My wife and I are from Texas,In or mid-forties and are looking for a pretty hassle free, possible all inclusive week or two in Cancun or Cozumel. I'm a brick layer and my wife manages a book store, so money is a concern for us. Right now it looks like we will have between 4 and 5 grand for "EVERYTHING". We are interested in visiting the ruins as well as other cultural activities. We are also beach nuts,The only place I will swim is the ocean waters,We also LOVE to beach comb, so beach combing tips are also welcomed. I also enjoy snorkeling. I spent 4 years in Hawaii and fell in love with the colorful aquatic lifeforms. We also like to party a little, "Jimmy Buffet" style. Hey, what can I say...We're old :lol: We are planning our trip for the beginning of October. Any insight about weather in October.Cost effectiveness. Hotels, flights, Pocket money,or just things I can't miss would be greatly appreciated. Thank from these first timers.
The weather will be the same, they are very close to one another. We've stayed at both places. We went to Cozumel in November last year and the weather was perfect, the water temps perfect, too. We've been to Cancun over Christmas, with wonderful weather as well. It just gets dark a little too early in December. Cozumel is boring in the evenings. We stayed at The Wyndham and it was $13 each way for a cab to get to town. We only went a couple of times. There is PLENTY to do in the evenings in Cancun, shopping, dining, partying. The only AI we've stayed at in Cancun is the RIU Palace. The location was excellent as it is within walking distance of several places. The food was good as well. If you want to swim at the beach in Cancun, I would suggest staying north at the top part of the "7". The water can be quite rough farther south and we had caution flags up most of the time when we stayed at the JW Marriott and the Hilton. I hope you have a wonderful vacation. We first went to Cancun in 2004 and have been there at least once a year since. It is beautiful. I have learned so much from this message board and I am sure you will,too.
Cancun in October Hello, Cancun in October is absolutely beautiful! We will be going back this October also. If you want a good swimming beach and also the ability to be a bit more laid back I would suggest "The Blue Bay Club". It's at Northern end of Cancun, near Puerto Cancun. It's away from the hotel zone but every night of the week the Resort has a bus that will take you to one of the clubs. You do have to take a Taxi back to the resort though. They also have a Broadway type show three times a week. The shows are unbelieveable! We have been to Cancun 5 times in the past 2 years and this is my favorite place to stay. There is also an authentic Myan site within walking distance from the hotel. It only took us 15 minutes to walk there. The staff at the Blue Bay Club are extremely friendly and helpful. Like I said it is a bit away from the hotel zone, but like you, we are also in our forties and I felt like an "Old Fart" when we stayed closer to the zone. We went down at Christmas time this past year with 3 of our children and two boyfriends and it didn't even cost $4,000.00, so I think it is well within your budget. I hope this helped!
Having been to Cozumel, Cancun, Blue Bay Club, etc...mentioned in the above posts, my recommendation for you would be totally different than those above based upon what you posted that you are actually looking for. Since cost factors are a concern of yours, I would consider Playa del Carmen as your base camp. The prices are cheaper there for decent food, there are more bars geared towards the type of environment you seek, you will find many options in live music, there are ALOT of small, really nice, trendy, boutiuqe hotels. The food options are virtually unlimited and won't break the bank. You would be close to Tulum as well as Coba ruins. There is awsome snorkeling in Akumal as well as Cozumel. Most all of the more touristy attractions are within 20 minutes of Playa, should you choose to do something like selvatica, Chac Tun, Hidden Worlds, Aktun chen, Dos Ojos....alot of cave/cavern snorkeling in the area. Many different zip-line options as well. It sounds to me like your really into the whole cultural aspect of things and if that is true, I'd strongly suggest Playa del Carmen as your base as you could literally overdose on cultural oppourtunities available to you from that location. Not to mention that a nightime stroll down 5th avenue is very romantic with ALOT of really nice places to stop for a drink before strolling on to the next place. As for the post about Blue Bay Club....it might be ok for someone who isn't really into venturing out and about but you could not pay me to stay there on vacation. It's away from EVERYTHING and just the commute alone everyday is a HUGE waste of money. There are other hotels in the hotel zone that are comparably priced, yet offer more for your money. Different strokes.... Michelle
