Cancun....who's been?

[AuntieMe3]

What time of year have you been? Where did you stay? What types of things did you do while there?

First time going in January with friends, we're staying at an all-inclusive(I think we're staying at the Hard Rock but hubby said he thinks its somewhere else. I'll have to confirm tonight when we see our friends.) They are treating us so we didn't have anything to do with planning besides if the dates would work for us or not, we're going for a week. I think we mostly plan to hang around the resort but I heard they offer excursions so not sure if we plan to do that or not.

I'm super excited but also super nervous because that's just who I am...

We are very go with the flow kind of people but I'm the least flowy person of the group.... I kinda like to have an idea of what we're doing ahead of time.

ETA: I been to Mexico many times...mostly places in Baja California so that isn't what's making me nervous...just travel in general makes me nervous. I went to Europe for the first time this summer and was a basket case before I went...

 

[AuntieMe3]

And I posted this in the wrong place....

thank you whomever moved this...

 

[goodeats]

In 2015 we stayed at a resort near the Hard Rock in Cancun. I LOVED swimming in the Gulf. The waves were just my speed and the water was the perfect temperature. There was a fair amount of seaweed, but you could avoid it.

Our resort was not All Inclusive, so we ventured off property a few times, but the Hard Rock looked really nice. We did an excursion to the pyramids and some of the underground caves, which I would recommend. We didn't have time to go to Talum, but I would have liked to do that too.

 

[ronandannette]

My one-and-only trip to an AI resort was near Cancun; the Grand Palladium south down the coast near Tulum. We didn't spend any time at all in Cancun itself but some of the excursions we took were to Xcaret (a sort of cultural park, for lack of a better word), Xel-ha (a sort of water park) and X-plor (a sort of adventure park). I know those descriptions are poor, but I really can't think of how to explain them any better. They were excellent facilities and well worth the time, although admission and activity pricing may be a little higher than you're expecting.
https://www.xcaret.com/en/https://www.xelha.com/gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=CjwKCAjw_uDsBRAMEiwAaFiHa4T_aH-iqKaA0uuLpoKGsB5D3LpyzDRy7C5pYQLzIdvWqSWvwxflixoCF8sQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds[/URL]
https://www.xplor.travel/en/
ETA: Sorry, I don't know why those links are messed up or why that one is in Spanish. It was the English version when I copied-and-pasted

 

[J'aime Paris]

We went to Cancun for our honeymoon in May 1997. It was hot and sunny the whole week.
Stayed at the Sun Palace, all-inclusive.
We did a jet ski/snorkeling excursion, that was a fun time!

There was a bus that ran along the main beach road. We grabbed it a couple of times to go to Senor Frogs, a local mall, and some roadside bars. I remember signs advertising US $5 all you can drink. Lets say that DH sampled a few too many varieties of tequila that day...

ETA: Also been to the Riviera Maya area. Thought there was more to do and definitely more scenic. Playa del Carmen was a short walk away for us.
Cancun is mostly comprised a narrow strip of land with a bunch of high rise hotels.

 

[AnnaS]

We went about 9/10 years ago and stayed at The Royal Sands. (We traded our DVC points when it was Interval and AI was not mandatory).

We used the bus too along the road to get to the flea market (which we made a quick U Turn/not for me), Walmart, some restaurants (I also donated items for kids/I think it was Hard Rock?), there are two nice shopping malls close by and lot's of nice restaurants.

We spend a day at the sister resort, La Haciendas and took one tour with the resort to see the Mayan Ruins.

I wanted to add we went in July.

Cancun does not give really give you that Mexican feel where LaHaciendas did.

 

[skyblue17]

Cancun is really beautiful! We stayed at a resort a few hotels down the beach from Hard Rock. It's really nice to have all-inclusive and not worry about anything else. This was about four years ago, but at the time, the sea was very rough and we were not able to get into it most of the days we were there, so keep in mind that that is a possibility. I was also there for an event that provided entertainment for us, so we probably didn't have the full Cancun experience (didn't really do resort-planned activities, or go into "town" where the restaurants/shops are). There IS a small area of Mayan ruins right off the main road that are cool to look at if you don't have time/interest in going to Tulum.

I will say, Cancun didn't really feel like I was anywhere specific to me. Like, you're in Mexico but you can basically be anywhere? But perhaps being there for an event and not having time to get off-site much is part of that.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We have been to Cancun once. I think in January. My least favorite place in Mexico. I think we won a trip there at a charity auction, We were at an all inclusive which we hated but it was included with the package. It’s like going to Vegas, loud and bright 24/7 and totally fake. The resort was fine and the food wasn’t bad. But we much prefer mingling with the locals and eating at small intimate places. We did go to Talum which was great. Our favorite place in Mexico is puerto Vallarta.

 

[shoney]

Just got back an hour ago. Our 11th trip to Cancun/riviera maya. We love the people Weather was perfect!!!! Summer is too hot for us and winter too cool. Any specifics let me know. We go for rest and relaxation and don’t do the standard excursions that seem popular though

 

[wilbret]

My trip to Cancun was...eventful. It rained so much, but when it didn't, the water was beautiful. I know, because on the very last day there... I got to see it.
I got "Montezuma's revenge" while there, and spent several days cooped up in the bed in my room. Good times. Have fun!

