Not too far from the centre by taxi, is there a beach outside the hotel zone? I don't have a car and don't like taking the bus. Taxi fares to and out of the hotel zone are astronomical as everyone knows. Is there a beach anywhere else, like north of HZ? any place you can recommend and tell me the name of?! :aktion069:
You can take a $30 - $35 peso taxi to the beaches in Puerto Juarez (in the northern part of Cancun, where the Isla Mujeres ferries are), but they're not very attractive beaches in my opinion. Lovely views, horrible beach. I hate buses, too... I always take a taxi to Chedraui on Tulum, then take one of the frequent buses into the Hotel Zone. You'll be at the beach quick with only 5 - 10 minutes on an air conditioned bus.
There are other beaches, at Isla Blanca, for example. There is also Playa Blanca, which is not nearly so far north. You can get to both, but only Playa Blanca would be a relatively inexpensive taxi ride. Are you aware that it is possible to take a taxi into the hotel zone for modest sums? There is a taxi sitio just south of the Pemex Station at the entrance to the hotel zone. Leaving from there, you'd pay anywhere from 20-30 pesos, depending on the distance. It's 20 to the Westin, as I recall. Mainly intended to ferry HZ workers, you will ride with other passengers, but can be dropped off anywhere. Whille going out, you could ask where to catch a similar service leaving the HZ. (I've never used this service, preferring to take the bus.) If you don't mind sharing, what is your concern about using the buses, other than how long they take to get you places, of going across town (they're certainly fast enough in the zone!)?
Puerto Juarez looks like a quiet area to hang out, as far as Satellite view can tell, which is what I want: just a place to relax for a few hours, away from all the hustle and bustle. Reason I don't like buses is their very loud engine noise. I avoid going to loud places because of my very sensitive hearing. Taking the bus is always out of the question for me, unless it is absolutely necessary, but only for this reason. I would prefer a beach that has a lot of green space nearby, where you can go and get lost somewhere in the woods, where you can sit and only hear the birds and absolutely nothing else... You guys know any place like that? Not sure the Satellite View is still accurate, but it looks like there might be such a place on the left side of the road, around Playa Blanca and north of it....
Perhaps you should try Isla Blanca. As for the woods idea, that's a tough one, around here. We've got mangroves, and we've got brush filled low woods. Either one is difficult to traverse, though they do have birds! Further afield you go, the better chance to find deserted beaches, and solitude, if that's what is required. As for me, even the HZ offers enough solitude at the time of day that I go, 6 AM. You can easily be the only one on the beach, and the only one in the water, with just an occasional early riser jogging or strolling by.
A concern about "getting lost in the woods" would be the mosquitos. Around the mangroves they can be brutal. So bring some Off Deep Woods spray in the green can. What might be an option would be an overnight trip to Isla Holbox, off the northern coast of the peninsula. It's a bit of a hike, like 2 1/2 hour by taxi, that you can get for about $800 pesos each way, plus a 20 minute boat ride that I think is now $70 pesos each way. There are no cars or trucks on the island but you can rent golf carts or bikes. There are many areas of complete privacy and you can really get lost in the woods. A cheaper and quicker alternative might be to go to Isla Mujeres. Many of us (locals) take day trips or overnights there. You can take the ferry from a couple of places in the hotel zone. It is like $15 US round trip per person. You can rent golf carts there for about $40 US for the day and they seat 4. You can get sort of remote by going to the end of the road where the turtle farm is located. There are several remote areas south of the airport but they are not real practical to get to without getting on a bus, but this would be a better class of bus than the ones that go to and from the Hotel Zone. Just a couple of thoughts plus the "skeeter" warning.
