Going To Cancun anyone been there???
 

The wife and I are going to Cancun for 5 night. We were checking on the web where to go and what to do. I am not one to sit on a beach all day. It would just drive me insane sitting in the sand when there is so much to see and do. So this is what I had in mind

Day one, check out the town and the shops

Day two, trip to Xcaret to look at some Maya ruins , swim with the dolphins and snorkeling.

Day three, More snorkeling . I would like to be in Cancun but I don't know where to go. Any Ideas????

Day four 8 hour private fishing charter , just the two of us. Chances of getting a marlin in February are slim. But there are plenty other fish to go for.

Day five, Scuba lessons, 1st time for the both of us


anyone know of some sights that we might be interested in. This will be my first vacation out side the US and it is our 30th birthday present to each other. I am feeling old so I want to make this trip as exciting as possible.

Try the day trip to Xel-Ha & Tulum, for local snorkeling there are a number of boats near Senior Frogs

When I went in 1998 with MTV for Spring Break, we took this all day dune buggy excursion. This guy (orig. from Penn) ran this thing with VW dune buggies, where you rent then as a guided trip, about 1 hour away to Playa del Carma, (topless beach too). On the way you stop at an exotic petting zoo, lunch at a one of several cool places in the PdC, and the best part, snorkelling, cliff jumping, and underwater cave exploring in fresh water pools/spring coming up from the mountinas, (cenotas sp?)(the water is as clear as Evian). BYFAR the best thing we did, and let me tell you, driving those dune buggies on the 'roads' of Mexico.... far and away the best thrill ride of my life, aside from boating. I hope the guy is still there, and I highly recommend it. Look for the burgundy, green and red dune buggies in the center of town off the strip.

Also, best beach... at the Oasis Hotel/Resort
Best club... La Boom
Best drinks... Fat Tuesdays
Best get over your hangover amazing American style buffet brunch... Pat O'Briens
Best place to get crazy... Senor Frogs
DO NOT jump off the little bridge (by the military fort) from the lagoon to the ocean no matter how drunk you are. The current is very fast and will damn near kill you, (found that out the hard way).
DO NOT be in downtown Cancun (the bario, anywhere close to dark or after dark.
DO NOT trust the cab drivers, keep your eyes open and aware; especially after dark
Don't swim the lagoon, lots of crocodiles.

Have fun.

I went 12 years ago for spring break but don't remember that much. It was a great time, Xcaret was alot of fun, Fat Tuesday (the one on the beach) was great but other than that I have no recommendations. Now that I'm older I'm not sure I would enjoy it as much.

cancun
 

Went a long time ago. Find out if the ferry still goes out to Isle of Mujares for the dinner. Thats fun. Dont drink the water, be careful of the food in Cancun itself. Many places to drink and party.

I was going to say the same, dont go into the town of Cancun (out of the hotel district) after night. Even in the daytime I was a little uneasy. Try and find snorkeling spots away from all the tourism. We went to a State Park about half way to Playa del Carmin ferry, I wish I remembered the name of it. The guys at the hotel recommended this place to us. Daddy Rock is also a good club. If you get sick of the line at La Boom, go to Daddy Rock.

I think Cancun has been covered pretty well in the replies. It is about as big as a sheet of plywood and can get boring if you take the ten day vacation like I did. 5 days sounds about right. Scuba diving is exciting because the water is so clear. There is a restaurant called Faro's that is fabulous.
Feeling old at 30? I will be 50 in a few months and I feel great! It is just the weather in the NorthEast USA right now. Looks like it is starting to get a little warmer and then we can do some of the things we enjoy like ride the Harley and go powerboating. In the meantime go to Cancun and have fun. You're still a kid!

Just got back. Stayed at the marriot Casa Magna.

Good places to eat:

Cambalachi-Agentinian Steak House-2ncd Floor of the mall where Hard rock Cafe is.

Lorenzillo's-Famous old lobster house set over the water. On Hotel Row

Gustino's-Awesome Italian @ the J.W. Marriot

I thought the entry scuba offered was kind of weak. Always wanted to do the day trip over to Cozumel where it is supposed to be awesome.

Have Fun!

Re: Going To Cancun anyone been there???
 

