I think about posting something along this line every few months, usually when I have helped someone find the bus stop for buses to the Hotel Zone. For you first time visitors to Cancun, you may want to visit the downtown Walmart. The "Important Tourist Advisory" is that you don't get back on the bus across the street from where you get off, as is the normal how to get home rule for riding the buses around here The street through the Hotel Zone, Blvd. Kukulcan, becomes Avenida Coba in downtown Cancun. To get to Walmart take the R-2 or R-15 bus or any other bus that indicates Walmart on the front window or sign on the front of the bus. The bus stop for Walmart will stop on Coba at approximately midway between Avenidas Tankah and Palenque. You can look across the street to the next street and see the Walmart. I see so many people heading back in this direction with their Walmart plastic bags and they will have to break down and ask someone how to get back to their hotel. The deal is this. The return bus is on Avenida Xcaret, which runs beside the side of Walmart. So, exit Walmart, walk to the left to the street, then walk about 20 yards down Xcaret to the left and you will be one of the smartest tourists around when you see the bus stop. The key here is to get on the R-2 or R-15 or any bus reading anything that remotely reads Hotel Zone on the front of the bus. This includes Hoteles, Zona Hotelera or just Hotels. The R-2 is always a winner, as long as you get it on the Walmart side of the street.
This is a great post. all 3 times I've been to Cancun I've visited walmart and each time I've taken the bus down to walmart but ended taking a Taxi back to the resort as I would get confused. Also make sure your getting on the right bus to walmart we got lost once getting on the wrong bus to walmart it took us to where the locals lived and we was lost! Was a fun day though!
I need to add something here re the taxi from Wal Mart. If you get a taxi at the exit doors of Wal Mart you will have to pay a fixed rate to the hotel you are staying at. If you walk out to the Wal Mart Bus Stop as described, then you can negotiate the taxi price from $10-15 for the ride depending on where you are going. Also if you are going somewhere downtown then the cab fare is $2.00 anywhere in downtown Cancun. And that includes the tip as well.
No one in their right mind would take a taxi from Walmart to the Hotel Zone. Angels - Don't you wish I had posted this earlier? Sorry. What gabesz is talking about is that at a sitio, or taxi stand, the rate is higher. I have a car so am not in a taxi that often but my impression has always been that, for example, a $20 peso ride within Centro where you flag down a cab in the street, would cost something like $35 pesos from a sitio. I have never heard that a cabbie at the Walmart sitio will not negotiate a fare to the HZ. I am also not sure where gabesz gets a negotiated fare of $10-$15, presumably in US dollars as that is way too high. My taxi riding friends tell me TO the hotel zone is $50-$80 pesos unless you are going way south. In the night, the drivers presume your defenses are down and you can really get jammed. Rainy times, holidays, special events, etc. it is buyer beware. $15 dollars to the HZ from Walmart makes zero sense to me.
Same here for taxis: at the taxi stand the fares are at least 50% higher up to 100% higher. Regarding the taxi from Walmart to the HZ...it's kind of embarrassing, but we paid more We weren't exactly at Walmart though, but at the ADO station downtown. I wanted to walk around for a while and just hop on an R2 to get to the RIU Palace...and ended up getting us totally lost. We finally hailed a taxi and he charged us $140 MXP. We probably could've/should've bargained, but it wasn't worth it at that point
yes! totally wish you should of posted it sooner! Everyone knows i'm not to bright LOL make this a sticky! LOL j/k. I am not sure how much we paid but I think it was around $8 american. I know we paid more when we had the kids with us last time but I did not mind as we had Dallas and his medical stroller and just wanted to get out of the heat. Also we never took a Taxi from Walmart as we would walk up a bit and grab one when we got tired. ( which don't take long in the heat!!) lol
I am speaking of going to the southern end of the hotel zone. And the most I ever paid when the peso was 10 x $1 was $11 for 3 people plus the groceries which filled the back of the trunk. Otherwise its the bus all the way and not taxi. This was in daytime and not at night. No driver will take you to the hotel zone for 50 pesos or 80 pesos. Especially if its the southern end. But if you tell me I can do it for 100 pesos at most then I will be very happy for the next trip.
Hola gabesz, I can't say I have taken a cab to the south end of the HZ. More like the party center area, maybe as far south as Plaza Flamingo. I am not saying I don't get a deal on the first cab that stops but it must be my smiling face as someone seems to want the money before long. Good luck and keep smiling.
Where to get the bus back to the hotel zone from Walmart is written up with details on our downtown Cancun map.
I recommend Laura's maps. I have the current versions of most of them. They are a great for so many things.
