Planning a Cancun trip with a bunch of friends - any recommendations/tips for resorts and anything in general? Thanks in advance!
it depends on what kind of vacation you are looking for. if you want to party, get drunk, bar-hop, lounge on the beach, be around a bunch of other americans and overpay for everything then cancun can be fun. you can take day trips to isla mujeres, tulum (mayan ruins) and also xel-ha, which is a really cool eco-water park. if you want an "authentic", more adventurous mexican vacation where you get to immerse yourself in the culture then i would probably look elsewhere. its a beautiful country and there are lots of great places to visit. what time of year are you going? if its winter then it might not be hot enough for the beach, which would make going to cancun pretty pointless, imo.
Why Cancun? It is not a very safe place to go. Not singling you out, lots of people want to go to Cancun and it basically as dangerous as Detroit.
if you're like 22 and a frat boy then sure go to Cancun and hang out at the Hard Rock cafe. Cancun is basically Miami. We've always stayed further south closer to Playa Del Carmen. There are also plenty of Cenotes, Underground rivers, Mayan Ruins, etc in that area for day excursions.
I recommend taking the shuttle 45 minutes away to Playa Del Carmen and staying at the Royal. Sounds like this is a trip with your buddies, Royal is adult only, all-inclusive, and quality. Drinks arent watered down and the restaurant offerings are diverse and delicious. I've stayed there 3 separate occasions for group trips and bachelor parties (including my own bachelor party). Went out in the evenings and never felt unsafe. I will never stay anywhere else in Cancun/Playa except there. Love the place.
Yeah, Playa del Carmen was great. Basically took a taxi/shuttle straight there. I want to say we stayed at the Royal as well.
Yeah, Playa del Carmen for sure, basically the only time I was in Cancun was getting off/on the plane.
We stayed in Tulum, Playa Del carmen, and Isla Mujeres, jumping around from one airbnb to another. Isla mujeres has beautiful beaches and outdoor bars. Tulum has nice cenotes and mayan ruins. Playa del Carmen is good for the college/late night bar vibe. Beware of putrid seaweed in the majority of the beaches. If you're looking for the "Disney theme park" feel, visit any of the xcaret parks in the area. Best thing we did was snorkeling in the underwater museum through the coral and tropical fish. The Mexico Espectacular show at Xcaret was amazing.
May I recommend a cheaper and much better option in the same region? Belize. Stay in the jungle or the islands. Also, the best place for snorkeling on this side of the hemisphere.