My personal opinion of Cancun is not good. Nevertheless, it sounds like you have enough to keep you busy. Just a couple of hints:

Skip this entirely. Cancun is about as colorful and interesting as re-grouting the tile in your bathroom. If you want a place with more Mexican culture, try Dallas. Don't even think of drinking the h2o (or eating anything questionable for that matter) -- I have been to Mexico SEVERAL times and all over Central America. The ONLY time I have ever gotten sick was in Cancun.

Better idea -- Take a boat over to Cozumel to explore...MUCH BETTER place to see. Do anything but go into Cancun.

Yes, I have an idea -- skip it, you already went snorkelling on day two. Make this your first day of Scuba. You don't want to get off of a compressed air tank on day five and get into a pressurized cabin to fly home. I don't know your flight/diving schedule, but this would remove all doubt.

Another reason is that if you like diving (and you WILL), you will have time to go again on the morning of day five or the NIGHT of day four. (Night dives are incredibly awesome and not difficult.)

Make it the second time, or go on Sydwayz' dune buggy trip , or go snorkelling again, or go see Mayan ruins, or go to Cozumel, or go to anywhere but into Cancun.

Just my .02. Have a great time.:cool: :cool: :cool:

Eat at Lorenzillo's, and do a day trip to Cozumel for some of the best snorkeling in the area.
If it's ruins you want Chitzen Itza is the best, however it is a long bus ride. The Tulum Ruins aren't bad, and they aren't that far.

Have Fun

Check out Playa Del Carmen. Great place, near Can cun and Cozumel. I have been to all three and rate it the best.

Thanks everyone. The dune buggy trip sound great. We have to look into that. But the wife says we have tho go shopping:rolleyes: , I can see it now. shopping for luggage to bring all the shoes she bought. We have no more room for more shoes and pocketbooks. Our last trip to the 1000 islands poker run she brought 15 pairs of shoes for a 7 night vacation. :rolleyes:

We will also look into a day trip to Cozumel . I didnt realize that they were so close.

If planed right this should be a great trip. Thanks

Paul

I agree with the people here saying Cozumel. It was much cooler than Cancun.

But in Cancun, an old customer of ours was a boat mechanic there, and some guy with a snorkeling tour business owed him a bunch of favors......so the four of us got to take a whole day excursion to the reefs on this guys big boat for free! Free drinks, free onboard live music, free snacks, free snorkeling....that was a blast. Normally it runs about $50 per person. Probably more today

For shopping - there is an Island off of Cancun, I think it was Isla Mujeres? There are shuttle boats that leave every hour from Cancun and it's a fairly short ride. I remember the Island had great deals on hammocks and woven things. We bought most of our stuff there.

You can also swim with nurse sharks over there if you want (we declined).

We then went to Xcaret! That place is awesome! There is an underground river that you can float on tubes. That was the coolest thing. It eventually comes out on the beach, close to where the dolphins are.

If you pay extra, you can swim in the arena with the dolphins and do tricks with them.

WORD OF CAUTION: If you are female, and are going to let the dolphins push you by your feet in front of the crowds at high rates of speed, make SURE your bikini top is on VERY VERY tight!
:D ;)

Errr perhaps Loose would be better?
:D :D :D

BTW do your shopping on Cozumel. It's better than Cancun. Just don't do it on Thursday. That's when all the cruise ships dock, and they jack-up the prices on you.

CANCUN/CAB DRIVERS
 

MY BROTHER IS A PILOT AND DOWN THERE RIGHT NOW AS WE SPEAK,HE HAS MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT THE CABBIES:D

Whats the deal on them??
do they get you in wrecks ,rob you or what ,just curious.

I cant get much info from him as he is always on the go so I thought I would ask here.

I, want to hear all the don'ts just to keep my butt out of the sling.:D ;)

You definately got some good advice here. As stated before, dont wait till the end of the trip to go diving. Plan on that for day two. Stop by "Aquaworld" to get the lessons and do the dives. They are a PADI certified operation and pretty nice one. Thats where I did my diving when down there. You cant miss them, big operation on main road through hotel district. Cozumel is a good attraction as is isla de mujeres. At night, you cant help but to have a good time in the clubs like La Boom, Senior Frogs and such. They are all located in the same general area so its easy to go from one to the next. Also, take the buses. They are dirt cheap, and one will come by every couple minutes or so. Better than using a cab. Have fun on your trip.

