Travel Guide - Cancun Mexico

Each one of us should have a few days of vacation time in winter by planning a getaway to some warmer place. From my personal experience, escaping a few days from cold is extremely beneficial for your body and your mind! Cancun - Mexico is one of the most popular destinations to travel from the eastern shore especially because of the travel time. A direct flight takes you to Cancun in about 3 hours and 20 minutes. I and my family went for a vacation to Cancun recently and we fell in love with the place! I love to write so I knew I had to write a blog when I got back! I will be covering each aspect of travel like time, flights, resorts, activities etc. in the sections below.

Time of Travel

Good season to travel to Cancun is from November through March. Everything from mid-November becomes expensive because a lot of people plan around thanksgiving holidays and prices in December are always on the higher side. Prices drop significantly in the 1st week of January so travelling from January through February is the best time in my opinion. A point to note is that Martin Luther King holiday comes around 3rd or 4th week of January so avoid that long weekend (Unless you absolutely have no choice) because flights are expensive around that time. From what I have experienced, the same package of flight and hotel that I booked for 2nd week of January was 3.5 times expensive from 15th of December through New Year’s. March and April are other months to avoid because Spring breaks happen during that time so Cancun is flooded with college kids. Everything is expensive during that time! So if you want to go during March or April, find out about spring breaks and time your trip accordingly.

Weather

Weather in second week of January was in lower to mid-80s during day time and mid to late 70s during night time. Sunrise happened around 7:30 AM and sunset around 6:30 PM. A bright sunny day is a perfect day to relax either at the beach or at the swimming pool in the resort! On super cloudy and windy days, it might feel little chilly to be in the water but it is manageable.  

Beautiful day at the pool

How many days?

Don’t settle for less than 3 nights and 4 days. That’s the minimum you want! If you breakdown your days, you’ll need to spare one day for activities around Cancun. So at least another 2 days to just relax in the resort and enjoy the ambiance and food. In my opinion that’s what matters the most especially in a trip like Cancun. You don’t want your trip to be like you are running all over the place. Many people want to do everything while they are there. That just ruins the trip in my opinion especially if you are with kids. The point is do some activities but then give time to yourself at the resort. Relax at the beach and at the pool, sip some nice cocktails and eat your heart out!

Where to book from?

There are several travel websites like bookvip.com or applevacations.com. Most of these travel sites have either non-refundable charges or a heavy cancellation policy so watch out when you book. Read the terms and policies carefully. I booked from Southwest vacations for 3 reasons. First, I found better deals on nonstop flights. With a kid, last thing I want is to take a pit stop somewhere and have my travel time lengthened to 6 or 7 hours. Direct flight takes you there in 3 hours and 20 minutes! Second, checked baggage is free for southwest airlines. Lastly, southwest has excellent policy in terms of re-scheduling. If for some reason I need to reschedule my vacation, there are no additional fees. I just pay the difference of flight plus hotel and that’s it.

Immigration and VISA

If you have a stamped American VISA on your passport, you get Mexican VISA upon entry. The only documents you will need to carry is your passport with the stamped VISA and I-797 (It is advisable to make sure that the passport isn’t expiring in the next 6 months). Green card holders and US citizens don’t have to worry at all.

From Airport to Resort

When you book your vacation, there is an option of purchasing transportation to and from the airport and hotel. If you don’t want to rent a car, this is your option. Just get out of the airport and head to the transportation company’s van (The name of the transportation company is mentioned on your itinerary). You share the van with people who are heading to either yours or other resorts.

Vans ready for pickup outside the airport

Hotel Zone

The hotel zone is a strip of land along the coast that has several resorts next to each other. The hotel zone is an extremely safe area so you can get out of the hotel and go for a walk or to nearby stores if you want to get something (There are pharmacies and other stores in the area just in case you need something on an urgent basis). Also, many resorts have a convenience store inside of them so you may not need to step out (Confirm with the hotel before you book if that matters to you). Our hotel had a convenience store which had everything from baby wipes to toothbrush. I advise not to leave hotel zone and go to deeper pockets of downtown Cancun. Not safe!  Also, everyone understands English at the hotel zone so no need to worry about language barriers. Although before the trip I would still recommend learning some basic communication in Spanish like good morning, thank you, how are you etc.

