A visit to the coastal ruins of Tulum and Xel-Ha make a great day trip from Cancun. Following the road south of Cancun, you will pass villages and small towns. Do not be afraid of the police check points--just stop and tell them where you…Read More

A visit to the coastal ruins of Tulum and Xel-Ha make a great day trip from Cancun. Following the road south of Cancun, you will pass villages and small towns. Do not be afraid of the police check points--just stop and tell them where you are going. It is best to visit Tulum in the morning before the sun gets hot and Xel-Ha in the afternoon to cool off in the remarkable inland lagoon. This is a protected park for snorkeling so no suntan oil is allowed. they have a nice restaurant for lunch and chairs to rest in between your snorkel trips into the water.

Royal Mayan families traveled to the coast for rest and relaxation. Tulum, translated to mean "Dawn" is the only Mayan city built on the coast and the only one surrounded by a wall. El Castillo (castle) sits on the edge of a 40 foot cliff and might have been a watchtower looking over the sea. The views are breathtaking as the limestone cliffs fade into the turquoise waters of the Caribbean below. The front wall has carvings of the Descending God and the columns on the side are carved to honor Kukulcan, the plummed serpent God. Imagine what it must have looked like in its time with the grandeur of nature surrounding the pomp and glory of this Mayan City.

Traveling about 10 miles north back toward Cancun, you will come to Xel-Ha(Pronounced Shell-Ha). An area full of natural wonders-you can explore a labyrinth of waterways and paths through the tropical jungle, lagoons of transparent turquoise water and private inlets, coves and "cenotes (fresh water sinkholes or natural wells). Xel-ha was a sacred place in which rituals and dances to the Mayan Gods once took place. It is now still sacred in its ecological balance with nature. Bring or rent your snorkel gear and visit another world beneath the waters surface. A world of rock formations of the limestone cliffs and brightly colored fish. Being that Xel-Ha is an inland lagoon, the waters are calm and the snorkeling invite you back again and again.

Take the ferry from Puerto Juarez to Isla Mujeres. They have a slow ferry and a fast ferry. The slow ferry option costs less. The crystal clear waters of Isla Mujeres make it the ideal place to snorkel. In town you…Read More

Take the ferry from Puerto Juarez to Isla Mujeres. They have a slow ferry and a fast ferry. The slow ferry option costs less.

The crystal clear waters of Isla Mujeres make it the ideal place to snorkel.

In town you can get everywhere by foot. If you want to go around the island you can rent golf carts, bicycles, or take a taxi.

Check out North Beach, too. It is beautiful!

ABOUT 30 KM NORTH OF ISLA MUJERES, ISLA CONTOY IS A NATIONAL WILDLIFE AND BIRD SANCTUARY AND A PERFECT GETAWAY. THE ISLAND WHICH IS ONLY 4 MILES LONG AND LESS THAN HALF A MILE WIDE, IS OFFICIALLY OPEN FROM 9 TO 5:30. OVERNIGHT…Read More

ABOUT 30 KM NORTH OF ISLA MUJERES, ISLA CONTOY IS A NATIONAL WILDLIFE AND BIRD SANCTUARY AND A PERFECT GETAWAY. THE ISLAND WHICH IS ONLY 4 MILES LONG AND LESS THAN HALF A MILE WIDE, IS OFFICIALLY OPEN FROM 9 TO 5:30. OVERNIGHT VISITS ARE NOT ALLOWED. STILL, ANYONE WITH A INTEREST IN NATURE WILL BE FASCINATED BY THE SEA LIFE AROUND THIS NEARLY DESERTED ISLAND.   Close

It may be one of those "well-kept travel secrets" abroad, but in Cuba and Caribbean Mexico, The Boat is almost inevitable. Tell somebody you flew to Havana and you end up having to explain yourself: "Why didn't you take The Boat?" People…Read More

It may be one of those "well-kept travel secrets" abroad, but in Cuba and Caribbean Mexico, The Boat is almost inevitable. Tell somebody you flew to Havana and you end up having to explain yourself: "Why didn't you take The Boat?" People ask about your new girlfriend and you get nods of full comprehension when you say, "I met her on The Boat." Local travel agencies advertise it as the "Crucero a La Habana", but everyone on the Mayan Riviera knows what The Boat is.

