Hey All. Love the forum and reading everybody's opinions and thoughts and I can see we all have a genuine love for Cancun. I'm going back on April 15th for the first time since 2004 and am beginning to look into things to do that I didn't get to around in 03' and 04'. I love the snorkeling, jungle tour, Isla Mujeres, etc but am looking for your thoughts on things to do that are not advertised as much and maybe are more of a "secret". Things I missed the first couple times as a silly tourist. Whether it be restaurants, activities, you name it. Looking forward to hearing from you. ~Viva Cancun
Welcome to the board and welcome back to Cancun. I would say definitely come downtown for a day or an afternoon. Walk down Tulum Avenue to Parque las Palapas, then on to Yaxchilan Avenue. Just hop on any bus coming downtown and get off at the fountain that is full of seashells (I know there are those of us that call it the "ceviche", but it's not an official name). Walk to your right and you will pass a small market, a stretch of stores and small restaurants. Cross over and go in a block and you'll find the park. Yaxchilan is full of restaurants and lively bars, mostly locals, far better prices than the hotel zone and lots of fun. Enough tourists get there that you'll probably find some waiters that speak English, and you will feel safe. I would also say check out Puerto Morelos. Take a bus from downtown for around $3. Get off at the PM stop and do the Crococun Zoo first. Takes about an hour and is a fabulous interactive zoo. Here's a link to a quick report on my recent visit, with some pics. http://www.cancuncare.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28107&highlight=crococun When done at the zoo, you can catch a taxi into the village of Puerto Morelos. It's a quiet, cool and lovely fishing village that is starting to attract more and more visitors and ex pat citizens. Quiet beaches, art, small shops and restaurants. There's more but I have rambled on already, I know others will jump in.
I enjoy spending a afternoon starting with a walk around the El Rey ruins (south end of the hotel zone, just past the Hilton Hotel). The ruins themselves are nothing spectacular (of course, I'm comparing it to Chichen Itza & Tulum), but if you want to see lots of iguanas (and I mean LOTS), this is the place to go. It is always very peaceful and rarely are many other tourists there. Once done, walk across the road and head north to Playa Dolpines (less than a five minute walk from El Rey). This is a public beach area, so if you go on Sundays there are lots of local families. Walk in either direction on the beach, either back towards the Hilton or further south towards Club Med. Very beautiful stretch of beach. End the day with supper at either Lorito Joe's or Dolce Vita (short bus ride, across from the Marriott, and if you are lucky you will spot their resident croc chowing down on his supper!
Cool. I definitely plan on spending a lot more time in downtown Cancun than I did previously. Last time there I think my favorite memories were from Pericos and La Parilla. I've heard great things about the Ruinas Del Rey - and I love iguanas so visiting there seems like a perfect match.
