Getting Around in Cancun

Taxi: Okay, if you don’t mind that the taxi drivers don’t have meters and it’ll cost you starting from $7 dollars and up to go anywhere on the hotel strip – when I say anywhere I mean even if they drop you off a block from your hotel it’s still $7.   There are better options…see below.

Rental Car:  Skip it.  It’s just too much trouble worrying about international accident laws and renter’s insurance.  Anywhere you need to go in Cancun is accessible by taxi, public bus or private drivers.  There’s really no need for a rental.  Not to mention, on any given moment you can hear tires screeching and cars almost missing each other because someone is making an illegal turn or stop.  It’s customary for buses to stop anywhere a rider is so you can imagine the problems this causes for other drivers; although it’s sort of nice for us bus passengers. 

Public Bus:  For the US equivalent of 0.65 cents a ride each way, the public bus system in Cancun is the fastest and most cost effecient way to travel.  Insider’s tip:  Exchange dollars for pesos coins from hotel.  Buses accept US dollar bills but they will take it as $10 peso which may yield an unfavorable exchange.  However for the convenience factor of giving them a US dollar it may be worth losing a dime or two each time.   It’s really hard to get lost on these buses, you just have to pay attention and try to remember the KM location of wherever you’re trying to get to.  Also there are little buttons either in the front or back of the bus to signal the bus driver to stop.  Sometimes you can scream out “Alto” which means stop in Spanish but there’s no guarantee the driver will hear you.  Drivers are also helpful, they’ll pretty much drop/pick up passengers anywhere and tell you if you’re on the right bus with their broken English.   Gracias Senor!  Oh and each time you get on a bus they give you receipt slip, keep this for the duration of the ride because it ensures that just in case the bus gets into an accident and you get hurt, you’ll get free medical care. 

Best part is that most of the time, the bus is half filled with tourists from around the world – mostly US and Europeans. The drivers are very helpful although most don’t speak English.  The communication typically goes something like this…Tourist: “Bus to Wal-mart?”  Bus Driver:  “Jess” (means Yes).  In my opinion, it’s the fastest, cheapest and “funnest” way to travel in the hotel zone.  This is coming from a girl who’s never been on bus where she lives

CANCUN BUS ROUTES

(www.travelyucatan.com/cancun_bus.php)

There are 4 bus routes R-1, R-2, R-15 & R 27.

R-2 & R-15 go to Wal-Mart & Mercado 28.R-1 goes to Puerto Juarez, Wal-Mart, Plaza 2000, Mercado 23 and the Cancun bus station.R 27 travels on Tulum Ave and stops at Plaza Las Americas where you catch the colectivo to go south up Hwy 307 to Playa del Carmen – Tulum and all points in-between.

Restuarant Picks in Cancun

Breakfast or Lunch: 100% Natural (across from Senor Frogs on Kukulkan) .  They are known for healthy, wholesome food.  Great omelette, sandwiches and famous for their elixirs and smoothies.  For two people with entree and smoothie it was under $20 US. 

Dinner: Loritos Joe’s Lobster Shack (across the street from Hotel JW Marriott Cancun on Kukulkan).  I was a bit apprehensive about eating here at first because the concierge at my hotel said she had never eaten there and she wanted us to let her know how it was…hmm  So I get there and there are maybe 2 other tables…hmm But the interior of the restaurant was nice with amazing views of the lagoon so we stuck around.  I ordered the King Crab entree and my husband ordered the all you can eat buffet – which is bit of a misnomer since it’s really not a buffet.  It’s more like a “pick- the- items  -you- want -to -eat -and -we’ll -bring -it” order. So not really a buffet.  Both meals were nice sized portions.  The wait staff was also very accomodating by allowing us to make slight modifications to our order – in fact they made the suggestions.   Everything we wanted was welcomed with “no problem”.  And the food?  It was delicious.  For a seafood dinner, I would say it was affordable – for about $100 US including drinks and tip for 2.  Service was excellent – friendly and helpful.  Insider tip:  Go to their website and click on coupons and you get print out a coupon for 17% off your order as well as other discounts. 

