I'm thinking about taking a trip in July to Mexico with my significant other, but we aren't sure exactly where to go. She seems to want to stay away from commerical areas, while I don't have much of an opinion either way. We are looking for something on the budget side, and an inclusive package would be a plus. Does anyone have recommendations or good sites to look at for deals? We have checked expedia.com and orbitz.com, and found some okay deals, but I think we can do better. Thanks in advance for all the help. B
Playa del Carmen is a great place to go, been there twice and i'm going back in June. Its inexpensive, really beautiful, and close to alot of cool ancient ruins. The beach scenery is not bad as well
Definitely go to Playa. Its like Cancun without the BS or the prices. My buddies and I referred to Playa as "Cancun for grown-ups." You can go to Cancun from there, its only about an hour away and buses are cheap and safe. Also, Cozumel is only an hour away from Playa by boat. My advice: Stay in Playa del Carmen and venture out from there. Take a day or night and go check out Cancun and/or Cozumel. There worth seeing if you haven't been before. Playa del Carmen is also close to Tulum and a few hours from a town called Merida, which is very beautiful and more laid back than Playa or Cancun. Check FunJet Vacations for cheap packages. That's how I went: Round trip to Cancun and a hotel for like 9 days (or something...the trip is a bit fuzzy ) was around $700-$800. We went all over the place: Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Merida for a few nights....man, what a great trip. And holy freaking christ the senoritas.....pantpantpant. Its like Telemundo in 3D
Thanks for the advice! She actually was thinking about Playa del Carmen and I know nothing about it, then again I know next to nothing about places to visit in Mexico. I'm not much of a beach person, what type of activities do they have at the ruins? She is looking forward to beach activities, so I know I'll do some of that anyway, I'm just looking for alternative activities after I've been completely fried by the sun. B
I didn't think Playa del Carmen was cheap...or so I've heard. If you are set on a beach, try going to Oaxaca on the Pacific side. You got beaches, mayan/aztec ruins, mountanous ranges and its not too crowded like those other resorts. Oaxaca is beautiful too! http://oaxaca-travel.com/guide/index.php?lang=us
I have not actually been to this place, but it was recommended by friends. It is much more remote than Playa del Carmen. Looks interesting to us. Just depends on what you want. http://www.mayaharesort.com/
If you want to stay in the Cancun area but dont want to be in the middle of all the hustle anb bustle, I would recommend the place that my wife and I stayed at last year. Its called the Moon Palace and its between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen. http://www.palaceresorts.com/ The cool thing about this place was the following: All-Inclusive Stay at one play at the others (there are a total of 6 or 7 Palace resorts all up and down the coast. If you stay at one, you are free to eat, drink and use the facilities at all the other resorts at no additional charge. One of the places we went to was called the Spa Palace which is really secluded. Their packages usually include a free massage. The arhchitecture at this place and all the others is breathtaking. All their rooms are ocean view (actually, 95% of them are) and most rooms have a fridge and jacuzzi. Price also includeds shore excursions (i.e. you can take a bus/group trip to go see the ruins, or take a tour on a lil two person speed boat (this was the coolest part of our trip) out to the natural reef and through the mangroves) There is no tipping or anything like that. Their prices include all your tips and stuff. Plus, price includes all the food and alcohol you can handle. Here are some photos: My wife and I stayed there for 5 days and 5 nights and the total package was approximately $2,000 (again, this includes airfare, tips, food, alchohol and the room with the jacuzzi). This is definitely a 5 star place in my book.
I'm in Mexico pretty often and can highlight some areas that haven't been covered: Cancun/Playa del Carmen/ Cozumel - COVERED Acapulco - I love Acapulco to party and see the culture. Its more "Mexicans" and its less commercialized. The water is not nearly as clear or blue as in Cancun but a great place to party. Its filled with people from DF, Mexico City, who are some of the coolest people to party with in the world. San Miguel De Allende - A small resort town in central Mexico that you would need to take a plane and a bus to. Its all cobblestone in the city and is filled with art galleries, cafe's, beautiful churches and amazing little bars. I would highly reccomend this place. Monterrey/ Mexico City - Incredible places to go and party. The clubs in these cities are some of the best i've been to in the world, and i've been all over. Not the place if you're looking for a romantic getaway but great "big" cities in another culture. I advise knowing someone in these cities and knowing the culture and spanish before attempting these.
On our way back from Mexico, there was some poor sap in the front of the plane that had a case of "Montezuma's Revenge". He was hurtin. As soon as we landed in Houston, they had an ambulance meet the plane on the tarmac.
But drink PLENTY of bottle water. I mean take it with you everywere and drink, drink, drink, water...BOTTLED WATER!
I also heard don't eat the ice or get frozen drinks, because they use local water for the ice. Anyone know if that is true? It seems pretty logical to me, though I have had frozen drinks and have not gotten the "revenge".
You'llbe a beach person when you leave. Seriously, if you haven't been before, you won't find beaches like these anywhere in the world (well, maybe a few places, but you get the idea, especially if most of what you know is Galveston). As far as the ruins go, they have group tours and things like that. Tulum even has its own little beach that's beautiful, especially given your surroundings. And my god, don't drink the water. I even brushed my teeth with bottled water, yet somehow I got the worse case of the runs I've ever had in my life. Fortunately it didn't hit until the morning I was leaving, which was awful in itself, but at least I was fine during the trip. I was honestly cramped up for days when I got home. ONLY DRINK BOTTLED WATER. I'm a beer drinker, so I can't tell you about frozen drinks....I know that the more expensive places at least have safe drinking water....or so I've heard. Don't mess with Montezuma, and do NOT f*ck with the police. Not that you'd do anything stupid and get thrown in jail, but seriously be conscious about that. They don't care one bit if you're an American, and your rights as an American do NOT apply there. While I'm on the subject of Mexican cops, I'd also advise you not to rent a car. Take taxis and buses. One reason is that Mexican streets and traffic are nuts, and another reason is that being a gringo is more than enough to get you pulled over, and then they'll want a bribe and it can go to hell real quick, especially if you don't speak Spanish. I've got friends in Mexico City who are with the Houston Chronicle Mexico City Bureau and they paid a lot of money in bribes when they first got down there with American plates on thier car. I'm not trying to put you off or anything. In fact, I've been to Mexico several times and I've never had any trouble of any kind....but I've heard some crazy storys from my reporter friends.
This may sound stupid, but don't eat the salsa. Studies have shown that the highest concetration of E.Coli is right there, waiting for yo' chip!
All I can say is stay the hell away from the border towns. Some day I'll tell you guys about my Midnight Cowboy style situation and how I almost wound up living in a Mexican jail. Scariest day of my life, and I've had some scary ones.
Okay, this sounds like it could be a fun trip if I bring all my water and avoid salsa and frozen drinks. B