I would take Cozumel out of your consideration because you would not find the nicest beaches there, nor would it be easy to visit the Mayan ruins. I recommend the Hotel Zone of Cancun over other areas for first time visitors. This is because of the amount of options available to you that you just don't find in the Riviera Maya. Now don't get me wrong, Playa Del Carmen is an excellent suggestion. However, just know that there are resorts in the area that are located far enough away from Playa, that you would have to make sure that the resort has shuttle service to and from there. In the Hotel Zone, everything is reachable by cheap public bus service. Once there you will find hundreds of famous Cancun restaurants, clubs, bars, shopping malls and entertainment that you won't find anywhere else. Since cost is a factor, I recommend you consider the Presidente Intercontinental, Flamingo Resort, Barcelo Tucancun or the Barcelo Costa, NH Krystal and Sunset Royal. I am not sure of the prices for these resorts however I believe these would be a good place to start investigating. Get back with more questions after you have looked into your options a little more, the people who post here will certanly point you in the right direction. CANCUN TOP 100 212eric
Just so that there is no misunderstanding regarding my recommendation. It was for Playa del Carmen, NOT playacar or the resorts that are along 307 that require a shuttle or other transportation just to get to Playa del Carmen & 5th Ave. I was only referring to resorts that are either on 5th ave itself or walking distance to it and the beach...... Michelle
stay at palaceresorts.com From being down there more than a few times to get the biggest bang for your buck you want to do what we do. I buy my week from a palace premier member (I work with one) (he'd sell you a week if you want-I've bought 3 from him so far) (about $2600 for 7 days/nights) Then, stay at Adventura Spa Palace 50 minutes from the airport. Transportation to and from airport included. The resort is which is 10 minutes from Playa Del Carmen by taxi ($16 usd) to the Playacar palace. (You can use that resort or any of the other palaces while there for no extra charge) We would go to playacar and then do the 5th ave. shopping or take the ferry to cozumel (buy a 1 way ticket from whatever ferry leaves at that time-then when you're ready to leave buy whatever ferry leaves closest to that time) (about $27 round trip each). On cozumel you can go to thier palace on cozumel for the day or shop around, snorkel. Being able to eat & drink and use the cozumel palace or any other saves you big money..... As well, buying a week like that includes side trips like isla mujures, sail and snorkel, all the major myan ruins. Now the good part the resort has about 1400 rooms, the south end pool is about 275 yards from one end to the other ( the north pools are about 200 yards) (2 swim up bars), there is like 8 places to eat (oriential, mexican, itialian, international, greek, steak house, plus, two more I can't remember.... plus, 2 snack bars one at the north pool and one at the south end). Most every room has a jaccuzzi that could hold 4 adults, a shower with room for 4 with a bench, king size bed and full stocked mini fridge & liquior bottle dispenser that you put your glass under it push up and fill with rum, wiskey, taquillia. It is a all adult so no kids running about bugging you. The highlight for us each time is getting away from our kids..... We'd do it each year if we could to also escape the snow and cold of winter. Being blue collar we have to wait and save. Lastly, each trip also included a massage for each and petiure and manicure...... I just get the cheapest air fare on the dates I want and then get my buddy to sell me a week. He calls his palace contact gives them his number, hands me the phone and I give them my info and credit card number and within a few days he gets the confirmation letter I take with me and out side of souvienir money and u.s. dollars for tips we are there and back for under $3500..... No matter how you get there or for how long you go you will be hooked like the rest on this info board. Wanting to go back soon.
The websites that seem to be the most reputable for renting from a timeshare owner are http://www.tug2.net as well as http://www.redweek.com if you wanted to shop around for the best deal from an actual owner. Michelle