Fastfood: McDonald’s (in the Isla Shopping Mall).  Imagine the menu with about 1/2 the number of items you’d see on our menu and prices are almost 40% higher ($8+ for a meal deal) than in the US.  Also service is very slow.  Don’t expect them to speak English just because you’re in McD’s; you are in Mexico after all.  Don’t try to order a Big Mac Value Meal because they call it a McDoble (?) – something like that.  I think taste wise the burgers are the same except the french fries – they deep fry these suckers longer than in the US so it’s very crunchy, maybe a bit too crunchy.  The only affordable item there is their chicken sandwich with guacamole sauce which was around $1.50 US.

Dinner:  Lorenzillo’s (located at Blvd. Kukulcan Km 10.5 on the lagoon side).  This is by far my favorite restaurant in the hotel zone – in my recent trip I went two nights in a row. It’s that good.  In the evening with all the lights with the lagoon as its backdrop, Lorenzillo’s is stunning.  It’s a fairly large restaurant with plenty of seating outdoors (to enjoy the evening breeze) and indoors (upstairs and down).  They have a great number of servers that are designated at each of the areas (indoor dining/outdoor terrace/outdoor bar).  I would say the server to guest ratio is very high (but see below about overall service).  In fact, each table is assigned two servers.  The first night I ordered their lobster tail (glad I didn’t order the whole lobster because the tail was a good size) – you can have it any style you want (e.g. thermador, steamed, broiled, grilled, etc.)  I chose broiled with garlic butter and it was AMAZING.  My husband had a seafood combo dish El Comodoro which included grilled angus and lobster, which he said were very good.  On our second visit, he had the lobster and I had the Lorenzillo’s Filet Mignon and shrimp brochette (filet comes cubed on skewers which for me was a bit odd because typically you don’t do that to fine meat like Filet Mignon but it was still good).  For appetizers, we ordered Cesar Salad, Los Grilletes (crab cake), La Popa (calamari), and Isla Mujeres (Lobster bisque). All excellent.  Insider’s tip:  Service charge is included with the meal so don’t over tip.  Also, because of the included service charge, I believe the service isn’t as good as it could be – for a restaurant of this calliber and the number of servers standing around I would expect even better service.  Each night we spent around $170 US including tip which is probably what it would cost for a lobster meal in Bevery Hills.  Do make reservations, this restaurant is packed nightly.  They have a wine cellar with a good number of French, South  American and California wines (Durkhorn, Cakebread, Jordan). 

Lunch/Dinner:  La Casa de Las Margaritas (Inside La Isla Shopping Mall, Blvd. Kukulkan Km.12 Hotel Zone).  This is an authentic Mexican restaurant with live entertainment (dancers and mariachi bands).  Their  tortillas handmade in their open kitchen just adds to the charm of this place.  And of course their margaritas are muy bueno (very good) – they come in all sorts of yummy flavors like canteloupe and they don’t skimp on the tequila!  During my last two visits, my husband and I tried a good number of the dishes (shrimp, chicken, beef, fajitas/tacos/echiladas, sopas, salads, and other appetizers – all very well prepared).  Their portions are large – most of the time I couldn’t finish my entree.  They do this pre fixe menu for $60 US pp where they make your appetizer and entree table side and it includes a drink and dessert.  Although table side cookins sounds like fun, I’d much rather have the chefs in the kitchen prepare my dish instead of my server (**who’s there to wait on you**) using a bunsen burner and a frying pan to cook my meal in front of me.  But that’s just me.  The decor is Mexican Hacienda and ambiance is lively.  Good place for the entire family and big parties.   Insider’s tip:  Ask your concierge to see if they have free margarita coupons for this restaurant.  My concierge handed me one when she made my reservation.  Also when we paid our bill, the server brought us another coupon for a future visit.  I believe each coupon is worth about $5-6 US.  Don’t you love a deal?  Expect to spend about $30+/pp (appetizer, 1 drink, and entree).

Dinner:  La Distileria (located Kukulkán Km 12.65, across from Kukulcán Plaza on the lagoon side).  This restaurant usually makes the top of everyone’s list as the “best of the best”.  For some reason, may be it was an off day or I ordered the wrong dish but I thought it was just alright.  Don’t get me wrong, the restaurant itself is beautiful and the tequila inspired theme (has a mini museum) is wonderful but the food wasn’t as spectacular as everyone said it was.  Maybe it was too much hype but I wasn’t impressed.  I actually prefer La Casa de Las Margaritas which is a better deal.  You tell me… did you like La Distileria?

