mexican food".

My daughter was there in December and tells me that although they still liked Chitzenitza (they call it Chicken pizza down there), they have closed the ruins so you can not go up the pyramids anymore and they have let all the crafters inside the grounds - she did not have as good of a time as when you could actually climb the pyramids and there were no people inside the gates hawking their wares.

If you feel like having some sort of water adventure Shel Ha is fun - it's like a natural water park where you can snorkel and they have a fun river to float and you can do some cliff jumping into the water.

For spending some time with dolphins - my youngest and I did "trainer for a day" at the water park in Cancun. It was about 120.00 and we got to spend about 6 hours with the dolphins learning about them and being in the water with them 6/7 different times. Several different species of dolphins.

Note to the wise - you can get cheaper prices on the tours outside of the hotels, some of the malls have little kiosks that you can buy them from.

Have a blast!

N.

PS be sure to wear your sunscreen even when you think you don't need it! The sun is MUCH HOTTER there.

We went to Cancun last cummer with another couple (kids stayed at home). Our favorite night spot was Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville. We had so much fun there, they played all kids of music, they had employees who entertained and you could also dance. We went a few other places but always ended the night here. The crowd was a mix of people of all ages. Some of the other places were a younger crowd.
We did the Selvatica Ziplining adventure and it was so fun!! Well worth the money! My husband is afraid of heights and he loved it. They also feed you while you are there and it was yummy! Have fun, I wish I were going again! Have a mojito they are the best there!

Travel in 3's if possible-never alone. Review hotel/resort guest reviews, use the resort/hotel suggested tours
e.g., Chichen Itza, Isla Mujeras. Be respectful and
courteous e.g, 'I'm sorry', "Thank you', 'You are Welcome'.. Remember to ask for a lower price at the market bot not too low as to devalue the product. Also check your package to make sure if 'gratuity' is included so you do NOT double tip!
Also check if your cellular phone service has a package or even your home phone provider-subscribe for a month so you are accessible to partners/spoces. Enjoy!

Also: Election Night Humor-4 minutes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pqFVqlMX2o
Enjoy!

I went to Cozumel years ago and had a great time at a place called Carlos' & Charlie's (you did say this was a "girls" trip!) I believe there is one in Cancun as well. It's a bar/dance club with a lot of tourist-hype atmosphere, that's where I learned the Macarena! It's not that I'm a serious drinker/partier, but we had a good time there. If that fits in to your idea, I would ask about it. Remember, I was in a different city but the same franchise.

There's a new restaurant called Terraneo. It's almost right across the street from the Royal Sands, and nearby the restaurant Puerto Madero. It was the best food we ate in Cancun - so good that we went twice. I recommend a reservation, there are only a few inside tables - there's a bigger outside seating area, but it's wonderful inside. It opens at 6 for dinner.

I highly recommend the surf and turf, the pardo (some fish I've never heard of, but it's amazing) and the brisket. All wonderful. Get the desserts too.

The wait staff is very attentive and nice, and the owner is always around checking up on things.

I would have this be your splurge evening. Get wine and appetizers and dessert!