Except that what exactly The Boat is depends a lot on who you are and what you're all about. If you're a tourist on a Cancun beach, it appears as a pretty mini-ocean liner that mysteriously anchors off shore then disappears. If you're a Cancun tourist who is looking for a new pastime after doing the sunburning, ruin visiting, nightlifing, dolphin molesting, and eco-touring, it's the ultimate side-trip: a cruise to an exotic and slightly disreputable destination. If you're a traveler, it represents the best, most fun, and cheapest way to get to Cuba. If you're a businessman, or somebody's Man In Havana, you "take The Boat" as the ultimate alternative to a red-eye special. If you collect cruises, this has got to be the cheapest one in the world, and one of the most unique. If you just want to hole up for three days with an unlimited open bar and buffet, sundeck and TV movies, it'll be that for you, too. If you're a smuggler, it's a golden opportunity.

The Boat itself is neutral on the topic. It's of moderate size at 130 meters and 10.000 tons, and much more in the cozy old "ocean liner" mold than today's "floating office building" mode of Princess-class monstrosities. Compared to the glass box designs it looks smooth, sporty, and well...shipshape. It is given to round lines (even the disco and pool are round) and takes a pretty good stab at that feeling without going overboard on needless luxury. The interior has been described as a glorified ferryboat. Low ceilings look like aluminum siding and some of the larger salons resemble a VFW bingo hall in a double-wide mobile home. But there is nevertheless some class about the layout. There might be Formica and fairly cheesy carpeting, but there is also brass and polished hardwood. Electrical and plumbing fixtures are fist rate and in good repair. Cabins are cozy, and the beds are soft and comfy, with simple linens--a sort of Norwegian look. Sparkling white baths have little soaps and shampoo and cool little showers with lots of very hot water and nice thick fluffy towels. The cabins don't look like hotel rooms because nobody saw any reason to make them look that way. They look like cabins on a ship. They have portholes, marine plumbing, bunk beds, clever little drawers and closets and foldaways. Denial is pointless: you're on a ship, not the 34th floor of a Howard Johnson's. The point is this: you aren't on a cheap version of a cruise ship, you're on a very luxurious ferryboat...

Which is one way to look at The Boat--as one of the major portals into Cuba. Any given trip has a large contingent of "I'm a traveler not a tourist" types, business people, visiting families, This diversity of motives on The Boat create an interesting cross-section of passengers and make it a fun place to meet people. International roadwarriors with "hostel bum" written all over them loll in the unaccustomed luxury and get wide-eyed over the showers rub backpacks with junketeers from Cancun who are essentially treating their kids to a sort of floating Disneyland. Retirees discussing grander cruises of years past with jaded businessmen whiling away their nteenth crossing with unlimited drinks in the piano bar. Cuban-Mexican families look askance at the sprinkling of retro-commies hauling in medical goods for Solidarity, unaware of the bureaucratic nightmare they are about to step into. MTV Spring Breakers going over for a week or two, intent on music/dance, international politics, cheap sex, and punching an envied "I been there" ticket end up sharing dinner tables or jacuzzis with "their parents" who are chatting about cigars and deals on paintings for their rumpus rooms. At my table in the second meal seating: a ballerina from Philadelphia going over to learn Spanish, an Irish family just trying to do something totally-unIrish, a permanently traveling Argentine trio speaking every known language without accents, two busty American blondes who spent the whole trip on the sundeck in bikini bottoms and fragrant marinade and didn't really seem to have a very good grasp of where they were heading or why. In fact, they didn't even go ashore in Havana, just sunned themselves, nursed hangovers, and got completely drunk all over again. The motto of The Boat could well be "To Each His Own".

But even judged as a cruise, The Boat stands out as an amazing bargain. For under two hundred dollars (plus $45 port tax for those reconstructed communists) You get two days and two nights at sea, plus the port call in Havana. That includes all you can eat and drink, 24 hour closed-circuit movies in your cabin, pool and sundeck, jacuzzis, sauna, two Cuban floor shows, casino gambling, duty-free store, and a round of activities ranging from nitwit games to music lessons with the dancers and band. It wouldn't take much imagination to see the trip as a return to the glory days of liners from Miami to Old Havana. Take in the rumba show, then go play some roulette and picture the guy over at the blackjack table as Ernest Hemingway running guns to rebels for the Mob.

But whoever you are and whatever your reasons for boarding The Boat, there is a universal bottom line: you get a hell of a lot for your money. With Havana thrown in.

