Robby: There is nothing wrong with being cheap. However from all you have stated with the room rates, etc. I wonder if you are not only cheap but also willing to stay anywhere without any concern for the quality of the place where you rest your head just for the sake of saying you went somewhere on vacation. To give you an example-for $55 or so you can stay at Solymar for a month which is night and day over Cancun Plaza and facing the ocean. There is no accomodation in Miami Beach that even comes close to that in price with the facilities. Now you may find a room in Miami Beach area, but it is away from the water probably by a few blocks, possibly looking out on another building and no pool, no restaurant, no tennis court and so on. As for the food in Miami Beach, indeed you can find it cheap. But would you not get tired of going out and eating hot dogs and street vendor food after a couple of days? Also the food that you find in Miami Beach for so cheap is not something that is healthy to eat for a long time. Furthermore you cannot get drinks for a couple of bucks no matter what you do in any decent place in Miami or the USA. Sorry, but that just does not happen. To give you an example-Taco Factory is cheap in my book and a decent meal for around $12-15. You cannot come close to the quality with a dring in Miami Beach or most anywhere in the USA for what you get there. Most places that sell you tacos in the US will do so for about $10 plus $4-5 per drink. Plus tax and you are up to $20 or more per person. You do have valid points, however you must be realistic. Mexico in general is cheaper to live and eat in then the USA. Most places in Cancun are indeed overpriced, but that is because they are franchises of the American chains and have to pay fees to their parent companies. However downtown Cancun you can get a decent meal for almost nothing which you yourself acknowledge. Further with the transportation still being cheap in Cancun, the cost of a room for a long term stay (no matter which complex) facing the ocean, and you are way ahead of Miami. And of course let us not forget that Miami can indeed get cold some days in the winter while Cancun is consistently comfortable or hot (even with a light jacket at night sometimes). Therefore Cancun wins out over Miami Beach at any time for the rest of us hands down which is the main reason for us to come to Cancun over and over again.
I like your argument skills! Though I still think you're a lil off. I would love to be able to go on each vacation and live like a king, but trying to do that in cancun for a month would probably cost me $5000+. Multiply that by the 4 months we vacation, and at that rate I'd be forced to be sitting at home. For me, I would rather be hanging out "frugally" in warm cancun, than sitting in cold Ohio. I will say that we are highly spoiled by our Thailand vacations. There we can and do live like kings, and for the same price that we can live frugally in cancun. For $55 a night for a month rental, You can find numerous places in the HEART of south beach. Maybe not ocean view, but ON the ocean. I'm talking about a 1 bedroom, with full kitchen, for that price. Two years ago we paid $1100 for a December month stay, on the beach in south beach. But YES, the ocean view in cancun is something that I love and is one reason why we have returned the 3 times that we have. The food thing, I still am not convinced that Cancun isnt more expensive than south beach. I think you are missing some of the in betweener places to eat in south beach. Yes the glitzy Ocean Blvd places are expensive, but certainly no worse than an equal place in cancun. Having eaten "cheap" for a month in both places, I still think south beach wins. And when I say we eat cheap in cancun, I'm not talking about eating tacos in the shopping area of the hotel strip. I'm talking about eating far dowtown, where we rarely ever see another tourist face. Even for that price of food, we can do better in south beach. Big strike against south beach is the water is chilly in the winter. The people watching is far superior in south beach, with all of the beautiful people. South beach is way easier to walk to everything, which is a huge plus. You can walk to get to most all of the eats and sightseeing and bars. In cancun everything is a bus ride. Weather is a bit cooler in south beach but still pretty much perfect during the winter months. I hate to put too much into comparing cancun to south beach because south beach isnt my favorite destination either. Now if we wanted to compare Phuket Thailand to Cancun, it wouldnt even be worth debating. I like things about cancun, I just have grown to dislike some things about the place. What kept me going back was the ocean, beaches and snorkeling. The beaches and snorkeling are now questionable, so for me I'm not seeing much else there to draw me back. Take the ocean and beaches out of the mix, and I would much prefer Puerto Vallarta. Once again, another place cheaper than Cancun.
I get where you're coming from, but are you really sure that there are no food bargains to be had in Cancun? A bowl of pozole for 40 pesos, which fills you up for two meals: several places downtown. A huge plate of meat, tacos, and salsa for 29 pesos at El Poblano (plus free chips). An entire roast chicken with beans, rice, tortillas, salsa, and salad for 48 pesos. Comida corrida with meat, rice, beans, tortillas, soup, and beverage runs anywhere from 35 to 55 pesos (I go for the 35 pesos meals because I know where to go): this can be found in dozens of places. A huge plate of shrimp ceviche for 70 pesos. I could go on and on. With all due respect, it sounds like you're not going to the right places downtown. Granted, bus station tacos in Cancun will run you 8 pesos each as opposed to 4 or 5 in other places of Mexico. But The slightly higher prices compensate for the higher cost of living and the higher wages in Cancun. Far downtown is inexpensive compared to anything you'll find in the states.
I'm reading through all of this trying to figure you out, I'm not sure what the point is right now. Bottom line - there are too many people that enjoy Cancun and it's people, it's restaurants and resorts. If you don't like it - don't return. Take your low end budget and have a great time somewhere else! A side note, no need to reply to me because I won't read anything else on this post - it's now a waste of time.
Ive seen and tried most all the things you've listed. We go far down Tulum ave to eat, where we truly, rarely ever see a white face. I find it to be decent value for what you get, but still nothing that I cant find in south beach. So I am the first person here ever to think that cancun is expensive? So everyone else thinks its still a good vacation deal? I am not hating on cancun and saying I hate the place and everything about it. I'm just saying that based on my experiences, compared to other vacation spots, I am finding cancun to be a less attractive alternative. I recognize the positives of cancun, but I also see the negatives. I weigh the two, and I just see a few other places that have more positives.
I have to agree that I feel Cancun has become less attractive to tourists when I look back 3-5 years ago. Expense is probably one factor, tour prices have virtually doubled in 5 years for example. Also though, the passport requirement and the vast expansion in the Riviera Maya are significant too.
If you are weighing the positives and the negatives....and you find more negatives than positives about vacationing in Cancun... and since you live like a king in Thailand for the same price you live frugally in Cancun, IMHO, it's a no brainer that you spend all your 4 months vacation time in Thailand. That way, you won't have to slum it at all. I think I've just solved your dilemma
I also want to say, in defense of Cancun Plaza...not all the condos at Cancun Plaza are cockroach infested dumps. There are MANY well maintained, gorgeous units there as well...all with stunning views of the ocean. BUT, YOU WON'T GET THOSE ROOMS FOR $30 PER NIGHT during high season Winter months. C'mon... You get what you pay for... Yes, Cancun Plaza is having a difficult time with changing management, but...by no means is it the "dump on the strip" like you and others say.
Mojito is right about Cancun Plaza, I have a friend who has a very nice unit there, she takes great care of it. And she rents it for a lot more than $30 per night. My understanding is that the common area management is the problem there. But there are certainly some nice units there.
