virtually any kind of activity to be had in the area. what are your preferences? Here is a list of some of the excursions available. I know they're "Cancun" tours, but many are just as accessible (or more so) in the RM. http://www.cancuncare.com/Cancun_Tours/
that's always a good idea. do you like to explore with an eye for a cultural, historical, archeological, or natural experience?
I can't help you much with that...I usually try to get local crafts and goods, however. Probably best bet if you're way south of Cancun is try the Fifth Avenue shops in Playa Del Carmen.
Shopping I would suggest getting on the R-1 bus. km numbers run down to km 0 and at the next light the bus turns right. It's $6.5 pesos or about $.60 Us per person, each way. Get off at the first stop and there is a nice little market there. You can grab cheap beers too, usually 2 for 1. Bargain on everything here. If you want to experience one of our local malls, I would suggest Plaza las Americas. Taxis are everywhere and are $18 pesos around the city. PLA is a mall similar to what you would find in the states, but with a local flavor. There are 2 theaters, one of which is called VIP and is upstairs on the end where the Dorians dept strore is located. Liverpool is an upscale dept store in the center of the mall. You can also cross Tulum if you are anywhere in this area on Tulum and you will see lots of buses with Pza las Americas on the front. These are locals but go straight to the mall and its like $5 pesos for the local buses. For more of a local flare you can try Market 28. You can wander around forever there. Bargain here too on everything but food. English is spoken as long as you keep the conversation about shopping. For a real local flare, go to Market 23. Some English spoken here but money is the language. You can see raw meat hanging and a line of peoplw waiting to buy it. There is a place where you can watch orange juice getting squeezed and you can buy a liter for about $.75US and the little lady will serve it you you in a bag tied around a straw. Bootleg DVD's are 3 for $100 pesos. The famous pottery, Talavera is for sale in one of the larger places. This is a real treat if you let it be one. Lots of folks like to go to Walmart downtown and it is the best place to buy booze. Across the street is a nicer gourmet type liquor store where you can get a bottle of cuban rum for $85 pesos, if you have the guts to take a bottle or two back with you. Back left corner as you go in the door. Habana Club Blanco. The darker, Anejo, is a bit more expensive but its all good. IF YOU GET A TAXI AT A "SITIO" OR A TAXI STAND, THE CHARGE IS $30 PESOS. In this example, the mall, Market 28 and Walmart have sitios. You can also walk to the street and get the taxi for the cheaper fare but I would not do this at the mall as it may be more of an adventure than you are up for. If you do this and are ready to go back to the hotel zone, there are two simple things to do. If you are at Walmart, walk out the door and turn left to the street (Xcaret) and get on an R-2 or R-15 bus or any bus that says Hoteles, Zona Hotelera or anything like that. The other option is to take a taxi to Burger King ON AVENIDA TULUM. This is across the street from where you would have gotten off the first bus but down 200 or so yards. There are a million buses here and most go to the Hotel Zone, but again, R-1 is a sure thing and you can look on the windows of the others. If you want to be a tourist and shop in the hotel zone, you can go to Plaza La Isla or Plaza Kukulcan. The latter has an area called Luxury Avenue and the prices are nuts but less than in the states. Enjoy. You can send me a Private Message on this board if you want more specific answers to anything or if you have more questions.
You are welcome. I hope it helps you should you venture downtown. I could have also mentioned a trip over to Avenida Yaxchilan, which is the main party street downtown, although Klaw and I could take you other places technically downtown, where no white faces may have ever ventured. Yaxchilan is one main street past Tulum if you are coming from the hotel zone. The famous Parque las Palapas, that you could normally walk through from Tulum to Yaxchilan, is undergoing reconstruction and may as well be closed. You can still walk through there though, just down the side street beside Burger King. There are 2 main tourist places on Yaxchilan. La Parilla is nice but overpriced in my opinion and locals rarely go there. Perico's is also a restaurant but with a fun show - great for all ages. There is a sports bar where lots of locals hang out, La Taberna. On the street to the right of La Taberna you can get what we call "street meat", tacos, tortas and the like for dirt cheap prices, cooked right in front of you in these little kiosk on wheels restaurants that vanish at daybreak. Don't look too hard at the babes across the street from Geno's Pizza, as they are all "he she's". You might enjoy a night out on Yaxchilan.