If you've noticed a theme about this story, it would probably be, "Not bad...and great for the money." Well, the same could be said about the food. Michelin wouldn't give it five stars, but you could do worse in a lot of decently…Read More

If you've noticed a theme about this story, it would probably be, "Not bad...and great for the money." Well, the same could be said about the food. Michelin wouldn't give it five stars, but you could do worse in a lot of decently expensive restaurants. I never heard the slightest complaint about the food. I personally thought it was good to great. I'm thinking specifically about a heart of palm/mushroom mix on the salad bar, absolutely excellent eclairs and pastries, fried bananas for breakfast, and some spiced sliced pork ala Cubana.

The chef is Mexican (which always works out well), with Cuban helpers. So they can do their regions, but have an international and eclectic taste, using what works best. For instance, they sensibly stick pretty close to American ideas of breakfast food: eggs (as you like them - as long as you like them scrambled), bacon, hotcakes, cereals...but throw in refried black beans, a lot of tropical fruit, and some flaky croissants.

Lunch and dinner both feature long salad bars (with an odd dressing selection restricted to Thousand Island and Mayo, but offering several bottles of balsamic or pear vinegar) and a selection of rolls and bread by their anonymous but gifted baker. Lunch always offers a choice between hot dishes and cold meats, cheeses and sandwiches. Dinner entrees range from Caribbean pork dishes to steaks, fried fish, damn tasty drumsticks...and some real dessert romps by those pastry guys. Kiwi tarts and mocha pies and such. And remember...it's "all you can eat". Not "all you should eat without making a total slobbering swine out of yourself", but "all you can eat". It's buffet-style service, grab a plate and load up.

Other than the self-serve aspect, service is excellent, as it tends to be anywhere aboard. There don't seem to be many waiters for the number of diners (200 at each of the two sittings) but they provide excellent coverage. No glass stays empty long, no dirty dish lingers, no trip out to the bar takes long at all, no problem in replacing your dropped fork or cloth napkin. They cover the waterfront through sheer hustle and are full of good spirits, charm, and tips on places to visit in Havana. The waiter in my section had even prepared a xeroxed slip of recommendations. And did I mention you can eat all you can eat? Not to mention drink all you can drink. The short itinerary trip includes seven meals, plus snacks several times each day in the poolside bar and at midnight in the piano bar. Beats the hell out of airline chow.

Since the white people had baked like a potato on Saturday of our trip, we didn't want to spend more time in the sun on Sunday than we had to. Ouch! A need for cash (don't let anyone tell you that you can use your…Read More

Since the white people had baked like a potato on Saturday of our trip, we didn't want to spend more time in the sun on Sunday than we had to. Ouch! A need for cash (don't let anyone tell you that you can use your credit card in Cancun. Everyone wanted cash.) caused us to consider a trip on the bus to one of the malls on the hotel zone to find an ATM. So, we got some pesos (a bus trip is 6 pesos per ride) and boarded a bus. (Make sure to ask your driver to let you know when you should get off for your stop.). We drove past all the hotels, which gave us a pretty good view of the rest of the strip that we hadn't gotten a chance to see. Each one has a different character and a different look.
Not being the clubbing type ourselves, we also got to see a lot of the clubs -- like Senor Frogs and the Snake Club -- that we had heard so much about. We went to Plaza Caracol (sp? pronounced like Caught a Cold) which was nice, and then to Plaza Isla, which was outdoors and had a little more touristy feel about it. We then proceeded to eat a $10 McDonalds meal that would have cost us $5 in the States.
On the way back down the Zona Hotelara, we stopped at a very pink flea market with very pushy shop owners, where I got some hair braids and a henna tattoo.
All in all, we took about 2 and a half hours on the hotel zone, but I thought it was a good, cheap activity that gave us more perspective on the city we were in.    Close

We decided to rent a car during our second trip to Cancun. We started out by asking the concierge at the resort. They quoted us around $45 a day with no insurance. This was with Hertz - our preferred agency. Hertz…Read More

We decided to rent a car during our second trip to Cancun. We started out by asking the concierge at the resort. They quoted us around $45 a day with no insurance. This was with Hertz - our preferred agency. Hertz is also about two blocks down the road which was an easily walking distance from the resort. We also inquired with Avis and it was a little more. I thought that this was a little high, plus was concerned about insurance. We've read about renting cars in foreign countries before and how insurance is recommended.