We rented a car, so we didnt have to deal with cabs.

Oh - there is a famous Mexican restaurant in downtown Cancun -- just cant think of the name -- they have saddles as bar stools and the waiters do performances with stacked glasses and plates.

A couple of times per night, they get everyone up and form a dancing chain around the room.....then everyone makes a bridge with their hands........and one by one, you pass under the bridge.

What they DON'T tell you, is that when you get to the end of the human bridge.............


Oh, never mind. I can't spoil it ;)


Also.....

The underground river at Xcaret is an ancient Mayan place of fertility. You'll see the ancient rock statues of preggo Godesses nearby. The water is supposed to have magic properties to help you concieve and bear children.

That was very ironic because BOTH of the women in our group went home pregnant! That's NO lie!

So watch out!

:D :eek:

Hmmmm..... females getting pregnant in Cancun. Imagine that.:D :D :D

I blame it on Fat Tuesday's :)


That place is great. YUM~

My cab story...

First night in Cancun, pocket full of cash.
Took the bus back to my hotel at about 3AM.. Turns out it was the bus drivers last run, and he did not feel like making the last few stops on the strip, as he was going to miss his ride home. About 5 of us were stuck riding this bus all the way across the big bridge into the bario, downtown Cancun. It was a $hithole. He kicked us off at the bus lot, and we were forced to take a cab. All five of us tried to jump in to one cab, but the cab driver said he would only take four. Well, I was odd man out: ended up in my own taxi. My mistake was I jumped in a cab with a guy and his buddy in the front seat. I was in the back alone. Things were well for about 3 blocks, then they turned down an alley, and then again down two more. I was obviously about to be robbed or worse. I jumped out of cab while it was still going about 15-20 mph. The cab clipped my heal with the back tire. I went trotting/limping out to the main drag, toward a very large and well lit BP gas station; figured it was safe. As I approached, I see a Federali Paddy Wagon, and figure that was cool too. About this time, the taxi I jumped out of came barrelling out of alley, yelling in Spanish out the window, as if I had robbed them! Well, the Federalis picked ME up, and threw me in the Paddy Wagon. I was in Federal custody for about 90 minutes best I can remember. It was not good, and the Federalis tried to take my cash too. I finally convinced them I was clean, and they let me out where I picked up another cab, with an elderly man driving, and I felt a bit safer. I made it back to my hotel safely, luckily at about 5AM.

Personal note... worst part was when I got back to the States I had to report to the US Gov't that I was in Foreign Federal custody for a time, while I had my DoD Security clearance (my job requires it). It was not good, but I was very lucky. No harm done on any front.

DO NOT EAT THE ICE.

We've been to Cozumel 5 times via cruise ships.
There's a really nice restaurant located next to the sea turtle exhibit at Xcaret. You can see it from the snorkeling pool. Has a big thatched roof and a wonderful view. Good food and reasonable. Be sure and order the large margaritas. They're served in the 2-hand glasses. We spent 6 hours there and didn't see it all.
You can take the ferry from Play de Carmen to Cozumel about a 30 minute ride. Drops you off in the middle of the shopping district. Fat Tuesday's is not far up the street to your right. Not much shade at Tulum, and there's an extra charge of around $10 if you take a video-cam, cameras are free. We've enjoyed our visits every time.

Sydwayz

That story was great. LOL :D

I'm still laughing:D :D :D

Second part...
I went on that Spring Break with a buddy of mine. I put him on the bus about 2 hours ahead of me that night. I told him to get off at the last stop before you go into downtown, right by club La Boom. The whole time I was making my way back to the hotel after the incident, all I could think about was that Bruce Springsteen lyric: "Ain't seen my buddy in 7 days." If all that happened to me, I was a little worried about what may have become of him.

When I got the hotel, and pushed open the door, the door hit something solid. It was him; face/nose down on the marble floor in the foyer, passed out. ("Seen Wayne handcuffed to the bumper of State Trooper's Ford"). He has no idea how he got to the room to this day. Someone had to have placed him there, and the door only opened about 6 inches, before it hit is foot, so it is really a mystery how even if someone took him to the room, how they got out after dropping him there.

Happy 30th to your and the G/F! I celebrated mine this past week, and look forward to the continuance in Miami.

Thanks Brian.