**NEW REVIEW** Drinks & Appetizers @ Pat O’Briens:  Even in the states, I’m not a big fan of themed restaurant/bars, maybe it’s the giant sized clovers hanging from the ceiling or giant smiling frogs (Sr. Frogs) that just rub me the wrong way.  But in Cancun, you can’t swing a burrito without running into a themed establishment so we thought we’d give it a try.  Pat O’Briens was the closest to Lorenzillo’s so that was the pick of the evening.  So we walk in and first thing that slaps you in the face is the obvious Irish St. Patrick’s day theme.  As soon as you enter a girl dressed in green clovers and suspenders welcomes you with mardi gras beads – I hope she doesn’t expect me to show her “my girls” – no way jose.  We walk up to the bar that’s full of bartenders with green devil face paint and faux facial hair.  The bartenders were very friendly and welcoming as well.  We look at the menu and order our drinks.  I ordered a Purple People Eater hoping it would resemble a Welch’s grape soda with vodka.   They have a DJ, girls offering shots and waiters doing various tricks.  Apparently if you order some sort of drink they bring it to you in a “special” way – I’ll explain this in a bit.  So while I’m soaking up the St. Patricks day and mardi gras atmospheric vibes, I notice a waiter wadding up napkins and making little puffy coasters.  He notices me and says “You’ll want to see this, you watch.”  My husband and I watch for at least another ten minutes of puffy coaster making and then suddenly the waiter begins to place the puffy napkin coasters on his head.  Then on top of the coasters, he begins to stack large drinks emitting dry ice smoke.  There’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and I can’t look anymore…he’s gonna drop it!  Kids don’t try this at home, he’s a professional.  So after gingerly stacking 6 drinks on his head in a pyramid shape, he begins walking toward the mini-stage where the patrons that ordered the drinks are awaiting the arrival of their beverage.  The waiter doesn’t miss a beat, he balances carefully, making sure he doesn’t hit any hanging clovers along his route.  Finally the DJ turns up the music and people are screaming and clapping.  And one by one each patron grabs their drink and  not a drop of alcohol is lost.  Whew, what a night.  To sum up my evening at Pat O’Briens, it’s an experience.  I’m not sure it’s a place to bring kids at night but if you’re bored and want to go to a themed bar, this place is not a bad pick.  Service was good and entertainment was even better. 

More recommendations to come: Aioli, Restaurants in Plaza Kukulcan, and more…

Things to do and places to see in Cancun

1. Chichen Itza:  The capital of ancient Maya empire – the best Mayan Ruin archaeological site, rated top 7 man-made wonders of the world.  It is truly spectacular.  It’s about a 3 to 3 1/2 hour drive from the Hotel Zone.  May not be a good place for younger kids because of the long drive. However if your kids can sit a for a great deal of time while watching a DVD, then it would be a nice adventure for them as well.  I would highly suggest going with a tour guide bus because they do all the driving while you sit and relax and watch a DVD or sip a cervesa (that’s beer in espanol – ole!). 
   I booked through Best Day although I don’t know if I’d recommend them.  They promised all these things to us when signing up and they didn’t deliver – the bus was not as “luxurious” as they described (although it was satisfactory) and they made tons of stops so vendors can get on/off to sell us all sorts of useless trinkets.  The picture they showed us of the bus had a table and the booking agent told us that breakfast was included.  On the day the bus had no tables, no large windows and no breakfast.  Just remember to keep any brochures, pictures, and list of ammenities included so that if they change on you last minute (which happens often) you can show them and they can reimburse you for what they don’t deliver on.  Must See!