The resort provides Internet access for about $2 per 30 minutes. I logged onto the Hertz website and found that we could rent a mid-sized vehicle for about $42 a day including full coverage insurance. We booked it over the Internet and wrote down the confirmation information. I would highly recommend either calling the rental car agency or going online and doing it that way if you are comfortable with that. When we went to pick the car up, the agent told us that walk-ups were given the $45 per day amount which doesn't include any insurance at all. Before we took the car off the lot, a guy did a walk-thru with us and noted any defects in the car, including little scratches and dents that we wouldn't have noticed. I have the distinct feeling that if we had not purchased insurance we would be held accountable for any new ones that may be created by us.

Throughout our travels outside of Cancun, we were hit many a time with flying stones and rocks from stone trucks. There are also a lot of potholes in the roads. It is not smooth by any means. The laws in Mexico hold you responsible for any damage to the car if you don't purchase insurance. I hope that this helps anyone that wants to rent a car in Cancun!   Close

Open bar writs bands are definitely the way to go in Cancun. Its so much easier to just walk up to the bar and order with out having to dig out money in a crowded area. It makes for a funner and worry free time. (Do…Read More

Open bar writs bands are definitely the way to go in Cancun. Its so much easier to just walk up to the bar and order with out having to dig out money in a crowded area. It makes for a funner and worry free time. (Do not buy an open bar band for a bar if your only going to have one or two drinks)I suggest an open bar wrist band mostly for nightclubs. They are sold by people on the street in front of the discotech of choice.   Close

Let me start by saying that this place has the most beautiful beach I’ve seen. I loved the warmth of the water. The resort we stayed in was the Oasis Playa, and it was okay. The food was okay. I had high expectations for Cancun.…Read More

Let me start by saying that this place has the most beautiful beach I’ve seen. I loved the warmth of the water. The resort we stayed in was the Oasis Playa, and it was okay. The food was okay. I had high expectations for Cancun. I should not have. In short, I found this is nothing more that a high-school/college party town without much room for adults who want to be around other adults. I like to take a trip once a year, just an adult trip. I have a teenager myself, so I, of course, wanted peace, and that isn’t what I found in Cancun. I didn’t once encounter a good mixed drink. The tipping was unexpected, because I usually choose all-inclusive to get away from the "money every minute" thing. I wouldn’t consider this a budget trip, and for the money I spent, I could have been in Cabo San Lucas or some other lovely beach destination. While I had a good time and enjoyed just being away from home and work, I will not be going back.    Close

My journey to Cancun, Mexico, was great. The plane ride was pleasurable and short. When we got to the airport, we went through the usual customs and baggage check. When we left the airport, we took a taxi. Drivers in Mexico are reckless, so be…Read More

My journey to Cancun, Mexico, was great. The plane ride was pleasurable and short. When we got to the airport, we went through the usual customs and baggage check. When we left the airport, we took a taxi. Drivers in Mexico are reckless, so be prepared and watch where you are walking on the street, because they will just about hit you.

Our hotel was very nice. We had all-inclusive food and drinks and it was right on the ocean. The sand is beautiful and white and never hot like in Florida. Watch the ripe tide, though, because one of the travelers with me got sucked out and had to be rescued.

When we went out, we rode buses. We also had to watch the buses because as soon as you stepped on the bus, it moved whether you were sitting or not. There is a lot of shopping and clubs. The best club is Coco Bongo. The Travel Channel even once had a special on it. When eating the food, we had to watch what we ate, because anything that they used water on, such as washing salads or just a glass of water, would make me sick. Their water has parasites that our bodies are not used to. There are a lot of things to do in Cancun. The clubs are great and the shopping is good. Also, don't be afraid to talk the store owners down on price, as they will budge with an easy push. Snorkeling is also a nice adventure to take, since one of the coral reefs they take you to is the second largest in the world. The bull fights were not good to me because it was just a lot of dancing for a couple of hours and they just killed the bull. The fight is not what I had imagined; they just threw spears at the bull until he was almost dead and then the matador slit its throat.

There is a tour that goes to Chitzanitza. It is interesting, but if you do not like history I would not go since the tour lasts 12 hours. I would also not go outside of Cancun by myself, as it is very dangerous. Also, there is no real drinking age in Cancun. I think the actual age is 18, but I saw 15-year-old boys drinking in a bus.

There are a few things in Cancun that will get you in jail in a heartbeat. Don't fight on the street and don't steal anything. If one of the shop owner’s catches someone stealing, he has the legal right to beat that person. Also, there were policemen walking around with guns, but I wouldn’t be frightened because they took pictures with us.

I think that Cancun is a great place; I even went back again, and I intend to go again soon.