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

We have been once to an AI near Cancun (not the Playa area). We went for the week and left I think all days but one to do excursions (realized an AI is not the type of vacay for us as we don't want to stay at the resort). We did Xplor and Xel-Ha parks as someone mentioned each for a day. Went to Chichen Itza ruins one day. One day just went into Cancun to do some shopping and see an aquarium. The most off the beaten path thing was going to an actual Mexican bullfight for locals. We went in January and the weather (including ocean temp) was great!

 

[mikehn]

Those AI resorts, especially the high end ones like Hard Rock are going to pamper the heck out of you. You'll be hard pressed to leave the resort. There are all sorts of excursions that you can book. But quite frankly one of the more fun things to do is just hit the town and party at your leisure. Chichenitza is one of the popular tours that take you to the Yucatan Peninsula where the Mayan ruins are. I did the tour for the novelty but woulda been just as happy with a poolside cocktail.

 

[SharonZ]

In Cancun, Marriott and Ritz Carlton - also did Riveria Maya, but preferred Cancun. Make sure you visit Chichen Itza.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

We went in 1998 lol, which sounds so, so, so long ago, for our honeymoon. Where did the last 21 years go! It seems like yesterday

We stayed in a hotel along the part of cancun where all the hotels are along the beaches, can't remember the name of it but it was pretty typical of the nice hotels there. Not all-inclusive. There was a lot of different places to eat, drink and shop in the immediate area.

We also went to Xcaret, which I would highly, highly recommend to anyone! I dream to this day about being in one of the hammocks under the palm trees overlooking the Caribbean. And the underground river was amazing.

We also went to Chichen Itza which was fun too, but you can't go up to the top of the pyramid anymore. It was great but so scary coming back down. I don't think we would go there again, but it was worth it once.

We rented a sailboat one afternoon with a skipper and went out on the water. That was beautiful. We could see all the way down to the bottom of the sea.

You will have tons of options of things to do, so just pick what you want to do and do it!

Not sure if this has changed at all, but when we were there, beaches were all public property so you could go to any part of the beach in front of any hotel no matter if you stayed there or not. And, unlike the States, there were very few, if any, barriers or restricted areas...if you wanted to swim in the ocean at midnight, nobody was going to stop you. If you wanted to climb down the rocky cliff to get closer to the Caribbean sea at Xcaret, nothing was in your way of doing it. It was a little disconcerting since there are warning signs and gates/fences everywhere in the USA, yet very liberating feeling to be able to make our own decisions as adults concerning our safety lol

 

[CapeCodTenor]

Went to Cancun for our honeymoon in 2005 and loved it. We stayed at the Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort. It's not in the hotel area, but south of there. We did some tours that came with the package I bough.

 

[SC Minnie]

We stayed at the Hard Rock Riviera Maya in August. We enjoyed the resort. We stayed on the Heaven (adult) side. When we over the Hacienda for dinner a couple of nights and the number of kids were overwhelming. I'm not sure about the HR Cancun but the HR RM rooms are small unless you have a family suite. There may be options to upgrade rooms when you check in. If you want to upgrade ask but don't take their first offer of the upgrade price.

They do allow floats in the pool. I ordered 2 of these and used them in the pool for us. They worked great. Small enough to pack and they didn't take up a lot of space in the room. I had people asking me everyday where I got them.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073WMYP6M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There is a FB page for Hard Rock Cancun/Riviera Maya. If you're on FB join that group and you'll get a lay of the land.

**As a warning, when they ask you to come for the orientation- don't. They will try to sell you their time share. It will suck hours from your vacation and they are relentless.

 

[sk!mom]

We went to the Riviera Maya in June. We stayed at Secrets Maroma- adult only AI. We loved it. We went for rest and relaxation, with a group of friends, so we did not leave the resort. We did take advantage of many of the resort activities-water aerobics, water spin, water volleyball, water basketball. We made bracelets, we painted at sunset, we danced in the lobby to bands, and in the Disco late at night. We went to the nightly shows. We dressed for dinner. For us, it was like adult camp but we are middle aged former summer campers who remember it fondly so it was a great week.

My big tip is... if you aren’t taking kids then adult only is the only enjoyable option.

 

[AuntieMe3]

Thank you all...I'm getting excited. I did find out for sure we are staying at the Hard Rock so thank you SC Minnie for sharing about their FB page. I didn't even think to look for that. We'll be with a group of 10, our friends with their adult children and their companions so not sure what activities we'll all be wanting to do outside the resort but all your responses give me an idea of what all there is to do. Mostly looking forward to this...🏖

 

[SC Minnie]

You will read about people freaking out being able to get dinner reservations. We never had a problem. You can make them a few days in advance. We always got in when we wanted, but there was only 4 of us. The best restaurants we went to on property were Zen, Toro, and the french one (I can't remember the name). You can make reservations in the mornings in person in the lobby. If you are Rock Royalty you'll have a butler than will handle those for you. They release the space held for Rock Royalty and not booked around noon everyday.

They no longer have liquor bottles in the rooms since the 'issues' earlier this year. You'll have to call room service and they will bring you mini bottles of whatever you want. They will keep you fridge stocked with juice, soda, and beer.

If you drink mixed drinks you can request particular brands, otherwise you're getting well drinks at the bar.

We did spend the day at XCaret and loved it. My only regret was not reading up before we went. We did a lot of unnecessary walking because we didn't know where anything was. Loved swimming in the underground cave and cenotes.