Resort

I will say this a thousand times. BOOK AN ALL INCLUSIVE RESORT. It’s worth every penny! All-inclusive resorts are resorts where you stay and eat unlimited food and drink unlimited beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). The resort has several restaurants inside of it. Either buffets or luxury restaurants. Every restaurant serves alcoholic beverages so if you love margaritas and cocktails you will fall in love with the all-inclusive package! The swimming pool also has a poolside bar and a bar in the middle of the swimming pool called as swim-up bar. So you can just sit at the pool and sip drinks or swim and come sit in the water at the swim up bar and order drinks. The room has a small refrigerator which is stocked with beer and water everyday. The buffets have several cuisines so you get different variety of food to eat everyday. All you do at the all-inclusive resorts is just relax at the beach or pool and drink and eat whatever you want and how many times you want in a day! While researching on resorts look for kid friendly resorts (If travelling with kids) because kids remain occupied with different activities in the resort. The resorts have activities for kids of different ages be it at the pool or a dedicated mini water park. You can relax while kids play at their designated spaces. Many resorts have a babysitting facility (Paid service around $15 an hour). So if you and your spouse want to go on a dinner date for a couple of hours, you can do so. Again, don’t forget to read a lot of reviews before booking the resort. Websites like TripAdvisor have excellent in-depth reviews both by travel experts and recent customers. Another tip I have is to spend little more money and book a room on a higher floor and with an ocean view. You’ll not regret a bit! Waking up and looking out of the balcony at the blue ocean is just breathtaking. If you have booked a room without a view, at the reception just ask if they have an upgrade option. With empty rooms they just move you up for a very little charge.

Sunrise from the room

Swim up Bar

Buffet at the hotel

Workers and Tips

From what I’ve observed at the resort, the workers at the resorts are always smiling and greet you with respect. I have seen these guys work double shifts tirelessly. From what I’ve read, they work on a minimum wage.  But they still always smile at you and have their happy faces on. So please make it a point that you tip them in an appropriate way. Little appreciation goes a long way. There was a guy who was so nice towards us at the buffet and took care of our table so well. When we tipped him more than usual the joy on his face was just undefinable. So if you find an exceptional service from a waiter or a bartender don’t hesitate to give something extra. Tips are accepted in dollars and in Mexican pesos. Also, don’t forget to tip the driver who drops you off to the hotel from the airport. They take care of all of your luggage so they expect a dollar or two. As a guideline here are general tips that you can offer at different places inside of the resort:

1. Waiter serving your table at Buffets: $1 per person
2. Waiter at upscale restaurants: $5 per table
3. Bellboy: $1 per bag
4. Bartenders: $1 per one or two rounds of drinks
5. Housekeeping: $5 every time they clean the room
6. Room Service: $2 to $3 per service

Activities

The two most frequently done activities in Cancun are Snorkeling and visiting the historic site of Chichen Itza. If you have a toddler I wouldn’t recommend going to Chichen Itza. It’s almost a 3 hour drive one way from the hotel zone. So the day trip lasts for about 8 hours total. A toddler would get exhausted in the bus the whole day and your day might get ruined because of a crazy tantrum. Also, you can’t go snorkeling if you have a less than 5 year old kid so that isn’t a good option as well. What I would recommend though is doing the SubSee adventure. The SubSee adventure takes you through a glass bottom boat into the coral reefs where you can see the reefs, fish and other aquatic life. It is like travelling through a submarine. My 3.5 year old loved it! The total duration is 3 hours from and to the hotel so it isn’t very overwhelming. Most resorts have a desk near the reception area from where you can book the tours. I would recommend that as opposed to booking it from an outside vendor. Other activity to do is hop onto one of the local city buses and go to Market 28 to shop for local handicrafts and other souvenirs. If you love bargaining, Market 28 is the place for you!  

SubSee Boat

Handicrafts at Market 28

I hope this information is beneficial to any prospective families travelling to Cancun. I remember reading through so many blogs and forums when I was planning my trip so I thought it was my moral responsibility to write a blog myself for others to read. So plan a trip soon and have a blast! Please don’t forget to comment if you liked the write up or if this helped you plan your trip in a better way! Gracias Amigos!