 
Photo by: Chica_de_LA

1. Xcaret - I can only describe this as a cross between the San Diego Wild Animal Park and a natural water park.  The best part about Xcaret is their underground rivers where you can snorkel and see the Mayan sinkholes, magical caves, rock formations and marine fossils.   There are also lagoons – between the jungle and the beach. The passageways, caves and coves are the perfect place to explore the lagoon’s crystal clear water, multicolored fish and tropical environment. Hammocks are hung along the banks for sunbathing and relaxing.  There are also inlets which Xcaret owes its name to; this sea water entrance which forms an Inlet of clear crystal water is home to hundreds of tropical fish and a sacred site for Mayan culture.  There’s also natural wild life such a native birds, jaguars, monkeys, deer and butterflies.  You can end your visit with the night show.  Although I haven’t seen the show, everyone who has seen it says it is amazing.  For me, after a full day of sight seeing, snorkeling and swimming I was pretty pooped and I wanted to go back to the hotel and go out for dinner.  Xcaret is defintely kid and adult friendly.  There are tons to do for the entire family – so much that you may need two visits to see everything.  I believe you can get the second visit half off if you keep your ticket stub.   Again booked through the same agent Best Day and they didn’t deliver as promised.  They told us to be at our hotel by 8 am and they didn’t show up until 8:50 am – 50 minutes late!  The driver who was to take us to the tour bus didn’t even apologize or offer an explanation – in fact he actually wanted a tip!  The nerve.  I don’t think so Senor!  He even yelled and slammed the door on us when we asked politely if we were going to make it to the bus on time.  After the inept driver said some nasty stuff to us in spanish (which I totally understood since I took espanol in high school – yo hablo espanol and comprendo todo estupido!)  he dropped us and a few of the other tourists (who were also waiting a very long time) off in the middle of the street to catch our bus.  Que??!! To Best Day’s credit the tour guide that met us on the tour bus was very nice and very professional.  Skip Best Day. 

        Must See Xcaret!

1. Garrafon & Isla Mujeres – Garrafon is located on the island Isla Mujeres.  It’s about a 25 min cruise from Cancun.  They have snorkeling, swimming with the Dolphins, kayaking and a tour of Isla Mujeres.  The island itself is tiny – the walking tour takes about 30  mins so that gives you an idea of the size.  Garrafon is even smaller with very little to do.  They have a limited number of restaurants so you almost have to get the “all-inclusive” plan.  Maybe it was the time I visited but there were maybe 2 types of fish.  The snorkeling is situated right next to the island in a tiny roped off area.  If you want good snorkeling this is not the place.  This was the only place I regretted visiting through out my trip.  Skip it.

Photo by: jessiadkisson

1. El Rey Ruins - Ruinas Del Rey or “El Rey”, is located on  Kukulkan Boulevard between 18 KM and at 17 KM in the Southern Hotel Zone in Cancun on the lagoon side, adjacent to the Hilton Resorts Golf Course.  The entrance is at 18KM so if coming by bus get off here instead of 17KM otherwise you’re in for a long walk.  The entrance to El Rey is 35 pesos or $3.50 US (at time of exchange).  They charge extra if you want to video camera your experience – yes, really.  Hours open between 8 AM and 5 PM for general admission.   These ruins are decimated so don’t expect to see tall pyramid like ruins that you’d see at Chichen Itza.  It’s a very small area filled with Iguanas roaming the grounds…and with the Iguanas you get a lot of giant sized Iguana poop so beware when you walk around.  I just thought it was interesting because this is somewhere you can visit in an hour, take pictures and say you’ve seen some ruins in the midst of modern Cancun’s hotel zone on your own without a tour guide/bus.   Okay if you have time. 

Here are a list of other adventures I’d recommend:

• Joe’s Jeep Adventure – drive your own jeep through the jungle and even zip line.  This is always highly rated on travel sites. 
• Tulum (ruins by the beach) & Xel-ha (natural water park) – Some people decide to do mayan ruins and water park both in one day.  If you don’t have two full days to spare for Chichen Itza and Xcaret, then this is a good alternative.   Xel-ha is only about 30 miles from Playa Del Carmen (which is about 20 mins from Cancun hotel zone) so it’s not far so taking the kids is easier. 
• An overnight or day trip to Cozumel for beaches and island tour – note this is not recommended as a day trip because it takes half the day travelling there and back.  You won’t get to see much if you go for the day.
• A day trip to Playa Del Carmen for shopping and resturants
• Coba – The tallest ruins (138 ft)  called Nohoch on the Yucantan peninsula and the only ruin they still allow you to climb to the top. Built between two lakes during 600 – 900 AD. 

If you have any comments or suggestions on adventures/activities in Cancun, please comment below.  Be descriptive – provide the name of the tour, agency (if any), month/season, fees, etc.  Thanks!

