HI, I'm going with a good buddy of mine to Cancun. I'm leaving on the 18th and will be there until the 25th. We are staying at Oasis Palm beach all inclusive. Since its our first time in Cancun we want to actually get out and do stuff instead of just partying all the time, and i have a couple of questions that i'd like answered by people who have actually been to Cancun before. Three things we want to do down there is see ruins/snorkle(or dive)/Caving(cenotes). We are also wondering whether or not it is worth it to rent a car($ wise). My friend was telling me that we could rent a car and enjoy the freedom of going where we want, as well as save money by not signing up for a tour at the ruins and instead just having to pay the admission. 1) Ruins. Which ruin to see? We are debating between Chichen Itza, Tulum and possibly Coba. How much is admission on average(ballpark) for an adult to these places? Anyone know which ones are more interactive(i heard you can't really do much but look @ chichen itza, and you can walk around more at Tulum) Tulum also has a plus because A) its closer and B) we can go swimming right there afterwards 2) Snorkling or Diving. None of us has ANY diving experience whatsoever, so i'm leaning towards doing snorkling at Cozumel. Included with the hotel we are staying at is free diving lessons in a pool, but afterwards with only this small experience can we really expect to do anything cool/exciting diving? How much $ to snorkel at cozumel (palancar reef) 3) Caving/Cenotes - Are there any that you don't need to use scuba gear to get around in? Anyone have any experience doing this at all in cancun? We looked at Dos Ojos, Gran Cenote and Cenote Dzitnup I know its a lot of questions but i've got a few more about our hotel. Anyone have any experience with the oasis palm beach? I really don't care too much about the rooms, just looking for half decent drinks and a good amount of other people partying. Can we expect this? Appreciate anyones help! Thanks in advance.
Ruins...if you care about seeing interesting ruins forget Tulum. Both Chichen Itza and Coba are very much worth the trip to see. Coba has fewer buildings that have been excavated than Chichen does, but in my mind is a much more interesting place. Chichen is more commercial. Both are worth going to. Tulum is by the sea and the location is gorgeous. The ruins are small, poorly constructed, crooked and not very interesting. When I get dragged to Tulum by visitors I bring a book and sit on a rock on the cliff and read. IMHO Tulum is boring but has a great view.
Regarding renting a car, I would advise against it. Just enjoy your vacation and let the locals do the driving.
As far as snorkeling goes....Instead of going to Cozumel you may want to do the jungle tour that several marina's do throughout the day. You get your own boat to drive through the lagoon/sea to the reef and get to snorkel for quite some time. The early you go the better.
Thanks for the replies. Another quick question: Is it cheaper to buy cigarettes down there or to bring some with you? I don't mind smoking marlboros at all
As usual, I agree with ^^ Ruins: My first choice would be Coba as well. Tulum is kinda neat if you've never been to a ruins site. But, not all that amazing. If I was driving down to Tulum from Cancun I would keep going past the ruins and head to the beach. Snorkeling: Cancun itself absolutely sucks for the most part. HIdden Worlds/Dos Ojos is pretty cool as long as you are not claustrophobic. Best snorkeling........ Akumal Bay. Car rental: Hell yeah. Much more fun driving yourself and doing things at your own pace. I have been on one organized tour in my life and swore I would never ever ever do it again.
Snorkeling - We did a little trip through the mangroves via Aqua Fun. You take out a little speedboat and take it with your group through the mangroves and at one point you're allowed to get out for a bit of snorkeling provided the weather is good. Have a look at the pics I took in my photo link in my sig. In the one for Jan 2007 there's a few pics I took while piloting the boat.