Happy belated B-day

Just found out the name of the restaurant in downtown Cancun (the one with the performing waiters, saddle barstools and audience participation while you eat) is "Perico's"! :D Great atmosphere and great food.

Mexico Restaurants
Perico's
Zany and eclectic, this restaurant-bar is a big hit with travelers. Bar stools are topped with saddles, caricature busts of political figures line the walls, and waiters dressed as zapatas (revolutionaries) serve flaming desserts. The Mexican menu is passable, but the real draw is the party atmosphere that begins nightly at 7 when the mariachi and marimba bands play and everyone jumps up to join the conga line. Your reward for galloping through the restaurant and nearby streets is ..........a surprise.

accepts AE, MC, V.

Wow. They've got a pretty cool website too.

http://www.pericos.com.mx/

Been there 6 times and own a timeshare there. Haven't been there for 5 years now.

The Xel-Ha/Tulum trip is a good one. You go to the Mayan ruins at Tulum in the am then to Xel-Ha for lunch swimming and snorkling in the afternoon.

For more of an old Mexico atmosphere, take a day trip to Isla Mujeres. You can take a tri-maran, or ferry. Its only about 10 miles from Cancun. Many of these include some snorkling also. You can also swim with the dolphins there. Swimmin with them is PRICEY!!!!! It was $100 for about 45 mins 5 years ago. They also have a flea market and stuff is a lot cheaper than in Cancun. Always barter.

Xcaret is cool too. Also getting very pricey. Its kinda of like going to the zoo, the beach, underground caverns and a nature preserve all at once. The underground rivers are cool. If you're gonna swim w/ the dolphins, sign up early.
I would do this or Xcaret not both. They are pretty similar.

Go on the Carribean Carnival!!! Its a night cruise with dinner, lots of drinking and a show that gets the crowd involved. Lots of fun and more fun if you can find a group to hang out with. The ship leaves from Fat Tuesdays, so you can party there before and after also.

The jungle jet ski or mini boat tours are also a fun day trips with 1-2 hrs of snorkling.

Senor Frogs is fun, but you really need to have bigger group to make the most of it.

Pat Obriens has a real good brunch and is very reasonably priced.
Lorenzillo's does have excellent food as said by others.
There is also a Hard Rock, All Star Cafe, Planet Hollywood, Rain Forest Cafe. The RFC is pretty cool. There is also an excellent authentic Mexican Restaurant downtown. I just can't think of the name either. Same one BK refered to. Take a cab any time you go to downtown or leave downtown. Don't hang out after dark or go off the beaten path.

Late night clubs.
Coco Bongo, Christines, Dadyo's, and LaBoom. Listed in our order of preference. I also think they built a couple of new ones.

They usually don't open till 10-11pm and go till?????? Some are hopping more than others on certain nights. The latest/earliest we ever left was about 530am, and it was still goin strong. It helps to dress up. You get treated better and get better service. You have to ask one of the waiters for a table. They all say reserved. Ask for one that you don't have to buy a bottle at. Tipping will get you everything!!!!! everywhere!!!!!


Transportation around Cancun is easy. Its like mile markers on a river, only they use km's. There is only one road in the Hotel Zone and the buses run up down it pretty much 24/7. Its cheap and easy to hop one to go a few miles. Cabs pretty much have standard fares-no meters, but you can barter with them a little if they pick you up on the street and its late at night. Always ask how much before you get in.

Ignore the guys on the street trying to give you free stuff. In order to get it you have to do a high pressure timeshare sales pitch that takes 2-3 hrs. If it was raining we sometimes would do this, just for the free stuff.


If I was going to be ther 5 days, I would probably make sure to:

Go on the Carribean Carnival

Go on either the Xel-Ha/ Tulum tour or go to Xcaret. I wouldn't do both. They are both like 10-12 hrs and start at 7am.

Take a day trip to Isla Mujures.

Hit some nice restaurants and clubs a couple of nights.


Get a map of the Cancun area so you can figure out where you're goin.
And Cancun has some serious malls with high $$$$$$ stuff. Keep your wife outta them. They're arranged like casino's so you can't find your way out.

BTW, everything runs on Mexitime. They tell you to be there at an hour before you have to and get started half an hour late.

Video clip of what goes on at Perico's

http://www.pericos.com.mx/download/perico.mov

Yep, thats the place I was thinking of also.