Gifts to bring back home from Cancun

Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract seems to be one of the best buys in Mexico.  This is the stuff you use to make french toast, bake cookies and cakes, etc.  Vanilla from Mexico is thought to one of the purest in form.  You’ll find most stores including Wal-mart carry this.  Caution:  make sure you’re buying pure vanilla and not imitation.  Some Mexican vanilla contains Coumarin which the US FDA has banned and deemed harmful.  The fake stuff will smell very strong of vanilla, may be clear in color or very dark in color.  The real stuff will typically say “Contains no Coumarin” (this is important) and have an amber color.   Also take a look at the ingredient list – it should say Vanilla and alcohol as its first igredients.    The savings is huge – I got a 8 fl oz bottle for $6.  For $6 in the US you’d only get 1 oz. 

Tequila & other Alcohol:  These days taking any type of liquid on board a plane is a huge pain in the butt.  Not to mention, you can get most of the brands you see in Mexico in the states so save yourself the trouble and skip the alcohol.  If you insist on brining home a bottle or two of some muy excelente tequila, you will need to purchase a shipping box with styrofoam (to protect the bottle) and pay extra fees from your airlines carrier.  This happened to me when I was in Europe when I mistakenly purchased several bottles of wine in Spain.  The cost to bring home the bottles were more than the wine.  Learned my lesson.

Pottery:  In many of the gift stores you’ll find tons of “hand-made” (I’m assuming they’re handmade because that’s what they lable them as but who knows for sure) pottery items.  I typically get an x-mas ornament or decorative plate small plate to bring home with me.  The only caution is you want to make sure these items are LEAD free. 

Cancun-Airport Transfers

Entertainment Plus for airport transfers – booked for 2 people for $55 USD.  They were reliable, professional and prompt.   Need I say more?  A+.  For more information on Entertainment Plus visit their website by clicking here.

Cancun – Travel Guide

I purchased People’s Choice Guide Cancun directly from the author’s website as it was not in stock on Amazon.  Prompt delivery & service.  Overall, I rate this book a B+.  It’s a very good guide and I believe it’s better than similar books out there on Cancun so if you’re going to get a guide… this is it.  The publisher has put together a guide based on comments and ratings from real people that have visited Cancun, hence the name “People’s Choice”.

 

With that said, there are some minor pieces that can be added that would make this an A+.  Some of the location descriptions are inaccurate.  For instance, the author writes that El Rey Ruins (Ruinas del Rey) is located across the Hilton at 17km.  The entrance to El Rey is actually located at 18km which is over half a mile distance walk if you get off at 17km – the bus drops you off right in front.  In the blazing Cancun sun and lack of side walks, 0.6 miles feels like an eternity.  

 

An index could be added to the book that would be helpful to find information.  It also could use an establishment category for breakfast, lunch, dinner, bargain, etc.  Finally, a map would be helpful showing points of interest.

Cancun – Weather in May

Weather: Windy, humid and hot. The temperatures were in the high 80s to low 90s. With the humidity and everything from your hair to your clothes sticking to you…it feels like more like temps in the 100s. My last trip to Cancun was in August 2004, the middle of hurricane season but the weather was much nicer – no winds and tranquil sea conditions. If you’re planning a trip I suggest you skip May unless you like being slapped in the face with your own hair. Because of the winds many of the sea activities like swimming, snorkeling in the sea etc were cancelled.

Beach Conditions: I was warned ahead of time that due to hurricane Wilma in 2005, most of the sugar-white sand washed away. It’s nearly 2 1/2 years after the hurricane and the remnants of the destruction still remain. The beach, although still beautiful is only about 1/3 the size it once was prior to Wilma. Another note, the sand is no longer fine grained sugar-white but is now a light tan color. Thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Prime Real Estate “Sand Space”: Some of the beachfront hotels have almost lost all of its “sand space” (space from hotel and sand to sea). Therefore, it’s very important for you to research the beach front space for each of the hotels you’re considering. The hotel I stayed at Le Meridien Cancun probably had the largest amount of sand area which was about 20 to 25 feet depending on the water/tide conditions. However on windy days, the water came up all the way to the steps of the hotel which did not allow for sun bathing on the sand. Ritz Carlton and the Golden (not Great, which is another hotel) Parnassus also had good “sand space”. There are few hotels on the zone that still have Palapas (grass hut w/ umbrellas) on the sand – from the hotels I visited, the Ritz had Palapas. I was told by another guest, “Bob” that the Hilton Cancun had very little “sand space” and had lots of concrete and rocks scattered throughout. Bob also reported that the Hilton beach waters had a sharp drop so use caution when entering the waters. I would advise only expert swimmers to enter when the flag is RED.

Cancun – Le Meridien Cancun Resort & Spa

Summary: This is my second visit to this property. This is a boutique sized hotel with 312 rooms. Compared to the other massive hotels on the strip, this is an upscale quaint hotel with lots of charm. The majority of the rooms have partial ocean and lagoon views. Odd numbered rooms (higher the number closer to ocean) are ocean-bay-pool views and even numbered rooms are ocean-bay-hotel views (view of ugly hotel next to Le Meridien). There are a small number of rooms with full ocean and the rest with no ocean/driveway views (do upgrade to avoid having a view of the hotel driveway – that would suck arse).

Note: During my stay there was construction on the ocean-bay-pool view side but the noise didn’t bother me all that much considering you have the sounds of the waves to drown out the hammering. May want to consider how sensitive you are to construction noise if you’re on the ocean-bay (lagoon)-pool view side.

Check-In: Upon check-in during my last visit we were given welcome refreshments that included juice and cold towels. During this visit, no juice… no towels. Boo! Since it was after 3pm (which is their typical check-in time) the room was ready for our arrival. Do prepare to wait if you arrive early. You can request earlier check in but they will not guarantee anything.

The Room:Ocean-bay-pool view, odd room number on the 5th floor (SPG level). Comes with private balcony, marble bathroom, separate bath, shower, loveseat, coffee table, work desk and two additional chairs for seating. The rooms also have a nice sized LCD TV with a good number of English channels. Do pay extra to upgrade to a Deluxe room with partial ocean view otherwise you might get stuck with the rooms with views of the hotel driveway! If you can get breakfast included on the Club level you’ll get afternoon happy hour drinks and h’dourves.

The Bed: Not heavenly beds but are adequate. A little birdie told me they were replacing their beds. 

The Pools:There are 3 cascading infiniti pools overlooking the ocean. Each pool has a different temperature. I believe the one closest to the ocean is warmest and also has a small dipping pool. You can rent cabanas for a fee and it comes with water service. Many guests with small children rent these daily so book early. The service at the pool, in my opinion/experience depends on how much you tip. When you get your towels they’ll ask you if you want assistance. This means the pool attendants will set up your towels (like making a bed w/ pillow) and umbrella if needed. If you tip them well, you’ll get faster service on drinks. During various hours in the afternoon, they’ll distribute fruit and smoothie shots for the guests. Unfortunately, they no longer offered the cool cucumbers (for the eyes) and ice towels – could be that they do this during the summer months…not sure. The drinks by the pool are very weak. I’m no lush by any means but if you pay for a $10 drink, it better at least have one shot of liquor. At best I’d say half a shot is included. Stick to beer or wine to get your money’s worth. The grilled chicken nachos for $9 are delicious and a good size for two or three people to snack on.

Housekeeping: Overall housekeeping does a good job of cleaning. The not so consistent part of housekeeping is the evening turn down service. If you get it, then they do a terrific job of tidying things up, replenishing toiletries, turning down linens, placing floor mat and slippers next to the bed and finally leaving the most buttery, tasty mini loaf on your pillow. Just thinking about the mini loafs makes me smile. Out of the 6 nights, I had 3 loafs …3 turn downs. The first night they did this automatically, the 2 other times I had to flag a housekeeper down.

Staff:Fine job – greet you when they see you in Espanol or Ingles. Hola! Buenas Dias! Muy Bien! Staff are friendly, professional and most importantly not pretentious. Stay at an upscale hotel without the attitude. Muy Muy Bueno!

Price:Can’t be beat. The hotel price when purchased with a package is excellent. You won’t find these deals in Hawaii or Cabo. Rates average from $200 (sometimes lower). Compare them to Ritz Carlton at $550 & up.